Posted on 10/27/2016 7:13:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The Department of Justice on Thursday charged 61 people for their role in a call center scam.
Federal prosecutors charged 61 individuals and entities across the world Thursday in connection to a transnational call center operation that investigators say scammed United States residents out of millions. The arrests follow a three-year joint investigation between the Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), and the US Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration.
NBC Bay Area first reported on these scams where a caller posing as a federal agent threatens the person on the other line with arrests, lawsuits or worse, if they do not pay up.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell called Thursday’s arrests a major breakthrough.
“This is the first ever multi-jurisdictional enforcement action targeting the Indian call center scam industry,” Caldwell said.
Twenty people were arrested in eight states throughout the country. Another 32 people were busted in India, where this operation was based. Several suspects are still at large, including a man who was last seen in Oakland.
Federal agents believe the number of victims exceeds 10,000 and the amount of money lost is in the hundreds of millions.
“They laundered money using prepaid debit cards using info from id theft victims,” Caldwell said.
Even with Thursday’s crackdown, federal agents believe there are many other operations using this same telephone threatening technique to get people to send them money.
That’s why they are putting out brochures, warning everyone that federal agents will never call demanding money.
I’ve gotten some of these messages as well; they sound like an older black woman saying she’s calling from the “internal revenue services”...
Their cousins call to inform of the problem with windows and trash on the computer. They called my wife every day for weeks a little after 4:00 in the afternoon.
I finally started talking to them and telling them the 38-YR connection was solid on the meter and when I ran the MISO virus routine nothing ever came up. They would try to argue in INDOLISH but finally gave up
I have had several of these calls...I tell them I am calling the FBI to report them.
The scariest con call I have had was from a fake grandson (auto accident...teeth knocked out explained the voice diff)
I started getting suspicious and played along...looking for the money call...Called him a con artist. He thought he had me.
You can believe what you want.
I’m changing my approach to these kind of calls.
I will be loving, kind and patient, and ask the caller “If you died tonight, what would happen to your soul?”
These calls are a great opportunity to witness for Christ.
They haven't called back.
She has two whistles, theyre on the wall above each of her phones. She uses her whistle for silent callers too...lol
https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/eight-facts-on-late-filing-and-late-payment-penalties
Eight Facts on Late Filing and Late Payment Penalties
IRS Tax Tip 2013-58, April 18, 2013
April 15 is the annual deadline for most people to file their federal income tax return and pay any taxes they owe. By law, the IRS may assess penalties to taxpayers for both failing to file a tax return and for failing to pay taxes they owe by the deadline.
Here are eight important points about penalties for filing or paying late.
1. A failure-to-file penalty may apply if you did not file by the tax filing deadline. A failure-to-pay penalty may apply if you did not pay all of the taxes you owe by the tax filing deadline.
2. The failure-to-file penalty is generally more than the failure-to-pay penalty. You should file your tax return on time each year, even if you’re not able to pay all the taxes you owe by the due date. You can reduce additional interest and penalties by paying as much as you can with your tax return. You should explore other payment options such as getting a loan or making an installment agreement to make payments. The IRS will work with you.
3. The penalty for filing late is normally 5 percent of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a tax return is late. That penalty starts accruing the day after the tax filing due date and will not exceed 25 percent of your unpaid taxes.
4. If you do not pay your taxes by the tax deadline, you normally will face a failure-to-pay penalty of ½ of 1 percent of your unpaid taxes. That penalty applies for each month or part of a month after the due date and starts accruing the day after the tax-filing due date.
5. If you timely requested an extension of time to file your individual income tax return and paid at least 90 percent of the taxes you owe with your request, you may not face a failure-to-pay penalty. However, you must pay any remaining balance by the extended due date.
6. If both the 5 percent failure-to-file penalty and the ½ percent failure-to-pay penalties apply in any month, the maximum penalty that you’ll pay for both is 5 percent.
I once went 14 years w/o filing. Never got a call. Lots of letters though.
Finally settled everything with them 'cause I had a business deal that was contingent on settling with them.
