They're Coming to Take Me Away, Hey, Hey!

I won't even dwell on the widely held belief that even the genuine Internal Revenue Service is a major scam and they don't appreciate any competition! 

The IRS is Coming to Arrest You

As I was riding a transit bus recently, I was engaged in a conversation with a recent immigrant from Poland. She related a scary tale about this very situation! Sadly, one need not look far for examples.

*This is straight from IRS.gov - Scams Targeting Taxpayers
IRS-Impersonation Telephone Scams
An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, using fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. Victims may be threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an “urgent” callback request.

·         Please See: Consumer Alert: Scammers Change Tactics, Once Again

Some con artists have used video relay services (VRS) to try to scam deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Taxpayers are urged not trust calls just because they are made through VRS, as interpreters don’t screen calls for validity. For more details see the IRS YouTube video: Tax Scams via Video Relay Service .   

Note that the IRS will never:

·         Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.

·         Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

·         Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

·         Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Remember: Scammers Change Tactics -- Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, but variations of the IRS impersonation scam continue year-round and they tend to peak when scammers find prime opportunities to strike.

  

Your Grandson is in Jail in a Foreign Nation

In a typical Grandparent Scam, a con artist calls or emails the victim posing as a relative in distress or someone claiming to represent the relative (such as a lawyer or law enforcement agent). The "relative" of the grandparent explains she is in trouble and needs their grandparent to wire them funds that will be used for bail money, lawyer’s fees, hospital bills, or another fictitious expense. The victim is urged not to tell anyone, such as the parent of the “grandchild” because they do not want them to find out about the trouble they've gotten themselves into. The grandparent never hears from their fake grandchild again and is tricked out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

To detect and avoid the Grandparent Scam, authorities recommend the following tips:

• Beware of any urgent solicitation of funds, especially if it is needed to pay for unexpected bills, such as bail money, lawyer’s fees, or doctor bills

• Before sending funds, independently contact the relative (or parent of the relative) the scam artist is claiming to be (or represent) at a known phone number to verify the details of the story.

• Scam artist’s payment method of choice is the wire transfer. Any urgent request to wire money should be treated suspiciously.

• Be aware that fraudsters attempting the Grandparent Scam may call late at night to confuse potential victims.
• Another variation of this one was just attempted in the town where I reside. The victim was at work when a call came in advising him that his daughter had been kidnapped. As far as he knew, she was in school. But, in spite of the initial panic, they were able to dispel the horrible threat before any money was paid....again...DUE DILIGENCE! The daughter was ultimately contacted safely at school.

• Consumers who have been victims of this scam (or any of the numerous variations) should immediately report it to local law enforcement, their state attorney general, or www.ic3.gov for FBI Internet Crime Report.