I just received a call from an indian microsoft technician. He informed me that my PC is sending a ton of error messages to microsoft. Most likely it has been hacked, and he would help me by remoting in and fixing the problem for me. I just wonder… Is it my PopOs or my Manjaro PC that sends all this info to microsoft?

  • dustyData@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    153
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    You reminded me of those YouTube vigilantes that troll Indian scammers. One installed the remote desktop app they use and let them access a honeypot linux machine just to mock their incompetence and confusion. Then proceeded to take control of their machine steal their data and wipe out their computers. Their reactions are hilarious. It’s sad that a lot of very smart people are dragged into it by thugs that leverage debt and physical threats to force them into the scam call centers.

    • Dharma Curious@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      119
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      I ended up on a massive Whatsapp group populated primarily by Indian women after I took a content writing class a few years ago. Made several very good friends. I’ve asked them about the whole Indian scammer thing. One of them said she knows a few, and they do it because they literally don’t have other options for employment. Which makes sense. Rampant, unfettered capitalism forces people to make decisions that go against their conscience for the sake of survival. I feel bad for scammers sometimes, other times I feel less charitable when they’re scamming my dad…

      Whole situation just fucking sucks.

      • M500@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        61
        ·
        1 year ago

        If I had the opportunity, I’d still wipe the scammers computer.

        • Smoogs@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          22
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          You absolutely should.

          Scammers escaping poverty by putting a bunch of others into poverty is the very definition of a capitalist and cancer.

          Eat the rich just as you would zap cancer.

      • Maalus@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        28
        arrow-down
        10
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s always an excuse that criminals make - that they don’t have any other options for employment. It’s a shitty excuse when 95% of the country is employed and don’t scam people. It’s easy money for them, nothing more.

          • SnipingNinja@slrpnk.net
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            Those people chose to not scam people I assume, otherwise they would count in the employed (by scammers)

      • foggy@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        24
        arrow-down
        14
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I’ve done a lot of thinking about the scam market, and there is no way it isn’t some kind of “CIA is behind the cartels” situation.

        Primary target? Elderly Americans.

        Objective? Bring generational wealth to institutions.

        FCC could stop the vast majority of this shit by using techniques similar to DKIM via VOIP to stop spoofing (STIR/SHAKEN). This problem is solved. Has been for a while.

        I can only assume they don’t drop the hammer because they can take a cut instead.

        • DaGeek247@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          I can only assume they don’t drop the hammer because they can take a cut instead.

          you have way too much faith in a government agencies ability to see, understand, and act on a situation.

          • irmoz@reddthat.com
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Thinking they’re too dumb to do this shit is exactly what they want from you

        • smeg@feddit.uk
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Do you really think only Americans are targeted by scammers?

          • foggy@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think 80 year old Americans have a disproportionate amount of global wealth, so they are a, as I said, primary target. Yes.

            Give it 15 years and then focus will shift to be predominantly toward UAE.

            • Reacher@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              9
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              1 year ago

              As a European I can assure you 80 yo Americans are living in poverty compared to most Europeans.

              I know that Americans can’t see the other side of the ocean but scam calls are made everywhere.

              I love these Americans who live in their tiny bubble of “America is rich as hell”. In Europe we mostly compare America with countries like Russia and other large but poor countries.

              • foggy@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                arrow-down
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                Americans wealth index only trails behind Iike 3 EU countries. Your statement is googlably false. (Germany, Norway. Not France Not Britain, not Spain, not Italy…not most of Europe).

                Edit: also, laughs in GDP

      • Smoogs@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        7
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        So you’re buying that explanation that a scammer is escaping poverty by putting a bunch of someone else’s into poverty?

        You just defined Bezos. Lol. You just got double scammed.

    • Smoogs@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      As much as a person could find a reason to feel sorry for them they unnecessarily verbally abuse people they are scamming and that was a choice they made. Their hands are not clean from playing a villain.

      And escaping poverty by putting someone else in poverty …that’s the capitalist game. No ethics is part of the package. They are not victims.

        • Smoogs@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          8
          ·
          1 year ago

          It’s not sad for a capitalist who uses the ‘I escaped poverty’ while sinking others into poverty to do it.

          • dustyData@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            You are all over this thread harassing people. I don’t care about your opinion. Don’t talk about crap you don’t understand. Watch the myriad of YouTube channels that cover the scam industry in India. Some people have their family and lives literally threaten with death to pay debts working for scam call centers by literal gangsters. That is sad. I’m not putting my hands in the fire for anyone. But that is also the product of an exploitative capitalist mindset. None of the people actually making the phonecalls are “escaping poverty”. It’s the owners of the computers and offices and bank accounts that accrue the scam money who are getting rich. And those people rarely set foot in the actual call centers.

            • puppy@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              He’s just a troll. I have seen many comments from this person They’re not even consistent in their opinions. Looks as if they make up shit, probably just asking for attention rather than contributing to the discussion.

            • Smoogs@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              11
              ·
              1 year ago

              You are all over this thread harassing people.

              I’m allowed to engage in a forum where I talk to other people other than just you. You are not my world and I don’t need your approval.

              ‘Harass’ said the person who’s obsessed with me… I think you are personalizing this a lot.

              I don’t care about your opinion.

              Then why are you here talking to me about my opinion ?

              Don’t talk about crap you don’t understand.

              You aren’t my boss in life. But this is easily fixed with the block button so this is a choice that you made. I didn’t force it on you to either read it or not.

              Watch the myriad of YouTube channels that cover the scam industry in India. Some people have their family and lives literally threaten with death to pay debts working for scam call centers by literal gangsters.

              welcome to poverty. This is what happens to people who can’t afford care too. Life is not fair to impoverished but that is NOT nor is it EVER an excuse to impose that on someone else.

              That is sad.

              Scamming someone else is not sad. It’s infuriating and it’s gross when you give it such an excuse as empathy to con or hurt others. They should own they harmed someone.

              I’m not putting my hands in the fire for anyone.

              Yet here you are.

              But that is also the product of an exploitative capitalist mindset.

              And here you are infighting instead of attacking the mindset.

              None of the people actually making the phonecalls are “escaping poverty”.

              Also you: “* Some people have their family and lives literally threaten with death to pay debts working for scam call centers by literal gangsters. *”

              It’s the owners of the computers and offices and bank accounts that accrue the scam money who are getting rich. And those people rarely set foot in the actual call centers.

              Yeah and if the person on the phone is no longer in debt and the person on the other side of the line is, they benefited. They are still a villain.

            • Smoogs@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              I don’t for someone who scams someone else and thinks they can apply the exact scenario to the person on the line.

              This isn’t a scenario where someone outran a slower person to let a tiger eat them.

              They brought the tiger TO THEM full well knowing they are too slow to run.

      • ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 year ago

        Honestly, my favorite of his was putting scammers through the Neal.fun password game. That thing is hard enough if you know what’s going on

    • Norodix@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      I have seen those, so first I played along a bit. “Oh, these hackers must be very good. Please help me”. But I had things to do so I cut it short.

      I never thought one of them would call me. I’m so much outside the target demographic. They might be getting desperate to find targets.