Last week, I had dropped Manasi off at Track practice, and was settling myself onto a comfy couch in the public library right next to the school – happily anticipating an hour of quiet, guilt-free reading, when my phone rang. I was expecting a call from my mom, and I answered, before fully registering that I didn’t recognize the incoming phone number, a Minneapolis, MN number. An automated voice – for me, a no-brainer hang-up usually – but 2 words caught my attention. The IRS!!

I stayed on the line, my blood-pressure rising by the second, and this is what the robot lady said – “This call is to inform you that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against you. You or your retained attorney of record to return the call. The issue at hand is extremely time-sensitive. Please call us immediately on 612-666-6003. Thank you.” In a blind panic, I immediately called the number again as instructed. Panic? I was almost hyper-ventilating!! The IRS!! Lawsuit!! How could this be happening??!!!

The man who answered the phone identified himself as an IRS agent, giving me his name and badge number. He then told me that the IRS was filing a lawsuit against me for tax evasion and fraud for the years 2012 to 2016, and I needed to verify my identity to obtain further details of my case. Dutifully, I verified and spelled my name. Then my zip code. I think I also verified my street address. Then this agent asked for my birth date. At that point, something didn’t quite feel right.

So I asked the agent to explain what this was all about. He repeated the same lawsuit spiel, and said that I would have to verify my personal information before he could give me any actual information regarding my case. All I had to do was give him my birth date and my Social Security number. Wait a minute – what now – warning bells were going off all over the place. I then asked the agent to first verify that he genuinely was IRS. He asked me to hang up and call the same number again and ask for him by name. But how would that help me verify his identity?

I requested him to send me the information by email or regular mail. The agent told me that my case file was ‘red-tagged’ and he was not authorized to send me any documents until I verified my identity – immediately. IRS or not, lawsuit or not – there was no way I was giving this guy confidential personal information over the phone. Next, I told him that I was not comfortable, and could he please give me a 800 number that I could call after consulting with my husband and accountant. The tone of the conversation changed pretty quickly, this person very belligerently said, and I quote, “If you hang up right now, you will face very serious consequences, and we will drag you to court immediately!”

He kept on in this vein for a bit – I must have heard ‘red-flagged’ and ‘severe consequences’ a million times! My initial panic had subsided by now, and to cut off his harangue, I told him to at least send me the court details by mail. How was he going to drag me to court if he didn’t send me the When and Where? More threats ensued, and I finally hung up on him. The entire conversation must have lasted 5, 6 minutes at the most – but it left me completely drained. I had come this close to being scammed!

In hindsight, the red flags were all too obvious. Why would the IRS make a threatening call like that? If, for whatever reasons, they had to contact me – I’m pretty sure they would go through more traditional channels. And, no, they shouldn’t be calling me – our returns are ship-shape. Besides, 2012 to 2016, we were living in China, and our taxes were filed professionally, so there really was no chance of an accidental error. This ‘agent’ didn’t even know my name – I was probably blind-called off a list. Most importantly, nobody, not even the IRS, asks for Social Security numbers over the phone!!

The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous!! Although, I can totally see how people would fall for it. I consider myself pretty unflappable – and I was almost a victim. Since then, I have had similar messages from a couple of other numbers – my number must have made the ‘susceptible’ list, I guess!! I feel quite foolish writing about this – but I did want to spread the word, and increase awareness. By the way, this is what the IRS has to say:

“Aggressive and threatening phone calls by criminals impersonating IRS agents remain a major threat to taxpayers, headlining the annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams for the 2016 filing season, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.

The IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.”

I guess nobody is too smart to be scammed – so stay safe, people, and remember, never, ever give out personal information over the phone!