# Stories like this make me want to join a militia... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 3, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256 "2006-06-03T04:20:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/1 "2006-06-03T04:20:41Z")
I just found out about an incident that happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. He went to an ATM to withdraw some money, as usual, and found that his bank account was completely empty! Checking and savings both had a balance of $0.00 :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Was it identity theft? No, it was the government. The Internal Revenue Service mistook my friend for another person with the same name. This other guy apparently lives in Georgia (my friend lives up here in Michigan) and he owes $50,000 in unpaid taxes. To add insult to injury, the IRS never contacted my friend before they confiscated his bank account. No phone calls, no letters, no postcards, nothing. They just took it. Fortunately, he was able to convince the tax trolls of their mistake, and the IRS returned the money. A week later. I don’t know what my friend did during that week; I assume he borrowed money from his parents. One last problem: by the time he got his money back, the bank had closed his account, so he had to go through the trouble of setting up a new account and getting a new debit card. Damn, this has got me steamed. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/2 "2006-06-03T05:31:35Z")
Yeah, but he got a really cool toaster with the new account, right? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/3 "2006-06-03T06:59:30Z")
> [@if6was9](#): > > Yeah, but he got a really cool toaster with the new account, right? You only get that if you turn the teller gay… ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/4 "2006-06-03T09:42:19Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > No phone calls, no letters, no postcards, nothing. They just took it. Did he report it to the police as stolen? ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/5 "2006-06-03T12:17:46Z")
Did they pay him any interest or penalties for their grievous mistake? (I know they didn’t. I’m just kidding). ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/6 "2006-06-03T13:56:25Z")
I wonder how this will affect his credit rating? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/7 "2006-06-03T15:48:11Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > Did he report it to the police as stolen? I think it was the bank who told him what had happened. I don’t know how he went about getting the problem resolved, if it was done by phone or if he had to go somewhere to prove his identity. I hope that this won’t effect his credit rating. If any checks bounced because his account was empty, then it probably will. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/8 "2006-06-03T18:15:37Z")
Ah, the IRS. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/9 "2006-06-04T21:38:43Z")
Actually, doesn’t this qualify as theft? As such couldn’t he go to Washington and make a citizen’s arrest of the head of the IRS? ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/10 "2006-06-05T00:10:48Z")
There are various legal protections for the members of the IRS and most other federal agencies. The agents are free to make any number of mistakes and not be personally liable. Further, you aren’t allowed to bring a civil suit for most types of mistakes. Writing such protections into the legislation is now business as usual for Congress. For instance, a bill currently being pushed in the House would [outlaw](http://www.reason.com/links/links050206.shtml) lawsuits by U. S. Citizens who are incorrectly classified as illegal immigrants and denied jobs as a result. And still the bureaucracy marches on. ---
**Author:** ![biometricks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@biometricks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biometricks)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/11 "2006-06-05T01:49:51Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Actually, doesn’t this qualify as theft? As such couldn’t he go to Washington and make a citizen’s arrest of the head of the IRS? What is a citizen’s arrest? Can the citizen restrain you and drive you to a police station? Can it only be done on your property? I remember when I was a kid we went out on halloween to do some pumpkin smashing and a guy ran out of his house and chased us yelling citizen’s arrest. We got away from him. But if we were caught what could have happened? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/12 "2006-06-05T02:11:08Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > To add insult to injury, the IRS never contacted my friend before they confiscated his bank account. No phone calls, no letters, no postcards, nothing. They just took it. I think you will find that the IRS did send all the legally required notices. They went to the guy in Georgia that the IRS thought was the owner of the account, at his legal address. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/13 "2006-06-05T02:30:41Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > To add insult to injury, the IRS never contacted my friend before they confiscated his bank account. No phone calls, no letters, no postcards, nothing. They just took it. I think you will find that the IRS did send all the legally required notices. They went to the guy in Georgia that the IRS thought was the owner of the account, at his legal address. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/14 "2006-06-05T03:16:04Z")
Wasn’t that Information Retrieval’s excuse for taking away Mr. Buttle? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/15 "2006-06-05T03:46:02Z")
What freaking bank allowes you to open a savings account with out a SS number? Couldn’t they tell that the SS number attatched to the account wasn’t the same as the one they were trying to collect on? :dubious: ---
**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:** [June 5, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-like-this-make-me-want-to-join-a-militia/359256/16 "2006-06-05T05:00:56Z")
I think the best thing your friend can do is to write to his Congressman. Especially in an election year, standing up to the IRS for a constituent is going to be considered a good thing.