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My American friends, I received a phone call purporting to be from the IRS. DON'T CALL IT!
I was suspicious so contacted the local IRS Office and learned it's a phishing scam.
Donny
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These phone calls must be huge. Have been getting them here for the past several months on and off.
Last edited by jazzmandan; 06/22/16 12:35 PM.
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I called the IRS back one time about something like this and they said "The IRS doesn't call people. But, if you get a letter from us, then you should pay attention."  True story. Not a day goes by that I don't get a phony cleverly disguised email or call from some purporting to be my credit card company or phone company. I am not stupid enough to click the link on the important update from my credit card company because they told me they never send emails like that. One click and you are done. Goodbye BIAB. Goodbye identity. Goodbye BIAB song collection from 2015. ATT is kind like the IRS. They told me "Ah, ATT doesn't call people." Funny. Anyway, I never click on anything unless it comes from someone who just told me they were sending something. It's scary out there.
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"Ah, ATT doesn't call people."
Funny.
Anyway, I never click on anything unless it comes from someone who just told me they were sending something.
It's scary out there.
ATT doesn't call people.... yup, that's funny. Always keep a good AV scanner on your computer. Be sure it's running and updated. Even people sending you things they said they were sending can be sending malware without being aware. Some of the early viruses infected nearly everyone in our church when a well known guy in the church had an infected machine and people were opening the link in his email. Yeah, I knew, even at that time to scan everything and I never did get that email that caused problems for so many. Yep... the IRS contacts you via letter, and when things are serious, by registered mail. They never call you unless they are returning a phone call regarding an issue they have already been discussing with you previously. They will return voicemail left for a particular agent as well.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Being mute and paralyzed, I never answer my phone but friends can leave a message and I'll have my aide call them back. These people called me 5-7x daily! No message, just harassment. I've concluded that it's a sweatshop somewhere with a bank of similar phone numbers entrapping the unwary to call them back and get billed for the call. They attempt to keep you on the line and run up the charges in some Caribbean island that has no limits on phone charges like Granada.
Answering the call completes the scam and you are then burdened with the task of dealing with a foreign phone company that only speaks Portuguese.
Donny
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Herb,
I was an unintentional spreader of malware when I recommended a recording program. It had been infected since I had used it. Friends were getting virus warnings but I was not. What was clean two years ago is no guarantee today. I was embarrassed but friends knew it wasn't intentional.
Donny
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The IRS will send a certified letter. They want to have proof you got the letter. They won't call and they won't send you an e-mail.
I get "Microsoft" calling to tell me I have a virus, of course that's a phishing scam as well. That seems to be fading though. My wife tells them I work for Microsoft and asks for their phone number. They hang up.
If I answer, I tell them I have a Mac. Sooner or later I'll probably get "Apple" telling me I have a virus.
If I get an e-mail or call from the bank, I take the message and then use either the number I have on file or log in via my bookmarked bank page and never-ever use the phone number or link provided in the call or e-mail.
I get fake UPS and FedEx "sorry we couldn't deliver your package" and the first thing I notice is they don't know my name. The second thing is they didn't provide a tracking number so I could go to UPS or FedEx and track. The third thing I notice is the e-mail going into the trash folder.
You have to be suspicious and assume that people are out to get you.
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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You guys still have landlines??? Haven't had one since the 20th century! I get a few calls on cell but nothing like I used to get on the old landline!
Sadly lots of people in our age group routinely fall for these scams. I like to tell people "You did not win anything! Your bank did not call you nor did the IRS. Microsoft won't ever call you. And so on. Check the caller ID and if you don't recognize the number let it go to voicemail. 99% of scammers/spammers will not leave a message so...mystery solved! For the few that do leave a message you have time to review it and check with authorities to verify authenticity!"
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You guys still have landlines??? Haven't had one since the 20th century! I get a few calls on cell but nothing like I used to get on the old landline! Amen brotha!
 Steve BIAB/RB 2022, Pro Tools 2020, Korg N5, JBL LSR 4328 Powered Monitors, AKG/Shure Mics.
PC: Win11 PRO, 4 TB M2 SSD, 2 TB HD, 128 GB Memory
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Exactly. Everybody has unlimited calling anyway.
This IRS thing isn't some kind of phone charges scam Don. That went out 20 years ago. I'm a tax pro and get calls from clients about this a lot and it's a big problem. The worst one is someone claiming to be a federal marshal and you owe thousands in back taxes. If you don't pay a substantial portion of it RIGHT NOW with a credit card, they're sending a marshal to your door to haul you off to jail. A client recorded one of those and it's scary and fairly official sounding. I could see this working on a lot of people who are not too bright for whatever reason.
