When they asked for me, I thought it was a bonus call. Can you imagine my surprise when the caller identified himself as Officer Damian Marshall from the taxation department advising me that there was a warrant for me and wondered if I had received it in the mail. He gave me the address they sent it to, minus the suite #. I said I did not. He said the address was correct, so why did I not receive it? I told him I could not possibly have received anything with an incomplete address as I live in a condominium. He told me that there was a miscalculation in the income tax I sent. Thinking it was the recent income tax returns, I told him, there could not have been a mistake because my son did it. Then he wanted my son's telephone # because it concerned the 2008 and 2009 taxation and he wanted to talk to him. I told him my son had nothing to do with those years' taxation as I did my husband's and my taxes. Then I bombarded him with questions, first and foremost his telephone #.

I asked him why he would call about taxations long time ago when my husband was still alive? He excused himself and I heard him say that I would not give any information. I asked why the government would send me a warrant when I did not do anything criminal? I told him I had a heart problem and his call was making my blood pressure rise. I wanted a telephone # I could call because what he was saying was so weird. I have never been served a warrant. I would have to conduct an investigation on this situation before I could provide any information. He said he had to talk to my son. I said he was at work and he had nothing to do with those taxation years. I wanted to know why he called me with this unlikely story. He hang up!

I gave my son the telephone #, with Ottawa's area code and he told me, "It was phishing, a scam. They were trying to get some personal information from you because you have been deleting their emails. You were right to follow your gut feeling."

Good thing I got your peanut butter cookie recipe before they come and haul you away.

They had something on the news not that long ago about people posing as from the IRS trying to get info. I'm scared for the people who don't realize it's a scam until it's too late.

Be careful, this is a common scam.

LOL! To tell you the truth, I was a bit scared. Oh come on, I was really scared and prayed a bit. But the guy had a very funny accent and the name he gave did not go with that accent. So, I remembered the three emails from supposedly CRA which I deleted as junk. Never again would I be hoodwinked.

I don't know why I felt guilty when I did not do anything just because someone told me I did something.

Hey Kimmiemae, I just made a whole bunch of pb cookies using a whole jar but this time it was not gluten-free.

I'm coming over

The scammers are too stupid to know that you don't call someone to tell them they have a "warrant"

The IRS sends you a real "snail mail"...

I heard him whispering, "She has a heart problem." Little did he know that I was telling the truth because at the start, I really did not know how much trouble I was in. So he insisted on talking to my son or getting his phone #. Why didn't he ask for my suite # if he was thinking well? I stupidly told him the address he verified did not have the apartment #.
But then I woke up from my stupidity and did not give him any information.

I recently received a similar phone call, but I am glad I have voice mail. The call said, "This is the Internal Revenue Service calling, we have been trying to reach you. You need to call us on an urgent matter. (I was given a 1-800 number). Do not delay, this matter needs your immediate attention".

Because I had not received my tax return yet, I thought maybe it was a call that I was being audited. But then I remember I did not give or put on my tax return my residential home number, only my cell phone. So I decided to call the 1-800 number but not from my home, I would call from my place of employment. That is a business and if they tried to call back they would get an operator. And she would only connect to a known department.

Luckily I remember the cell phone and I was not home. I would of been like you RH

You know it's a scam when you hear this:

"Hi. This is the IRS. Please press #1 and have ready your: Social security number, you mother's maiden name, you date of birth, your bank account number, routing number, your credit card and the 3 digit security code, also your first dog's name and the year of your birth. Thanks for responding to the IRS. You have 12 hours to respond or we will arrest you tomorrow morning for tax evasion. Have a nice day."

I always ask these scammers, "How did you get that info?" As honestly as I can. I keep asking this for every response until they give up and hang up on me.

I like to have a little fun.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

You know it's a scam when you hear this:

"Hi. This is the IRS. Please press #1 and have ready your: Social security number, you mother's maiden name, you date of birth, your bank account number, routing number, your credit card and the 3 digit security code, also your first dog's name and the year of your birth. Thanks for responding to the IRS. You have 12 hours to respond or we will arrest you tomorrow morning for tax evasion. Have a nice day."

