[NPR.ORG] True story: The other day, I attended a speech by IRS
...the Internal Revenue Service; that office of the United States government that collects taxes and persecutes the regime's political enemies...
Commissioner John Koskinen, who said phone scammers are swarming the country in the run-up to April 15, aka Tax Day.
The graphic at the head of this article is from the first email I got the "IRS." I can't remember if I was working at Goddard or at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. If Aberdeen it was prior to 2007, if Goddard it was 2004 or earlier. NPR is just noticing?
These criminals call taxpayers and insist they must "immediately give up their personal information or make a payment," Koskinen warned. Don't fall for it.
Crooks swarm where there's money. They don't stop unless you track them down and jug them.
"If you are surprised to be hearing from us, you are not hearing from us," Koskinen said. "Our way of contacting you is by letter."
Maybe when they let the druggies out of jail they'll have room for this sort of scammer.
So after the speech at the National Press Club, I went home -- and found a voice mail message from the, um, IRS.
Did you indeed?
A stern woman had left this message: "This is the IRS. We have been attempting to reach you. The IRS has filed a lawsuit against you. You must call 202-xxx-xxxx immediately. There will be no further warning."
Where's the notice? You get notice of lawsuits against you. It doesn't come by telephone unless it's a reporter.
How could I resist? I called the number, and a man with a heavy accent answered. It sounded as though he was in a room with lots of other people making calls. I could barely understand him.
What kind of accent? I got a call on my cell phone the other day from a guy named "Derek" who sounded like he's never been outside Bangalore, trying to sell me Viagra.
MG: "Hi, I got a call yesterday about the IRS."A proper govt agency answers the phone "Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia regional office. This is Joe Doaks speaking." They may add which department it is and they may even ask "How may I help you?" It's standard phone etiquette, or it used to be. They haven't yet outsourced that sort of thing to India.
GUY: "How can I help you?"
MG: "Just so that you know, I am Marilyn Geewax and I work for NPR. I am covering IRS issues. I was wondering ... do you work for the IRS?"
GUY: "Yes, I am with the IRS."
MG: "Are you based in Washington?"
GUY: "No, I'm in New York. "
MG: "Could you repeat that?"
GUY: "OK ma'am, don't worry."
CLICK. He hung up.
Apparently, it quickly dawned on him that I might not be the right person for his particular brand of tax advice. So just like that, the "lawsuit" against me disappeared. "OK ma'am, don't worry."
Who's the 202 (Washington, D.C.) phone number point to? A reporter with something on the ball should be able to find out.
But I am worried. I am worried about potential victims out there -- especially elderly ones who might not be able to hear or think as clearly as they once did.
They're the target, aren't they?
Please call your parents and grandparents and spread the word. This is what Koskinen said at the National Press Club: "The last thing you'll ever hear from an IRS agent of any kind is threats that we are about to throw you in jail unless you pay us immediately or put money into a particular account," he said.
Sounds more like the Tataglias than the IRS, and I don't even like the IRS.
"The number of reported calls is going up," Koskinen said. But because good people are spreading the word to their friends and relatives about these con artists, "the number of people who have fallen prey to this scam is down significantly."
Y'gotta work harder to steal fewer dollars, huh? Times is tough all around.
And another thing: Don't fall for a trick where "you get an email and it looks like an IRS website," he said. Check the details and "you will see it's not from the IRS," he said.
Been there. Laughed at it. The logo said "IRS." Hang the mouse over the link to click and it led someplace like "jsxjhpdjnd.com/20986."
Remember that these con artists may know the last four digits of your Social Security number -- and try to use that to trick you.