An interesting anecdote.....

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Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:06 pm

So, I applied for some financial stuff a few months back to deal with some things, and it appears that some company was "loose" with my personal information, because I now am plagued by calls from fraudsters with heavy Indian accents from "Iowa". So in any case, they try to rope me in by reading a script for a voice message. The message states that I'm being prosecuted for "check fraud" and "serious debt" (Those are the actual charges) and that unless I pay them $900 for a $300 loan I supposedly took out last summer, I will be jailed, violated and fired from my job (presumably in that order). So, intrigued by this obviously serious message left for me, I promptly change my cell phone number and file a FTC/IC3 complaint, then I fired up the ole' Skype account, dump a few bucks in and return their call of course. The first call, I ask all pertinent questions such as "Who are you?", "How did you get my number?", "Why haven't I received written notice of this debt?". Although the guy I spoke to had a nice little script setup, I came prepared with a plethora of questions he couldn't answer. At this point he got his supervisor, who I kept on the phone for a good hour and a quarter. Eventually, he gave up on me and just said "We will call you when you can be more serious.". So the next afternoon, I felt serious and called them back. This time they tried to threaten me with me losing my job, which was funny because the job details they had were old and outdated and would likely land them in consequences far beyond their minds. After another hour long exchange, the guy curses at me in Punjabi and hangs up in exasperation. So the next evening, out of concern for him, I called and asked him how's he doing. However, he's "unexpectedly" rude to me on the phone and begins threatening me with violence and using all sorts of Punjabi insult (fortunately for me, I know about about the Punjab area in India and a bit about Hinduism), which I promptly respond to with some witty comebacks of my own. Over the next few days I toy with these guys doing the following:

* On one occasion, I answer the call with great enthusiasm and trick the guy into believing I was giving him my payment details until I spoil it buy giving him the routing number 8008135 (boobies) under the bank Fukoff Savings. He didn't quite get it till he read it out load, heh.
* The next time, I put on the best faked British accent I could muster and spent 90 minutes confusing him with my horrible British puns and colloquialisms.
Afterwards, his "supervisor" calls me and I pretend like I recognize him as a log lost high school friend (and later sweetheart).
* After that, I would just answer his calls and let the line be silent while he calls out hello for a couple of days. This drives him crazy.
* Eventually, he calls me and says he's notifying my old job about my crimes and is putting me on a conference call with my boss. I told him my boss is female and he's not fooling anyone and hung up. He then calls right back and actually tries to trick me by putting on a high pitched voice and imitating a female on the phone. Me being my naturally curious self, I proceed to ask "her" about her last menstrual cycle and other stuff like that.
* I eventually grow tired of this and just straight tell him I know he's a scammer and that he can stop wasting his time. I ask him how does he feel scamming innocent people for their hard earned money, and he says "It feels good" After some angry back and forth, he says "Don't think you've won because we can't get you, there are plenty of Americans who will fall our tricks" and hangs up.

At this point, I just reflect on what you guys do here and what I learned from Eater about how to protect myself in an existence where scum like this infest the world. I'd like to thank the baiters of yesteryear for their insight and advice, because I was able to be one less fraud statistic and keep some scammers occupied for days, hopefully delaying their efforts on a real victim. Not the best baiting in the world, but this place left n impact on me.

EDIT:Proofreading

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:35 pm

You've been away a long time dude.
Welcome back.

And once a baiter, always a baiter. Wink

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:00 pm

^^^

Heh, yeah. It turned out, life can be more demanding than I thought it would be as an adult. Ah well, it goes on doesn't it? Thanks for the warm welcome, sir.