This morning I received a call with a local prefix. The recording said that the IRS is bringing a lawsuit against me for unpaid taxes. Of course they offered to help me out and began to ask for identifying data. About that point I hung up. The caller ID though remained on my mobile phone, so I called the number back. A live person with an accent answered and I questioned why they called me when I had no IRS issues. He began to ask for personal identifiers, so I hung up.
But I didn’t stop there. I decided to report this call to the FTC at 877-382-4357, one of their hot lines. I spoke with the representative who was delighted to have the complaint and the phone number. She said this type of report really helps in trying to find the fraud promoters. This was the first time I ever reported one of these callers. The number is now blocked on my iPhone and hopefully the FTC will have the carrier block it for everyone. Apparently this scam is carried out from India and not easy to shut down.
What’s your experience with scams – and how to shut them down?