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.

  • MuttMutt@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    15 hours ago

    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?”