Call from the "IRS"

[nrc]

Got a call from the "IRS" this morning. It was a recording telling me that I was being audited and if I didn't call them immediately at some number they would issue a non-bailable warrant for my arrest.

Of course I knew it was a scam. The IRS doesn't call on the phone. They break down your door, cuff you, and put a bag over your head.

Evidently this is a pretty common scam these days.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/my-very-own-irs-imposter-call

Since we switched to Ooma for phone I've been able to cut down on scams and telemarketers quite a bit with their blacklisting features. But it amazes me some of these scammers just seem to go on endlessly. There's one that I have blacklisted under at least a dozen different numbers.

[G.]

I had a pretty entertaining round of scammers calling me a few months back.

They would call telling me I had a corrupted version of Windows. They said that they worked for "Windows". :laugh:
They were going to help me re-install the OS, and I needed to follow their instructions very closely and to tell them what I saw on my screen.

I assume that they were trying to get my license key, or get me to turn on permissions to take over the computer.

What was fun about them is that they would get VERY pissed off pretty easily. If you asked questions, or if they thought that you knew what was up, they'd start to yell at you.

I got a handful of calls from them, and started to see how long I could keep them on the phone before they called me names and hung up. They were pretty good, and caught on too quickly.

[Napoleon]

They break down your door, cuff you, and put a bag over your head.

My dad was an IRS Field Agent.

[Insomniac]

Got plenty of both scams. IRS scam varies. They have one variant where someone calls you and mentions the problem to you. Then someone else calls later to follow-up. Also get a blatant robot recording of this is Agent blah blah call me now at this #. Another variant targeting people with "foreign" names talks about ICE/deportation.

Used to get the Windows one a lot. I played with them at times, yelled at them. Called them liars. There's no shame. Just scammers in a foreign country spoofing caller ID. They got my (elderly) neighbor pretty far. I reformatted their computer just in case because he allowed them remote access. They try and convince you that you have a virus by showing you the event log.

So, I put an end to all this by acting like a business. "I'll tell my IT dept." Now guess what, I get calls offering me business loans and now I tell them to call HQ.

[Insomniac]

I had a pretty entertaining round of scammers calling me a few months back.

They would call telling me I had a corrupted version of Windows. They said that they worked for "Windows". :laugh:
They were going to help me re-install the OS, and I needed to follow their instructions very closely and to tell them what I saw on my screen.

I assume that they were trying to get my license key, or get me to turn on permissions to take over the computer.

What was fun about them is that they would get VERY pissed off pretty easily. If you asked questions, or if they thought that you knew what was up, they'd start to yell at you.

I got a handful of calls from them, and started to see how long I could keep them on the phone before they called me names and hung up. They were pretty good, and caught on too quickly.

I liked telling them I had a Mac. Ask them which Windows computer. I had one guy on the phone 10 minutes trying to get me to press the Windows key while I described the "flower key" on my Mac. They called me a liar when I said there are no errors and warnings in the event log. You can just pretend to do what they ask and report no success (for what they want).

[TravelGal]

Blatant hijack: The worst one is the "I'm your daughter/granddaughter/wife, and I've been in a terrible accident. I need you to wire me money" scam. I was at a UPS store once with a hysterical man in front me, frantically trying to wire money to his daughter in Mexico. I couldn't convince him it was a scam. We've come a long way from "you need to buy paper for that printer in the back of the office." I used to engage those guys for quite a while asking exactly which one they meant. >evil grin<

[SteveH]

I used to engage those guys for quite a while asking exactly which one they meant. >evil grin<

I still do that quite often when time permits. "this is Rachel from card services" I've had them on the line for a long, long time. I pretend I'm some gomer who is out in his shed and doesn't have his wallet. If I have the time, I'll gladly waste theirs. ;)

[opinionated ow]

I liked telling them I had a Mac. Ask them which Windows computer. I had one guy on the phone 10 minutes trying to get me to press the Windows key while I described the "flower key" on my Mac. They called me a liar when I said there are no errors and warnings in the event log. You can just pretend to do what they ask and report no success (for what they want).

