From Facebook:

 

Scam alert: The IRS does not contact people for the purpose of accepting payments via gift cards. Jails also do not accept payment in this fashion. There have been reports of these types of scams in the area.

If you get a call from the IR"St" (that's how they pronounced it) with a call back number saying you owe them, it's a scam. Call the police department with the phone number.

Just started getting these calls yesterday. Wanted to have some fun with them. Called back and Spoke with a guy with a thick Indian accent named Officer Bruce Holland. Gave me a badge number, said I owed the IRS $9k from issues from 2009-14. When I started pressing about case numbers, proof of delivery for the "notice" they sent, he transferred me to another guy. Same thick accent, but this guy was a sergeant named Steve. Said he would send officers to my house right now to arrest me if I didn't give them bank info immediately. Finally, I told him I was calling my attorney and that he would be contacting him to straighten everything out, he cursed at me and hung up the phone.

 

My wife also got the call, and was completely freaked out by it. I had to talk her down and show her this thread to ease her worries. I've talked to my college aged daughter about it... I could see her (or any young adult with little life experience) falling for this very easily.

Just have fun with it, engage them in conversation.

 

Ask them about soccer, talk to them about your plans for lunch, ask them for an address and tell them you will drive the payment right over. I told a scammer to call back once, told them I was "Busy" and asked if they would call back. He said, "That's cool, I'll call back" an hour later he calls and ask "how it was?"

 

If you have some time to think it out ahead of time you can have fun with them. I normally jack with them until they break and cuss me out and hang upon me.

Just have fun with it, engage them in conversation.

 

Ask them about soccer, talk to them about your plans for lunch, ask them for an address and tell them you will drive the payment right over. I told a scammer to call back once, told them I was "Busy" and asked if they would call back. He said, "That's cool, I'll call back" an hour later he calls and ask "how it was?"

 

If you have some time to think it out ahead of time you can have fun with them. I normally jack with them until they break and cuss me out and hang upon me.

 

I used to do that to telemarketers. I'd let them engage me in their pitch, and they work so hard at getting the whole script in, I would often not even say a word. Is then tell them I missed part of it from the beginning, and they'd repeat the whole script over again. I've kept them on the phone for 45 minutes on several occasions.

Wife fielded a couple of these calls the past 24 hours -- one from Spencer, Ind., the other from Miami. Believe I read that the IRS only contacts people by mail, not by phone.

Got my automated call today. Does sound convincing.

I keep waiting to get arrested for the warrant the IRS apparently has issued...... I swear they get me coming and going, my tax returns were terrible this year.

I haven't gotten this kind of call yet. What we've been fielding a ton of are the "You have an emergency issue with Microsoft Windows" calls.

Are these all land lines calls you guys are getting?

Are these all land lines calls you guys are getting?

 

I don't have a landline. Both my mobile and my wife's mobile were called.

 

Our calls came from Illinois.

I haven't gotten this kind of call yet. What we've been fielding a ton of are the "You have an emergency issue with Microsoft Windows" calls.

 

Yeah Marshall Eriksen(character name from How I Met Your Mother) called me about that once.....

Are these all land lines calls you guys are getting?

 

Most of ours have been. There's a reason we still have a landline though.

Called my mother today...she freaked and was on the phone with them...thankfully I was there and realized what was up and made her hang up.

IRS will never call as a first contact. Or second. Or third......