If I get a scammer while I'm working from home, I always feel like every minute I can keep them on the phone is another they aren't stealing from the elderly. Plus, when you get them swearing at the end it feels like a badge of achievement.
When my grandma was in her 80s, she took a call like this. She was talking for a good 5 minutes saying things like "oooh no, you're from Microsoft?" and "my computer has been compromised?"
The whole time, she was smiling and winking at me then says, "Well hang on just a second, let me hand the phone to my grandson. He's a police officer and can help us get this sorted out." Then she immediately handed me the phone, where I didn't miss a beat and said "This is officer Dan with the Aurora Police Department, who am I speaking to?" and they hung up instantly.
Don't fuck with old ladies.
It isn't effective at all, it just verifies it's an active number so your number can be sold to other scammers...
I used to get scam and someone else's debt collection calls and wasting their time was the only thing that got them to stop.
A colleague of mine always got debt collection calls for someone else. Several times per day, sometimes several times the hour. I asked them, if they know how to block the number, but they just liked to curse at them or troll them. Especially since the calls (presumably) originated from a real company that just didn't want to believe them, that they're not the person theyre trying to reach.
Plus nowadays they can easily use AI to copy your voice and use it for phishing
I remember back in 1998 I held a scammer on the line for 2 hours. He could tell I was a teenager, so he said he'd wait for my mom to come back on the line.
So I just watched yu-gi-oh, and jackie chan adventures while smoking pot. So for 2 hours this dude had a conversation with me about kids cartoons, and which console was better, ps1, or N64?
Then I was in mid-word when I just hung up. When he called back immediately I answered as an old womans voice, and feigned dementia. For another 2 hours I answered all his questions blatantly falsely. He asked my social security number, and I answered 8675309. When he said thats not enough numbers I said "Yes that's right." And he said "no, that's not enough...." and I said "Yes, that's not enough, they need more!". He says "No, what is your social security number?" And I said "Oh, my social.....there are 4 of them. Yes, Billy, Johnathan, Crystal, and Chuck! But they're grown now. They have kids of their own. Lets see, there's Hank. He's into trains. Have you ever heard of Lionel trains? We're getting him one for Christmas. But don't tell anyone! It's a surprise!"
He was getting mad the whole time. He kept trying to interupt, as I just kept making up grandsons and fake back stories.
Then he would start yelling, and I'd tell him "Now hold on, mr man! I didn't let my late husband talk to me with such sass, and you'll certainly be no exception! Lest I have smack that ass with my riding crop! Red and purple, your ass will be if you don't drop the bass from your voice!"
All told, between 3 calls I wasted 5 hours of his time talking as 3 different voices.
Doesn't really matter anyways because they just robocall every number anyways and numbers can go dead and be reactivated all the time.
If at all possible, or at the first question of your means to pay, be sure to volunteer a doctored screenshot of you bank balance.
I for example, became a millionaire in the last 10 minutes.
This is certain to keep them talking no matter how much shit you give them.
You can call me Lenny.
This is a mobile screenshot.
There are no Dev Tools on mobile.
How...?It's a screenshot. Wym how? This can be done with gimp/ps.
They have the typefont for all the numbers either from a standard font used or just snipping the other available numbers in the accounts.
Or save the mobile page, edit with any tool anywhere, then reopen in phone browser.
Tons of options.
I used to get them Microsoft calls telling me to do this and that on my computer. And I did. They always got mad when I eventually told them I was a Linux user.
It was always nice to have someone to talk to once in a while.
My phone app now has "audio emoji" which is just a shitty soundboard that plays into calls. I've started answering calls in the hopes that they're scammers so I can start spamming the soundboard.
But I only ever get the robodialer. The scammers never pick up.
The majority have moved away from cold calls and on to email and texting where they aim to trick folks into calling them. This is a better return on their investment since it’s cheaper and there’s way more chance to actually get a victim than cold calling.
That said, most of the folks on the phone are either barely scraping by or are literal prisoners of violent gangs. They aren’t the ones to target (though they are the easiest to dislike since that’s who you end up dealing with). Take a browse of channels like scammer payback and kitboga who work to get to those actually in charge and to get the scam rings taken down.
Chad Boomer dad
Verification pending
Hey man I'm gonna verify that my dad is an okay boomer.
20 years ago, this very day.
Now I want to watch columbo again :)
I fucking love wasting their time, I'll keep them on the phone for hours and hours talking absolute nonsense.
