IRS TAX SCAM AKA IRS SCAM

Millions of people have unknowingly lost thousands of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email, text messages, or social media channels to request personal or financial information. However, scammers often use regular mail or telephone calls to target individuals, businesses, and tax professionals. Tax phishing emails pretending to be from the IRS can occur at any time. These scam emails not only look official but can also appear to come from legitimate government email addresses, making them difficult to detect. Scammers may even sign off these emails with the name or signature of a real IRS employee. The primary aim of such emails is to steal money from your bank account, prompt you to send funds, or collect enough personal information for identity theft.

A tax scam is a deceptive and fraudulent scheme in which individuals or entities attempt to exploit taxpayers by posing as tax authorities or using manipulative tactics to gain access to sensitive information or extort money. These scams typically increase during tax season, when individuals are focused on filing their returns and may be more vulnerable to deceit. Common tax scams include impersonation scams, where fraudsters pose as IRS agents and use intimidation to extract money or information; phishing scams, where fake emails or messages direct recipients to bogus websites designed to steal sensitive data; and fake charitable organization scams, where scammers create fraudulent charities to solicit donations. To protect against tax scams, individuals should be cautious when providing personal information, verify the legitimacy of any communication claiming to be from a tax agency, and report suspected scams to the appropriate authorities.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today warned of an old phone scam in which criminals use telephone numbers that mimic IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) to trick taxpayers into paying non-existent tax bills. The IRS, state tax agencies, and the tax industry urge taxpayers to remain alert to tax scams, especially immediately after the tax filing season ends. In the latest phone scam, criminals claim to be calling from a local IRS TAC office. Scammers have programmed their computers to display the TAC telephone number, which appears on the victim's caller ID when the call is made. The criminals hang up for a short time and then call back a second time, spoofing the caller ID to make it appear as if the call is coming from an IRS office. IRS employees at TAC offices do not make calls to taxpayers demanding payment of overdue tax bills. The IRS communicates with taxpayers through regular mail delivered by the United States Postal Service. There are special, limited circumstances under which the IRS will call or visit a home or business—such as when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, to secure a delinquent tax return or an unpaid employment tax payment, or during criminal investigations. Even in these situations, taxpayers generally receive several letters (called "notices") from the IRS by mail first.

Scams targeting taxpayers encompass a range of fraudulent activities designed to exploit individuals during tax season. These schemes often involve deceptive tactics and impersonation. Impersonation scams involve fraudsters posing as tax authorities or IRS agents, using intimidation to coerce taxpayers into paying fictitious tax debts. Phishing scams involve fake emails or messages that direct recipients to fraudulent websites, with the intent of stealing personal information. Additionally, scammers may establish fake charitable organizations to solicit donations under false pretenses. Taxpayer identity theft is another prevalent scam, where criminals use stolen personal information to file fraudulent tax returns and claim refunds in the victim's name. To protect against these scams, individuals should exercise caution, verify the legitimacy of communications claiming to be from tax agencies, and report any suspicious activity promptly. Staying informed and vigilant can help taxpayers safeguard their finances and personal information during tax season.

• Demand that you use a specific payment method, such as a prepaid debit card. The IRS will not ask for your debit or credit card numbers over the phone. If you owe taxes, make payments to the United States Treasury or review IRS online payment options.

• Demand that you pay taxes without questioning or appealing the amount they claim you owe. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes.

• Threaten to bring in local police or immigration officers to have you arrested for not paying. The IRS also cannot revoke your driver's license, business licenses, or immigration status. Threats like these are common tactics scammers use to trick victims into falling for their schemes.

Taxpayers who receive an IRS phone scam or any IRS impersonation scam should report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Thane (India) IRS Scam: The Mastermind Involved Four Others to Cheat Foreign Citizens

Taxpayers across the country breathed a sigh of relief after the arrest of Sagar Thakkar, a 24-year-old Indian man accused of running Internal Revenue Service (IRS) phone scams. Thakkar was detained in Mumbai after arriving on a flight from Dubai. He was identified as the mastermind behind IRS scam call centers in the state of Maharashtra, as well as one center in Ahmedabad, according to Mukund Hatote, Assistant Commissioner of Police in Thane (north of Mumbai). News of the scam broke in October 2017, when Indian police raided nine call centers—eight in Thane, Maharashtra—and arrested around 70 people on suspicion of posing as IRS agents to steal money from U.S. citizens. Workers at these bogus call centers used American accents to impersonate IRS agents. They told victims they owed back taxes and would face arrest if they hung up or refused to pay. Thakkar, also known as "Shaggy," was one of 61 defendants named in a U.S. indictment revealed in October 2017. The fake call center workers were accused of stealing from over 15,000 people using the IRS scam and other fraudulent schemes.

