An Indian (clearly can tell from the accent) calls and says his name is Sean Walker. First red flag is the strong Indian accent with a name like Sean Walker.... Second red flag, this is a business and we do a lot of business with a contracter named SEAN WALKER. Weird! This caller has called one of the office lines for months and months now. Same guy with different names and from different companies. We also have gotten servral calls from a female Indian. No matter how many times we request them to stop calling they do not. Very annoying!!!
An Indian (clearly can tell from the accent) calls and says his name is Sean Walker. First red flag is the strong Indian accent with a name like Sean Walker.... Second red flag, this is a business and we do a lot of business with a contracter named SEAN WALKER. Weird! This caller has called one of the office lines for months and months now. Same guy with different names and from different companies. We also have gotten servral calls from a female Indian. No matter how many times we request them to stop calling they do not. Very annoying!!!
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
There are a few things you can do:
1) If you have become a victim (lost money, gave personal information etc.) then report it to TIGTA under http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml; if you saw through their attempt to defraud you then file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint. Include “IRS Telephone Scam" in your complaint.
2) Help kill their phone lines. 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 use and can lead to immediate termination of their contract and blocking of their IP addresses for future attempts to register. However, most of the time only law enforcement can initiate the contact with the telecom company if you yourself are not a customer. Therefore, do a reverse look up of their telephone number (www.whitepages.com) to identify the Voice over IP provider. Then, if you cannot file a complaint yourself at the telecom company's website or over the phone (as is e.g. the case with Level 3 Communications), report the scam and the used telephone number to your state attorney general and/or to your local law enforcement agency (by the way: a good idea regardless).
3) Ultimately this is a case for the FBI legal attache in Islamabad or New Delhi. So 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. Such a 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). So if you want a SWAT team kicking in doors of call centers on the subcontinent (and who doesn't) take a little time to write and voice your anger. You can use the following template for your letter (more powerful!) or email:
Senators
Use the district office address of your senator as displayed on http://www.senate.gov/
Your letter should be addressed as follows:
The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Mailing Address of District Office
City, State, Zip Code
Representatives (House)
Use the district office address of your district representative as displayed on
http://www.house.gov/
Your letter should be addressed as follows:
The Honorable (full name)
United States House of Representatives
Mailing Address of District Office
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Senator/Representative XXX
As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to demand decisive action from the FBI, the IRS and other federal agencies against organized crime directed against American citizens from abroad.
As widely reported by local and national media all across the United States and warned about by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (see http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2014-03.htm) a tidal wave of fraud using Internet phones has hit our shores. Millions of dollars already have been stolen by criminals impersonating federal officers while hiding in countries like India and Pakistan, where most of the calls originate. There seems to be no end of it in sight.
I have personally been targeted by these scammers but it is the most vulnerable among us that I am concerned about primarily. The scheme is specifically singling out those that can least defend themselves against these crimes, in particular the elderly. I am also worried that given the origin of these gangsters, the money stolen from US citizens may be used for financing of terrorism or other activities directed against the national interests of the United States. But in spite of this clear and present danger to our country and its citizens I have seen no action worth mentioning by the FBI, the IRS or other federal agencies so far.
As a member of Congress overseeing the law enforcement agencies tasked with fighting fraud and ensuring national security, I implore you to make sure that they act on these threats and are given all the necessary resources to target these criminals in cooperation with foreign law enforcement.