If you or someone you know have been thinking about getting into the IRS Crank Yanker business, you might want to be aware of the consequences should the authorities come calling:
Sahil Patel was sentenced to 175 months in prison and $1 million in forfeiture for his role in organizing the U.S. side of a massive fraud and extortion ring run through various “call centers” located in India, through which Patel and his co-conspirators impersonated American law enforcement officials and threatened victims with arrest and financial penalties unless those victims made payments to avoid purported charges. In addition to the prison sentence, Patel, 36, of Tatamy, Pa., was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Somewhat related: An "Officer Ron Black from the Internal Revenue Service" left me a voicemail last month. He warned me to not disregard the message and also said something about me "getting arrested." Unfortunately, I never got around to calling him back to plead forgiveness and/or lead him on a wild goose chase. The number is now disconnected. A missed opportunity, I know. I'm really hoping for another call.
So, anyway, don't make calls pretending you're an IRS agent. They'll throw you in jail for a while.
[AT]
