I get probably 10-15 scam calls a day. Fake Medicare/medicade, home improvement life alert, extended warranty…pretty much every scam under the sun all from spoofed numbers in my area with someone with a thick accent claiming to be John Smith or some name like that. These people are targeting vulnerable people usually elderly people and that pisses me off as it has affected people I know and care about. I’ve tried not picking up for months but the calls keep coming. I then decided that when I have the time while cooking dinner or doing some monotonous task, I’d work on my voice work as an elderly smoker to keep these (usually) guys on the line for as long as possible giving them a random string of numbers and alpha numeric codes as if they were my credit card#, social security#, Medicare card#…
I’ve been wanting to take a step further and instead of just trying to waste their time…creep them out and make them feel uncomfortable. Maybe even to the point where they’d think about different career paths. Nothing excessive…just things like “hey Johnny boy, tell me what youre wearing…ohh yeah I like that…” But as someone against sexual harassment and the like (yes im such a good person I deserve so much praise) it feels wrong even if they’re in the business of harming people and taking advantage of them.
Anyway, as this isn’t something I’d discuss with my normal circle, I was curious how random people on the internet would weigh in.
You must log in or register to comment.
Probably not going to be a popular opinion but IMHO scammers deserve whatever you can dish out. They are criminals and they know they are stealing from people who can’t afford it and don’t care. The more they hate what they are doing and have their time wasted the more likely it is they will quit being scammers.
But if you really want to be a part of the solution submit the information to people who will make the scammers really hate their lives https://techscammersunited.com/
And for anyone who gets a lottery scam via email asking for contact information do what I do, send them the name and phone number for your local FBI office director. Ahh to be a fly on the wall when the Nigerian Prince called the Hoover building and heard the phrase, “Federal Bureau of Investigation, how can I direct your call?”
Change your outgoing voicemail message to a fax machine answer tone (you can find and download those essay enough). Eventually your number will get flagged as a machine and the calls will slow or stop.
As to whether it’s ok to harass them (sexually or otherwise), I say yes. You didn’t contact them and invade their privacy and personal time, THEY imposed themselves on you for their own personal gain, and they can deal with whatever it is they stepped in to.
Bonus points if it causes them to leave the job.
Everything you do to them over the phone is morally correct. Bonus points if you can perfect it to a point where they don’t hang up.
I did this once at work. Some guy called claiming to be corporate and gave me his “ID number” (If it wasn’t already obvious it was a scam). So, I pretended to do whatever scammer thing he wanted me to. I then told him he had a sexy voice or whatever. He then became very angry and I hung up. I don’t feel bad for that sack of shit who would have gotten me fired or suspended if I did what he wanted. They got some of my other coworkers with the same scam. I swear I work with a bunch of fucking idiots. It was instantly obvious to me it was a scam.
It was instantly obvious to me it was a scam.
This is dicey though and everyone has different experiences. Maybe it was a different, more skilled scammer on the phone with your colleague. Or they changed the script to make it more believable.
In general I’m suspicious of incoming calls/texts but they almost got me one time. I live in a different state from my cell phone. So most spam calls come from the area code of my phone number, an instant red flag. But this time, the caller had figured out where I lived and spoofed the number of the local sheriff.
Now as it turns out, I had recently reported a crime to the sheriff’s office so I was not surprised at all that they would call me back. The caller stated he was a deputy and gave me his name (which I searched and was a real deputy with the dept). But then he gave his reason for calling and it was unrelated to what I had called them about. In fact he started telling me a warrant had been issued for me not showing up in a trial I had been called as a witness. I actually was aware of being a potential witness in a trial but my attorney was point of contact and had not told me a trial date had been set.
Could have been a communication error but something didn’t compute. I sensed something was off and that thing, of all things - is that he was being too nice. I’ve watched hours and hours of police body cam footage and the caller simply didn’t speak the way cops usually do.
So I told him I had been the target of identity thieves and I needed to be able to verify his identity before answering anything. I hung up and called the sheriff’s office directly and sure enough they confirmed no warrant, nobody had tried to call me.
@5oap10116 every second you waste of a scammers time is a second away from actual stealing of money. do you fam!
I get the ones asking if I’m willing to sell my house. I don’t own a house. but I play along as if I do and when they confirm the number of bedrooms and condition of the home I tell them everything has been upgraded etc. keeping them string along for as long as possible. when they asked me a dollar amount, I tell them they have to come with an offer first before I tell them what my asking price is. again I don’t have a house. usually that triggers it up to a higher manager. so they call back a day or so later, and I speak to a different person usually without the accent, and go through all the same information. I waste their time again making up whatever I can. when it finally gets to a dollar amount, whatever they say, I double it. you would think that would make them hang up but they don’t. I’ve gotten into arguments with people where they ask me if I really think my house is worth that much money, it’s a riot. have fun. fuck with them all you want. they are the lowest of low and deserve every minute of wasted time
These I already understand are actual local home buying conglomerates who are not specifically scammers but are real people doing a job. That being said, Im on the side of “they are the problem with the housing market”. I do plan to normally keep these people on the phone without any SH creepiness.
