In a panic over this Sheriff's letter!

howyanowmon

I owe an amount of money to the tax office - around €500 - that I received a letter in the post about recently after a few months out of the country. I immediately sent the sheriff's office an email asking to set up a payment plan - which they agreed to.

They said 'Let me have your proposal for payment of same and I will revert to you' - which I mistook to mean that the email requesting a payment plan was the 'proposal' and they would revert to me when they had an answer.

They just got back to me now, 3 weeks later with a 'Seizure Notice' saying that if the payment is not made immediately - I will proceed to seize your goods/assets without any further notice.

I got back to them immediately to try and clear the air - but it was closing time, and now they're not back to work until Tuesday.

My question is whether or not you guys think I can still set up a payment plan - if they'll understand that this was a simple mistake.

Also, what is the whole deal with the sheriff's office - should I be expecting them to land on my doorstep any day now? Or do I have time to get this sorted. I am prepared to begin paying instalments as soon as I hear back from them.

I'm in a total panic all of a sudden, so any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

CramCycle

I hate to say it but I don't know how you could misinterpret what they said, its quite clear they asked for a proposal. All you had to do was write back and say €100/month for 5 months, job done.

That aside, how will they react now, well its unlikely they are coming over the weekend, ring them Tuesday, tell them you made mistake, grovel a bit and say you can start a payment plan today, you have amount you can pay today and you have the ability to pay that same amount every month after payday. They should take the easy route and say fair enough but it depends on whether they believe you did misunderstand the last communication or not.

Larbre34

500 quid?

Tell them to get ****ed.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197485#Comment_120197485

It's the sheriff's office not a debt collection agency, they will seize goods.

Vizzy

Coincidently I got the email below this afternoon from the Bailiff Service of Ireland.

"Despite a reminder letter and a reminder letter for the reminder procedure, you have unfortunately not paid the outstanding invoice. In a formal notice procedure (according to Enforcement of Law (Occasional Powers) Act, 1924), we have obtained an enforceable title against you from the competent court.

That is why the bailiff will visit you on February 6, 2023 to inventory your valuables. We have also obtained a search warrant from the court in your area

If you are not present on the specified date for no reason, a locksmith will be called in. We will charge you for the additional costs. If you object, the bailiff will call the police for support in making an inventory.

The only way to avert this measure is to transfer the outstanding amount of 231.39 euros immediately to our finance department!

Account holder: Bailiff Service Ireland

IBAN: IE89 PFSR 9910 7015 4826 60

BIC/SWIFT: PFSRIE21

Payment reference:

Amount: 231.39 euros

IF YOU HAVE TRANSFERRED THE OPEN AMOUNT PLEASE LET US KNOW BY EMAIL. WE CAN THEN IMMEDIATELY ADJUST THIS IN OUR SYSTEM."

As far as I know I don't owe anything and definitely have no recollection of ever getting letters or emails previously.

Seems more like a scam to me

howyanowmon

Thanks for your reply.

Fair enough. I'll speak to them on Tuesday as soon as possible.

I guess I'm just worried they will take immediate action - but I have time to talk to them first, then that's all I need.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197539#Comment_120197539

I'm aware of that. I meant Revenue.

Apparently 500 quid attracts more punitive treatment than 500,000. Or 50 million.

Tell. Them. To. Get. ****ed.

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

That does look like a scam, but I'm not sure why it's in this dicussion? OP hasn't suggested that there's anything even slightly scam-like in their situation

Gloomtastic!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

Got that too. Same amount. They're getting sharper and sharper these scammers......

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

Check their website (bailifs.ie as opposed the the Sheriff's office in the OP)

PLEASE BE ADVISED WE HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF FRAUDULENT EMAIL CLAIMING TO BE COMING FROM US, WE CAN ASSURE YOU WE HAVE NOT ISSUED ANY SUCH EMAILS.

‘‘PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FUNDS TO THE BANK DETAILS PROVIDED ON THIS EMAIL’’

PLEASE REPORT THIS MATTER TO THE GARDAÍ

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

That is a scam.

OP they are more interested in it getting cash than goods so if you pay €100 on Tuesday and agree to clear the balance over an agreed period you should be ok.

Make it your priority for Tuesday am.

howyanowmon

OK that's refreshing to hear. Thank you.

Unless they throw a curve ball and arrive over the weekend for some strange reason i should be fine.

Vizzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197596#Comment_120197596

Its in this thread because the OP said he got notification effectively stating that the Sheriffs office( the Bailiffs) were going to do the exact same thing that they threatened me.

I would imagine that the Sherriffs office will not go to a "seize" situation without a lot of correspondence .

