Here at the FTC, we think about scams all day long. What are the scammers’ new angles? How can we keep ahead of them? We hear from people about the scams they see, and we turn that into tips people use to spot and avoid scams.
But scammers find FTC staff, just as they find the rest of America. My colleagues and I have even gotten calls on our work phones, offering reduced credit card interest rates, or claiming to be tech support calling about problems with our computers. We also get the calls at home. In fact, someone claiming to work for the IRS called my house just last week:
This has all the signs of an IRS imposter scam. In fact, the IRS won’t call out of the blue to ask for payment, won’t demand a specific form of payment, and won’t leave a message threatening to sue you if you don’t pay right away. Have you gotten a bogus IRS call like this? If you did, report the call to the FTC and to TIGTA – include the phone number it came from, along with any details you have.
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to My OFFICER, Jonathan knight by Ritz
In reply to On 9-21-17 I got a call on my by ah969
In reply to I just got this exact call by Kat
In reply to I just got this exact call by Kat
In reply to I just got a call from by EJF
In reply to I just got a call from by EJF
In reply to I just got the same name it by e-mail address
In reply to I also just got a call from by jc
In reply to Just got one from Jonathan by Sm
In reply to I ask just got a call from a by MARIE
In reply to I just got this exact call by Kat
In reply to Ok its now October 2017 and I by Lindylindylindy
In reply to Ok its now October 2017 and I by Lindylindylindy
In reply to Got a call from 571-210-5961. by DB
In reply to well, it's now november 2017 by BaltimoreSue
In reply to well, it's now november 2017 by BaltimoreSue
In reply to well, it's now november 2017 by BaltimoreSue
In reply to Got a call from some by dog476
Current technology makes it easy for scammers to fake or “spoof” caller ID information. Although you saw an Illinois number, the caller wasn't necessarily in Illinois.
In reply to Got a call from some by dog476
In reply to I had received a call today by crmineros20
In reply to I JUST RECEIVED A VOICEMAIL by tired of-scams
In reply to Got 2 calls today from 800 by belyle
In reply to Got 2 calls today from 800 by belyle
In reply to Got the IRS call today from by Too smart 2
In reply to I got a call from the IRS on by Deepa
If you think someone misused your identity, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Find more information about identity theft at ftc.gov/idtheft. That page will tell you what to do right away.
Pagination