I asked them what the problem was? I said that it opened properly and the glass was clean and i could see. That threw them off big time.

I asked the Australian Department of Fair Trading about them and they said they usually call via a VOIP from somewhere in the horn of Africa and they can't chase them down.

I did once ask a telemarketer if they would mind holding off whilst I finished breast feeding. The stupid bugger did it, I could hear his breathing on the phone before I burst out laughing and hung up.

[SteveH]

I've also had a lengthy email exchange with some African scammer. Eventually they gave up. Didn't increase the number of scam emails I've received afterwards. In fact, I rarely do any more.

[chop456]

My dad was an IRS Field Agent.

Wow. A lawyer and an IRS agent? Really running quite a popularity contest in your house.

Don't tell me your mom sold used cars. :D

[Napoleon]

Don't tell me your mom sold used cars. :D

bookkeeper. She was the one everyone loved in the family.

[gjc2]

Years ago one March 15th my mother called me thinking that was tax day. I explained there was still a month to go and that I had everything under control. She said, I wouldn’t want to get a phone call telling me I hadn’t paid my taxes. I said, Ma, they don’t call you on the phone, they come to the door, and they don’t knock, they break the door down. My mother had an excellent sense of humor.

[Gnam]

I wish I had read this thread earlier. Agent Smith was very convincing...

[cameraman]

The State of Utah does call you to check up on the mailing address for the lovely legal notice to follow:cry:

Happens when you type the wrong ****ing number into Turbo Tax:shakehead:
(three years ago at that....)

[Insomniac]

I still do that quite often when time permits. "this is Rachel from card services" I've had them on the line for a long, long time. I pretend I'm some gomer who is out in his shed and doesn't have his wallet. If I have the time, I'll gladly waste theirs. ;)

I always hang up on her. What does she want?

[Insomniac]

Microsoft is at least finally trying to do something about the ones they can track down: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2861459/microsoft-hits-windows-tech-support-scammers-with-lawsuit.html

[SteveH]

I always hang up on her. What does she want?


http://abcnews.go.com/Business/rachel-cardholder-services-coughs-refunds/story?id=28282514

She's not dead. Rachel called again last week.

[TravelGal]

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/rachel-cardholder-services-coughs-refunds/story?id=28282514

She's not dead. Rachel called again last week.

Ooooh. Great link. I'm putting this in my next agent newsletter. I wish they would ban political robocalls to more than the cell phones, however.

"If Rachel is gone, other robo-calling schemes will probably take her place. So report them! Robocalls are now illegal without your written consent and the same is true with political robocalls to your cell phones. As these payments prove, the FTC does investigate them."
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

[opinionated ow]

Ooooh. Great link. I'm putting this in my next agent newsletter. I wish they would ban political robocalls to more than the cell phones, however.

"If Rachel is gone, other robo-calling schemes will probably take her place. So report them! Robocalls are now illegal without your written consent and the same is true with political robocalls to your cell phones. As these payments prove, the FTC does investigate them."
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

They try the robocall thing in the lead up to elections here too. I rang my parents last month and the first thing Mum said was "oh it's you, I thought it was Mike Baird (the NSW premier)...again."

[TravelGal]

They try the robocall thing in the lead up to elections here too. I rang my parents last month and the first thing Mum said was "oh it's you, I thought it was Mike Baird (the NSW premier)...again."

:laugh: I hear ya. I got SOOO tired of "This is AAAHnold Schwarzenegger." Later, the chirpy, "This is mayor Antonio Villaraigosa." It's one of the reasons I finally caved in and paid for caller ID.

[SteveH]

I still do that quite often when time permits. "this is Rachel from card services" I've had them on the line for a long, long time. I pretend I'm some gomer who is out in his shed and doesn't have his wallet. If I have the time, I'll gladly waste theirs. ;)

“Rachel” robocaller victims to get $1.7 million in refunds (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/05/rachel-robocaller-victims-to-get-1-7-million-in-refunds/)

[Lux Interior]

We got the IRS call.

