How the Contra Costa Sheriff's office disappointed me yesterday.
By The Horse
@TheHorse (205609)
Walnut Creek, California
October 4, 2016 10:13am CST
So I got another call yesterday, my second of the day, telling me that IRS I (Internal Revenue Services? I thought it was called Internal Revenue Service) was suing me.
Scams bother me, so I decided to call the local Sheriff, which has jurisdiction here, since I live in unincorporated Pleasant Hill. I copied down the phone number that "IRS" had given me, and was going to pass it on to them.
A real person answered, and asked me if it was an emergency. I said it was not. They said they'd put me through to a dispatcher. I heard little beeps every ten seconds or so, but no bad music. I was thankful for that.
But nobody picked up.
After five minutes, I hung up.
If police departments are trying to establish better relationships with the communities they serve, how can they simply "not pick up" in the middle of the day? I could have been an honest black citizen wanting to pass on information about suspicious activity at a house across the street.
I would have hung up thinking that the police don't care about people in my community.
Is there any way to "bust" these scam artists anyway? For anyone bolder than me (who wants to "mess" with them), the number they left was 512-813-7287.
I'd love to pretend to be an idiot, arrange to meet them in a safe location with my $1000 check, or whatever they're going to ask for, and have the police there with me.
But they're probably just pfishing for social security numbers or something.
I digress. Have the police ever simply not been there for you?
14 people like this
9 responses
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
4 Oct 16
Police takes forever 
for anything and everything !!
for anything and everything !!3 people like this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
4 Oct 16
@TheHorse Seriously! Yet on the news you see things like ~ police officers guided a bunch of lost animals /horses, etc. -__-
4 people like this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
4 Oct 16
@TheHorse yes! But they should have a different line and responsive ones for situations like yours :)
3 people like this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
4 Oct 16
@infatuatedbby I feel for the police when they have to deal with hard core criminals, though.
4 people like this
@akalinus (40440)
• United States
4 Oct 16
Maybe you called during the coffee and donut time. I lived in a place once where the police would not come out for stolen property or break-ins. They just sent a police report for the insurance. They only came out for shots fired, physical assaults, and bodies.
3 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
4 Oct 16
I've never really needed the police so I have no idea one way or another.
I got this call once, and as I was just getting ready to mail my quarterly taxes out, I figured that was payment enough. :P I know for a fact that the IRS sends lots and lots of letters before they ever take legal action, and even then they never call you personally.
2 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
4 Oct 16
@TheHorse I would love to find their operations center and have a chat...
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
4 Oct 16
Oh yeah! I have needed assistance and they did not come!!
3 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Oct 16
I've never had to call for anything other than an emergency. But this is why I don't answer the phone unless I recognize the number.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Oct 16
@TheHorse - Ah. I understand that.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
5 Oct 16
@teamfreak16 But I usually let it ring until the caller identifies him or herself...unless I recognize the name and it's someone I want to talk to.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
7 Oct 16
LMFAO! Uhm... pony? You could do what some of the people on this page did...
They called the number back, and announced that they were IRS agents, AFTER asking the person who answered the phone what was their agent number and location! The "agent" hung up! (grinning at you!)
Just don't give them any information about yourself and you should be fine...
Please beware of this suspicious number, it was reported to WhyCall.me
1 person likes this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
4 Oct 16
The problem for the local police is the most, if not all of these [bad word implying these peoples' parents were never married] are out of the country. One guy who recorded his call and put it on Facebook played with his called who then admitted to being from Pakistan. He said things like "My father was Osama bin Laden" and "We knocked your twin towers down."
The local police can do nothing. They might refer you to the FBI or Homeland Security, but guess how long you'll be on hold there?
I've been told many of the calls are coming from Russia as well, but who knows?
2 people like this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
4 Oct 16
@TheHorse So many calls we get from, ahem, "Windows" come from people with Indian accents I finally let loose one day screamed at one guy, "Samir? Is that you? You still owe me 3000 rupees, you filthy thief! My cousins and I will stop by your house to collect it!" I don't know how much the person heard. I hung up then. He kept saying I was crazy and his name was not Samir.
1 person likes this
