IRS Phone Scam
 

I got this [URL="http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2014/03/05/how-an-irs-telephone-scam-nearly-duped-me-out-of-5000/"]IRS tax scam phone call[/URL] today. I think I'm on the list of phone scam targets - I recently reported getting the [URL="http://mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=19493"]Microsoft Error Report Scam.[/URL].

I was busy downstairs and monitored a call on my line that went "This message is for SWMBO. This is Charles Davenport of the Internal Revenue Service. The very second you receive this call I want you or your attorney to call me immediately, My number is 202-241-2597."

I finished downstairs and went upstairs to consult with SWMBO. She shushed me and said "I'm in the midst of this incredible scam call." She summarized the situation from her notes - we were being investigated for tax fraud, it was willful violation of tax laws, an arrest warrant would be issued in 30 minutes, it was a non-bailable offense, but we could suspend all of this by wiring $3,648 to show good intent. We were pretty sure it was fraud, but the threatened consequences were so frightening that we spent a while being sure. In retrospect, we should have searched the internet for "tax scam phone call" while we had him on the line. Afterward we [URL="http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml"]filed a report online [/URL]. We found the 800 number before we found the online site, but it warned of long waits because of the large number of reports being made.