# Spam phone calls threatening legal action **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 13, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796 "2018-02-13T23:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/21 "2018-02-23T23:35:40Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I’m getting similar calls on both my cell and office numbers. There are two variants: one from the IRS and one from Canada Revenue Agency; otherwise the scripts are identical. > > They claim to have a “charge again my name” for tax fraud in front of “a Magistrate judge”, which does not exist in Ontario. I’ve heard of magistrates, and I’ve heard of judges, but I’ve never heard of magistrate judges. Is that a term of art in any jurisdiction in the world? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/22 "2018-02-24T01:03:43Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I’ve heard of magistrates, and I’ve heard of judges, but I’ve never heard of magistrate judges. Is that a term of art in any jurisdiction in the world? Yes, in United States federal courts. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United\_States\_magistrate\_judge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_magistrate_judge) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/23 "2018-02-24T02:10:01Z")
I got a Tracfone many years ago that had a number that either belonged to or was being given out by Phelicianica Yarbomorgoth (or a remotely similar sounding name), and I kept getting calls from her debt collectors or whatever. Eventually I started saving the numbers in the directory with a custom ringtone of faint clicking. After more than a decade, those calls have almost entirely trailed off. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/24 "2018-02-24T03:57:45Z")
I’ve never had anything like this specifically happen to me, but used to get calls (years ago) stating that I owed money. Sometimes the calls were up to three times a day! However, I knew it was a scam because my credit is great & I pay all of my bills on time. I ignored them & they eventually stopped calling. The best thing to do is ignore them. For one thing, if you engage them they know that you got the message & the calls may escalate. These scammers are assholes & scum-bags. They’re hoping that some naive person will buy into their line of bullshit & pay them $. I hope they’re all beaten to within an inch of their lives & put in jail forever. But, I know that won’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/25 "2018-02-25T15:37:38Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > I recently read about scammers masquerading as IRS agents demanding immediate payment on delinquent taxes. The “agent” threatens to contact local police if the debt isn’t immediately paid – apparently many senior citizens have lost money because they’re terrified that the cops are coming to collect. I’ve received these in the past. They stopped when I told the guy I would be waiting on the front porch with my rifle for the police so they better come in heavy. He told me that the police he would send were all fit and in good shape :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/26 "2018-02-26T03:14:05Z")
What scam is involved in this (I have received the same call 3 or 4 times in the last week)? When I answer and obviously recorded voice says: Do not hang up, this call is extremely important for you. You must act within 24 hours to reduce your credit card interest rate. Now, I have no idea what my credit card interest rate is since I have never paid a cent of interest. The bank that issues the card pays off the full amount on the due date from my chequing account. But what are they trying to get me to do? I never stay on long enough to find out. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/27 "2018-02-26T03:53:39Z")
We don’t pick up the phone unless the caller ID is familiar or saved in our phonebook database for the cordless phone. If they continue to call and leave SPAM messages, hangups or anything of an unwanted nature we block their numbers. But we never simply pick up the phone when it rings any more from unknown callers. Because these days anything important people either leave voicemail or they sent e-mail. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/28 "2018-02-26T04:48:05Z")
I get a call every couple of weeks from a robot saying “You should have received something in the mail about the expiring warranty on your car…” My car is a 17 years old, and I bought it used six years ago. Nice try, guys. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/29 "2018-02-26T05:27:09Z")
I received one of those calls. It purported to be from the IRS. As the IRS instructs on its website, I reported the call to the IRS’s fraud unit. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/30 "2018-02-26T05:44:37Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > What scam is involved in this (I have received the same call 3 or 4 times in the last week)? When I answer and obviously recorded voice says: Do not hang up, this call is extremely important for you. You must act within 24 hours to reduce your credit card interest rate. > > Now, I have no idea what my credit card interest rate is since I have never paid a cent of interest. The bank that issues the card pays off the full amount on the due date from my chequing account. But what are they trying to get me to do? I never stay on long enough to find out. One of the other threads on these scams had a link to the site of a bot who handles these calls - this particular one in fact. (Anyone have it handy?) You can listen to it to get the gist of it - and laugh like hell as the bot leads the schmuck on. It seemed to be trying to get you to give them your credit card information. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/31 "2018-02-26T05:45:24Z")
Legal action is not a threat. They are inviting you to benefit from the uniquely American privileges of fair due process. Think of it as an honor. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to be afraid of. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796/32 "2018-02-26T13:12:39Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > What scam is involved in this (I have received the same call 3 or 4 times in the last week)? When I answer and obviously recorded voice says: Do not hang up, this call is extremely important for you. You must act within 24 hours to reduce your credit card interest rate. > > Now, I have no idea what my credit card interest rate is since I have never paid a cent of interest. The bank that issues the card pays off the full amount on the due date from my chequing account. But what are they trying to get me to do? I never stay on long enough to find out. This is a variation of the “Rachel from card services” scam. They claim to be able to reduce the rates charged on your credit card(s) by negotiating with the banks. They cannot, but they will take your money and pretend to provide these services. Sometimes they try to sign you up for a regular fee as a “monitoring” service. Once you give them a credit card number, you are no longer safe from invented charges as long as they can get away with it. These calls are cold; that is, they call random numbers endlessly and do not have any info about who you are, what cards you might have, and what rates you might pay. They are looking for the low-hanging and most gullible fruit. Most appear to be located in India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh. Often they come from a boiler room operation that also peddles car warranty and other scams. If you fall for any one, you will be added to their “hot” list and from then on, they will target you specifically, since they know a sucker when they see one and a sucker can be milked dry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spam-phone-calls-threatening-legal-action/808796.md?page=1)