I’m an Enrolled Agent with the IRS (Inactive). IRS does not initiate contacts by phone. US mail only. 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. IRS does not threaten to involve local law enforcement or to arrest you for nonpayment of federal taxes. IRS has no powers of arrest. If LE is necessary, US Marshals do the job. IRS does not cold call anyone and demand immediate payment of money. IRS does not ask for financial information over the phone. 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.
Left a message stating he was with the IRS, had a middle-east accent. Did not leave his name, but stated I was involved in a fraud and left this number for a call back. I phoned him back on a different number, he kept asking me who I was. I asked for his name, he said "mark davis" which I thought strange based on his accent. I asked for his supervisor, his badge or employee and number and his location. He said "I'm hanging up man" and hung up the phone. He originally called me on my cell number, not my land line, which is the number I use for all IRS filings.
These are criminal extortionists operating in overseas boiler rooms using VOIP to alter their identities and locations and out of the reach of US law enforcement.
If someone calls saying he's an IRS agent and demands that you send money immediately, hang up.
It's a phone scam.In fact, it tops the IRS "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams this year, and it's been surging in recent months, the agency said Thursday.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), which oversees the IRS, has received reports of 290,000 scam calls since October 2013 and said nearly 3,000 victims have been swindled out of $14 million so far.
By altering their caller ID number to make it look like they're calling from an IRS office, these scammers often threaten vulnerable people like the elderly and new immigrants with things like arrest, deportation or the loss of their driver's license if they don't pay immediately for money purportedly owed.
Often leaving messages that say it's "urgent" you call them back, the scammers use common names and sometimes say they are from the IRS Criminal Division. They may even claim to know the last four digits of your Social Security number and send follow-up emails that appear to be from the IRS, TIGTA said.
They often demand that payments be made by prepaid debit card.
Once they make their threats, the scammers have been known to call back and again disguise their caller ID so it appears they are calling from the police department or the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Or sometimes when they call, they may say you have a refund due and ask you to provide personal information so you can claim it.
The real IRS will usually contact you by regular mail first, if it needs to contact you at all. And the agency never demands immediate payment by phone or asks for credit card or debit numbers if they do call. It also never asks for personal or financial information by email, text or social media.
If you get what you suspect is a scam call, report it to TIGTA through its Web site or call 800-366-4484.
Foreign sounding male - as in he had a very thick accent making his message difficult to understand on the first listen. Claims to be calling about an IRS tax fraud OR a tax lien. Doesn't leave any information about who specifically he is trying to reach which, to me, is ALWAYS is a red flag. I will not be attempting a call back to him as I anticipate this is a scam either trying to get a payout over the phone or personal information.
Just got another call from this "foreign accent" male. I know that the IRS does not contact in this fashion, so I did not acknowledge this call. This SCAM has also been reported on the local news. I have received other calls like this with different return phone numbers. BE ALERT!
Got this call twice today and both times left the message claiming to be from the IRS with an urgent message regarding fraud. The first caller's number was 206-708-2849 from Washington and the second one was 703-828-0608 Virginia but both messages were the same. I really wish there was a way to stop these callers from trying to take advantage of people who may fall victim to their crap. They need to get a real job!