Might We Add Postal Fraud to the List?

I've read lately over at ei that some have been getting so called refund checks from TaxMasters that are not really checks. I'd like to say that I'm shocked - but it's standard fare for these disreputable souless people.

A few of the guys commented that if this is so and in addition these bogus checks are mailed well that would be mail fraud. So if you or someone you know is in posession of one of these beuties please send a copy to the Harris County DA. Also send one to your own county DA. The more people we get involved the better!

Click here to go for a little trip to the USPS Postal Inspection service. You'll find an online form to fill out or you can print it and mail it with a copy of pertinent documents. Here's the info they provide regarding complaints. Contact the FTC too!

Mail Fraud Complaint

The form below allows you to send a complaint to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if you suspect you are a victim of mail fraud. Reporting identity theft on-line is a separate form.

Although the Inspection Service cannot resolve routine business disputes between companies and their customers, it can act against a company or individual if there is a pattern of activity suggesting a potential scheme to defraud. Completion of this form is voluntary, but the more information that you enter, the better the Inspection Service may be able to help.

Please note we may share the information you provide with other agencies when a possible violation concerns their jurisdiction. Read the Contact Us page for more information.

If this is an urgent matter, immediately contact your nearest law enforcement agency. You may also go to the Federal Trade Commission site for more information.

Be careful out there.

Harris County District Attorney's Office

I recently checked in with the good people at the Harris County TX DA's office - Consumer Fraud Division are collecting complaints about Taxmasters and working with the IRS to see if they can make a case against TM. Please add your story to their list - this might be a first step in holding TM accountable for their shameful practices.

From their site:

The best way to file a Consumer Fraud complaint/report is to call (713) 755-5836 between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday and request that a complaint package be mailed to you. This package will have some written instructions and a one-page (front and back) form to be filled out and returned. Several members of the Consumer Fraud staff are bilingual (English and Spanish). Our forms are available in English and Spanish. Our staff is familiar with the types of matters that this division investigates and can provide additional information to assist you in filing your complaint, if needed.

Also please be aware that if you have been successful in getting your credit card company to recover funds from TM - TM has turned around and charged an alternative amount to that same account. Be careful out there!

Hey - Jeff Welch - I see you

So, I had the oddest experience. I opened my email and there's a note from "Jay Michael."

I heard a tax master ad on radio tonight...what's the deal? Got unfilled return and owe money to the irs. Jay Michael.

Innocent enough right? Well the odd thing is that right there on the From: line is the name Jeff Welch and the email address jeffmw@msn.com.

Maybe I'm completely mistaken but could there be another Jeff Welch who lives in a Houston burb and is interested in what I'm writing. Could there be another Jeff Welch, one who doesn't head up the team of grifting salespeople at TaxMasters? That would be too much of a coincidence.

It's probably just a fluke. But if it was the same Jeff Welch I'd like to say, "Shame on you Jeff Welch. When I was a Taxmasters customer you wouldn't give me the time of day but you've got enough time to go fishing for information from a stranger at 11:30 pm? What goes around comes around and after what you've done you are in for a perfect storm of karma. I don't know when it will happen - but I relish the thought of it."

Take it to Aikin

According to their site the Houston Fox 26 News channel - and reporter Emily Aikin have teamed up for a new consumer reporting franchise, "Take It To Akin." If you've been snookered by TaxMasters consider emailing your story to her team - takeittoakin@fox26.com .

I filed a complaint with the Houston BBB when I first sensed that I had been scammed by TaxMasters. They did contact TaxMasters and that's how I came in contact with the deceitful Fred Hackett. I know that their are mixed reviews about the BBB but at least they can be a thorn in the side of unethical predatory businesses like TaxMasters. I'm going to keep my complaint open with them for as long as I can hoping that it will alert others. Here's their email should you want to do the same (bbbinfo@bbbhou.org)

Ripoff Report

Ripoff Report has about a dozen entries concerning TaxMasters' bad behavior. (Search under both Taxmasters and Tax Masters.) Stop on over and add your report to the list. Lets get Taxmasters onto their Top Ripoff List!

