By the staff of The Mountain Enterprise

The phone scammers from Bulgaria to Bangladesh are on the telephones again, trying to trap Mountain Community residents, especially elders, into sending their money to thieves.

Grandchild in Distress

Eli Meigs of Lockwood Valley got a call from a woman claiming to be his granddaughter. The thief probably got his name and hers from Facebook. The caller said she had been arrested for DUI in Quebec and had damaged her rental car. She said she needed money.

Then Meigs was transferred to a “lawyer” who said he had cleared the DUI from the Canadian police reports, and needed a fee of $550 plus $2,985 for damage to the car. He told Meigs there was a Western Union at the Flying J, and told him to forward funds to “William Evans” in Quebec, Canada.

The “lawyer” gave detailed instructions and told Meigs to call him back when the money was transferred. Thieves use stolen cell phones and stolen or counterfeit ID for these scams.

Meigs called his family members to confirm his granddaughter was safe and sound in the U.S. It was a scam.

The IRS Wants Money

Last Thursday, Jim Kemple of Lake of the Woods received a scam phone call “purportedly from the IRS.” And another mountain resident, an enrolled agent with the IRS who prepares tax returns, Joseph A. Carrasquillo, received a call too. Both want to warn their neighbors not to be fooled.

Kemple’s caller said she is “Julie Smith,” calling from 415.506.2398. He writes: “It is a threatening, intimidating phone call. I looked [the number] up on the internet and other people in California received the same phone call. Also the voice is mechanically produced, not a real person.” [We will put his recording at www.MountainEnterprise.com for you to hear.]

Joseph Carrasquillo said his caller claimed to be “Jonathan Knight” (calling from 202.864.1140). “Knight” pretended to be an officer from “the Criminal Division” of the IRS, stating “that I have committed a serious offense on my tax return and that I owe taxes to the government.”

Carrasquillo knows better: “This of course is a scam. I worked for the IRS as an Internal Revenue Agent for almost 30 years and presently am an Enrolled Agent and do tax returns for the Mountain Community.

“The IRS does not call people on the telephone to solicit money from the taxpayers.
“The IRS will first contact the taxpayer via mail to inform them of any discrepancy on their tax return. If a person receives a letter from the IRS they should have their tax practitioner get in contact with the agency.” The bottom line, says Carrasquillo: “Do not be intimidated by these scammers.”

Elders can be targets

Another dear friend was called constantly by a ring of thieves in Canada. They acted like best friends. When he was on medications, they offered to pay his bills for him if he gave them his bank account information. He did. His family intervened. The thieves called again, offering him a free Mercedes Benz, if he would pay the sales tax…to them, of course.

Families and real friends need to stay in close touch with independent elders. Check in on a regular basis, so they won’t be lonely. Ask if they are receiving any unexpected phone calls and tell them to feel comfortable hanging up.

This is part of the November 21, 2014 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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