Holy Moses! That would have given me a heart attack. I don't even have a dog. Oh, I did have a first dog...his name was Nasser.

I like to have a little fun too. Mainly I get the microsoft scam. I pretend I am loggin into what ever they are asking me to. I keep thanking them for calling me because my computer is so slow. I do my best, clueless old lady routine. Meanwhile I am hanging out the laundry or typing on the laptop. When I get bored, I tell them I don't have a computer.

@prince: Hahaha! That is hilarious! I frustrated one, who BTW, did an outstanding job of professionally explaining away all of my naive questions, but, unfortunately, I had to deduct most of the points they had accrued when they got frustrated, and quite unprofessionally, hung up on me.

(heart)

@stilllearning wrote:

@prince: Hahaha! That is hilarious! I frustrated one, who BTW, did an outstanding job of professionally explaining away all of my naive questions, but, unfortunately, I had to deduct most of the points they had accrued when they got frustrated, and quite unprofessionally, hung up on me.

(heart)

Now that is the ultimate goal to get them to hang up on you! Someone called me to say I won a trip to Florida. I asked all sorts of stupid questions. I kept asking about how the skiing would be, etc. I asked if I could bring my cat. I never let her get her speil out, I just acted ditzy and super excited. She said something about me to another person and she finally hung up.

For the past week I've been getting calls about my good fortune of winning trips and holidays and they seem to come when I am having a nap or a break from work. I listen for a while and when they say, "Don't get too excited now, there is more." And here I was quietly getting so annoyed. So, I usually say, "No, I am not excited at all. Are you going to ask for my credit card? Because if you are, I am really not interested. Goodbye!"

RH------>You need a phone with your own voice mail recording My day job requires me to have a State license. And to practice myself in such a manner that I do not wish to be disbarred. That saying I have been at the same employment for XXX+5 years. I have made my reputation. Overtime is no longer a necessary. Attending job functions are no longer delightful and being politically correct is no longer a side bar. The MANDORATORIES of my employment is the only thing I continue to carry forward each year. If I am at work, you know where I am

With all that being said, if my phone rings, and the caller does not say---->"Mom or Dad or Sis or Bro or Uncle or Auntie or Nana or Pop-pop", that phone is not being answered. "Speak to the machine" The message on my voice recording is for EVERYBODY. Not a disturbed sleep/nap will be missed for a nuisance call. Call me, listen to my message to come up with ideas

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2015 01:10AM by sojo917.

I have a Voice Mail but when I am at home, I almost always answer the landline as I expect calls from US or International. I opted out of caller ID because it is my preference. I do not want people to think I would be calling back because they called me even if they did not leave a message. I prefer that they leave a message when I don't answer my phone. At work, I always answer my calls or else they page me. My wireless calls are always screened.

@sojo917---Are you a sports fan? Just wondering because nobody ever refer to me as RH in any message board.

This is part of their tactics to give you a sense of urgency and immediacy but it is false so you won't take the time to think too carefully about the call.

It is actually not too different from the false sense of urgency that a really good salesman will give you when they are trying really hard to make the sale. Car salesmen do it all the time IMO.

The other day I got another call from the "IRS" on my business land line. I pretty much ignored the urgent calls in the past even the one where the caller said two agents will be at my front door in 45 minutes to arrest me unless I called the number provided right away. I waited but the agents never showed. I also ignored the call from the "IRS" agent who asked if I have a criminal defense lawyer and to have him call the number provided. I told him no but my brother-in-law is a lieutenant on the police Bunko Squad and I could have him call.

Anyway, I did a reverse phone check on the number that recently called and learned it was a Bandwidth SMSEnabled line purportedly out of Hyattsville, MD (near Washington DC). I also learned that the FBI is investigating Vishing VoIP scams involving phony calls from banks credit card companies.

I put this call into the same category. I'll wait for the knock on the door and a visit from two guys in black suits or IRS slickers.