Quaddriver's Revenge?

[Lord Jim]

The last few days, we've been getting robo-calls that begin, "This is the IRS" darkly warning that they are getting ready to "file a lawsuit against you" and providing a call back number...

Well imagine my surprise when I did a search and discovered that the number had nothing to do with the IRS at all....

But rather is a number associated with a scam operation...

So I decided to call the number back...

And I found myself speaking to a lady with a heavy Indian accent in a very noisy call center...

Me: Hello, my name is Jack Arnold, and I'm an attorney in San Francisco calling on behalf of a client of mine who has received a call from you. Who am I speaking with please?

Indian lady: Hello Mr. Attorney, how are you doing today?

Me: I'm doing just fine thank you. Now let me ask you again, who am I speaking with?

Indian lady: Well if you are calling me, you know who you are speaking with, I am the IRS.

Me: You are the IRS?

Indian lady: Yes I am the IRS.

Me: I doubt very seriously that is true. Do you even know what "I-R-S" stands for?

Indian lady: Yes, I am the IRS, how are you today?

Me: Again, I'm fine. But you are obviously not with the IRS. What country are you in?

Indian lady: Yes I'm the IRS, bitch.

Me: Excuse me, did you just call me a "bitch"?

Indian lady: Yes, I call you beech, beech, I am IRS.

Me: Well that's not very professional, let me speak to your supervisor.

Indian lady: I am supervisor.

Me: Well then let me speak to whoever you report to. Or are you the Director Of the IRS?

(Long pause)

Me: Hello?

(then she hangs up...)

Of course, I would have been ready to accept that this was actually the IRS calling except for one thing...

There's no way you call the IRS and get straight through to a human being without at least a forty minute wait...

That completely gave it away...

[Scooter]

Those sorts of scum have gotten a hold up here as well. They have bilked (usually elderly) people out of thousands of dollars to pay imaginary tax assessments and penalties

[TPFKA@W]

Well, you know it isn't me, because I would have called you an ignorant beech. Or Preek.

[Gob]

My mother took one of these call the other day. I don't know how it went down, but can surmise;

Indian lady: Hello, how are you doing today?

Mam: What?!? What?!? Speak up I can't understand you.

Indian lady: I am the IRS.

Mam: You're the what?!?!?

Indian lady: Yes I am the IRS.

Mam:You're Iris? Our Iris has been dead for years, who are you?

Indian lady: Yes, I am the IRS, how are you today?

Mam: Well, my side has been playing up, and I haven't been to the lavvy for days now. I've got blood in my stools sometimes, I've not been eating very well. My daughter's coming over later though, I want her to change the dressing on my septic knee. I've had all sorts of problems with my ladies parts. Are you a doctor? Only I've been worried about getting piles see. Ooh get these headaches, and it hurts to bend over. I feel faint when I stand up too quickly.

Indian lady: Yes I'm the IRS

Mam: Oh, I've got one of those. I bought it in the market a long time back. It still works fine though I don't want another one.

Indian lady: I am IRS.

Mam: Is it about the drains love? I've asked the council to come down and fix them, but they never do.

Indian lady: I am supervisor.

Mam: Supervisor? Ooh you've done well for yourself, not like half the lazy buggers around here, never done a day's work half of them. My niece is training to be an accountant you know.

Indian lady: I am the IRS.

Mam: You are the IRS?

Indian lady: Yes I am the IRS.

Mam:Oh it's not bloody computers again is it? I keep telling you I don't own one.

Indian lady: Yes, I am the IRS, how are you today?

Mam: You sound Indian to me? Are you indian? I don't mind Indians, it's those bloody Pakis I don't like, the bugger in the corner shop always short changes you if you're not looking out for yourself.

Indian lady: hangs up...

Mam: No bloody pleasing some people, I was enjoying a nice chat then!

[Lord Jim]

Those sorts of scum have gotten a hold up here as well. They have bilked (usually elderly) people out of thousands of dollars to pay imaginary tax assessments and penalties

I was having a little fun with this, but you're absolutely right; those are exactly the types of folks that these dirt bags target, and there's really nothing funny about it...

I remember a few years ago I was getting robo-calls telling me that my diabetes medication prescription was about to run out, and I needed to call to renew it...(I don't even have diabetes...)

Those who prey on the fears of the most vulnerable and most trusting folks (people who can least afford to be taken advantage of) are really the lowest of the low...

And the frustrating part is it's tough to do anything to really put them to rout...

You can report them through all the proper channels, (which I've done a couple of times) but if the legal system does eventually shut down one operation, more often then not by that time the grifters have already closed out that scam and moved on to another...

[Joe Guy]

That's funny because I received one of those calls today on my answering machine. I've gotten them before but this is the first time that it was a man's voice. He sounded mad. Maybe this actually was quaddriver. Does quad have an Indian accent? Maybe I need to watch out now for that knock on my door that he was talking about before he was demoted to Janitor 1...

He said, 'This is IRS' and there's a lawsuit and to call immediately but I couldn't understand the phone number he gave.

If I get the message again, I'll try calling and see what happens. I'll ask if I can speak to quaddriver, the real important guy whose direct boss is Jack Lew....

[oldr_n_wsr]

A whistle works well. might not get them to stop calling but at least you can make their ears ring.