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197642#Comment_120197642

The OP has been in correspondence and with the Sheriff's office. This is a different organisation. Let's not muddy the waters. OP contact them early on Tuesday as advised. This is not a bluff or a scam.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197589#Comment_120197589

That won’t end well. Bad idea

howyanowmon

Yeah, no part of me is going to take this lightly.

I'll be in touch with them Tuesday and hopefully it'll be OK.

howyanowmon

They just emailed me a moment ago (out of hours and all) and accepted a payment plan. Phew.

Crisis averted.

Thanks guys for your advice. It calmed for me for the few minutes i needed it.

Jim2007

So which part of "Let me have your proposal for payment" did you not understand? At this point you are dealing with professional debt collectors who have heard all the stories before, so this kind of nonsense is not going to fly.

Now to avoid any further confusion on your part, you should understand that "immediately" means exactly that, no hanging around wait for them to get back to you are anything else, you need to get down to their office and at a very minimum be in a position to make a very substantial payment on the debt and hope that they are willing to enter into a payment agreement on the rest and that the creditor (the Revenue in this case) is in agreement.

And yes once a notice has been issued you can expect to open the door to the bailiffs some day. They won't make a special trip to collect 500 Euros, they'll pop around next time they are in the area, which could be a day, a week or month for that matter. But they will come that you can count on.

Curious_Case

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197701#Comment_120197701

A representative from Revenue is working after hours, on the Friday before a long weekend ???

Check the exact email address from which you are receiving correspondence.

An Ri rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

Yes, I got the exact same at 1.30ish today.

In a nasty coincidence, had just changed some details with Revenue last night. And the email had my old address (part) and my name spelled with a lower case incorrectly as per Revenue. Worrying. So reported it to them via MyCorrespondence as they may indeed have a leak (rare, but not unheard of).

But yes, its a load of gibberish. They're coming on a Bank Holiday. Yeah right. They couldn't have emailed before now, before getting their knickers in a twist? Yeah right.

And, as with you, my conscience is clear.

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198051#Comment_120198051

Checking the email address won't do anything. It's trivial to fake the visible address.

However, the OP was the one who initiated the email contact. It seems very unlikely to be a scam, assuming the basic minimum of due diligience on OP's behalf

An Ri rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198051#Comment_120198051

1. The Sheriffs aren't Revenue.

2. Revenue staff could well be working after hours unlikely after 7) but they would only, and the OP should only, correspond via MyCorrespondence. Never by email. They won't and you shouldn't.

Tread carefully OP. Do not send any funds or respond further until you talk to (ring) the Sheriff's office on Tuesday on the number of the original letter only.

howyanowmon

Cheers for the follow-ups. It's the Sheriff's in Galway I'm speaking with, not Revenue - if that wasn't clear. Email address checks out also.

The amount I owed was definitely owed. So unless its one hell of a well-timed scam, I'm certain I'm in the clear.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

Have a look at their website.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197642#Comment_120197642

Don’t assume or imagine… Having had experience of dealing with both sheriffs and a couple registers as well, when it gets to this point it is way past the point of correspondence and faffing around. These guys have one objective knock blood out of stones and you get then in when you are done with faffing around.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120198051#Comment_120198051

The OP is referring to a Sheriffs office, they don’t keep office hours, just as the people they are trying to deal with don’t.

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199303#Comment_120199303

There are only two sheriffs in Ireland - Dublin and Cork…. Are you sure it’s not the county registrar?

spurious

Normally for an amount of 500 or so Revenue will just allow for it in the next year's tax credits, no?

As regards working after hours, very many Revenue staff work at all sorts of hours from home. They are one of the more efficient departments.

An Ri rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199303#Comment_120199303

I imagine you are. However, 'scams' can be fed inside info and therefore look and feel 90% true. Its not unheard of for leaks to have occurred in Revenue by any means. Or Sheriffs, County Registrars or DPPs. But on the balance of probability, unlikely. It depends on the stupidity of the insider rather than the victim, as the insiders invariably get caught and are often being leaned on. But once the detail is bang on, the victim is snared.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199762#Comment_120199762

Revenue Sheriff's Office

Aengus House

Dock Street

Galway

Tow

Looks like a scam. Revenue will just reduce tax credits for small (~2000) amounts. The sortcode 99-10-70 is for a prepaid credit card company.

If you have questions about something like this always telephone the agency involved. Don’t just correspond by email and don’t use numbers provided in unsolicited emails like that or make any payments to strange demands out of the blue.

You can ring Revenue directly using the phone numbers on their website and they will be able to clarify the situation with you.

Generally any creditor will make a lot of attempts to collect things amicably before going down that kind of route.

The BIC for that IBAN is relating to some prepaid finance company. It does not look legit.

You will probably need to contact the Gardai and your own bank.

Do not correspond any further with that email address.

