I had this same number call me 3 times today, the first time all he got out was my name then I hung up.. the second time I didn't answer , so I said well the third times the charm...So of course I answered and he said this is blah , blah, blah, (wasn't paying attention) calling from the IRS and then he told me there are taxes that were done in my name and it was not for the correct amount and that would I speak with his supervisor about it , I'm like "sure" so of course I'm sitting there waiting and then I hear a fire alarm beep in the background (thinking to myself, should I tell the dude he needs a battery replacement?) then he rattled the phone a little like he was really transferring me somewhere ..Then a woman came on and was saying the same thing so I asked her "So when was this suppose to have happened ? she then proceeded to tell me that from 2008-2013 that I did not follow the right taxes and that I owed the amount of $2000 and something ..(Again wasn't paying attention) So after she repeatably loved to say the word "okay, after my name" I said "Well I have to tell you this I guess my pimp forgot to properly fill out my 1099 form and that I need to consult with him and tell him that he owed them money because he short changed me on the deal ! She hung up !!!
Call came in at 7:43 am. I normally would not have answered, but the screen on the old phone in my bedroom doesn't work well, and what I could make out looked like my Aunt's last name. When I answered, an accented man who sounded a lot like my cousin disguising his voice asked for my Dad. When I asked who was calling he said he was with the IRS investigating a criminal matter. I thought it was my cousin pulling a prank. By this time, I was in the living room to give the phone to my Dad, but I checked the ID on the other phone, and it said KUMAR SHRIRAM. I hung up immediately, and he called right back. I picked up and hung up. Scares me that I even picked up for this scam at all.
This is a Pakistan or India based IRS scam. Do not fall for it. The IRS does not initiate any legal action via phone.
Read http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2014-03.htm
As general background information, here are a few things you can do:
1) Report it to TIGTA under http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml especially if you have become a victim (lost money, gave personal information etc.). You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint (include “IRS Telephone Scam" in your complaint). This way you can also help the government establish specific fraud patterns.
2) Help kill their phone lines but not by calling them back directly (the number may be spoofed and repeat calls by you may - under exceptional circumstances- amount to harassment). The scammers use Voice over IP lines (e.g. magicJack (Ymax corporation)) to make it seem as if they are calling from the US. This is always against these companys' terms of service and can lead to immediate termination of their contract and blocking of their IP addresses for future attempts to register. Do a reverse look up of their telephone number (e.g. www.whitepages.com) to identify the Voice over IP provider and report it to the company and/or law enforcement (local police and/or state attorney general)
3) If you are really annoyed: call or write to your representative in Congress. As these scams happen all over the country maybe this will trigger a reaction and provide US law enforcement agencies with the political backing and the resources they need to work in India and Pakistan together with local authorities (it can happen, read: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ex-call-cen ... mmission-320427). A US task force has already been set up in Jamaica to nab scammers there (see http://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/library/reports/cornerstone/cornerstone7-1.pdf). You can use the following template for your letter (more powerful!) or email:
The caller with a South Asian accent said he was Officer Derrick Miller from the IRS and that some sort of a legal application had been filed against my name and to please call before we issue an arrest warrant.
Interestingly, another man with the same accent called the same number 25 minutes earlier with a message for my son who hasn't lived here for years. He said that he had an arrest warrant for my son and for him to call 202-241-7147.
I had this same number call me 3 times today, the first time all he got out was my name then I hung up.. the second time I didn't answer , so I said well the third times the charm...So of course I answered and he said this is blah , blah, blah, (wasn't paying attention) calling from the IRS and then he told me there are taxes that were done in my name and it was not for the correct amount and that would I speak with his supervisor about it , I'm like "sure" so of course I'm sitting there waiting and then I hear a fire alarm beep in the background (thinking to myself, should I tell the dude he needs a battery replacement?) then he rattled the phone a little like he was really transferring me somewhere ..Then a woman came on and was saying the same thing so I asked her "So when was this suppose to have happened ? she then proceeded to tell me that from 2008-2013 that I did not follow the right taxes and that I owed the amount of $2000 and something ..(Again wasn't paying attention) So after she repeatably loved to say the word "okay, after my name" I said "Well I have to tell you this I guess my pimp forgot to properly fill out my 1099 form and that I need to consult with him and tell him that he owed them money because he short changed me on the deal ! She hung up !!!