Same story. Got a recorded call from Steve Martin with the Dept. of Treasury. However the caller ID on my phone showed it was coming from Patricia Oster with the number 714-968-7329 which is the only reason I answered the phone. I called the number of Patricia and got a guy saying she wasn't home and that he had not made any calls. looked her number up and she lives in Huntington, Beach, CA. Then I returned the call with the number on the recording and Sean Michael (with obvious accent) answered and I asked to speak with Steve Martin. The connection was bad and he hung up.
The guy left a message on my phone today. I noticed as I left for the day, the phone rang and I didn't answer it because I didn't recognize the name. The caller ID had a Vietnamese name - Something-or-Other Nguyen. But the person who left the message did not have Vietnamese accent.
714 is a southern California number (LA area). I live near Seattle. This is fraud conducted across state lines. Shouldn't the FBI be investigating this?
I got a call telling me that I owed $5,080 in back taxes and would be arrested. Then he went on to say "I don't want a nice lady like you to go to jail for 2 years with a 'no bail' warrant, but things are not in my hands - once this call is disconnected, the police will be at your door in 45 minutes." However, they said that maybe they could help me avoid this..."Do you have this kind of money available?" (I answered 'no'). "Do you have a credit card". (I would have to discuss that with my husband - he does all the finances, I said, and I don't know what the limit is**). "I cannot authorize you to talk to anyone else" he told me, "that would be a second violation resulting in jail for 7 years"...etc. Their number is 714-982-7329. **My answer here was not true, but I wanted to hear his spiel without giving out any information.)
'IF' the 'police' had shown up at your front door to arrest you in 45 minutes, you would have easily recognized them as frauds, when they appeared wearing rags on their heads, and riding camels.
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 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.
The calls originate in India or Pakistan. They spoof local numbers. The callers are beyond the reach of US law. They are hard core Indian scammer/extortionists. Block their calls. Do not return their calls.