WASHINGTON ? The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver?s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

?This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country.  We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,? says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. ?If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don?t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn?t the IRS calling.? Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail
Other characteristics of this scam include:
Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim?s Social Security Number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it?s the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.
Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening victims with jail time or driver?s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here?s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue ? if there really is such an issue.
If you know you don?t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you?ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
If you?ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their ?FTC Complaint Assistant? at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam

Checked my messages today and got same exact phone call.  It was a lady with a thick accent who said her name was Anna Watson with the IRS.  She said I had a discrepancy with my taxes and this was a time sensitive issue that needed to be addressed before legal allegations take place.

Said they were IRS and I had to call them asap.  Sounded robotic with a heavy accent.

Greetings,

I received a desperate and loud message from somebody purporting to be Sandy Parker.  They used only my last name.  The assertion they made was similar to what others have indicated.  Basically, they claimed to be from the IRS and due to the time-urgent nature of my problem, I needed immediately contact 415-251-3851 and give them the name of my attorney.  It sounded like a pre-recorded message.  Actually, it was almost humourous, as the accent was heavy and the emotion laughably contrived.

I received a call from this number this afternoon.  The caller claimed he was from the IRS, but his accent was so heavy I couldn't understand much else of what he said.  The IRS does not deal with you over the telephone; they will send a tax notice.  BEWARE of SCAM.

>>> Don't understand why soemone does not shut them down <<<

Because India is not a colony of the United States and does not choose to enforce our laws against people who use magicJack devices to get US phone numbers and call US victims over the Internet.

Received calls for last few days from this number.  Person has way of speaking that is so difficult to understand; sounds like they are trying not to be recognizable because I've understood plenty of India/Pakistan accents and this one is just bizarre.  Sometimes he will call 3 or 4 times in a row and at odd hours.  No government employees call after hours for initial contact.  The messages are long and rambling and threatening, total scam.  We have had 2 audits on our business and the IRS never conducts themselves like this guy.  Are this many people being called by the same weirdo guy?  

I received this phone # 415-251-3851 twice. Left messages said from IRS. she's sound very old coughing when she said, could not understanding, just heard my name and from IRS.
Please search and put them in jail. SPAM.

2 calls today...answered the 1st one and caller had a very thick accent telling me he was with the IRS.  I hung up and called the number back and the call was answered by an American sounding man identifying himself as the investigation dept for the IRS.  I hung up....couple of hours later they called again...did not answer....CREEPY THIEVES

Just got the same call and they left a message. Not planning to cal back

Don't understand why soemone does not shut them down

I received a call from this number saying they were the IRS and I owed passed due taxes from 2008-2012. I was told I needed to speak with Officer Kenneth Baxter for details. He told me I owed $3497.00 including taxes, interest and penalties . I called the real IRS and they told me I owed nothing and that it was a scam.

left a message claiming to be IRS with a problem on my taxes.  Obvious scam...could barely speak english...though many of our government affirmative action hires sound like this too.

Thank you... That's great information... I'll re-post.... My 80 year old Dad had one of these calls on his voice mail and wanted me to check out the number before returning their call... Luckily he's pretty savvy himself.

REALLY...... don't they know you can find information on or about anyone or anything thru the internet....Anyway how stupid do they think we are ? Were Americans , we've been duped many times before ,by idiots way smarter than these guys are.
Get a real job.

the FBI and IRS have been contacted

got the same phone call 3 times in one day, could barely understand the caller, will not be calling back, the 2 numbers I was left was 415-251-3851 and 708-938-5774, area code 415 caller ID says San Francisco/north bay area, 708 Il, USA.

GOT A VOICEMAIL FROM A MAN WITH A HEAVY INDIAN ACCENT SO I DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND HIM, BUT HE SAID TO CALL BACK BEFORE LEGAL ACTION WAS TAKEN AND HE WAS WITH THE IRS. HE CALLED FROM THIS NUMBER AND GAVE ME THE SAME NUMBER TO CALL BACK. NOT GOING TO CALL BACK, IF THE IRS WAS REALLY LOOKING FOR ME I'M PRETTY SURE I WOULD GET MORE THAN A VOICEMAIL AND PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE CERTIFIED MAIL.

JUst received a call from 415-251-3851. The first few seconds I couldn't understand a word they were saying. It was definately a male voice, asian. Jack Lang....., calling from the IRS. Do not disregard this message possible  legal claims take place. Call me as soon as possible at my direct number 415-251-3581.Goodbye and have a great day.

