5853646540

Scam. Not the IRS.

Got a call from this number which came in as an automatic recording stating the she was an agent with the IRS who needed me to call back the origination number and that failure to do so could result in prosecution.  Appears to be a well known scam and number. If we know it is coming from Rochester as some report, then I don't understand why they can't locate and prosecute such perpetrators.

Scam call from IRS

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 to phishing@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-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam

Got a call from this number and they left a message for me to call back emergency IRS so i called back and he said " whats the number your calling from" an I said my number and he said  " okay now what is your name" an i said " well if this is the IRS i'm pretty sure you know my name" and he hung up on me right away! People are crazy now a days!

I received a call with a message that is hardly understood from this number. Saying to call back if I did not want to be prosecuted. For what?  I call it back and it's either a fast busy signal or it asks you to leave a message with no identifying information as to what I am calling.

I got this call today

Someone called me from number 201-713-5480 giving me this number to call back about an urgent irs matter. Glad I looked here and found it was a scam.

I got the same voice mail from 585-364-6540 ... The message was broken up so bad I couldn't make out the details. SCAM

Well, we just came in from buying our food for our Thanksgiving meal and had a message on the answering machine from good ol' automated "Julie Smith"!  Didn't even bother to call them back...get an honest paying job people!!!

F*** these IRS scammers and f*** the IRS

Same exact thing for me.  SOme guy answered and said it was a scam that they were using his phone number....

I received an automated message on the morning of Thanksgiving. It requested me to call a number, 585-364-6540, due to a tax issue with the IRS, and threatened that if I didn't call immediately, legal action would be taken against me.

I called the number, and the person answered, "This is the Internal Revenue Service." They asked if they were talking to Ms. Parsons and I said yes. They asked me to verify my phone number, and then asked for the last four digits of my SSN. I asked how I could tell they were indeed the IRS, for an identification number or something, and the person said, "No need to worry, this is not the IRS."

I hung up (did not give the last four of my SSN). When I called again, there was just a beep and it hung up.

They left a message stating it was the IRS and that I needed to return the call so no action would be taken--a threat and the IRS doesn't operate that way. Then they say goodbye and take care? What a joke these morons are. I really hope people aren't being scared into this scam. Please ignore their calls.

Received a message that sounded like a robotic voice from 585-364-6540 that stated it was from the IRS and it was important that I return the call because I owed back taxes. "Julie Smith" was the person I needed to ask for. I already knew this was a scam. So I repeatedly called this number by blocking my number, for a half hour. The same guy with an Indian accent answered every time. I finally called the last time without using call-block and told him I was from the local police department. He immediately became argumentative with me. I told him that I was aware that he was scamming people and he said "So what!" I just laughed and hung up. What's really sad is that someone who is elderly and doesn't have anyone to advocate for them, will end up being a victim of these types of scams.

I got this call today and when I called the number back they asked if they could help me.  I told them "you called me" and then I gave them my #.  They asked my name and then asked for the name of my attorney.  They said they've done an audit of my taxes for the last 10 years and have some discrepancies or something like that and that I am being sued by the IRS.  I asked "Then how come I have not gotten anything in writing from the IRS" and they said "Ok, you'll receive documentation right away" and hung up.  Sounds like a complete scam.

I know.  i have elderly relatives who might have a heart attach when hearing this information.  Shame on them!  Thankfully my great aunt has figured out to ask for their number so her accountant can call them back.  They hang up.  She's 86!!

got a call from officer julie smith, IRS, please call of an urgent matter.

The IRS will NEVER call to collect taxes owed. The contact via snail mail like always. ALWAYS disregard any such call.

I received a call on my land line this morning from 585-364-6540 and heard the same message as above. I called back and a recording said that they weren't receiving calls at this time. I called back from my cell and eventually talked to some man with a heavy foreign accent. He asked for the number that first received the call and my name. He was able to read off my address back to me. He babbled on for a minute and asked me if I had a lawyer. I asked if he was with the IRS. He said yes. I asked if he was with the United States Internal Revenue Service. He got mad, said yes, then hung up. I Googled the number and found this website. I called back several times until a man answered. After I expressed my anger at their failed attempt to scam me, he said they were not the IRS and my number would be taken off the list.