| Author |
IRS Phone scam |
Delando
Marshal
Joined: May 04, 2007
Posts: 260
|  Posted: 2014-04-26 18:24
I realize this is extremely off topic, but this just happened to my near-retirement parent. I'm extremely angry, and i'm asking for help from our Darkspace community.
My oldman got a phone call this morning (Sat, Apr26) claiming to be the IRS, says he got Tax problems, and demanded he call back imediately or face litigation. When they do, they get a international line (heavy Indian accent+breakup/static). I took over, the receiver became extremely hostile and insulting when i demanded ID, then told me to "Put down the phone and prepare to go to court.”
My folk became extremely worried and had a bad morning.
I became really suspicious: IRA don't work on Saturdays, and they certainly don't Outsource to Indian. Just to be sure, web search the phone# and called our local police dpt. and eventually found this:
http://www.whitepages.com/phone/1-202-241-1818
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam
Their targeting older folks and immigrants b/c the victims are afraid o trouble, and are afraid of police and IRS, so they tend to give in.
They spoof the phone# so caller ID look like it's form D.C. they web search so they can tell ur last 4 digit SSN. They demand credit card and wiretransferes, and if refused, become very agressive and threaten jail, deportation, revoke business licence.
These people are SCUM.
Plz, whatever personal grudge u may bear me in the game, plz get the word out to ur family and friends, quickly, so no one else gets hurt.
There's like to be alot more of this happening since it's only a few days to May 1, and people are getting their tax returns.
I apologize for using the forum for something is not intend for, but i really dont want to see the reaction on my parents faces appear on anyone else's
Thanks in advance.
Delando
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Gejaheline
Fleet Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 19, 2005
Posts: 1127
From: UGTO MUNIN HQ, Mars
| Posted: 2014-04-26 19:34
A lot of people will think the above obvious and that people should know better and that they're stupid for falling for such things, but social engineering attacks like this are very effective when targeted at vulnerable individuals.
Never give out critical information like payment details to someone who phones you up; say you'll call the appropriate department of the organisation that's calling, find the contact details from the company's official material, and only then consider giving out information.
Be doubly suspicious if they're asking for information they absolutely should have or that they don't require. Authorised staff won't need your password because they'll have access to your details anyway. Banks won't need your bank account number or sort code because they're YOUR BANK.
Be triply suspicious if they're asking you to give them money by wire or bank transfer. Actually, be triply suspicious if they're asking you to give them money at all. Usual business practice is to send you a letter, because a letter can be recorded and filed and the organisation can wave it about and show that it was sent, whereas a phone call cannot.
I almost fell for one of these scams, so it's not just restricted to stupid people (cue jokes about my intelligence level).
A lot of information security problems revolve around social engineering attacks, and they're a major way to steal passwords and other information. The only real way to mitigate it is to inform people and have them keep their wits about them when dealing with "the official government password inspector" or "technical support from your computer company".
Educate your friends and family! After all, knowing is half the battle.
[ This Message was edited by: Gejaheline on 2014-04-26 19:35 ]
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Kenny_Naboo
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: January 11, 2010
Posts: 3823
From: LobsterTown
| Posted: 2014-04-27 02:42
Deserves a sticky.
More hardcore than those silly Nigerian scammers.
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Talien
Marshal
Templar Knights
Joined: May 11, 2010
Posts: 2044
From: Michigan
| Posted: 2014-04-27 11:45
After getting an email about this scam the other day me and my dad had a colorful discussion about the state of mind someone would have to be in to come up with something like this and agreed they'd have to be so morally bankrupt there's just no hope for them, so there'd be no point in holding back.
I find myself actually hoping my dad gets one of these calls because it'd be entertaining to listen to him cuss the loser out. He already does it to people soliciting for political contributions.
[ This Message was edited by: Talien on 2014-04-27 11:46 ]
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JackCrackerMan
Fleet Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 13, 2003
Posts: 169
| Posted: 2014-04-29 14:35
I suppose I'll chime in here being a key figure in AML/BSA Anti-Money Laundering, internal investigations as well as ATM/Debit Card, ACH, Check and ID Theft at my employer (a large bank, one that has NOT been in the news for any of these reasons in recent history).
Here's the thing: Social media and technology has opened up a whole new world for scammers. First, your bank/financial institution will not direct you either via phone or email to log onto your account to review activity. Second, the IRS will not call and threaten litigation... they send certified mail. Third, You didn't just win the Canadian lottery... and if you did they wouldn't be asking you to mail them a cashiers check for $50,000.
If there is one thing I could recommend, it's to lock down your profiles on any social media sites you have. It's possible for someone to identify you, figure out who your family members are using social media (I used to do this when I investigated internally) . They could use these key tokens as ways to seem more legitimate for extorting money from you. Probably one of the most terrifying things I've seen was a scam that involved the victims machine being infected with a virus that re-directs gateways to different locations (so you could type http://www.capitalone.com and end up at a site that isn't the true capital one) and then contacted the victim claiming to be from the financial institute and to log on to review activity thus getting their login credentials.
Other scams to be on the look out for: PC virus calls saying that Microsoft notified them of your computer being bugged, they want you to go to their site - which then infects your machine and then you have to pay to get it removed. I actually think the same group in India is responsible for the IRS & the Microsoft virus.
[ This Message was edited by: Penny Wise on 2014-04-29 14:35 ]
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Coeus
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: March 22, 2006
Posts: 2815
From: Philly
| Posted: 2014-05-01 21:35
Yeah, I was about to chime in with how often I see these things in banking, but Penny hit the nail on the head. It's extremely common - and when in doubt, call the police. If you or someone you know does give information through either fear or confusion, contact your bank immediately so that a restriction can be put on your account to prevent any unauthorized debits.
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Fluttershy
Fleet Admiral
Joined: September 24, 2011
Posts: 778
From: Fluttershy
| Posted: 2014-05-03 10:54
If you're in the middle of a scam call, is it possible to call 911 and have them trace who is currently on the line with your home phone? Caller ID can be hidden or misleading, but maybe they have a method of finding their location?
Maybe a way to call the phone company and tell them to report the last phone to call your number?
[ This Message was edited by: Fluttershy on 2014-05-03 10:55 ]
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JackCrackerMan
Fleet Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 13, 2003
Posts: 169
| Posted: 2014-05-13 12:09
Flutter, these groups are out of the US... thus they cannot be blocked with 100% accuracy. Most of them are Canada, Mexico, Bahamas and India most recently.
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JackCrackerMan
Fleet Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 13, 2003
Posts: 169
| Posted: 2014-05-13 13:25
Here's some helpful info I was just given from a contact with the IRS:
Here is our standard reply to these scams:
This is not a legitimate call from the IRS.
Since this individual is impersonating the IRS you should also report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
Please report the incident by visiting the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) website and clicking "IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting" (or visit this link http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml). You can also file an online complaint by completing the TIGTA "Online Form" located
on their website, http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report.shtml.
To file a complaint with the FTC please visit our "Report Phishing"
website (http://www.irs.gov/uac/Report-Phishing) and click on "Complaint Assistant". This will allow you to file a complaint with the FTC and identify the complaint as an IRS complaint. Alternatively you can file the complaint directly with the FTC by visiting http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. Whether you use the IRS link or file the complaint directly with the FTC, add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the Comments section of the complaint.
Individuals who have been victimized by this scam and have provided one or more Green Dot MoneyPak numbers to the scammer should also notify Green Dot directly at 800-473-3636 to report the scam and open an investigation.
Please see the following press releases:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Reiterates-Warning-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam
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