I’ve been indulging in something I haven’t done for quite a while.
Today I watched some videos on YouTube of “scambaiters” torturing scammers, wasting their time, completely controlling their computers, screwing with the phone systems and frustrating them in their purely evil greed.
The scammers can get pretty violent in their reactions when they reach maximum frustration.
Usually the scambaiter will, in the end, reveal that this has been cat and mouse role reversal and then, perhaps far more kindly than I would, suggest they find something else to do.
In the meantime, I’ve learned a lot about the types of scams that are being run and their techniques.
As I have opined before, I wonder if we might not create an order of Cyber Knights – the Order of the Cyber Knights of St. Dismas – which would have Virtual Machines and VPNs by which scammers could be taken in and taken down.
Someone needs to fight back against this sheer evil industry.
Bottom line, just as you have to be avoid near occasions of sin, you have to be on your guard against scams. They are clever and there are many approaches that they use. Often they will want you to install a program like Anydesk on your computer and then go into your online banking. Sometimes they will pretend you have a bill to pay. Sometimes they will say that they made a mistake and gave you too much money back and then ask you to pay them back by buying gift cards. There are more scams, too, and some of them quite sophisticated. They even have one where they get you to call your real bank and then when you are being transferred, they take back the call and pretend to be an official from that bank. Very slick.
Be careful.
Someone quite close to me got taken in by one of these slimy bastards. I don’t want any of you to get taken.
UPDATE:
Funny. I just received this. Clearly, this is a scam. Screenshot of the email…
Father, I fully understand. I’m embarrassed to say I have also enjoyed reading some posts by people who have fought back against scammers. I found this article to be particularly creative. Some of the language is a little rough, but it was definitely taken to the next level.
https://medium.com/@rossstalker_5939/rosstopholous-b22831b76cfc
[NB: I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong with watching these videos, particularly for the useful information about how scammers operate. The language of the scammers can be very bad once they are caught. Be warned.]
When my husband gets these scam calls he plays games with the caller. A lot of time they hang up on him when they realize he’s not some vulnerable old guy. The best one recently my husband kept the guy on the phone for several minutes. He got him to admit he was not in the US. After that my husband gave him a talking to for lying. He asked him what would his father (the caller’s) think of his son’s behavior of trying to scam people. He told the guy to hang up and think about what he was doing and how ashamed his father would be.
I hope the caller did reconsider! (After all, he did stay on the phone & didn’t hang up. Other callers sometimes swear at my husband then hang up.)
maternal, I laugh at your comment, I have the exact same situation. My 88 year old brother-in-law is widowed, and he is a guy who can do the New York Times crossword with ease, he gets bored. He likes a challenge, and when these calls come (constant) he has a few options. He speaks Polish to them, says “no speaka the Eengels!”. He asks them to wait, puts the phone down and leaves. He did try to guide them with ethics, what would your mother say about your job, etc., but now he knows it’s hopeless, there are too many! He’s hilarious, really, he said to one trying to sell him insurance “it’s too late, I died three weeks ago”. He told someone calling about solar he doesn’t need it, he has hooked up 10 seniors from his complex to bicycles for power, and the only problem is when they get tired and the lights dim. At times he gives his name as Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, and the person doesn’t question it because many times they are not native to America and have no idea. Now he has a phone that has a block button, which gives some satisfaction, but these blasted people call from a zillion numbers. He also did get a phone call that said it was his granddaughter, and she was in trouble and needed money. He said it sounded just like her. He was savvy enough to ask a question she would know, I think it was what is your mother’s name, and of course she didn’t answer. Everyone should be ready for that. They can call you and use your loved ones voice in a fake emergency to get money. Be ready with a question your loved one should definitely be able to answer, and never say “yes” so that they can record your yes.
Have you seen the Beekeeper movie? Language is awful, story is good but not very believable.
I remember a teacher telling a student, who was very creative in trying to get out of homework, that, if they used just half the energy and effort that they put into avoiding schoolwork into actually doing their homework, they would be a straight A student.
I wonder if such students, if they do not reform, become our future hackers and spammers.
One call I got from those “duct cleaning” telemarketer/scam call guys, I pretended not to know what the word, “furnace” or “house” meant. He tried very hard to communicate with me. One highlight was:
Scammer: “No, forced air!”
Moi: “It’s not forced to be here, it’s here of its own volition.”
Somehow that didn’t tip him off that it was a game, and the banter continued. The next bit, however, was the last straw:
Scammer: “Cleaning! In the basement!”
Moi: “Is my basement clean? I think so, but I guess I could move some of the boxes around.”
That one made him hang up. “Da poor puddy tat don’t want to pway no mowre.” Anyways, I recommend the scambaiting videos of a fellow who goes by the handle “Atomic Shrimp.” He deals with email scammers by employing clean (if memory serves) British satire. Lighthearted and very amusing.
Robokiller has been effective in blocking spam calls and texts on my phone. This app even has counter-spam recordings, most are quite hilarious to listen and choose from.
Yes, Kathleen, the grandparent scam is really evil. Many years ago my mother almost got caught with that one. Warn older parents and grandparents!
I have not tried this, but if a scammer is asking for money say something like:
“Well I have to check with my bankruptcy attorney first. “
I have watched three of these videos some time ago. They are very very useful to get a feeling of what these scammers do. Friends and relatives have been victims of this kind of things, and it helps to create awareness.
Just yesterday a friend told me that he lost a big sum in an online investment app. The entire “company” just dissappeared with the money, leaving no trace behind, and it seems the police cannot do much.
On three occasions I have engaged in interesting conversations with scammers, even about the faith (I have encountered Muslims and Christians.)
Scammers use the actual voice, I believe, of young people or family members, they probably get a sample from Facebook, etc, and they can sound exactly like your daughter, niece, son, etc., who is “in trouble” and who needs your help right away. It’s happened to many people, typically elders. Having the presence of mind to ask a simple question only they would know, maybe two questions, is one way to subvert their evil efforts.
My brother-in-law also has that block capacity, and it feels great to hit an obvious “block” button on the phone, it’s front and center, so you hear that “bloooop!” and you know, at least that number is gone, they aren’t getting through on it again. They have multiple numbers, but there’s a sense of satisfaction in the fact you can block them as they are yammering. That’s worth something. He just bought a phone for about 50 dollars that had the block function built in.
cavalierhatherly, I love all that. I wish I could remember all the funny things my brother-in-law said to these people.
Bob Newhart died a few days ago. I read a news article that he and a friend of his got started in comedy (c.1960) because they were bored in the evenings and would make funny phone calls to each other. It would be funny to hear some of those lines today!