510-863-7037

Claims to be IRS agent demanding money or will be arrested

November 10, 2014
He got $7,585.00 from me!
I returned from a walk and listened to a message on my answering machine from a Dean Martin saying that I did not pay all of my Federal and State income taxes and that a warrant is out for my arrest.  I got really scared and called the number back.  They told me that my tax person did not file my taxes correctly and I owed $7,485.00 for under paid taxes in 2009 and 2010 including over due fees and fines.  I was told that I needed to pay this amount immediately and I could not pay it over the phone.  If I did not pay this amount according to exact procedure, I would be arrested that morning and serve 15 years in prison.  I was told I could contact no one, not my husband, my tax guy, no one.  I had to go to the bank, take out the money in cash and purchase reloadit cards.  I had to remain on the phone as I was driving and as I went to the bank, Stater Bros. and Vons.  I felt fearful and upset but I controlled my emotions.  After I purchased the reloadit cards, I was instructed to scratch off the back and read each number.

11:24am  I then had to wait 30 minutes for the transaction and my arrest to be cleared.  I was allowed to go into Vons and use the restroom but I had to keep the person on the line.  I felt violated and extremely afraid.  The person got back to me and said that my payment had been rejected and would come back to me.  He told me that not only did I owe tax money for 2009 and 2010, but also for earlier years.  He told me I could not pay the amount owed and I had to go to jail.  I asked him how much it was, and he said $27,000.  I told him I could pay it but I would need my husbands help getting to the credit union.  He did not want me to call my husband, and said I could pay a deposit of $7,600.00 and pay the rest tomorrow.  I asked him about the money I just paid.  He said that didn't count.  I told him I only had $5000.00 in the bank.  He told me I could put the rest on a credit card.  At some point, he got really rude and kept saying “Do you know who your talking to?'  He claimed that I was violating procedure by asking so many questions and that now I couldn't pay anything but that I would be arrested in 20 minutes at my home.  I told him that I was in the Vons parking lot and asked him if I could go home.  At some point, I got disconnected and called Sandy (my husband).  I sobbed to him that I was going to be arrested for not paying enough taxes and that I would be in prison for 15 years.  He said it was a scam and was coming to meet me.  I called my Mom but she didn't answer.  I called Brett (my brother) and left a distressed message.  He met me at Vons and took me home.

1:20pm  I received another call from this Dean Martin and I let Sandy take the call.  This guy Dean figured out it wasn't me he was talking to and used obscene language with Sandy.  Sandy repeated the process and the guy hung up.

4:17pm  I feel that I have been scared out of my wits, that I've been put through the ringer, paranoid, exhausted, stupid for giving away $7,585.00, and just plain distraught.  

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

“This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country.  We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,” says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. “If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don’t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn’t the IRS calling.” Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail
Other characteristics of this scam include:
Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security Number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it’s the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening victims with jail time or driver’s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here’s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue – if there really is such an issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you’ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
If you’ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their “FTC Complaint Assistant” at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail tophishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Reiterate ... -Telephone-Scam

Sorry for you loss.  And suffering.  But you can protect yourself in the future.  Since they got you once, they will probably try to get you again.  I am an Enrolled Agent (inactive) with the IRS.  Please read and understand the following:

This is a total scam run out of India or Pakistan.  First off, the IRS does not  cold-call people and demand money  to pay off tax liabilities.   If there is a tax disputes, the IRS will send you something by US mail.  Any IRS assessment is subject to negotiation and compromise.  

Secondly, most tax disputes are civil matters.  Over 90% of tax disputes are settle administratively.   There are no arrests in ordinary tax disputes.  No law enforcement is involved.  You cannot be arrested for an ordinary error in your taxes.    The only exception is a criminal case for tax evasion and that could only be filed after a grand jury indictment.  

No one is arrested in the US for errors in income taxes.  Period.  Yes, there are criminal cases for people who have intentionally committed tax fraud, but such cases are very rare. Usually they involve large amounts of money over long periods of time. And they don't concern the average taxpayer.  

IRS has absolutely no authority over local police. The IRS has no powers or arrest, it is a tax collection agency.   Arrest warrants are never issued in the case of ordinary tax disputes.  Local police and law enforcement are NEVER involved in tax disputes.     If law enforcement presence is needed,  US marshals are available.  

This is just a scam where somebody cold-calls, pretends to be IRS and  tries to scare you into paying money to somebody by Green dot money pak which is untraceable.  In this case they were successful.

If you get this kind of call, Ignore the call and do not return it.  Block the number.
Report  them:  http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Reiterate ... sive-Telephone-
Scam
Also here:  http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

These calls are not random.  These scammer/extortionists are predators.   The person calling you had all your financial information and a lot of personal information. They pick on women, single mothers, the elderly and members of the immigrant community.  They are looking for vulnerable people.  Which is why you should never return these  calls.  If they sense any vulnerability on your part, they may hammer you with even more calls.
Invest in a call blocker and do not pick up on calls you do not recognize.

For your information, the IRS does not,  I repeat,  does not engage in the activities you describe. Period.  Such activities would be considered blatantly unconstitutional and unlawful.