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0 pointsmikesabat1y ago0 comments

Thanks... that seems really labor intensive.

0 comments

Labor is dirt cheap in some parts of the world, especially compared to the tens of thousands of dollars American retirees might have access to!

Scoundreller1y ago

My deep and probably founded fear is that I’m on a list of people to scam in 40 years when I’ll be at least mildly demented.

Hopefully my efforts to waste scammers time instead of “just hang up” has got me removed from a few high-value lists.

zaik1y ago

You think scammers 40 years in the future will use a target list of phone numbers from today?

Scoundreller1y ago

Why not? People don’t really change their phone numbers much anymore and phone numbers have become increasingly individualized.

dragontamer1y ago

It's done with slave labor.

It's called pig butchering. You kidnap people, hold them in Cambodia or whatever (lots of locations where local criminal gangs rule) so the locals don't bother checking for literally kidnapped slaves.

If police stop by, pay them off and make up a story about debts and punishment.

Then you use the slaves to scam others in pig butchering scams. If the slaves refuse, you beat them until they comply.

https://www.propublica.org/article/pig-butchering-scams-raid...

janalsncm1y ago

Just to clarify the terminology, pig butchering refers to the scam to steal money from fake romantic partners. The SE Asian kidnapping/slavery shops that run pig butchering scams are referred to as fraud factories.

Double_a_921y ago

Btw this is also used as a sob-story tactic by the scammers if you eventually call them out after some time.

willcipriano1y ago

Yeah a lot of it happens in office buildings in places like Nigeria. People wearing business casual clothes and everything. At first glance it just looks like a normal company.

solardev1y ago

Thanks! That's a much better link and explanation than what I linked to.

dotancohen1y ago

So reply asking if they want you to notify authorities in their city. I doubt that the kidnappers are reading every message. And even if they are, better to let the kidnappers know that they are being encroached upon.

otterley1y ago

These outfits are often working under the protection of the local authorities thanks to rampant bribery.

Scoundreller1y ago

> These outfits are often working under the protection of the local authorities thanks to rampant bribery.

I don’t think I’ll ever visit Cambodia and I can call Cambodia for a few cents a minute as well as their embassies.

Their local authorities can’t block us all!

dotancohen1y ago

That's why the initiative has to come from outside.

2 more replies

ceejayoz1y ago

> I doubt that the kidnappers are reading every message.

The guy working one computer over elbow-to-elbow is gonna narc you out for better treatment, though.

danesparza1y ago

But with big payoffs.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

solardev1y ago

Labor is dirt cheap in some parts of the world, especially compared to the tens of thousands of dollars American retirees might have access to!

Scoundreller1y ago

My deep and probably founded fear is that I’m on a list of people to scam in 40 years when I’ll be at least mildly demented.

Hopefully my efforts to waste scammers time instead of “just hang up” has got me removed from a few high-value lists.

zaik1y ago

You think scammers 40 years in the future will use a target list of phone numbers from today?

Scoundreller1y ago

Why not? People don’t really change their phone numbers much anymore and phone numbers have become increasingly individualized.

dragontamer1y ago

It's done with slave labor.

If police stop by, pay them off and make up a story about debts and punishment.

Then you use the slaves to scam others in pig butchering scams. If the slaves refuse, you beat them until they comply.

https://www.propublica.org/article/pig-butchering-scams-raid...

janalsncm1y ago

Double_a_921y ago

Btw this is also used as a sob-story tactic by the scammers if you eventually call them out after some time.

willcipriano1y ago

Yeah a lot of it happens in office buildings in places like Nigeria. People wearing business casual clothes and everything. At first glance it just looks like a normal company.

solardev1y ago

Thanks! That's a much better link and explanation than what I linked to.

dotancohen1y ago

otterley1y ago

These outfits are often working under the protection of the local authorities thanks to rampant bribery.

Scoundreller1y ago

> These outfits are often working under the protection of the local authorities thanks to rampant bribery.

I don’t think I’ll ever visit Cambodia and I can call Cambodia for a few cents a minute as well as their embassies.

Their local authorities can’t block us all!

dotancohen1y ago

That's why the initiative has to come from outside.

2 more replies

ceejayoz1y ago

> I doubt that the kidnappers are reading every message.

The guy working one computer over elbow-to-elbow is gonna narc you out for better treatment, though.

danesparza1y ago

But with big payoffs.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse