Received a call from a man with an accent stating his name was Michael Green, and he stated that he was with A-1 Cash Advance. He had a very heavy middle eastern accent.
He had my name, phone number, address, DOB, credit score, bank name and possibly account numbers (I wouldn't let him say them over the phone). He then asked me to confirm my SSN number and Driver's license number, both of which he had, but I didn't confirm if what he had was accurate.
He informed me that I had been approved for a loan that I had applied for, and that it came with free insurance that was provided by the federal government. He told me that they would deposit the money into my account to pay the federal government for the insurance, and that once they received the notification, that I transferred the money into my account that they would then deposit the full amount of the loan to my account. He then proceeded to ask me for my online login and password to my account, as they would need that to deposit the money to my account.
I informed him that what he was doing didn't sound legit or even legal. He tried to repeat the "script" to me, but I interrupted him, and ultimately ended the call.
It's my lucky day received two calls today from YMAX Communications--didn't know the IRS was headquartered in India--apparently I have minutes to sent money or be arrested....SCAM, FRAUD, HARRASMENT--will the real IRS please shut them down?????!!!!!!
Yep, Officer James Anderson called me today claiming to be from IRS and that I owed 7 years in back taxes, they were going to arrest me in a few hours, seize my bank accounts, search my house, take all my personal property and revoke my drivers license, having had tax problems with the REAL IRS I knew this wasn't the IRS's MO when I started to ask questions he hung up.
I just got the same phone # and exactly what you guys mentioned. However I knew that IRS must send me a letter instead of email or phone call. if you owe federal taxes, IRS will send you a letter to explain why you owe them money.
since I always do my tax, I do make mistake. You will pay the money you owe federal plus the interest. That's all they will do. Unlikely you must pay in 30 minutes. They will ask you to mail you the check to IRS return address.
This is some coward hiding behind a magicJack device plugged in at some God-forsaken corner of the world where there is Internet service. He's no better than a common criminal using a magicJack device and your fear the same way a common thief uses a toy pistol hidden in the pocket of his overcoat to make a bulge that looks like a real gun.
You can verify that this is a magicJack number by searching for it at http://www.phonevalidator.com .
Phonevalidator.com does not keep track of numbers ported into and out of the various blocks administered by each phone company. The most accurate information is only available to the phone companies, and you aren't going to be able to access this information. For example, it is possible for someone to port their home phone number to a magicJack number without phonevalidator.com knowing about that.
However, there is reason to believe that this is a number originally assigned to a magicJack device:
(1) YMAX Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of magicJack, and assigns numbers to their devices. magicJack makes almost all of their money selling these devices and the phone service that goes with these devices.
(2) Although it is theoretically possible to assign a number out of a YMAX Corp. block of numbers, it seems very unlikely that anyone ever does this, because the cost of using a magicJack is so low that it would be uneconomical to do so.
(3) In theory, at least, in some states it may be possible to get a YMAX Corp. number without using a magicJack device, it seems very unlikely that anyone would actually do so, because they may use a proprietary protocol for their service, and interconnections to the nationwide telephone system may not be perfectly reliable or even available in some cases.
On the other hand, a magicJack device is very convenient for scammers, especially those from overseas:
(1) They can access the United States and Canada without paying overseas calling fees from anywhere there is Internet service. This means that the incremental cost per call, incoming or outgoing, is zero or close to zero.
(2) They are assigned a U.S. or Canadian number from YMAX Corp., so the person being called cannot know where the scammer is actually calling from.
(3) MagicJack devices can easily be obtained overseas and appear to come with a "free registration" (i.e., a free number) that you can use for a period of time after the device is purchased, usually at a very low cost to the scammer.
(4) The audio quality is very good, and can be used to give the impression of a busy call center by playing recordings of people taking or making calls in the background, even if the scammer has only one device.
and
(5) They are readily obtainable outside of the United States for about $100 US and can come with up to a year of free calling to the U.S. and Canada. See, for example,
http://magicjack.in .
In addition to the regular reporting channels, e.g., the Department of the Treasury, the FTC, and/or your local state attorney general's office, you might also report the abuse to YMAX Corp. I have seen reports that they are pretty good at responding to complaints and may be able to permanently shut off a magicJack device, if necessary, so that it can never be used again.
The YMAX Corp. main web page is at:
http://www.ymaxcorp.com
and their site giving information on how to lodge a complaint is at:
http://www.ymaxcorp.com/contact.html
Note that the "contact" website gives a clickable link to a "live chat" where you can make your complaint.
"Michael Johnson" contacted about an urgent issue from the IRS. It was "time sensitive" and may require "legal litigation". Also, a heavy accent as previous posters mentioned.