My wife was getting calls from (202) 754-9756, but they usually wouldn't leave a voice mail. She finally called the number back and it was "officer joe" with the "IRS" claiming that she owed money from back taxes. He then tried to convince her that she could either settle it at that point (of course with her credit card) or it would have to be "settled in court". What tipped her off was when she informed the "officer" that our taxes are filed jointly, and he said that it had to do with only her going back to 2011. Thankfully she didn't give out any important personal information and refused to "settle the matter".
I had some fun with this by repeatedly calling back the number and getting a different "IRS officer" each time (who by the way spoke very poor English and had a heavy accent). I gave them a few fake names that I can't really post here due to CoC rules, and basically "played with them" for a while until they finally blocked my wife's phone from calling in.
The point is and the lesson that I want people to know is.
1. The IRS will NEVER call you regarding a supposed "audit" of your taxes.
2. The IRS will NEVER threaten you with going to court or settling by payment via credit card.
3. Always be suspect if you get a text or a call from a "government agency" from an area code other than an 800 number.
4. If you get a call from a government agency from someone with a heavy accent that you can't quite understand, ask to speak with a supervisor. If said supervisor also has an accent, it's probably pretty much a scam.
These little tidbits are general rules not only dealing with people from supposedly "government offices", but also other places such as your bank/credit union.
This had happened a lot in my area. My mother and most of her co-workers at a Doctor's office have gotten numerous calls for the supposed "IRS" claiming that they each owed money and could settle.
My mother called the local FBI office and they told her basically what you just said:
The IRS will never call you about money owed.You should always receive an official letter about any situation and where to call.
Unfortunately, there are many people who fall for this scam because they are scared of owing the government.
I had a call the other day from someone asking me to switch on my Windows PC so they could 'fix' my 'virus' remotely.
They hung up when I told them I had an iMac and I was a police officer (I'm not)..
The sad thing is that there will be people who will fall for this. Especially the elderly.
Quote:I had a call the other day from someone asking me to switch on my Windows PC so they could 'fix' my 'virus' remotely.
They hung up when I told them I had an iMac and I was a police officer (I'm not)..
I would have some fun with that one since I don't use Windows or Mac. I've had some fun with the websites that throw a popup telling me that they found "xyz.exe" on my c:\ drive which is a virus and they could clean it for me for free. The thing is, I don't have a "c:\ drive". I'll just say that I've had my fun and probably ticked off a few malicious website operators. :thumbsup:
Quote:I would have some fun with that one since I don't use Windows or Mac. I've had some fun with the websites that throw a popup telling me that they found "xyz.exe" on my c:\ drive which is a virus and they could clean it for me for free. The thing is, I don't have a "c:\ drive". I'll just say that I've had my fun and probably ticked off a few malicious website operators. :thumbsup:
Haha love it.
Nobody will ever call you unsolicited. The computer guys I usually tell we are still on the old Apple II E's.
Also be careful of people who come to your door. I don't think Girl Scouts are even supposed to come to your door anymore. I know someone who was scammed by girls claiming to be girl scouts. They never got the cookies. We were also scammed by this guy who claimed he was selling books for charity. We even got a receipt so I thought "This should be legit..." Yeah, stupid me. From now on I'm letting our Pitbulls deal with solicitors.
They totally freaked out my friend a couple days ago. It wasn't until he told his boss that he might be going to jail, that he figured out it was a scam.
I got five calls from a local number leaving a message on my machine today about this. This happens in cycles, at least around here. The last time it cycled through I called the number back and someone picked up then.....nothing. I told them what they could do with their fake IRS call and that I was reporting their number. Never heard from that number again.
Quote:I would have some fun with that one since I don't use Windows or Mac. I've had some fun with the websites that throw a popup telling me that they found "xyz.exe" on my c:\ drive which is a virus and they could clean it for me for free. The thing is, I don't have a "c:\ drive". I'll just say that I've had my fun and probably ticked off a few malicious website operators. :thumbsup:
I would love to be able to afford to have you build a computer for me set up with a VPN and everything. My husband is pretty paranoid about the government, or anyone, knowing our surf habits and such. We don't go to sites that would get us on a watch list or anything but still.... we don't like the idea that everything we do can be monitored.
Quote:I would love to be able to afford to have you build a computer for me set up with a VPN and everything. My husband is pretty paranoid about the government, or anyone, knowing our surf habits and such. We don't go to sites that would get us on a watch list or anything but still.... we don't like the idea that everything we do can be monitored.
I would be more-than-happy to build and set up a computer for you or anyone else, but keep in mind it's not the Operating System, applications or the hardware that will keep you safe/secure from threats. Sure in my opinion some OS's are more secure than others, but that's not the primary means of a breach or compromise of security and/or privacy. The #1 technique that hackers use is social engineering in one form or another. Take for example the situation that is the subject of this thread. The attacker was trying to use "fear" and "authority" to get my wife to give him/her sensitive information. Often attacks happen when people open email attachments from sources not known to them, or sources that "look like" something/someone familiar to them. Social media is a prime target and infested with attempts.
The bottom line is that you have to use common sense whether it's on a PC using email, on your cell phone or "smart-device" or when using certain social media applications.
Heh heh...I'll be laughing at all of you when I get my share direct deposited into my bank account after this Mohammed Hammad guy finally gets his money out of Egypt.
Quote:Heh heh...I'll be laughing at all of you when I get my share direct deposited into my bank account after this Mohammed Hammad guy finally gets his money out of Egypt.
Oh sweet, Prince Hafamukafara from Kenya is giving me 44 million!
Quote:Heh heh...I'll be laughing at all of you when I get my share direct deposited into my bank account after this Mohammed Hammad guy finally gets his money out of Egypt.
Sadly I keep getting pron mail. I have no idea how the heck that happened. I've had the same email for over 4 years and suddenly I get hit with tons pron emails. I'd rather get money emails. Time to change the address I suppose.
Quote:I would be more-than-happy to build and set up a computer for you or anyone else, but keep in mind it's not the Operating System, applications or the hardware that will keep you safe/secure from threats. Sure in my opinion some OS's are more secure than others, but that's not the primary means of a breach or compromise of security and/or privacy. The #1 technique that hackers use is social engineering in one form or another. Take for example the situation that is the subject of this thread. The attacker was trying to use "fear" and "authority" to get my wife to give him/her sensitive information. Often attacks happen when people open email attachments from sources not known to them, or sources that "look like" something/someone familiar to them. Social media is a prime target and infested with attempts.
The bottom line is that you have to use common sense whether it's on a PC using email, on your cell phone or "smart-device" or when using certain social media applications.
Yeah, I'm very careful about opening stuff. If I don't know it I delete it. And I don't give anyone any info they're not supposed to have. Still, I'd love to have a system that would be more 'off grid' so to speak. Somehow I started getting a flood of pron emails recently and have absolutely no idea how.
They are on nationwide auto-dialers - calling permutations of every number.
If they haven't hit your phone yet, hang in there. FBI and IRS each have a notice on their sites alerting consumers.
Whatever you do, do not give out any personal information.