WARNING!!! -- This is a vicious new scam where the caller (a female recorded voice) pretends to be the IRS, where she is calling to give you a "final warning" about a "lawsuit being filed against you." The con artist hook being that they want you to call back and give them all sorts of private information -- and, of course, give a credit card number to make an "immediate payment".
I came home from work today and found 8 -- count 'em EIGHT -- messages from these scammers who called throughout the day, and then kept leaving the same recorded message over and over on my answering machine. Basically, since they got a machine, they must have thought: "Hey, we found an active line. So, let's keep trying it till someone picks up." Based on the 419 area code number, these scammers seem to be calling from Toledo, Ohio. However, these days scammers often use tricks to route their calls and to hide their true location.
I knew this couldn't be the real IRS because, every year and tax season, they always do a big media push to alert Americans about how they actually operate (ie. they'll contact you by mail and in written form if there's a problem) VERSUS what they will NEVER do (ie. call you out of the blue and demand money on the spot). So, with that in mind, I then went online and checked other web sites that detail bogus phone numbers and scams. And sure enough, I discovered that yesterday (May 31, 2017) people from all over the country were filing reports because they'd also been contacted, ranging from Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Indiana, Virginia, Connecticut, Maine and California.
Also, the reason I mentioned above that scam artists will often use tricks to disguise their true location is because other people were likewise reporting that IF they called back, they always got someone who sounded as if they were from India -- who would then become rude and instantly hang up the moment you asked any questions and pressed them to prove that they actually were the IRS.
Bottom line: IGNORE THESE SCAMMERS AND JUST HANG UP (or simply don't answer or even block the number) ***
And finally, from the OFFICIAL and REAL IRS web site, here is information to know, to avoid being scammed by imposters...
>> Protect Yourself: Scammers make unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.
>> Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money. Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
>> Here are five things the scammers often do, but the IRS will NOT do.
Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
>> Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
>> Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
>> Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
>> Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
>> Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
WARNING!!! -- This is a vicious new scam where the caller (a female recorded voice) pretends to be the IRS, where she is calling to give you a "final warning" about a "lawsuit being filed against you." The con artist hook being that they want you to call back and give them all sorts of private information -- and, of course, give a credit card number to make an "immediate payment".
I came home from work today and found 8 -- count 'em EIGHT -- messages from these scammers who called throughout the day, and then kept leaving the same recorded message over and over on my answering machine. Basically, since they got a machine, they must have thought: "Hey, we found an active line. So, let's keep trying it till someone picks up." Based on the 419 area code number, these scammers seem to be calling from Toledo, Ohio. However, these days scammers often use tricks to route their calls and to hide their true location.
I knew this couldn't be the real IRS because, every year and tax season, they always do a big media push to alert Americans about how they actually operate (ie. they'll contact you by mail and in written form if there's a problem) VERSUS what they will NEVER do (ie. call you out of the blue and demand money on the spot). So, with that in mind, I then went online and checked other web sites that detail bogus phone numbers and scams. And sure enough, I discovered that yesterday (May 31, 2017) people from all over the country were filing reports because they'd also been contacted, ranging from Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Indiana, Virginia, Connecticut, Maine and California.
Also, the reason I mentioned above that scam artists will often use tricks to disguise their true location is because other people were likewise reporting that IF they called back, they always got someone who sounded as if they were from India -- who would then become rude and instantly hang up the moment you asked any questions and pressed them to prove that they actually were the IRS.
Bottom line: IGNORE THESE SCAMMERS AND JUST HANG UP (or simply don't answer or even block the number) ***
And finally, from the OFFICIAL and REAL IRS web site, here is information to know, to avoid being scammed by imposters...
>> Protect Yourself: Scammers make unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.
>> Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the license of their victim if they don’t get the money. Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.
>> Here are five things the scammers often do, but the IRS will NOT do.
Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
>> Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
>> Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
>> Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
>> Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
>> Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.