No one is above a GOOD SCAM! I almost became a victim of a scam this morning. Getting the call from 7038797047, I thought it was one of the grandchildren calling until the person identified himself as Officer (the first time, and when I called back he became Investigator) Mark Anderson. He gave his badge number as 277049 and his IRS employee number as 4530 and my case number as MA4683.
He further state that my criminal case ID Number was CPLCDL63C575748. Then he quoted several IRS Secs and numbers, and it went on and on and on. Half asleep I could not imagine why there was a criminal case against me and why I would be notified of such a thing on the telephone. He also stated that an investigator had been to my house three times and my neighbors told him that I was never there and was always unavailable. Therefore, a lien was being processed, and a criminal warrant had been issued to arrest me immediately, and that the sheriff's department would be at my door immediately to arrest me.
He then offered me two solutions: Settle with hi or go to court after being in jail for 72 hours. Going to court would cost me $72,000 or more with lawyer fees etc. HE ENCOURAGED STRONGLY that I go on a payment plan with first $600, then $500, and final $300 down and $200 a month so that I could keep my good name. Throughout the call, he did not use the words but dared me to hang up because the moment we lost contact the sheriff would be knocking on the door to arrest me.
Long story short he wanted me to pay him immediately, and wanted my bank information so they could guarantee the payment was made today. If not they would lien my house, my car, my bank account and any joint accounts that may exist anywhere. HE GOT NOTHING. I called my daughter to come over. I also told him I was calling my tax accountant, and my attorney. I informed him that he needed to stay on the phone until they could get here to speak with him.
Unlike any government service in America, I called back, and a Ms. Marian Kennedy answered on the first ring., and strangely enough while I was talking with her. Officer Anderson was calling me on my other line. DEAD GIVEAWAY. He pretended that he had never called my number. My daughter arrived and called the same number and got Ms. Mariam Kennedy again. She asked to speak to her supervisor, and the phone immediately went dead.
Why am I telling you all of this? No one told me, and I had not heard of it. HOWEVER, the same person called my grandson a week earlier and tried the same scam, and my daughter a week or two before that. Neither told me and here this morning they are calling me. NO MONEY lost in either case. DON'T GET TAKEN.
My banker whom I told this to this morning said that he heard of this scam and had experienced a babysitting scam trying to be carried out in his bank yesterday. BE CAREFUL. PLEASE know that IRS will NOT CALL YOU ABOUT SUCH MATTERS. Remember that they DO NOT NEED THE LOCAL SHERIFF OR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO COME to ARREST YOU.
Here is what was put out by the IRS on this Scam:
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received reports related to a telephone scam in which the caller purports to be an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representative. Using intimidation tactics, the caller tries to take control of the situation from the beginning. The caller advises the recipient of the call that the IRS has charges against them and threatens legal action and arrest. If the recipient questions the caller in any way, the caller becomes more aggressive.
The caller continues to intimidate by threatening to confiscate the recipient’s property, freeze bank accounts, and have the recipient arrested and placed in jail. The reported alleged charges include defrauding the government, money owed for back taxes, law suits pending against the recipient, and nonpayment of taxes.
The recipients are advised that it will cost thousands of dollars in fees/court costs to resolve this matter. The caller creates a sense of urgency by saying that being arrested can be avoided and fees reduced if the recipient purchases MoneyPak cards to cover the fees within an hour.
Sometimes the caller provides specific instructions on where to purchase the MoneyPak cards and the amount to put on each card. The caller tells the recipient not to tell anyone about the issue and to remain on the telephone until the MoneyPak cards are purchased and the MoneyPak codes are provided to the caller. The caller states that if the call is disconnected for any reason, the recipient would be arrested. Some recipients reported once the caller obtained the MoneyPak codes, they were advised that the transaction took too long and additional fees were required.
Call recipients, who are primarily immigrants, reported that the caller spoke with broken English or stated the caller had an Indian accent. If you receive a call similar to this follow these tips:
- Resist the pressure to act quickly.
- Report the contact to TIGTA at http://www.treasury.gov/tigta by clicking on the red button, “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting.”
- Use caution when asked to use a specific payment method. The IRS would not require a specific payment method such as a MoneyPak card or wire transfer.
- If you feel threatened, contact your local police department.
