Two phone scams in 15 minutes

[nitpicker]

The first said that users of "Microsoft Windows 1-2-3" were vulnerable if they didn't call a number to get a fix.

The second mentioned tax, said that there were four charges outstanding, and if a number wasn't called back within 24 hours they would send in the cops to make an arrest.

The scams may be targeting the elderly.

It's been a long time since Lotus 1-2-3 was in common use.

For the second one, tax due date for the Feds this year is actually April 17th (thanks to Patriot's Day April 16 in Massachusetts).

Also, the REAL IRS sends out letters if there is a tax issue. It does NOT start off with phone calls.

[Vinca]

1. We got the IRS scam call about 4 times the other day.

I honestly don't know how anyone falls for this one. When they got to the part about the cops I had to laugh. Dumbest scam yet.

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Did you contact the IRS and file a TIGTA report? Also, send an email to IRS Phone Scam account?

.

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee ...

Record the employee's name, badge number, call back number and caller ID if available.
Call 1-800-366-4484 to determine if the caller is an IRS employee with a legitimate need to contact you.
If the person calling you is an IRS employee, call them back.

If not, report the incident to TIGTA and to us at [e-mail] (Subject: 'IRS Phone Scam')

https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing


File a TIGTA report: https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

also

Send an email to: [e-mail]


Note: You don't need a monetary loss for a TIGTA, leave damages at $0.


.

[Vinca]

10. No - I didn't know there was such a thing. Thanks for the info.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. I rat out each one of these guys to the Feds. I also add an entry in 1800Caller.com

[jberryhill]

2. I've been getting a hilarious email one

It says I've been secretly recorded while watching porn online, and demands that I sent them bitcoin or else video of my activity will be sent to all my contacts.

Lol.

[ProudLib72]

12. They should target all GOP senators with that one

They could make a bundle scaring the crap out of them!

[jberryhill]

16. The thing is...

...these emails demand that you send bitcoin to their wallet within 24 hours.

It would take longer than that for most of the recipients to figure out what bitcoin is.

[kimbutgar]

3. I got the one saying if I didnt respond federal agents were coming to my house yesterdat to

Arrest me. I got two of these voicemails from 256-275-8124. The calls were robotic sounding and I immediately blocked the numbers.

[spanone]

4. I get the occasional calls where the name on the phone says 'Scam Likely' wtf?

[eleny]

5. Be sure to never say the word "yes" during these scam calls

We read this warning recently. Some scammers harvest the audio of the call and use our "yes" answer for their scamming purpose.

I got a robo call where the caller asked me if I heard him okay. I just hang up on all scam calls. But they can often sound like there's a real person on the line by asking how you are. So when you reply, "I'm fine" they can ask if you hear them okay. You become vulnerable when you give them that "yes" response.

We get at least six calls a day. Some are scammers. And some people really want to clean our air ducts!

[Ernesto]

7. This is why I shit-canned my land line!

Finally, I copied my kids and I'm better off for it.

[spanone]

13. we did too....that's ALL we got on it was spam....early, late....all day

[OldHippieChick]

8. I get approximately 5-6 calls daily and

if they are not Quicken Loans, they are a tax scam. I no longer answer any number I don't know. If it's legit, they will leave a number. Funny thing is that some of the non-legit ones leave messages and they crack me up. They claim I owe taxes and that the "local cops" will be coming to arrest me. In other words, English is not their native language and they do not understand how our tax system works. The ones who have left messages I have forwarded to the IRS scam list.

An interesting thing for us elder and easier-to-hoodwink-they-think is that these scammers can somehow acquire phone numbers that appear to be similar to our own and we might be more likely to answer. Again, I do not. Am hoping the robots will quit soon or that once tax season is over it will subside.

[question everything]

9. What I am getting is complete silence

I answer the phone - land line, which some say means we are seniors - say "hello" and there is complete silence. Not even a boiler room background.

Has been happening several times in the past few weeks..

Wondering whether someone is checking if anyone is at home.

[unc70]

11. Can tell I'm getting old from my calls

While I can not remember the last time I got a tax scam call, I get lots for hearing aids, long term care, burial insurance, and such. Do they know an old guy is linked to that phone or do they just assume?

As for the caller ID showing a similar number, I suspect most of those are spoofed caller IDs. Trivial using VOIP.

[Initech]

14. My parents' land line gets bombarded with scammers every day.

They're thinking of discontinuing the line because they can't stand it. They've got the tech support scams, the mortgage scams, the Nigerian prince scams, and the IRS scams. It's maddening.

[Denzil_DC]

17. Got one the other day.

In the UK, so not the IRS.

I don't in fact know what sort of scam it was in the end, as I didn't give him the chance.

We've been getting a spate of such calls recently - it seems to come in waves - and it gets a bit tired as just about the only time the landline rings nowadays is if it's a family or friend emergency or some official appointment confirmation or whatever, or a would-be scammer.

So the pattern is usually that you pick up (it may auto-hang up at this point) and there's a silence for a few moments, maybe some background chatter like a call centre, then a voice. I usually wait in silence rather than responding immediately with "Hello" or whatever nowadays, as it puts them on the back foot if it's a cold caller.

Befuddled: "Hello ...?"

"This is the fraud prevention hotline at [local police station - I'm not really bothered trying to be convincing by now, as it's all a stupid game anyway]. Initiating trace."

This guy just immediately loses it for some reason and gets sarky (maybe it's been a hard day - too bad): "Oh yes, sir, I'm trying to scam you and steal your bank details."

And he goes on and on in this vein for quite a while.

I interject occasionally along the lines of: "You do realize that the longer I keep you on the line, the fewer people you can scam?"

He starts to get abusive.

I'm like: "Look, we've had loads of these stupid calls, and you're the worst at it yet." (In reality, he's not. I reduced one idiot to unleashing a long crescendo of "Fuck offs" one time, to which my only reply was a laughing, "Well, you're a GREAT salesman, aren't you?" )

Another extended flurry of cuss words and assorted nonsense.

"Go get a real job."

"..."

BEEEEP

We've not had another scam call for a week now. Bliss.

[MurrayDelph]

18. I've been getting scam calls on my cellphone, too

frequently with a spoofed number with a similar area code and prefix as my cellphone. I guess they think it will make me believe it's a neighbor (which does no good, as I kept the old cellphone number when I moved to another state 1000 miles away).

I used to get daily calls from the "Windows Technical Support" scam, until I activated a feature my phone company offered that announces we don't take solicitations, and the caller has to press 1 or stay on the line to be put through. It has eliminated the live scammers, but we get a lot of pre-recorded messages in progress (sometimes from our doctors reminding us of an upcoming appointment).

When we are at our vacation home, we get a lot of calls from "contractors" wanting us to hire them: some pulling the old "we're going to be in your neighborhood and would like to drop by and offer you an estimate," some trying the lie "remember when we spoke last year and you said we should call you back?", and some trying to sell us solar panels (which our house has had for ten years).

My wife usually gets to the phone before I do, but the next time I answer (and the caller-id isn't one I recognize) I plan to announce "This number does not accept unsolicited offers and is on the National Do Not Call List. Please state the nature of your violation."

[Ilsa]

19. My husband keeps them on the phone and f#@ks them over pretty good.

He kept one strung along for almost an hour. As the caller realized he was the one getting played, he cussed out Hubby and hung up.

[sarcasmo]

20. Tell your Senior friends and family. The IRS sends mail, they never call.