IRS scam recording documents scammers' tactics

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Scammers caught on tape. We've told you about the IRS scam going around; now we have recordings of the bad guys so you can hear the scam unfold for yourself.

The calls are coming daily, people claiming to be IRS agents demanding money or you go to jail. One Houston woman decided to record the call and wants you to hear the scare tactics yourself.

When the phone rang at Cynthia Fields house recently, the answering machine clicked on and the caller on the other end claimed to be from the IRS.

"What I decided to do was pick up the call while the recorder was still going," Fields said.

What Fields recorded was the IRS scam in progress. First came the threats.

"You will get the police officers at your door step to arrest you," the person on the other end of the phone says. "All your property will be closed, your bank account, your house, your automobile will be seized by the Homeland Security."

The caller went on to tell Fields her husband owed $1,289 that needed to be paid right away by going to a Walgreens and getting a prepaid money card.

Green Dot cards can't be refunded once a scam is uncovered. Fields husband is a Pakistani immigrant. She says others in her circle have gotten the IRS scam calls and some almost fell for it.

"My sister-in-law, her name is Huma, and she was shaken up so much so that she left her work and went home right away and again decided that she had to pay them," Fields said.

IRS officials says the agency is trying to stop the scammers.

"We have significantly ramped up both the investigations, the indictments and the convictions," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said.

And now that you've heard the scammers for yourself, you'll know what to look out for if you get a call claiming you have to pay the IRS or go to jail.