I thought I'd take a stab at contacting Bill O'Reilly (oreilly@foxnews.com) and letting him know that the TaxMasters stink might rub off on him if he keeps advertising for the scoundrels.

Lastly, I was hoping that Action Against Taxmasters.com would be back up by now. These folks put up a great website that addressed all the issues around the fraud that TaxMasters has been perpetrating. TaxMasters threatened them or their service provider - I'm not clear which- with legal action. According to their 13 July 2008, post on enormous incongruities the AAT owners took it down to make sure that all their t's are crossed. Best of luck ATT and thanks for persevering.

Fred Hackett

Today I am taking a special time out to file a grievance with the State Bar of Texas. Fred Hackett is the person who was responsible for a great deal of my trouble with Taxmasters. He is in my humble opinion the biggest of the Taxmaster scoundrels. I read something in Money magazine recently about how it is considered unethical to take people's money for services you know they can't afford or that you know you can't deliver. Mr. Hackett did both in my case. I don't know how he sleeps at night. There is a special ring of hell for people like Mr. Hackett. Lawyers wonder why people love to hate them; Mr. Hackett is the poster child for such sentiment. I saw that his specialty is criminal - yah - because he is a criminal.

I think I might also send a note to:

Ms. Kay Sim
Houston Bar Association
1001 Fannin Suite 1300
Houston, TX 77002
713.759.1133
kays@hba.org
www.hba.org

I know I'm not getting my money back, but I am going to kick and scream about it. I spoke with a guy at the state Commerce Commissioner's office. He said flat out this happens all the time and they can't do anything about it. He suggested I look at this experience as an investment in an education that I couldn't get anywhere else. Well sort of. I could have walked alone through downtown at about 2 am and gotten mugged for a lot less.

It's really hard to get up the gumption to write letters; I have to though. I wouldn't forgive myself if I could have and didn't do something to prevent some other poor slob from getting scammed by these thugs.

So here's his info:

State Bar of Texas

MR. FRED. V. HACKETT
TMIRS Enterprises, Ltd. (a.k.a. Taxmasters)
900 Town & Country Lane, Suite 400
Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (281) 497-4226
Fax: (713) 463-2995

AREAS OF PRACTICE:
Criminal, Family
Texas State Bar Number 24001232
Admitted to State Bar in 1998, 1997 graduate of Thurgood Marshall School of Law

Courts of Admittance:
U.S. District Courts - Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas

Firm: TMIRS Enterprises LTD
Firm Size: 2 to 5
Occupation: In-House/Corporate Counsel
Primary Practice Areas: No information reported by attorney

My next mission is to figure out what to do about Ms. Theresa Petrie. She told me I should have known that they couldn't have done anything for me and that basically it was my fault for letting them scam me. It must be nice to be Ms. Petrie. Well, no, that's not true at all. What goes around comes around and Ms. Petrie has certainly racked up a raft of bad karma.

Shlogging Along

My states Attorney General Consumer Fraud division has assigned me a mediator who has written to TM asking them to refund my money. I am trying to be hopeful.

I've been emailing back and forth with the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility. They seem interested, however, I can hear the wheels of the bureaucracy turning as I read each message. They seem like they'd like to help but TM is a slippery business.

I got a form letter back from the TX Attorney General's Office. If they are doing anything about his they can't share the details.

I read over at enormous incongruities that there is a reporter interested in doing an expose on TM. I so hope the world of hurt they've put on other people blows back on them.

Here's what I'm up to next:

The head honcho at TM is Patrick Cox. I'll be writing to the TX State Board of Public Accountancy.

Here is the contact info:

Enforcement Division
Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
333 Guadalupe, Tower 3, Suite 900
Austin, Texas 78701-3900

Phone: 512-305-7866
Facsimile; 512-305-7854
Email: enforcement@tsbpa.state.tx.us

Here's what the site has to say about Mr. Cox. It looks like he's been in trouble before...