Millions of Americans have fallen for a trick claiming they owe back taxes and must pay immediately. On the other side of the globe, one determined inspector finally delivered justice.

Madan Ballal, along with 48 other officers of the Thane Crime Branch—the criminal investigation wing of the police department in a city on the outskirts of Mumbai, India—seized a group of youngsters for making IRS fraud phone calls. The officers stated that the offenders were English-speaking Indians who worked in a sprawling network of bogus call centers in western India. They called American citizens, pretending to be officials of the Internal Revenue Service, and demanded immediate payment of tax arrears, threatening imprisonment and deportation. Thousands of Americans had been cheated over nine months of the network’s operation, with an estimated collective loss of around $250 million. Ballal, a 45-year-old inspector, initially did not fully understand how the fraud worked. For six consecutive evenings, the officers visited a tea stall beneath a complex in Mira-Bhayandar—where one of the bogus call centers operated—pretending to be college students looking for jobs. Gradually, they began asking questions about the call center and confirmed that the luxuries enjoyed by the workers came from working eight-hour shifts at a desk, simply calling Americans and reading a script. The call center workers appeared confused by the police presence, until Ballal took a supervisor aside and explained that a raid was underway. There were 92 individuals present, including phone operators, supervisors, and tech support staff. They were asked to step aside as Ballal and his team began their inspection. First, they took down mundane details about the computer models, then recorded the names, ages, and addresses of each employee. Then the questioning began. Some suspects began crying. Some claimed they didn’t know what they were doing; others said they were carried away by the perks. One executive earnestly asked whether scamming Americans was punishable in India, noting that no Indians had been targeted. Around midnight, Ballal found a hard drive containing archived recordings of previous calls. A database with records of American taxpayers had been acquired on the black market through partners in the United States. Thus, Ballal arrested the fraudsters and proved himself to be a capable and dedicated police inspector.

The Scammers Gaming India’s Overcrowded Job Market

In 2017, a call-center job at a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing company) had already lost much of its value due to poor oversight and growing competition from markets like the Philippines and even U.S. prisons. But the jobs still existed. At the bottom of such job adverts is usually the name and number of an "HR"—a middleman between the jobseeker and a placement agency. One day, Snigdha Poonam, a journalist at Hindustan Times, and her colleague called one of these numbers. The middleman wasn’t interested in knowing anything about them. He simply told them to expect a text message after the call and to follow the instructions. The message invited them to an interview at a recruitment office in West Delhi, where they were to hand over a code printed at the bottom of the message. Their interviewer asked them to introduce themselves, but seemed confident enough to offer them jobs regardless. The promised text message arrived as expected and directed them to an even more ambiguous address in South-East Delhi for “training.” All they wanted was to start the jobs they had been promised. Instead, they were led to another floor, divided into groups, and sent for a fresh round of interviews. This time, they faced actual representatives from companies claiming to be interested in hiring them. Many jobseekers left the “training” with appointment letters instructing them to report to work the following week. These letters, however, never mentioned the name or address of the company. Everyone was told to expect another text message with further details. One young man, Pradeep Saluja, left the building thinking he was about to start working in customer service for Amazon, as the job ad had promised. When Poonam called him a month later, he revealed that the job turned out to be in a small office with an unfamiliar name, located in Gurugram. He was handed a script to memorize and asked to start calling people in the U.S., alongside 50 other young executives. The job was easy, he said. All he had to do was introduce himself as "Charles" and inform the person on the other end that they were under federal investigation for tax evasion. Then he would transfer the call to a senior "officer," who would guide the victim through paying their "taxes" via an online money transfer. And just like that, the scam would continue. Apparently, the way to scam Indians at such a large scale is to promise them jobs—the fulfillment of their most cherished dream. At least some of those responding to ads promising mass openings and unlimited incentives do end up landing jobs—even if those jobs are simply to scam other jobseekers.

Stage 1: Trying to Gain Back Power by Trolling the Scammers
The hardest thing about phone scams is that there is little recourse against the scammers. Even if we don’t fall for the scam, they continue to waste our time—over and over again.

