IRS Scams

[Easy_Rawlins]

Just wondering if this has happened to anybody else and what are the proper channels to report this to.

I have gotten 6 phone calls from a 202 area code number. I answered 1 phone call and the other 5 have gone to my voicemail. These callers claim to be from the "Federal Tax Audit Department" of the IRS. They claim a "legal application of tax fraud" has been brought against my name. I should call them back before an arrest warrant in my name can be issued.

Obviously it is a complete load of bollocks. What worries me is how many people they have probably duped to fork over cash to squash the issue. It harkens back memories of my white collar crime class where an example of an older woman had planned on giving a big check to a polite young man on the telephone for reasons she did not understand.

These people have Indian accents, so I fear they must be calling from overseas and using some call service to use the 202 number. I just wish there was a definite way to smash these type of rings.

[GlockTalk9]

Not LEO but I saw this air on the local bay area news about a month ago. The news cast relayed info to report these suspicious scams to the IRS and they will investigate.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts

OT: people are also calling claiming to be Sheriff's threatening to arrest over the phone for an out-standing bail and wanting credit card info over the phone. Those idiots happened to call the Sheriffs office trying to scam them as well (irony)

[nickbackouris]

My guess why you haven't got a lot of replies is simple...these are single handedly the most frustrating calls to go to. Someone with either a Jamaican or Caribbean accent calls a little old lady and says a grandchild is in jail and needs bail money. Or maybe it's the IRS scam. I've seen "insurance adjusters", "federal agents", "social security administration" etc call random, honest people an screw them out of thousands. Fortunately most people realize it's hocus pokus, but there's always a few (usually elderly) folks who fall for it. Most I've dealt with in a case was $60k. It's usually wire transfers or money orders, with the occasional credit card.

The worst part is that if it's a wire or money order, in my experience 99.9% of the time the victim will never get their money back, and no one will be arrested. Credit card companies can be a little more helpful.

I get frustrated on behalf of the people who bite on these schemes.

[Rogue187]

Stupid scammers..
I like to mess with their heads when they call..
Threaten them and tell them to send the marshal's..
I tell them I will send back pieces of these marshal's to them..
So bring it on..

[CinnamonBear723]

We have been having a big problem with green dot card scams. They call you up for all kinds of reasons and claim the only way to pay them is with a green dot card(reloadable, untraceable credit cards). They get quite a bit of money from people. Then they call us and want their money back when they gave it to a stranger who was using a google ghost number. Half the problem is the victims stupidity. I talked to a few detectives at length about this and apparently its becoming quite common. Nothing we can do because its a federal crime so we always refer them to the FBI website to file complaints.

[Gawernator]

Sad truth.. "A fool and his money are soon parted"

[Bailer]

There are many scams involving pre-paid debit cards going on right now. Typical scams involve the following:
IRS calls stating that back taxes are owed.
US Immigration calls stating that non-citizens have violated their visa status.
Debt collection calls stating that the party owes money and needs to pay.
Basically any phone based scam that insists the party needs to acquire a pre-paid debit card (Green Dot, MyVanilla) is likely a scam.
I would very much like to speak with any victims of this scam, specifically those residing in the Northern California area. Feel free to PM me for additional contact info.