Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
In all seriousness this is what I’m talking about whenever I go off on how the rich can’t even spend their fucking money. Do you honestly think these fuckers are getting that much enjoyment out of these goddamn gummy bears compared to regular store-bought one? No, they get enjoyment out of the CONCEPT of them, out of the thrill of conspicuous consumption in the face of people who actually have to work for a living, or who, god forbid, don’t even have the opportunity.
So they’ll buy seven houses when you would be hard-pressed to justify them owning two, and they’ll buy huge-ass limousines and designer clothes just to look a tiny bit cooler (as if any real fan of a celebrity gives a fuck about the label they’re wearing rather than the content they put out, or the persona they have, or even the way the outfit actually LOOKS), and they’ll pay out the ass for ludicrously expensive ingredients placed in such ludicrously tiny portions that they can barely fucking taste them.
I don’t understand it even slightly. I can barely imagine what I’d do with $150,000 a year, much less millions. And I’m not even like a “simple pleasures” fanatic – sure, I get the appeal of a second house! I get the appeal of regular vacations! I get the appeal of eating steak five nights a week, drinking expensive champagne! But wealth disparity has become so fucking absurd in this country and on this planet that those quasi-reasonable luxuries aren’t enough, so they have to make up bullshit that can’t possibly even be enjoyable in its own right just so they can feel good about having money.
I don’t normally do big dramatic posts like this but the scariest shit happened to me today, so pay attention friends in America, because IRS Scams are happening.
I was at work today, and get a call from a Washington number, i answered and it was recording telling me to call the number back, this is a final notice from the IRS. Well, naturally, that got my attention.
I call the number, and a woman answers, says her name is Ashley Johnson. She tells me i’m being sued by the IRS for tax fraud and that there is a warrant put for my arrest. That DEFINITELY got my attention.
I ask how is that possible? She tells me from the years of 2008-2012, my taxes were filed incorrectly, which has resulted in my owing the IRS over 6,000 dollars. I ask how this can be a final notice because I never received any correspondence from them. She then reads me my address, asks me to confirm it, and tells me 3 letters had been sent to my place of residence.
I NEED TO POINT OUT HERE, I DID NOT GIVE HER MY ADDRESS. SHE ALREADY HAD IT.
I tell her I’m genuinely confused about how this could possibly be happening, and she starts getting VERY nasty with me. She rambles off the facts she’d already presented to me again, very aggressively. I respond very calmly by saying that I’m being very receptive to what she is saying, I’m not being argumentative at all, and I just want to resolve this issue, that I don’t appreciate the way she is talking to me when I’m cooperating.
She responds by informing me, again, that there is a warrant out for my arrest.
I ask about a payment plan. My friend’s ex boyfriend had owed back taxes, and they set him up with a plan, so I knew it was an option. She says, yes, we can set that up. How much can you pay right now.
I tell her I can’t pay anything right now, that I literally I’ve paycheck to paycheck and the soonest I could have any money at all is in two weeks when I get paid again. She tells me if I don’t pay 1,000 dollars right now she will send a deputy to arrest me.
She asks if I have a credit card, I respond no. She asks how much money is in my savings account, and I respond by telling her I don’t have one, that I’m not trying to be difficult but I literally don’t have anything to give her. She gets very nasty with me again.
At this point I’ve informed my coworker what is going on, and the woman she was ringing up at the register over heard.
Back on the phone, I tell the woman once again I’m really trying to work with her and I don’t appreciate her speaking to me the way she is.
At this point the customer and my coworker walk over. The customer tells me its a scam, don’t tell them anything. My coworker takes the phone from, and proceeds to tell the woman on the other line she’s my mother, and begins in on a conversation with her.
From what I could hear, she’s being very nasty to my coworker as well, who is now demanding that the letters that were sent to my house be faxed to us immediately. My coworker finally says that she thinks this is a scam, that they can’t send anyone to arrest me. The woman on the other line finally hangs up on my coworker, and i promptly burst into tears.
LISTEN TO ME. THE IRS WILL NEVER CALL YOU DEMANDING MONEY OVER THE PHONE. THEY WILL NOT DEMAND MONEY WITHOUT SENDING YOU A BILL FIRST. THEY WILL NOT ASK FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE.
THEY WILL NOT THREATEN TO ARREST YOU.
This is serious guys. Everyone take warning. Reblog this. Spread the word.
Friends with anxiety and or anyone prone to panic attacks, do not let them get to you. I spent the rest of the day having an anxiety attack, because some seriously terrible human beings were trying to do something truly terrible.
Here’s a link to the IRS page that warns about scamming, and how to be on the lookout:
There’s a link on this site to follow to report a scam if it happens to you.
DO NOT GIVE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION OUT. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OR CREDIT/DEBIT CARD INFO.
Be safe out there, guys.
This is my cousin, and it absolutely happened to her today, so be safe guys.
They tried this on me. Fortunately I’m savvy and know how the IRS operates.
If you get this phone call, hang up, write down the time, and then go to https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1 and file a complaint. This helps the FTC (who’s responsibility it is) track who is getting these calls and in some cases can actually get them to stop.
If they call again after that, hang up.
If the IRS wants/needs to ask you for money they’ll send you a bill, not call you.
1. It is illegal for anyone calling you to ask for money by money transfer, electronic check or cash reload card.
2. It is illegal for a telemarketer not to identify themselves and their company when they call. In fact, they are supposed to do this before they say anything else. If they do not identify themselves as the first thing they do, hang up. They are either A. A scammer or B. Poorly trained.
3. If somebody calls claiming to be from a company you do business with and does one of the following:
a. Asks you for extra money.
b. Asks you for personal information, especially information that company should already have.
c. Does not give their name.
d. Refuses to deal with you without your spouse/partner also on the call.
e. Tells you you have a bad transaction on your credit card or bank account.
HANG UP.
Then call the company back. If the issue is legitimate, they will be able to verify it. If it is not, then they will be able to file a complaint.
Also hang up immediately if you have won a cruise, money or anything else, if they claim your computer has a virus (I always laugh at this one, because they tell me my Windows computer has a virus. I use a Mac and have no Windows license on it), or if it’s a recorded message (those things are the plague of modern life).
This is probably related to the IRS breach that happened last month. Around 100,000 tax return PIN codes were leaked. They said they’d notify those affected by mail, but I suggest everyone who’s files in the past few years to change your PIN.
As someone who did go through an IRS audit, and had to pay back taxes, the IRS are actually very easy to talk to. They are wiling to work with you, at your rate, to get the debt paid. They will even accept a ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t pay the agreed amount this month, I had life’ in case that happens.
Use the information above. Remember, NEVER give your account information over the phone.
“We have to ask ourselves as a society a fundamental question: Are we able to still make this democracy work the way it’s supposed to, the way our Founders envisioned it? And I would challenge anyone who purports to be adhering to the original intent of the Founders, anybody who believes in the Constitution, coming up with a plausible rationale as to why they would not even have a hearing for a nominee made in accordance with the Constitution by the President of the United States — with a year left, practically, in office. It’s pretty hard to find that in the Constitution.”
— President Obama, speaking about the unprecedented level of obstructionism he’s dealt with during his presidency, specifically as it relates to nominating a SCOTUS justice now. (via wilwheaton)
l know everybody likes Ravenclaw headcanons about getting angry at the knocker’s riddles, but please consider: Ravenclaws who have been out in the hallway all night, stubbornly refusing their friends’ offers to let them in because l can get this okay I’m getting really close
