If you ever received one of those IRS scam calls, you might have wondered: will the good guys ever make those bad guys pay?
About a week ago, it happened.
A federal judge in Texas sentenced 21 residents of New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Arizona, California, Alabama and Florida to prison terms of up to 20 years. They participated in an India-based fraud and money laundering scheme that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from thousands of U.S. residents.
The scams, based out of call centers in India, used various telephone frauds, including calls from con artists who pretended they were from the Internal Revenue Service. These criminals threatened people with arrest or lawsuits unless they paid some bogus tax debt.
“This type of fraud is sickening,” said Ryan Patrick, U.S. attorney of the Southern District of Texas, in a statement that announced the prison terms.
Previous:IRS scam calls drop off after India arrests
More:New twist on income tax refund scam exploding
More:Debt collectors might call about money you owe IRS
Press on Your Side has warned residents of these scams for years. We all know the IRS doesn’t just call out of the blue about a tax debt. You’ll get a notice in the mail. And they’ll never demand payment over the telephone. When you get the call, just hang up.
Watch the video at the top of this story to learn more about the scams.
When investigators have a victory, we need to note it.
Investigators took down the U.S.-based money launderers and runners who…
