It was a normal Monday summer night. I had finished my day’s work and gone for my usual run.
I was just about to relax when I received a call on my cell phone from a number that I didn’t recognize with a 646 area code (New York).
Definitely a telemarketer, I decided, and let it go straight to voice mail. I let the voice mail message record itself, and fifty-four seconds later, I gave it a listen.
A cool, eerie, and robotic male voice began to drift from my phone:
“This is to inform you that the IRS has issued an arrest warrant against you, and within one hour you will get arrested from your house. Now you and your physical property are under a state of investigation. It is very important that we hear from you before we issue an arrest warrant or any legal prosecution against you.”
Then, the speaker provided me with a different phone number with a New York area code, and urged me to call back to avoid an arrest.
Although the tone was grim, and the phone number was official, in one quick Google search I discovered all of the hints that this was an obviously fake scam message. Here are some ways to tell, according to the IRS:
Huntley Police Department scam warning
There are two types of phone scams that are currently being attempted within Huntley. The Sweepstakes scam in which the caller advised the victim that they have won a car and money but just have to pay the taxes. This is not the authorized process if you do win through publishers clearing house. The second scam currently going is the caller requesting money and donations to help support the Huntley Police department to better serve the community and to help secure lobbyists. Neither the Huntley Police Department nor any Huntley unions currently or have any plans on type of fundraising. Both subjects knew it was a scam and did not become victims but are concerned that others might become victims.
The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes.
First, the IRS will send you a bill in the mail, and if they do call you, they will never demand immediate payment.
The IRS will not threaten to arrest you.
This was one of the biggest tip-offs that I had a scammer on the line. The IRS will not send the police due to a missed payment.
The IRS will not ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Plain and simple. Never give this information (or any information, for that matter) to an unknown caller.
Scammers might use a trick called “spoofing” to utilize a legitimate phone number or email.
This makes it look like they are calling from a police station, but they’re illegally using the police number to appear legitimate.
Fortunately, my scam came in the form of a voice mail message, so I didn’t have any opportunity to tell the scammers anything. However, if you do answer a call, the IRS states that the best advice is to say nothing and hang up. In the end, if you’re still concerned about the state of your tax payment, the IRS offers this phone number for any questions: 800-829-1040.
Consistent with the information I found from Google searches and the IRS website, nothing ever happened to me. An hour came and went, I was not arrested from my house, and I lived to tell the tale.
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