I Get An Irs Scam Voice Mail

Had to share this hilarious voice-mail I received from an IRS scammer (happened to come in with Unknown caller ID – I read online that others had been spoofing US phone numbers for caller ID in the past). The transcript does not do it justice.  I laughed out loud when I heard the phrase, “and you get arrested” as that is precisely what one would expect to hear from the IRS.

They actually tried calling me back and I got to talk to one of the people that afternoon, but my crummy cell service in my office resulted in the call dropping before I could chat with them too much. I told them that I didn’t believe them that they were from the IRS. Maybe they’ll call back again this week?

I plan on reporting it, as suggested.  Head over to the IRS Tax Fraud Alerts page.  Perhaps the best channel will be via their Phishing page.  The IRS warning regarding this scam provides some information but there is of course no direct links to report the issue.  I wonder if the 20,000 that reported it are a small fraction of those victimized since it’s so difficult to find a way to report it?  They also suggest lodging a complaint with the FTC as well, but that is also somewhat difficult to determine how to categorize it for reporting.

See also: “IRS monitor: $1 million phone scam ‘largest ever’ - Mar. 20, 2014 .” Last modified 04/14/2014 05:10:31. https://money.cnn.com/2014/03/20/pf/taxes/irs-phone-scam/ (accessed 4/13/2014).

Upgrade your browser. It should really support HTML5 audio.

Transcript

Good morning. This is Willy [“Villy”] Mandersen, calling you from Internal Revenue Service…Crime Investigation Department.  The nature and the purpose of this call is just to let you know that…we have received…a legal petition notice…against your name…under your social security number. So, before this matter goes to the Federal claim court house…and you get arrested, kindly call us back at (866) 978-8320. I repeat (866) 978-8320.  Remember, don’t disregard the message…as it is very important for you.  And if you don’t return the call, then the situation will be worse. So take care about it, and call us back as soon as possible. Goodbye.