Recorded message from "Steve Martin" talks of second attempt to contact for a criminal lawsuit from the Treasury Department. One of my clients got this message and called them back. The man she spoke with asked who prepared her taxes, then stated she owed over $4,000 and that a sheriff would be at her door in twenty minutes unless she paid. The IRS will never call demanding money, but will send mail if you owe them.
Caller suggests that I have committed a crime or crimes & that I need to appear before a Grand Jury. I have only been in California once--many years ago and never in San Diego area. I believe this to be a wrong number.
Recorded message from "Steve Martin" talks of second attempt to contact for a criminal lawsuit from the Treasury Department. One of my clients got this message and called them back. The man she spoke with asked who prepared her taxes, then stated she owed over $4,000 and that a sheriff would be at her door in twenty minutes unless she paid. The IRS will never call demanding money, but will send mail if you owe them.
They just called me saying the same thing and freaked me out. He told me do not hang up the phone or I will be arrested within 45 minutes. I know my taxes are current and up to date. It was Steve Martin that left the same message as above. And I made the mistake of calling him back. I hung up and he tried to call me back 3 times. Don't answer
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.