[nikigunn]

The IRS will not ever call you. You get a letter...

Most of the time the IRS does not call you but it isn't never. Yes, they generally send letters. If you get a scam IRS call, contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. I've had a couple of those scam calls and they have a really easy form on their website for reporting.

People used to call my dad's mechanic shop looking for a mental health hospital because their number was one off and that place advertised heavily on tv. "No, I can't connect you to room 406." Click.

[bertwert]

I love those junk calls! When I'm not posting my own nonsense here, it's good to get a call from some other idiot so I can play the game with them and see how long I can waste their time. Often I have nothing better to do, and it is more fun than pointing the Bigma out the windows and shooting squirrels!

My record is on the "Windows Tech Service". I kept the guy (sounded like he was from India?) on the phone for over two hours. When I finally let him get me to the process where he could infect my machine .......I "had a power outage" and told him to call me the next day. If you are bored, it is great fun!

Regards!

It's fun to mess with them sometimes.
Ex: No, my windows are fine. I can see through them...

It sounds like most are from India.

[DeadJohn]

Had one a week or two back who actually left a message about the IRS initiating a lawsuit and if I did not immediately.......etc. Thought everyone knew the IRS does not need to sue to impose fines or take other action against you.

I kept getting long voicemail messages from the fake IRS. It was obviously a boiler room operation: lots of background noise from co-scammers plus what sounded like heavy machinery, heavily accented English, said they were from "Internal Revenue Services". I eventually called them back and acted naive and stupid to waste their time. The calls stopped after that.

---------- Post added 11-19-15 at 10:45 AM ----------

It's fun to mess with them sometimes.
Ex: No, my windows are fine. I can see through them...

It sounds like most are from India.

Yes, India has a large pool of workers that know English plus cheap labor rates.

[WPRESTO]

I kept getting long voicemail messages from the fake IRS. It was obviously a boiler room operation: lots of background noise from co-scammers plus what sounded like heavy machinery, heavily accented English, said they were from "Internal Revenue Services". I eventually called them back and acted naive and stupid to waste their time. The calls stopped after that.

I have always wanted to play this game with a spammer:

Hello.

Hello, Is this Mr.... ..?

Yes. Hang on a moment, someone's at the door.

five minutes later.

Hello. Are you still on the line?

Yes, Is this Mr....?

Sorry. Please wait. I'll be with you soon.

five minutes or so later

Hello. Sorry for the delays. Are you still there?

Yes, Mr... I'd like to talk to you

Be patient. I'll be with you as soon as possible

five or minutes later etc. etc.

eventually:

Hello, Are you still there waiting to speak to me?

YES, Mr.. If I could..

Boy, what a sucker you are. Then hang up.

During the five minutes or so when you're not holding the phone, you can read, or make a sandwich. or post something on PF, whatever you like.
However., M doesn't want me to do it.

[bertwert]

WPRESTO, Only problem is when it is a legit calling center with employers with Indian accents...

[WPRESTO]

WPRESTO, Only problem is when it is a legit calling center with employers with Indian accents...

You know of such an outfit? I would never assume that an incoming call was legit. Sometimes getting service on a computer, when I have initiated the call, I get someone with an accent that gives a little trouble, but that's when I am the one who made contact.

[ChrisPlatt]

During the last housing bubble a few years ago several times a week I received mail and phone calls
offering pre-approved loans and mortgages to refinance my property. I lived in a rental apartment.

Chris

[csa]

You know of such an outfit? I would never assume that an incoming call was legit. Sometimes getting service on a computer, when I have initiated the call, I get someone with an accent that gives a little trouble, but that's when I am the one who made contact.

Same here!

[boriscleto]

My Grandmother, who is 93, and whose first name is Thelma, still receives ads in the mail for Huggies diapers addressed to someone named Tammy...

[WPRESTO]

My mother, also named Thelma, died in '96, but I continued to get ads addressed to her 15 years later. Computers never learn, never get tired, never give up. Actually I suspect her name was on a mailing list that was sold and resold long after she was gone.

[Parallax]

During the last housing bubble a few years ago several times a week I received mail and phone calls
offering pre-approved loans and mortgages to refinance my property. I lived in a rental apartment.

You should have taken one of the offers.

[mee]

The spam calls have been so heavy here that I invested (yes, invested -- for sanity's sake) in a call blocking device. There were a few spammers that would call me 3 or 4 times per day for a few months. After a couple of months of this I got fed up and bought the blocker. After the blocker, they only got through twice (on diff numbers) but I blocked those too. Silence is golden (in this situation).

[Parallax]

I bought a call blocker for my shop. I've eliminated about 75% of spam.

[ChrisPlatt]

You should have taken one of the offers.

It was tempting. 100+ units should have been worth plenty.

When first married our phone number had been for a barber shop that must have recently closed.
I got tired of explaining it all to callers and eventually started accepting appointments.

Chris

[csa]

started accepting appointments.