I had one who called from a DC number. (It’s all in the FBI report I filed).
They claimed that I was under investigation from the IRS and I asked them who they were. The man politely identified himself as a very American sounding name, but had a heavy accent. Said he was an agent in the Investigative Division of the Internal Revenue Service.
I politely informed him that I’d like more information, as he called me, and he suddenly apparently realized that I was not falling for his line. So, after he called, I called back. 13 times. They blocked my number.
About 3 hours later, I had another one call me. Same spiel. I politely informed her that she’d committed a felony and that I’d be reporting her to the FBI. She hung up. I called back. I got another guy. He also identified himself as an agent of the IRS. I told him that I knew he wasn’t and the identifying yourself as a federal official when you’re not is fraud and it a felony.
He screamed at me that he’s not a fraudster and that he would “get” me.
He hung up.
He called back 2 minutes later, on a DIFFERENT (California) phone number, and said “You stupid sh*t. I work for the IRS, and I report directly to Barack Obama, mother f*cker.”
I went to the FBI.gov website and filed a formal complaint with the phone numbers, the address and company name of the company running the scam and more. Never piss off a hacker. Not a smart thing. I had the name of the person running the scam and more.
This was about 6 weeks ago.
I just did a quick search and found this link
http://www.filelater.com/resources/does-tax-extension-increase-your-chances-tax-audit
My CPA was a 3rd generation accountant from New York and brilliant. He worked with one of the early computer based tax programs and also with a professor who did an analysis of late filers vs. those who filed before April 15th. His discriminant function analysis showed clearly that extension filers were much less likely to be audited.
Of course you have to pay all you owe. Even better, pay more than you owe. That lessens the incentive the IRS has to audit you. (that’s no big deal since interest rates are so low)
Some people misunderstand the reason for avoiding an audit. Audits can take a huge amount of time . You’ll probably have to pay your account to handle things and if you get an IRS nit-picker, or even worse, get an incompetent person you might end up in an appeal or in tax court.
I've read it is best to ignore them or hangup on them. If you tick them off they may send your number to even more spammer lists.
My scammer, after exhausting all avenues, said he was going to revoke my driver’s license.
They played a recording of a police canner in the background, even.
Oh, and their required form of payment was $500 Apple gift cards!
I demand the death penalty for “Bill Smith” and his boss “Steve Black” of Pakistan.
That be true...
One of my bookkeeping clients got these calls. I told him to take all the info to the Burbank, Calif Police Dept. I kept assuring him it was a scam.
It was out of the blue, and I wasn’t aware the IRS would never call someone.”””
I am a life long bookkeeper & I have done many a payroll.
I can assure everyone here that the IRS only does business by MAIL or when they get you to come in in person.
or buy an extended car warranty.”””
I had great fun with that one....
I own a 1979 Buick Station Wagon I bought in Aug of 1981. Still driving it. Bought from a private party, when it had 55,000miles on it & today it has 210,000 ++.
I had them going in circles, trying to tell me ‘where I bought the car from—pretending I couldn’t remember’. Played the ditzy old lady.
My other vehicles==a 1976 Chevy Dually 454 Pick up truck, which I bought from a potato farmer in Idaho. Had 90,000 on it when I bought it in April 1986, and it now has over 344,000 miles on it....Yes, I have put over 250,000 miles on that truck, mostly hauling horses. I drove it today. runs fine.
Again- I ran them in circles about ‘where did I buy it?’
I will say this-——ALL of these calls have been coming RIGHT AFTER I renew my vehicle registrations here in Nevada. I am getting suspicious that that info goes to these phony warranty companies.
I can understand some people being intimidated by a voice on the phone telling them to pay the IRS immediately or face arrest in 30 minutes...regardless of the thickness of the caller's accent.
What I have never understood is people complying with the demand to pay with an iTunes card. WHAT?!
I appreciate the comment. I am aware of that now too, but they did have me going for a while.
It didn’t make sense to me, but the IRS is a very touchy agency too. A lot of people are very reluctant to cross them.
Hey, I may be less aware than most. At least they didn’t suck me in.
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