Examples of some live-tweeting fraud calls by a genuine taxpayer:

Stage 2: Learning How They Create and Influence Authority
There are many flaws in this scam. One is that it’s almost always an Indian man in a call center, which makes it hard to believe their names are "Steve Smith" or "Joy Smith." Another is that they clearly read from a script and try to get through their lines as quickly as possible. You can hear the steady hum of their colleagues doing the same.

In short, the fraudsters have professionalized the scam. They found ways to implicitly suggest authority.

Try to make them show some indication that they are aware of what they are doing. Make them express some kind of guilt.

1: Flag emails from the IRS asking for your personal information
If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS that requests your tax information, banking information, or any other personal details, it is likely a scam. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in the email. Instead of responding, take a screenshot of the email and then delete it.
? You can use the screenshot to report the email to the IRS as a scam.

2: Record the employee’s name and badge number if you get a suspicious phone call
If someone calls claiming to be from the IRS and asks for personal or tax information over the phone, it is likely a scam. Do not provide any information. Instead, ask for their name, badge number, and a call-back number.
? You can use this information to verify their identity through the IRS and confirm whether they are legitimate or a scammer.
? The real IRS will offer to call you back. A scammer, on the other hand, will usually pressure you to give information immediately and will avoid follow-up calls.

3: Check the information on a letter or notice through the IRS homepage
If you receive a letter or notice asking you to fill out a form or provide personal information, do not respond until you verify it. Visit the IRS homepage and look up the form number or instructions to see if they match the ones in the letter. If they don’t match, it’s likely a scam.
? Keep the letter or notice as evidence when you report the scam to the IRS.

TEXT 1 :-
"Received a call from 203-441-7004 claiming that an arrest warrant had been issued for me by the IRS."

TEXT 2 :-

"Received a call from 203-441-7004 claiming that an arrest warrant had been issued for me by the IRS." Tried calling the number three times—each time, the call went through, but all I could hear was a lot of people talking in the background. I called a fourth time and was told it was the IRS. When I questioned the caller about the authenticity of the claim, he hung up on me. I called three more times, and each time, the call was answered and immediately disconnected. On the eighth attempt, a woman finally answered. I told her about the previous phone calls. She insisted they were from the IRS and that I should take it seriously. When I asked to speak to someone fluent in English with no foreign accent, she also hung up on me. Thank you.

TEXT 3 :-
" Be advise phone calls that say they are with the IRS and say this "That you will be taking under custody by the local cops as there are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment we would request you to get back to us so that we can discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you the number to reach us is 719-505-9513 I repeat 719-505-9513 thank you?" It's a scammer. IRS don't put warrants for your arrest if you don't pay nor would they call you regarding a pass due payment I am an employee for the IRS. When a IRS employee makes contact on the phone with a taxpayer they will ID themselves by name and 10 digit employee number. I did forward this voicemail to the appropriate department in the IRS but I don't think it will not be investigated properly. About 3 months ago I was getting phone calls by these scammers and forwarded it but did not hear anything about it. "

Hello, I received a call from this number, but I didn’t answer because I don’t pick up calls from numbers I don’t recognize. Later, I got a voicemail saying there was a warrant out for my arrest and that I needed to call the number back to avoid further action. When I called the number back, the line just started beeping and said it was disconnected. I did some research and found that the IRS never calls people directly—they always send a notice in the mail first. Please warn others about this number. Thank you!

Text 6:
Says it's the IRS and that they have been trying to get a hold of someone for six months. Very broken recording. Called the number back—it rang eight times, then an actual person answered.

Text 7:
I received calls from this number on both of my cell phones today at 8:35 and 8:36 a.m. Both were robocalls with a recorded message informing me that if I didn't return the call, the IRS case against me would go to court, and if I didn’t call them immediately, two "cops" would show up at my door. Thank you for any information you can provide.

Text 8:
They claimed I owed the IRS money since 2010 and threatened to put me in jail if I didn’t resolve and settle the issue today. When they asked me to pay by the end of the day or else the court would arrest me, I became suspicious and hung up. Then they started calling from various numbers—both male and female voices, local and Florida-based. Please verify and file these numbers in your database if they are scam calls.
Thank you!
Mars

We are providing the Spam Checker Tool for your convenience. Here, you can enter the email address or contact number you suspect to be a scam. This tool checks it against our spam database and informs you whether the email or phone number is genuine or bogus.

Report a Scam to the United States Government : You can file a complaint about a scam or other fraudulent activity here. Reporting helps prevent further crimes and protects others.

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