Take Down A url: Bitmama.com

This morning was frantic, until it became humorous. I got a text from home saying the IRS had opened a law suit against me.  I knew I was behind on taxes but this came as a shock and of course I immediately dialled the number that I'd been provided with.  I got an odd voice mail to start that said, I could leave a message, but then I was immediately connected to a gentleman with an Indian accent.  He seemed a bit flustered to learn that I was calling from overseas.  “Do you have a U.S. number?”  I offered him one but confirmed that I wasn’t reachable on that number directly.”  Shortly thereafter we got disconnected. 

I called back and reached another gentleman who had what seemed to be more of a Hispanic accent.  He was patient and took my information and said quickly offered up a number I was supposed to pay that was a small fraction of what I knew I really owed.  My immediate instinct was relief.  Sure.  $4K?  Easy. Let’s settle that right away and be done with it.  He didn’t want me to transfer money to him from my bank.  He didn’t want a check either.  Which seemed odd, as the IRS almost always otherwise would take a check. “Can you do a Western Union?” he asked, which seemed like a lot of work.  I remember his saying, “well, we want to be especially careful with your hard-earned pay,” which seemed thoughtful at the time.

He asked to go speak to a supervisor and I agreed to wait.  When he came back he asked me to take down a url: “bitmama.com.”  Even at this point I confess, I was so eager to be done with things that the oddness of a supposed representative of the IRS telling me to transfer money through a bit coin website had yet to completely register as ridiculous. I began to sign up for bitmama and more out of annoyance at the hassle than anything else, I returned to the obvious suggestion, that I’d rather just send a check.  Javier.  Javier Marshall gave me his number in case we were disconnected and asked to go speak with his supervisor once again. 

And while he was gone and minutes ticked by, I hung up.  I figured I could call back later, and that I should get some other information first.  My mom called immediately thereafter saying it was a scam.  They had called her back and threatened her with imprisonment.  I realized now the entire thing was a farce. They had nearly got me, because my guard was down.  I did owe something and somehow, they had found out and tried to prey on my fears. If that site had been called “IRS-coin” I probably would have gone for it.  I considered calling Javier Marshall back and luring him into a conversation and then splattering him with abuse: “have you no shame?”  But the sun was up and there were plenty of other things to worry about besides Javier’s moral compass.  “Bitmama.com” I should have known, the moment he said it. 

Thursday, 03/15/18