I just received a call from one person (IRS SCAM) saying i owe money on previous years taxes. she gave me the number 415-251-3851 to call and after I call a guy answered and said his script and I asked 3 questions on the third question he hung up. I called back and he lifted the phone and without answering hung up on me gain. These crooks should be in jail!!

Left a voicemail on my phone, heavy thick southern Asian accent, and judging by the above posts, I will report this to the IRS and FTC as a complete scam. Nice try Apu! Caller ID showed: 415 251-3851

415 251-3754 AND 415 251-3851
DISREGARD PLEASE !!
SCAM SAYING CALLING FROM IRS (SATURDAY MORNING ????) CLAIMING TAX DEFICIENCY ON YOUR ACCOUNT,ASKING FOR ATTORNEY PHONE #,REFERRING TO CALL SENIOR OFFICER OR LEGAL ACTION SCAM WILL BE INITIATED !!!
SCAM
SCAM
SCAM

Called me on Saturday morning from 415 251-3851 saying calling from IRS regarding tax deficiency !!
Advising me to give them my attorney phone number they can contact, also saying 2 letters were mailed to me prior month and if I need to call senior officer at 415 251-3754 legal action will be initiated against me !!
I called and person responded asking to verify my phone , I asked question about working on Saturday and he hang up !!!
it is SAD THAT THEY HAD MY FULL NAME,ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER
LOOKS LIKE THE ONLY THING MISSING WAS MY SSN !!!!
Tanja

Report them to the Real IRS here:

IRS:   http://www.irs.gov/

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8c2f64bf2b91fa5/irs-warns-of-telephone-scam

?If you owe federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
?If you don?t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
?You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments in your complaint.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_24016224/fremon ... ty-targeted-irs

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/columnists ... ity-thieves.ece

i received a call from some one on Thursday by saying that I owed back taxes, the cops already being called for your arrest,either pay the back taxes or u go to jail immediatly

'Oh dis is de irs callin for 'insert name that is not my own' you owe money  we gonna sic the cops on you if you don't respond (similar story)'
So this guy calls three times, the first two times I said hello got no reply and hung up. The third I was like screw it if he calls again I will block him. It left a voicemail. Some guy with a strong Indian accent saying I had a deficiency in my income taxes. Scratch that, he called my number but the message wasn't for me. It was for my mom. That's one of the ways I knew it was a scam. Other than the obvious fact that the irs wouldn't leave a message like that. Anyways the number is blocked now for sure. If it calls Ignore and block it.

When did the Internal Revenue Service start using Magic Jack numbers?  LOL

They told me they were from the IRS and were investigating a tax deficiency. They needed me to call their supervisor right away. When I call the number it goes to voicemail prompting me to leave a message and they it says the mailbox is full

said they are the irs calling to conduct a time sensitive investigation
could hardly understand the person calling

Re-post of a post by Elspeth:

This article from the www.irs.gov website tells you how to report these scams:

IR-2013-84, Oct. 31, 2013
WASHINGTON ? The Internal Revenue Service today warned consumers about a sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, throughout the country.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver?s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

?This scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every state in the country.  We want to educate taxpayers so they can help protect themselves.  Rest assured, we do not and will not ask for credit card numbers over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer,? says IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel. ?If someone unexpectedly calls claiming to be from the IRS and threatens police arrest, deportation or license revocation if you don?t pay immediately, that is a sign that it really isn?t the IRS calling.? Werfel noted that the first IRS contact with taxpayers on a tax issue is likely to occur via mail.

Other characteristics of this scam include:
Scammers use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves.
Scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim?s Social Security Number.
Scammers spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that it?s the IRS calling.
Scammers sometimes send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls.

Victims hear background noise of other calls being conducted to mimic a call site.
After threatening victims with jail time or driver?s license revocation, scammers hang up and others soon call back pretending to be from the local police or DMV, and the caller ID supports their claim.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS, here?s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS employees at that line can help you with a payment issue ? if there really is such an issue.
If you know you don?t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes (for example, you?ve never received a bill or the caller made some bogus threats as described above), then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1.800.366.4484.
If you?ve been targeted by this scam, you should also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their ?FTC Complaint Assistant? at FTC.gov.  Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.
Taxpayers should be aware that there are other unrelated scams (such as a lottery sweepstakes) and solicitations (such as debt relief) that fraudulently claim to be from the IRS.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the IRS as a lure. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. The IRS also does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Recipients should not open any attachments or click on any links contained in the message. Instead, forward the e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

More information on how to report phishing scams involving the IRS is available on the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov.
You can reblog the IRS tax scam alert via Tumblr.

Told me the were the IRS. conducting a investigation