[Econoline]

Jeez, you people still get live human beings calling with scams? I'm jealous. All I ever get is robo-calls (with instructions to "Push 1 to speak to a representative"). Those are no fun at all. And the number that shows up on Caller ID is always a spoofed number (sometimes even my own number!) which if I call it back tells me that it's not a working number, and if I do Push 1 To Speak To A Representative, if I start to ask them to stop calling they'll just hang up on me before I can finish my sentence, then call back later or the next day or EVERY FUCKING DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. "Rachel From Cardholder Services" is the most obnoxious and persistent; apparently she ain't NEVER gonna give me up...but there are also the people with life insurance, home security systems, medical alert devices, and I forget what else...

[No Greater Fool]

Jeez, you people still get live human beings calling with scams? I'm jealous.

Don't be, most of them are non-native english speakers.

[Big RR]

I got one a while ago at my office from the IRS and I called back. Same Indian call center as Jim, and the guy was threatening me with arrest. I told him "Well, why don't you just have the police pick me up now", then I called the police station and conferenced them in. When I said, "this man from the IRS wants to have me arrested" the cops asked who he was and he hung up. I left a report with the police but they said there wasn't much they could do.

I thin called back again and said I must have been disconnected; I got another guy and told him to be sure he let me know when I was going to be arrested so I could wear my best suit for the papers". After a little bit, I just called him a few choice names and hung up. I wish I had saved the number so we could all call the center again and again to tie the jerks up from really scamming someone. I'm surprised people would really send them money, but they are relying on that few to make this a lucrative scam.

[Lord Jim]

I wish I had saved the number so we could all call the center again and again to tie the jerks up from really scamming someone.

That struck me as a really good idea, and I had written it down...

I was going to post it but I just called it first...

Either somebody was successful at getting the number yanked or these guys have people trying to jam them up all the time so when it gets too bad they drop the line...

Nowadays, you can buy throw-away phone numbers by the cartload through many outlets...

Even If it was yanked, (the recording sounds like a real phone company message with that musical tone and then: "the number you dialed is not a working number; please check the number and dial again") that's just a cost of doing business for these asswipes...

I have no doubt they're already at it again with a new number...(probably more than one)

[MG McAnick]

I get robo calls all the time too. My number is supposed to be on the federal no call list. Maybe they don't have to care if they are in India. I just got one half an hour ago offering to lower the interest on my student loans. Hmmmm, that's a first. I never had any student loans. I don't need my interest lowered. I've had the IRS calls too. They have the same taped message every time, and come with (probably) bogus ID numbers from area codes all over the country. If the numbers are bogus, then there would be no way to report them to the FCC. How would one do that anyway.

[Joe Guy]

The IRS phonies and others use "Spoofing" just like scammers do with email, so you never see their real number on caller ID.

The return phone number they give you is generated with this app or another one like it. I've never used the app but anybody can download it and it's free (not)*.

*ETA: There is a fee charged to get a phone number

[Lord Jim]

The IRS phonies and others use "Spoofing" just like scammers do with email, so you never see their real number on caller ID.

But that wasn't true in this case Joe...

The robo-call producing scammer left a call-back number on my voice mail, so I the mark would call it back...

and that's when I found myself speaking with the potty-mouthed Miss Patel....

[Joe Guy]

One time when I was home, the IRS robocall left a call back number on my voicemail but it didn't match the caller ID number. I don't know why but that's what they did.

[Burning Petard]

The IRS scam and the 'microsoft security breech report' get the same response from me. I talk to them, responding to keep them talking for a while, and then break in:

You are clearly a thief. You are a bringing great dishonor to your family. Good by.

snailgate

[Jarlaxle]

My brother got a call last year. He thought it was a friend (he'd been waiting for a call), and didn't check caller ID. They BS each other all the time on the phone, so he answered with, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!!!!!!!!!!" The guy spluttered for a couple seconds and hung up.

[Scooter]

A Burnaby resident is devastated after losing thousands of dollars to a scammer claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency. She wants to remain anonymous but wants her story to serve as a warning.

“All the money that we earned…they took it all,” she said.

Earlier this week the victim was contacted by someone who said he was with the CRA and said she owed money. The scammer threatened her and her family with arrest.

She was kept on the phone for hours, and in the end she withdrew a total of $8,000. The scammer then asked her to buy iTunes cards with the money and give him the serial numbers.

“The money that we earned so hard, they took it all, that’s not fair..like night and day we work..and then a matter of four hours they scammed me. That’s not fair.”

Burnaby RCMP say scammers are preying on people around Metro Vancouver. In the past few weeks they’ve stolen more than $25,000 from victims.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Major John Buis has this advice: “If you do get a call from somebody saying they’re from the Canada Revenue Agency note their name, take that name, ask for a file number and ask to speak to their supervisor, because in Canada the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t threaten arrest if you don’t pay.”

People across the country have fallen prey to the scam, including an Edmonton-area man who claims he lost more than $20,000.

As for the Burnaby victim she hopes the police are able to find the scammers and that her experience helps others not fall victim to fraudsters.

[MajGenl.Meade]

i-Tunes? Tax Man? I'm sorry for the lady but goodness me - i-Tunes?

[oldr_n_wsr]

She was kept on the phone for hours,

I don't think I have ever been on the phone for more than 20 minutes. Defineately not hours (not even 1 hour).