IRS Impersonation Scam: A Runner for an India-Based Call Center Gets 30 Months

In an IRS impersonation scam, a caller claims to be from the IRS, says you owe back taxes and threatens arrest unless you pay right away. In one India-based scheme, over 2,700 victims made more than $2.4 million in payments. A Nevada woman who collected that money for the scammers was sentenced on March 18, 2024, to 30 months in prison.

What happened

According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Ladda Boonlert was sentenced in the District of Nevada to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $2,057,465.39 in restitution. She had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

From January 2015 through September 2017, Boonlert conspired with people in India and the United States. Scammers, mainly in India, called victims posing as IRS officials. They claimed the victims owed back taxes and threatened arrest if the victims did not pay immediately.

Boonlert worked as a “runner.” She picked up victim payments from MoneyGram, Target and other businesses, knowing the money came from the fraud. She admitted acting as a leader, recruiting at least 10 more runners and directing others to recruit more. Over 2,700 victims made more than $2.4 million in payments to her co-conspirators.

The case is part of a larger pattern. TIGTA says that between March 2013 and March 2025, 16,281 victims reported losing more than $114 million to IRS impersonation scams. Its investigations led to 251 convictions.

How the call went

Based on the TIGTA case summary, the scheme worked like this:

• A caller says they are an IRS official.
• They say you owe back taxes.
• They threaten arrest unless you pay right away.
• You are told how and where to send the money.
• A runner in the United States picks up the payment from a money transfer counter or store.

Red flags

TIGTA lists what the IRS will not do:

• A phone call out of the blue. The IRS generally contacts you by mail, not by phone.
• Payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, money order or wire transfer. The IRS does not ask for these.
• A threat of immediate arrest or deportation for not paying.
• Requests for personal or financial information by email, text or social media.

Pressure to pay before you can hang up and check is the core of the scam.

What would have stopped it

• Hanging up and looking for a letter from the IRS instead.
• Checking your tax account on IRS.gov, typed in yourself, not through a link.
• One firm rule: the IRS does not take payment through gift cards or money transfer counters.
• Telling a family member before sending any money to settle a “tax debt.”

If this happens to your family

• If money was sent by wire or money transfer, call the transfer company right away and ask to stop it.
• If a card or bank account was used, call the bank on the number on the back of the card.
• Report the call to TIGTA at tigta.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• If money was lost, report it at ic3.gov.
• Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm ET.
• Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for support.

IRS impersonators rely on fear and speed. FamilyDefender checks unknown calls to an older parent while they happen and can warn the parent and alert family when a call looks risky.