The other big deal is identity thieves filing tax returns in your name using stolen employer information and your SSN. That's all that's needed to efile a return with numbers showing a nice refund with a bogus address on the return. Having a different address from last year doesn't raise any red flags because people move all the time. The check gets mailed out and the thief cashes it. They typically will file a bunch of returns using that address fast then move and do it again. Just recently the IRS now holds more than 5 returns with the same address on them.
In an effort to be taxpayer friendly Congress forces the IRS to get the refunds out immediately and if it turns out there was a problem they send out letters months later. Thieves know this and take advantage of it. The real solution is no refunds go out until until each return is fully processed but everybody knows how well that would go over...
These ID theft cases don't actually cost you any money but it's a pain. You file your real return after the thief files one in your name and it gets bounced. You're now on a treadmill working with the IRS getting it sorted out which thankfully has gotten much faster this year. You can then file your actual return and they investigate the bogus one.
I had a client call me last year saying he got a Treasury check for over 14K and we had not done his 2014 return yet. I had him take it to his local federal building where the IRS office was and turn it in. He did and they opened an investigation. This was a case where the thief screwed up and used the wrong address on the return.
I have more stories but this is enough, you guys get the idea. This is a big problem for the country.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Bob,
I won't belabor the point but being forewarned is to be forearmed.
Scammers are buying stuff on eBay then claiming that they overpaid and the overpayment has already been refunded to your PayPal account so please credit it back to this credit card or face fraud suit. Obviously, you check PayPal and, Eureka, they overpaid you exactly $1000. Since the money is actually there, you have little hesitation to return it.
The scam is, they initially paid you with a stolen credit card and you become a party to credit card fraud easily traceable to you. You have inadvertently become a launderer. Meanwhile, the perpetrator has disappeared from Radar.
Donny
Last edited by Don Gaynor; 06/24/16 03:25 PM.
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Well, this isn't what you talked about earlier but it's a clever one for sure. Same as my IRS marshal's example, if you fall for that you're an idiot. This PayPal one is simple to handle. "Oh really? Give me your contact info I'll check with PayPal and have them get back to you and oh by the way, I'm sure they will want some ID proof like scanning and emailing me a copy of your drivers license or passport, got a pencil? Oh, yeah include something with your company's letterhead on it. Write this down, where are you from again? If you feel like having some fun which I've done occasionally, take control of the call. Don't let them talk any more. You're the demanding one, you'll call them back no problem, I just a need little bit from you...
One time in the office we got some scam sales call and I turned the whole conversation around and tried to sell the guy life insurance. I was agreeing with him, made him think he had a live one then suddenly interrupted and said, Hey are you married? Have any kids? Have you thought about what would happen if you got run over by a bus? Absolute disaster for your family, here let he explain something to you. When he said no, no, no I suddenly switched and asked what kind of car do you drive? A Honda, a truck, what is it? I turned it into a pitch for auto insurance. Funny I had forgotten about that one until just now. I had the office in stitches.
I can be a fast talking s.o.b. too. Better than these guys.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Back when she was a baby, one of my daughters LOVED to talk on the telephone. Everytime she heard the phone ring, she would run to it so she could talk if we let her. The only trouble was she didn't know how to talk beyond the normal baby sounds.
Whenever I recognized a scam or telemarketor call was in progress I'd just say "hold on" and pass the handset to my daughter. She got a kick out of it and I didn't have to hear it; win, win.
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If it's a legitimate telemarketer, I just unemotionally talk over them telling them I have a strict no-telemarketing policy, wish them better luck with the next one and hang up. I figure it's some person destitute enough to take one of the worst jobs in the world, and they make money by selling leads, so by not wasting their time, I'm actually doing them a favor. I know they have to get a large number of "No" answers before they get a yes, so I give them the "No" immediately. That way they can get that 100 or whatever calls out sooner and that yes sooner. Now if they try to tell me they aren't telemarketing when I know they are, I calmly tell them "I definitely don't by things from liars" and hang up. I feel sorry for them - not the owners of the company, but the poor people who have to take that job. If it's a scam, I tell them as little as possible and hang up. And I never-ever give any information to someone who I don't know that calls me. It's a jungle out there  Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Other Don,
I get calls every week from the "Windows department of Microsoft" who are concerned about my windows computer.
I answer that i have 4 computers, which one to you want to talk about? or "How do you know I have a windows computer"?
Click!
Don S.
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