COX, PATRICK RALIEY - Individual Licensee

Current License Status

Mailing Address and phone number most recently reported
900 TOWN & COUNTRY LN STE 400
HOUSTON TX 77024
Date certified/registered
03/05/1991
License expiration date
12/31/2008
License status
Issued
Employment area(s) most recently reported
Full time
INDUSTRY
Part time
NONE REPORTED
Firms in which the individual has ownership
NO OWNERSHIP REPORTED
History of disciplinary actions
Complaint 0410-0007L was opened on 11/01/2004, with an alleged violation, Competence. A Board order was issued on 07/14/2005 with the resolution, PUBLIC REPRIMAND.

Next Steps

I got a reply from the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility [offprofresp@irs.gov]. As mentioned earlier they only deal with individuals not companies. I did a little research and I think that these people are the ones at TaxMasters who are registered to practice with the IRS:

Autry Griggs, CAFNo. 0303-86583R, Paoji Patel, CAF No. 0304-76311R, and Teresa Petrie, CAF No. 0303-94322R.

I sent their names along in hopes that the IRS might be able to prevent these folks from hurting other people.

A complaint packet from the Harris County Texas District Attorney (713-755-5836) is on its way to me. The gal I spoke to said that complaints are "streaming in." It's satisfying that people are fighting back against this fraudulent company.

I am holding on to my belief that 'what goes around comes around.' I hope I'll be able to see TaxMasters get their comeuppance.

Fear and Loathing and Moving On

I have gotten myself into a terrible situation and made an extremely expensive mistake. I have made some poor choices and for all sorts of reasons that made sense at the time I racked up a tax debt. I sought help from a company called TaxMasters out of Houston, TX, and they took me to the cleaners. Beware of the sales team including Deaphalis Sample, Ron Sample and Jeff Welch. They will charm the money right out of your pocket. They misrepresented what the company

If only I had come across this blog before I signed on the dotted line. DonC at enormous incongruities had a large assortment of complaints from people who have also been duped by TaxMasters. You'll also see there comments by the "holier-than-thous" who will say that people like me got what they deserved. I would remind them that everyone makes mistakes and people like TaxMasters shouldn't be allowed to prey on and profit from people's mistakes.

The bottom line is that the company tells you that they can significantly reduce your IRS tax debt, charge you a lot of money, and then they don't reduce your debt and get really nasty and condescending with you. I was basically told by one of their employees that I should have seen the signs that it was impossible for me to get what they promised. In my desperation I didn't see it.

In hindsight I should have known better. I'm a pretty smart person who got into a bad situation. So here is my little effort to share my experience and hope that others find this blog and avoid doing business with TaxMasters.

I think companies like Tax Masters count on people being so embarrassed by their mistakes that they keep the pain and humiliation to themselves.

If you stumble across this blog please share your stories. Lets help each other through this, settle up our debts with the IRS and get justice with regards to TaxMasters.

Some things I've learned that I hope might be helpful to others:

• Work with the IRS. Scary I know but at least what you see is what you get.
  
• H&R Block provides these services, has a proven track record and is much less expensive
  
• The Houston Better Business Bureau is somewhat helpful. Maybe if they get enough complaints it will make a difference for someone else
• Contact your States Attorney General. Consumer Protection department. My state is very interested. I can't say the same for the Texas Attorney General’s office (512) 463-2100. They sent me a nice 'pat on the head' letter but didn't seem interested in addressing the TaxMasters scam. Who knows thought what they can say about what's going on given the privacy concerns they deal with.
  
• The National Consumers League's Fraud Center has been in business forever and funnels the complaint info you give them to the appropriate local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on their system
• People have reported interest from the Harris County, TX, DA's Office, Consumer Fraud division.
  
• The Complaints Board is a place where you can share your frustrations. Hopefully people researching TaxMasters will see the complaints and avoid the pain of being robbed by TaxMasters
• You can file a complaint with the FTC . They can't help with individual cases but do investigate fraud in general.
• The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility can be contacted at offprofresp@irs.gov. or snail mail -1111 Constitution Ave, NW Washington DC 20224. They don’t investigate each case but the company as a whole.
• Talk to your bank or credit card company. Many have complaint processes for services not rendered. I have read that in some cases they can help you get some money back.