This is the second call I have received in the last few weeks from someone reportedly from the IRS. This is a different number from the first call. the person who robo called today is supposedly a Kevin Smith. Knew this was a scam, but I'm getting tired of these bogus calls.
I received a call today from this number accusing me of tax evasion. I freaked out because the circumstances they outlined were oddly similar to mine (not that I have done anything illegal) so although I know this was a scam now, I am afraid since they seem to know something about me. Could they find out something about my tax status without my knowledge? The initial message was from Kevin Smith. I called the number & spoke to someone who said I had failed to file taxes for a certain number of years and that "(unintelligible) was misrepresented for the past 3 years". Upon finishing his "speech" he said "are you willing to let me help you". I explained that I had no income and therefore owed no taxes, he asked for the year I became unable to pay taxes. I told him what I could remember and he said he would look into it. I said "tell me what to do to straighten this out and get the proper information on record" he said "you seem very genuine and I will verify this information and call you back". A few minutes later I realized that I had given him an incorrect year so I called back to correct it. A different individual answered and seemed completely unaware that I had already called back once. He was also very threatening but when I insisted on only giving him the correct year to pass along "for the record" he said he would "call back in a little while". Both men had strong Indian/Pakistani accents and said they were call from "a IRS". I feel so very stupid for falling for it initially, but they preyed on my fears (still feel stupid). They seemed to know information about me, which also helped convince me they were legitimate. Fortunately, the second call back convinced me that they could be scammers. I called the IRS, which seems like a fraud in itself! Each number gave me 10 different numbers to call or a menu with 6 options, leading to another menu with six options, leading to an announcement telling me I had to wait 30-60 minutes! I hung up, went online and punched the phone number in and found it was a landline from Verizon. I then looked up IRS scams, and was directed to the FTC site where I had an online chat with a representative who couldn't tell if it was legit or not. They suggested I call an FTC counselor, who took the complaint (but didn't counsel me much). She told me that the IRS would PROBABLY send me a registered letter first. I explained that I found a registered letter notice on my front lawn, in the snow that had a respond by date of two weeks prior to the date I found it! (thank you US postal service). She told me to relax. I can't relax since I NEVER usually fall for this crap. Why does the IRS fraud site say they "USUALLY" send a letter first? That invites the possibility that they MIGHT not! Why isn't there a easier, direct way to find out that kind of information? I have now spent an entire afternoon on this stupid thing (including writing this long, I'm sorry, post about what happened). I want to stop these people. I have a disease that is directly affected by stress/emotions. These B******s have now not only stressed me out and scared me but they have physically hurt me! Lets get the word out and stop them now. Lets try and get the IRS to list a number devoted to these scams only! Lets try and convince the IRS to say FOR SURE they will send a letter to a taxpayer FIRST if there is a problem! Maybe it would help if there was a way to file a complaint in one place online that would then be forwarded to all relevant agencies (just a thought).
So far as I know the IRS does NOT initiate contacts by phone. It most certainly does not cold call people and ask for money. Or make threats. Threats alone should be a red light that this is a scam. As the Indian accent is.
Total scam. Originates in either India or Pakistan.
IRS does not file lawsuits. Court action, if any is handled by the DOJ and all parties are entitled to legal assistance if it is a criminal matter. But--tax disputes are for the most part civil matters. 90% of all IRS tax disputes are settled administratively. IRS has absolutely no authority to call on local law enforcement for anything. Local law is never involved in IRS tax disputes. It has no powers of arrest. If LE is necessary, US Marshals do the job. IRS does not cold call anyone and ask for money. IRS does not accept Green card money paks for payment in any case. No one is prosecuted for ordinary tax disputes. IRS has absolutely no authority over anyone's professional license. Professional licensing is handled by state governments. Yes, levies on property to satisfy an existing tax obligation do occur, but only after a very long period of negotiation. And yes, liens are placed on individuals but usually after a lot of negotiation and a failure to reach a settlement. All determinations of tax liability are subject to appeals. All contacts by the IRS are initiated by US mail.
Got a call from this number this morning. I answered it and got a recorded message telling me that an IRS agent is watching me and that I have defrauded the IRS. And they are about to seize my home and property. This call is a 100% SCAM. I know this because when I got this new phone the phone company spelled my last name wrong. Not even close and they published it the same way. So they could not have been calling me. I filled out a form with the IRS web site for fraud calls. They have warnings posted and would like everyone to file a report as well so that they can catch them. So lets help them It only takes a minute. So if you get this call please fill out the form on line.
Thanks for this forum. I googled the phone number and Kevin Smith and it brought me here.
The dead giveaway was the strong accent. Not only does the IRS not call people, but whenever I spoke with any of their representatives/agents in the past, they sounded like good old boys, not a hot-dog vendor from the local 7-11.