I’ve also done some research into why I get these calls and its because when you look my # up, it’s tied to some boomer who lives ~30 miles away from me. Through these calls I actually have their address and name. I’ve thought about clearing that up but I like the fact that my name doesn’t come up when you search my #. Either way im already on every DNC list known to man but that doesn’t help.
Also Bangalore doesn’t care about the DNC list
My favorite way to deal with scammers is the grandma bot AI. Better than the sexual harassment strategy. You let them talk to a really dumb AI until they quit.
Is it okay to sexually harass
Hard no. In this case it’s also just not very effective. Wasting their time is great! It does stop them from calling other people. However, if you start sexually harassing them they may well just hang up
Yeah definitely a hit to the ethics but id also like a better way to do damage if you have any ideas.
I once kept a gift card scammer on the line for over 40m as I pretended I had to drive to the nearest town to get the gift cards.
The more you consume their time, the less profitable it becomes for them, and the less likely they are to be able to target someone else during that time.
I like this idea but it’s never gift cards for me. They just want my medicare/aid#, credit or SSN. If you have any more ethical ways of doing damage in this vein, let me know.
Oh hell yeah, just play super dumb and when they ask for an SSN reply with not knowing where to find it. They’ll say it’s on a special card, then you give a fake credit card number (dummy cards: https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_AU/vhelp/paypalmanager_help/credit_card_numbers.htm) and say it’s issued by the US Department of Amex and you’re not sure if it’s the same thing.
There’s no rules here. If they realize it and disconnect, no worries, just change the approach next time.
Ramble. A lot. Narrate what you’re actually doing (if it’s inconsequential). Ask if you can put them in hold for a minute because you can’t use one hand to get the card out.
Really anything goes.
Just say “Can’t you see I’m baiting” and make grunting sounds. See who hangs up first.
I want to keep them on the line though. I understand my proposal doesn’t specifically do that but im also looking to do more damage.l if you have ideas.
So, I like the idea of Esperanto. If everyone learned a second, easy to learn language, you’re meeting on equal ground. Unfortunately, I’ve only ever met a few people in my entire life who agree with that idea. But… If I don’t recognize the number? “Saluton? Kiel vi fartas?” If they start speaking English, wait a few seconds… “Domagxe, mi me parolas anglujon…” Not only do they hang up, but they tend not to call back. If it’s a real call, they usually ask for me by name and I can switch to English. Win-win.
Mi lernas Esperantan, mi ne parolas ĝin tre bona.
These are people in call centers running the same scam so every line it’s a different person. I assume every now and then I might hit the same person because they do hang up when they hear old smokey but I assume this will only get them to hang up quickly which isn’t specifically the goal. That being said doing what I’ve proposed doesn’t achieve the goal of keeping them on the line either. Amy other ideas to do more damage?
Also I already understand which calls are scams and which are just asshole cold calls for less than reputable businesses.
So i see a lot of different answers… But i would say go for it and report back how it went?!? You never know, maybe you found the solution!?
Just stop answering their calls. If you don’t answer, they will assume the number is dead and eventually drop you from their call list. As long as you answer (or even decline the call), they will keep calling you back.
I’ve done this for over a year and it did not stop
It works on robocalls. I guess you are being targeted by actual people. Or, you’ve engaged them often enough that you’re on a permanent call list.
Read the post, ignoring didn’t work.
Jesus. Just block the number and get on with your life. If it’s a genuine call they will figure out another way to get ahold of you.
I understand which calls are scams and which are just cold calling assholes from real not-so-reputible businesses. I wouldn’t fuck with those people with SH because they’re just some person with a shitty job but i would seek to keep them on the phone as long as possible. If it’s a new scam I haven’t come across Id definitely feel it out first and look for the signs
Why give them more of your time? Just hang up and move on.
It amuses me while I clean the dishes.
I don’t answer my phone, let the phone screen the call. By text I sometimes get offers to buy our house but more often they are asking to buy my neighbor’s house or a different one out in the suburbs. IMO it’s better not to engage them but I guess if you have the time, enjoy yourself.
I get probably 10-15 scam calls a day. Fake Medicare/medicade, home improvement life alert, extended warranty…pretty much every scam under the sun
Hmm there are services for looking into how your contact info got leaked and demanding that the people who hold it cease and desist from contacting you, aren’t there? I get one every 1.5 months and even that seems like a lot
I’ve done some research into why I get these calls and its partially because when you look my # up, it’s tied to some boomer who lives ~30 miles away from me. Through calls for actual local conglomerate home buyers (who aren’t specifically scammed but are still a problem in my book) I actually have their address and name. I’ve thought about clearing that up but I like the fact that my name doesn’t come up when you search my #. Either way im already on every DNC list known to man but that doesn’t help.
