OK, so this happened to me and could happen to anyone at anytime. This is one time when I am really glad that I don't answer my phone unless I know the number or am expecting a call. Because I had time to think about how to respond without immediate, real time threats. Just about as I am ready to leave for work, I get a call, don't answer and they leave a voice mail. So I go to listen to it and this is what I hear. First part was cut off, my recording starts with "after that you will be taken into custody by the local cops. There are four serious allegations pressed on your name at this moment. We would request that you get back to us to discuss about this case before taking any legal action against you. The number to reach us is 30...." Now I have no F'n idea what this is about, I have never been arrested for, or charged with anything. My first thought was actually that it was a scam, I mean I have had no legal notices delivered of any kind and would a legitimate source refer to "local cops" rather than "police officers", that sounded wonky. My second thought was what if someone stole my identity and did something in my name, that does happen. Regardless, I felt I needed to take this seriously rather than just ignore it. But what to do, I certainly didn't want to call the number they left, I knew if I did, I would be likely be facing scare tactics, threats, intimidation, if it was real and especially if it was indeed a scam. Fortunately I remembered that I have been a member of LegalShield for years. I have had little need of it, have often thought about letting it go, but didn't because of what if. Well this was a "what if"! So I called my provider law firm, explained the situation and gave them the number I was left on the recording. A couple hours later I call a call from an Attorney. SHE HAD ALREADY DONE WHAT I WAS PLANNING TO ASK FOR! She had already called the number on my behalf! I want to repeat that, I was really hoping that I wasn't just going to get advice on what to do when I called, I was hoping I could have an attorney/third party call on my behalf, and she had already done that before I even asked! Simply put, I was blown away! I really hope you get how BIG that is, the attorney making this call on my behalf! She confirmed that it was indeed a scam, when she called the person identified himself as an IRS agent (That must have been in the first part of the message that my voice mail, didn't pick up) and she said simply that the IRS does not work that way, I would have received notices, etc. and the address and agent number he gave her where fake. Etc. She further said that this is happening a lot and they are intimidating a lot of people and earning a lot of money. They are largely targeting seniors who are vulnerable and have few options. She has dealt with clients who either already had given scammers like this thousands of dollars or where about too. And once the money is gone, it's gone, these scammers are basically impossible to trace. She also sent me the following links to report this: FBI FTC Complaint Assist Florida Attorney General And she recommended that I call my local Police, saying that sometimes that can be more effective. Which I will do, recording in hand. I also want to add a warning article on the IRS web site about these types of scams. Right now I am so glad that I have LegalShield and I want everyone to know how this gave me peace of mind in a very intimidating situation, and how professional the service was. I am very thankful for it. Full disclosure, II have also been an independent associate for years. I have not done much with it because my passion is for promoting sustainability and clean energy. But I have to admit this situation made it's value far more real to me and increased my passion for it a lot! The LegalShield links here do go to my official web site which I would recommend anyone checking out for more information. And while this is not my main business, if you are interested in the membership I would be thankful for your business. Please contact me if you have any questions. UPDATE: Got the same call again. Called local police who said I could file a report but there would be no investigation, very helpful. Called the local FBI and they directed me to file a complaint at tigta.gov which is the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to file a report, which I did. Given that most of these scams are run out of foreign countries and the way they operate, they are not likely to get shut down, at least not without others popping up. So the best thing that I know to do is to try and get the word out and educate people about it. DON'T FALL FOR THIS SCAM! The government does not operate this way, scammers do.
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