28064212

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200262#Comment_120200262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200222#Comment_120200222

The account details were posted by someone completely unrelated to the OP. It has nothing to do with the original poster

I would still say if in doubt about the origin of this, contact Revenue directly and stop guessing what it might be.

It seems phishy. Only way it can be clarified is by speaking to them directly.

howyanowmon

Yea I think the second post is muddying the waters of the post somewhat. The second one does indeed look fishy.

I'm in contact with the email address listed for Galways sheriff office officially. I was also aware that I owed money before receiving the letter in the post. From there it was me who first sought out their email address to contact them.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200222#Comment_120200222

Just to avoid confusion. That's Vizzys post and not what the OP received.

SEPT 23 1989

There are no official state “bailiffs”in this country

and that’s a scam

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197561#Comment_120197561

Stop bring crap into a serious thread.

Yours is a scam, the op knows they owe the tax. They know the sheriff's office is trying to collect it. The choose to ignore an opportunity to make a payment plan - pretending they couldn't understand very easy to understand text.

The revenue sheriff is NOT like the UK TV programs. If you make an initial payment of €100-€200 on Tuesday and agree to 2 or 3 further payments to settle in full, they will agree to that.

If it gets to a stage where they do come out, extra costs are incurred, so I'd be emailing them now with your proposal and contacting them on Tuesday

howyanowmon

"pretending". Good man.

Anyway, thanks for your help guys. I'm going to check out of this.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200063#Comment_120200063

Indeed there is a Revenue Sherrif in Galway, but that website is out of date, the office is now in Augustine Street.

Ger Roe

The Sheriffs office being involved means the issue has passed beyond the Revenue dept. The Sheriffs office has sole responsibility for recovering the debt now, there is no point in contacting revenue and trying to make any other arrangements.

OP, Having had previous experience of having a visiting party arrive to a commercial premises from the Sheriffs office in Dublin, your best bet would be to have all, or at least some of the cash available when they call. They are very insistent and will look to discharge all of the debt on the spot, to the point of occupying your office/home until you can come to an arrangement that they agree to, or else they will seize assets. They are not subtle and they are there to clear the debt with cash, or else take what they reckon will sell for what is owed. The debt will be the sum owed, plus a collection fee.

My advice would be to call them first thing on Tuesday... you might have some time to come to an arrangement yet, but I would not be surprised if they look for total immediate discharge at this stage and they will probably call around to collect it.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that was my experience - the chance to appeal to their very limited better nature, passed when you misunderstood their correspondence.

An Ri rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200469#Comment_120200469

There is a 'revenue Sherriff', and not a Revenue Commissioners Sheriff, you'll find. i.e. an appointed solicitor /county registrar who chases down outstanding 'revenue'.

No sheriffs work for the Revenue Commissioners. They do however work jointly via an oversight committee.

Ger Roe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200544#Comment_120200544

From the Revenue document "Guidelines for Sheriff Enforcement"

Quote : There are 13 Sheriffs appointed by Government to carry out debt collection for Revenue: 

"The customer must deal directly with the Sheriff in relation to liabilities specified on a warrant." 

https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/collection/enforcement/sheriff-enforcement.pdf

An Ri rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200613#Comment_120200613

Thanks, yes you've proven my point. 'Appointed by government'. Not part of the Office of Revenue Commissioners. Debt collection for Revenue. An instrument of government but not under Revenue remit. QED.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200394#Comment_120200394

That's true, though there are private businesses who work as bailiffs under contract to various public bodies. This crowd are one such firm of bailiffs; https://www.bailiffs.ie/

The email in question didn't come from them though, and is indeed a scam.

Gusser09

Revenue would just take it at source.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120201669#Comment_120201669

If you are PAYE employee. Plenty of people aren't.

Ger Roe

Revenue will send the Sheriff in for more than personal earnings tax collections, they will also get the possy together for VAT collection where a business is responsible for collecting the tax on behalf of revenue. In that case, where VAT remains unpaid, they also can't deduct from source and will pass on to the Sheriff to exercise his particular collection style.

ShayNanigan

Anyone aware of any scams like this recently...? A similar email coming supposedly from the Sheriff's office arrived at our office yesterday. A small sum to be paid (plus a fee of course) but we owe no debt to anywhere, all taxes filed and paid, no letters reminding us of a payment have arrived either prior to this shady looking email. The letter attached looks sort of legit (in a bad photocopy of a letter sort of way) but no details on where the small sum comes from. Plus, I had to chuckle a guy named Con Boothman sent it. Can't be a real person, can it? Sounds like the worst scam artist name ever! The phone number mentioned seems to be the real phone number for the Dublin Sheriff's office but I am still sceptical.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121165226#Comment_121165226

And what happened when you used that number to call the office?

makker

I'd say it's a scam as sheriff unlikely to chase a small amount.

However surprisingly con boothman is indeed the dublin sheriff or works for him.