We also get the Florida call with some Indian dude telling me that "your loan has been approved". If you hang up they will call back. That's my favorite.....:rofl:

Now, we don't answer the phone unless we know who it is.

This is sad because some elderly people get scared and think it's true. It's terrible, the crap people pull. :thumbdown:

[SteveH]

Congratulations! You Lost.
The Do Not Call list was supposed to defeat telemarketers. Now scammy robocalls are out of control. What happened? (http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_bills/2016/05/robocalls_have_triumphed_over_the_do_not_call_list _whose_fault_is_it.html)


Today our phones don’t stop ringing with calls from prerecorded voices. There’s Rachel from card services and someone claiming to be from Microsoft, saying your computer is infected with a virus. Yet another purports to be an Internal Revenue Service rep, threatening that we’ll be arrested if we don’t immediately pay up.

[dando]

Congratulations! You Lost.
The Do Not Call list was supposed to defeat telemarketers. Now scammy robocalls are out of control. What happened? (http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_bills/2016/05/robocalls_have_triumphed_over_the_do_not_call_list _whose_fault_is_it.html)

Starting to hit my cell now. :saywhat: :irked: :mad:

[Insomniac]

How is this for scary? We went on vacation from 5/25 - 5/31. I didn't have a missed call until 5/31 that looks like a wrong #. I was getting a call daily from Rachel and usually one or 2 others. Even Ooma Premium can't stop it. We'll see if they start back up.

[nrc]

How is this for scary? We went on vacation from 5/25 - 5/31. I didn't have a missed call until 5/31 that looks like a wrong #. I was getting a call daily from Rachel and usually one or 2 others. Even Ooma Premium can't stop it. We'll see if they start back up.

So you're blacklisting it but they keep hitting from different phone numbers? I've had a couple of episodes like that but it quiets down after a while. My guess is that the Ooma master blacklist eventually catches up with them.

[Insomniac]

So you're blacklisting it but they keep hitting from different phone numbers? I've had a couple of episodes like that but it quiets down after a while. My guess is that the Ooma master blacklist eventually catches up with them.

Yeah, I've been doing that. Usually jumps to a new area code. Or just a couple digits off from my number. Do you send them to VM or out of service? I started with VM, and I've had a legitimate call from Sears go there. It was only to tell me an order was ready to pick-up. I need to double check if CVS/Caremark did the same.

[WickerBill]

Yeah, I've been doing that. Usually jumps to a new area code. Or just a couple digits off from my number. Do you send them to VM or out of service? I started with VM, and I've had a legitimate call from Sears go there. It was only to tell me an order was ready to pick-up. I need to double check if CVS/Caremark did the same.

I'll say it before dando does. "What's Sears?"

:)

[dando]

I'll say it before dando does. "What's Sears?"

:)

OK, Old School...what's a KMart? :gomer: ;)

EDIT: And yes, I do recall the JCP and Sears catalogues. :P

[nrc]

I'll say it before dando does. "What's Sears?"

:)

Sears - the legendary store where one could order anything and receive it in a mere matter of months. 90% of items in every home in American were once sourced from this place. They finally realized that there was no future in people ordering things to be delivered to their homes and got out of that business. Rumor has it that they can still be found in derelict shopping plazas from the '70s.

[dando]

Sears - the legendary store where one could order anything and receive it in a mere matter of months. 90% of items in every home in American were once sourced from this place. They finally realized that there was no future in people ordering things to be delivered to their homes and got out of that business. Rumor has it that they can still be found in derelict shopping plazas from the '70s.

I still bought my last two mowers from Sears Hardware (after the wifey at the time wanted to buy me a riding mower)...and somehow hauled my 300 lb. snowblower for service into Sears after I managed to collect a newspaper after a 1' snowfall. :saywhat: :irked: