Largest-ever U.S. tax-fraud phone scam targets thousands: IRS watchdog

From Reuters 20 March 2014:
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Thousands of Americans nationwide have been targeted since August by a phone scam in which fraudsters claim to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and demand money for unpaid taxes, said the IRS' watchdog on Thursday. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) said it has received more than 20,000 complaints from people, including recent immigrants, about the scam. Thousands of victims have collectively paid more than $1 million to the scammers, TIGTA said.
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article


From CNN 31 October 2013:
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Taxpayers, beware: Fraudsters impersonating IRS agents are calling people across the country demanding they pay taxes that they don't even owe.
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article

It was noted that the scammers:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

So, don't be confusing these scammers with actual IRS agents, who:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

Darn. I thought this was going to be a thread about federal taxes being a scam, and I was going to say "Now you tell me, after I just paid up this morning".

indago said:

From Reuters 20 March 2014:
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Thousands of Americans nationwide have been targeted since August by a phone scam in which fraudsters claim to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and demand money for unpaid taxes, said the IRS' watchdog on Thursday. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) said it has received more than 20,000 complaints from people, including recent immigrants, about the scam. Thousands of victims have collectively paid more than $1 million to the scammers, TIGTA said.
------------------------------------------------------

article


From CNN 31 October 2013:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Taxpayers, beware: Fraudsters impersonating IRS agents are calling people across the country demanding they pay taxes that they don't even owe.
--------------------------------------------------------------

article

It was noted that the scammers:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

So, don't be confusing these scammers with actual IRS agents, who:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

Click to expand...

There is a big difference between IRS and scammers, though you clearly are attempting to make them the same. IRS informs initially, secondarily, and tertiarily by mail, not by phone. They do not threaten, they freeze your liquid assets, garnish your wages, and withhold refunds, and make it difficult for you to receive financial or loan assistance via federal avenues. No wonder people fall for scam when folks like you are always panicking people with your lies about the real IRS.

indago said:

From Reuters 20 March 2014:
------------------------------------------------------
Thousands of Americans nationwide have been targeted since August by a phone scam in which fraudsters claim to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and demand money for unpaid taxes, said the IRS' watchdog on Thursday. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) said it has received more than 20,000 complaints from people, including recent immigrants, about the scam. Thousands of victims have collectively paid more than $1 million to the scammers, TIGTA said.
------------------------------------------------------

article


From CNN 31 October 2013:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Taxpayers, beware: Fraudsters impersonating IRS agents are calling people across the country demanding they pay taxes that they don't even owe.
--------------------------------------------------------------

article

It was noted that the scammers:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

So, don't be confusing these scammers with actual IRS agents, who:

• Declare that taxes are owed to IRS

• Threaten the recipient

• Demand payment

Click to expand...

The methods of the scammers and the IRS are substantially different but the simple mention of IRS tends to elicit GREAT fear in most people.

The scam that the the article cites is very real and I've had clients who have been contacted by these scammers call me so it's not just some isolated thing.

If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be from the IRS by phone or by email DO NOT respond to them. Furthermore, if you have been contacted in one of these scams I would HIGHLY recommend that you check your finances and your credit because there is a good possibility that some form of identity theft has occurred.

Summerwind said:

There is a big difference between IRS and scammers, though you clearly are attempting to make them the same. IRS informs initially, secondarily, and tertiarily by mail, not by phone. They do not threaten, they freeze your liquid assets, garnish your wages, and withhold refunds, and make it difficult for you to receive financial or loan assistance via federal avenues. No wonder people fall for scam when folks like you are always panicking people with your lies about the real IRS.

Click to expand...

The other difference is that typically when the IRS does it you actually do owe them money.

Deuce said:

The other difference is that typically when the IRS does it you actually do owe them money.

Click to expand...

That's actually not true. The typical correspondence from the IRS usually involves a need to clarify an inconsistency. Sometimes that results in owing more money but quite often it turns out to be nothing.

Most people who get correspondence from the IRS demanding money know good and well why they owe it.

Summerwind said:

There is a big difference between IRS and scammers, though you clearly are attempting to make them the same. IRS informs initially, secondarily, and tertiarily by mail, not by phone. They do not threaten, they freeze your liquid assets, garnish your wages, and withhold refunds, and make it difficult for you to receive financial or loan assistance via federal avenues. No wonder people fall for scam when folks like you are always panicking people with your lies about the real IRS.

Click to expand...

What am I missing, Summerwind? What lies did the OP put up? It's all about scams.

I'm always amazed that people fall for this. Simple rule: You never ever EVER give out your credit card number to someone who calls YOU. Period.

Subjective experience: I received a call from my cell phone carrier saying that my account was past due, and, if I didn't pay by credit card right that minute? My cell phone would be cut off. Well, I pay my cell phone bill directly from my credit card on autopay every month, so I knew it was a scam. But I wonder how many people ponied up? (Don't know why they can't just cancel the charge, however. They must not realize it for quite some time.)

Re: Tax Scam

A few years back, I was working on a project in my study when the phone rang around 10 AM. I answered it. Someone on the other end blurted out loudly a couple of short sentences. It was a very broken English: sounded like a Mexican trying to speak English. I thought for a moment, trying to comprehend what I just heard. I asked for the caller to repeat it. The same thing was blurted out in exactly the same way. I thought, again, for a moment, and then asked: "Would you do that for me one more time!" The same thing was blurted out in the same way. It sounded like: "I'm from the IRS. What is your Social Security Number?" I finally said: "I don't give out that kind of information on the phone. Put that in writing for me and send it through the mail." He hung up.

I hung up the phone and sat, thinking about what had just occurred. Piecing together some facts, I arrived at the conclusion that, for a certainty, that wasn't someone from the IRS. And the demand for the Social Security Number was a ploy to add the number to, no doubt, a list collected by someone — and probably many others — to obtain these numbers for some nefarious purpose. The first sentence was to strike fear into the recipient of the call. Then, the demand. I wonder how many fell for this ploy?

Deuce said:

The other difference is that typically when the IRS does it you actually do owe them money.

Click to expand...

REALLY?