James Hoyer Senior Partner Terry Smiljanich offering advice on what to do about phone scams on Bay News 9 and Orlando’s News 13.
James Hoyer Law Firm Senior Partner Terry Smiljanich shared his expertise on how to spot a phone scam with Bay News 9 and Orlando’s News 13. A former federal prosecutor, Smiljanich was among the many recently targeted by a pervasive IRS phone scam, where a person calls you saying you owe money to the IRS and warns that you better call back or you could end up in a “legal mess.”
Smiljanich decided to call back to see what would happen. The scammer quickly became confrontational, and, as you can imagine, Smiljanich was having none of it. He describes how the call went:
“He got real aggressive and he said if you don’t give me the name of your lawyer, the Federal Marshals will be at your door in two hours. I said, ‘Well, let me tell you something, pal. I don’t need a lawyer. I am a lawyer and I used to be a Federal Prosecutor. Those words got out of my mouth and there was a click on the phone.”
A caller becoming aggressive and demanding money or action on your part is the sure sign of a scam. Your best defense is to hang up and report the call to the Federal Trade Commission.
