415-742-6882

Appears to be a scam operation.  Left message:

"This message is intended for XXXXXXXXXX.  I am Sheldon with the legal department calling in regards to a very important issue involving legal action taken against your name.  415 742 6882 ( Mark Johnson is handling the case) "

Got a call from this number - Man on the other end claimed to be John Howard from the legal department of US Treasury and wanted to speak to my wife regarding an issue involving legal action against her. When we said she was busy he asked to be called back at the 415-742-6882 number. Although he introduced himself as John Howard we could easily recognize that he was of Asian (Indian) origin and trying to speak with an American accent. Will update here if he or the department calls back.

There is a fairly common IRS or "tax scam" being practiced by scammers on both Canadian and USA residents.
USA tax payers should read this:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Reiterate ... -Telephone-Scam

Short answer:
The IRS never initiates a contact via phone.
They always send a snailmail first.

Educational post:
That scam is described as scam #11, at
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/facts_rev.html

Remember to return here, to 800notes.com, after you look at any of the information at that site, either to post more information, or to let us know you avoided the scam, or to read any further information about that number that others may post.

Guy called and identified himself as "James Howard" from Department of Legal Affairs.  Looked on line and it seems it is an very aggressive scam to get money from you.  DO NOT FALL for this.

"This message is intended for XXXXXXXXXX.  I am with the legal department calling in regards to a very important issue involving accident and legal action taken against you.  415 742 6882 ( Mark Johnson is handling the case) "

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts
https://800notes.com/forum/ta-8c2f64bf2b91fa5/irs-warns-of-telephone-scam

Report the Calls to the real IRS here:
•report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
•You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.

******
Do consider maybe getting a call blocking device or phone.. You can google them and many are around $60.00 or so.

This is a Pakistan or India based IRS scam. Do not fall for it. The IRS does not initiate any legal action via phone.  
Read http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2014-03.htm

As general background information, here are a few things you can do:
1) Report it to TIGTA under http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml especially if you have become a victim (lost money, gave personal information etc.). You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint (include “IRS Telephone Scam" in your complaint). This way you can also help the government establish specific fraud patterns.

2) Help kill their phone lines. The scammers use Voice over IP lines (e.g. magicJack (Ymax corporation)) to make it seem as if they are calling from the US. This is always against these companys' terms of service and can lead to immediate termination of their contract and blocking of their IP addresses for future attempts to register. Do a reverse look up of their telephone number (e.g. www.whitepages.com) to identify the Voice over IP provider and report it to the company and/or law enforcement (local police and/or state attorney general)

3) If you are really annoyed: call or write to your representative in Congress. As these scams happen all over the country maybe this will trigger a reaction and provide US law enforcement agencies with the political backing and the resources they need to work in India and Pakistan together with local authorities (it can happen, read: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ex-call-cen ... mmission-320427). A US task force has already been set up in Jamaica to nab scammers there (see http://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/library/reports/cornerstone/cornerstone7-1.pdf). You can use the following template for your letter (more powerful!) or email:

https://800notes.com/forum/ta-a9526ebadc65cf9 ... 558497927242748

Fake scammer from legal affairs department called on a VoIP line. Call trace geo-locates it in Pakistan. Some Islamic terrorists raising funds? Looting, plundering, scamming of non-Muslims has always been the Islamic way. The holy texts of Islam call it Ghanima and Fai. This is a scam using 202 and 415 area codes at least.

got call from this #:

"This message is intended to contact JL. Hi, this is James Howard with the Department of Legal Affairs and I was trying to reach you in regards to a very important issue. The number to reach me is 415-742-6882. If for any reason you are busy to call back, I would suggest you to have your retain attorney to do it for you, as delay in calling us might end up into a legal mess for you."

My parents got the call from John Howard asking for me too.  Too bad I haven't lived with them for several years.  They thought I was in some real legal trouble.   Glad I could show them it was a scam.  I've reported this number to the treasury and ftc as well.  

This message is intended to contact (My name ). This is Jon Maxwell with the Department of Legal Affairs and I was trying to reach you in regards to a very important issue.  About the legal notification that have been put on your name ,The number to reach me is 415-742-6882. If for any reason you are busy to call back, I would suggest you to have your retain attorney to do it for you, as delay in calling us might end up into a legal mess for you." I hope you will take the time to call me back. This is Jon Maxwell with the Department of Legal Affairs Tell have a blessed day .

Got the same call today... except instead of Jon Maxwell, the person identified as 'James Howard'. "This is ____ with the Department of Legal Affairs and I was trying to reach you in regards to a very important issue.  About the legal notification that have been put on your name ,The number to reach me is 415-742-6882. If for any reason you are busy to call back, I would suggest you to have your retain attorney to do it for you, as delay in calling us might end up into a legal mess for you.I hope you will take the time to call me back. This is ____with the Department of Legal Affairs Tell have a blessed day ."

I will be calling to report this to the number others have listed...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, is warning consumers to be on the alert for scam artists posing as debt collectors. It may be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate debt collector and a fake one. Sometimes a fake collector may even have some of your personal information, like a bank account number. A caller may be a fake debt collector if he:

•is seeking payment on a debt for a loan you do not recognize;
•refuses to give you a mailing address or phone number;
•asks you for personal financial or sensitive information; or
•exerts high pressure to try to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency.

If you think that a caller may be a fake debt collector:

•Ask the caller for his name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you get a written "validation notice." The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the creditor you owe, and your rights under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
If a caller refuses to give you all of this information, do not pay! Paying a fake debt collector will not always make them go away. They may make up another debt to try to get more money from you.

•Stop speaking with the caller. If you have the caller's address, send a letter demanding that the caller stop contacting you, and keep a copy for your files. By law, real debt collectors must stop calling you if you ask them to in writing.

•Do not give the caller personal financial or other sensitive information. Never give out or confirm personal financial or other sensitive information like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number unless you know whom you're dealing with. Scam artists, like fake debt collectors, can use your information to commit identity theft – charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.

•Contact your creditor. If the debt is legitimate – but you think the collector may not be – contact your creditor about the calls. Share the information you have about the suspicious calls and find out who, if anyone, the creditor has authorized to collect the debt.

•Report the call. Contact the FTC and your state Attorney General's office with information about suspicious callers. Many states have their own debt collection laws in addition to the federal FDCPA. Your Attorney General's office can help you determine your rights under your state's law.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0258-fake-debt-collectors