Not this self-righteous bloke, AGAIN! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 02:03:25 am
content: he thinks he's "solving" problems, and yet conveniently RAKES in the cash, and it's all done under the pretence of "justice". What a childish schmuck - his body language and clothing, and - <ahem> - "tactics" - I had little respect for Mr Rober before, so-called ex-NASA and ex-Apple "engineer" - makes me wonder WHY he is "ex" both of these? Also, and not of insignificance, he is using animals to "clean up" these call centres. What does he think his childish "prank" is going to "solve"? They need education and to be shown their error of their ways with KINDNESS and compassion, not some jumped up yank with his cap on back to front, dressed like he's in high school

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 02:09:13 am
content: I think Rober is great, I love it when someone makes a thief or scammer's life more difficult and it's funny too. He's well spoken and produces good quality videos, his devices are cleverly engineered and work well. You are free to try compassion against these idiots but personally I'm fed up and would resort to explosives by now if it were legal to do so. Show them the error of their ways? Hah! Haven't met many tweakers (methamphetamine addicts) have you?Ironically the title of this thread reflects my thoughts almost exactly about your post. I mean why? What compels you to post angry fuming rants? What does it add to the discussion on a technical forum such as this?

author: SpacedCowboy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 02:42:53 am
content: Have to say I'm a lot more with James than Eti on this one. Far too many scammers out there, because it's just so easy if you're not into tech. A little bit of payback seems fair - sauce for the goose being sauce for the gander and all that.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 04:47:00 am
content: I feel pretty much the same way about videos and forum threads debunking some "thing". Especially when it is transparently just seeking to stir up controversy either for the sake of it or for generating cheap low effort video views. Mark Rober, whose videos that I have watched are pretty entertaining and well made with a commendable amount of hard work put into them. So although I haven't seen this one yet I expect it is well made. I find the clever squirrels more fun than glitter bombs I have to say.Mark Rober and many other YT creators are just doing what they feel they have to to succeed in the environment of their YT overlords. These scammers are no different operating in their own environment. Both are evolving their techniques to adapt to what works for them to achieve their goals.But please don't post the video and help others (like me) who may have ignored it in blissful ignorance otherwise. Perhaps generating outrage is part of the plan to help spread the word.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 05:24:45 am
content: I'm with James on this one.Eti if you really want to get upset about vigilanties, look up bait bike pranks on youtube.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 05:47:38 am
content: Quote1. You are talking about "people" who scam defenceless people out of whatever little money they have or even their life savings. They are crooks, create misery in whatever they touch and deserve whatever nasty come their way.2. Kindness is something that's for the victim first, abuser/criminal second.3. Kindness clearly doesn't work with these "people".4. These "people" are well aware of what they are doing and are arrogant about it. There are videos where scammers brag to him and are smug about the whole thing. They know full well the error of their ways and take great pride in it.The channel is great, if nothing else it exposes the way these "people" work, what they do and how they do it to a wider audience so that they may get a clue.QuoteYes, there should be a youtube dress code, it's a clear sign of madness

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 05:58:18 am
content: Quote from: Kasper on May 11, 2022, 05:24:45 amThose are great. I'd advocate doing the same thing with bait cars except I'd hate for an innocent bystander to get hurt in the process. I have absolutely zero compassion for thieves that steal things from people who worked for what they have. I simply do not care if they are annoyed, hurt or even killed. Good riddance, some "people" simply cannot figure out how to function in society and play by the rules no matter how many chances you give them.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 06:27:53 am
content: Fighting scammers in countries like that is like, pissing in the wind.It will make zero difference, they will move on, the law enforcement and justice system won't do anything and if they do it will only be until somebody pays them enough money or leans on the right person to drop it.This is nothing but getting youtube revenue, not solving a problem, if anything it only serves to make the scammers more careful at hiding, especially if as he says they all share information.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 06:41:32 am
content: Every little bit counts. Pissing off one scammer and ruining their afternoon is worth it.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 06:41:46 am
content: It also serves a purpose of exposing the scam. There are plenty of scambaiting videos, but they generally don't go viral. And if this gets propagated to facebook and other places that have lots of potential victims, all the better.And having a laugh does not hurt either. I see no downsides to that. They can't be all that careful, since they have to interact with victims, so they will always be vulnerable to a certain extent.You can technically say that Kitboga wasting hours and days of scammer's time is also pointless, but it distracts at least one scammer for that long, exposes and shuts down their US bank accounts. And also entertains 1000s of people.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 08:11:19 am
content: Over a cup of coffee, I'd ask Mark:. Was there some frustration building up first, perhaps as result of perception that these operations run in plain sight, law enforcement / justice being passive, or worse?That would be motivation, as a person would not track scammers, for fun...(criminals sometimes are wary, to protect their interests, in nasty ways). As MS13 organized gang percolates Northward, I wonder if even extending far north, across Canadian 'border'.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 03:26:39 pm
content: Quote from: RJHayward on May 11, 2022, 08:11:19 amWhat do you mean? That's exactly what all the scambiater channels do. It is extremely fun to see crooks suffer.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 03:44:42 pm
content: I quite enjoy Mark Rober, Jim Browning and the other scam-baiting / scam-trapping fellows on YouTube. Entertaining viewing and knowing that time spent dealing with these YouTubers costs them money and time in dealing with actual victims.The sad thing is there's plenty of documentary evidence -- Jim B can find most call centers with a little bit of sleuthing around -- yet it seems they operate nearly with impunity in India and elsewhere.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 04:16:20 pm
content: In the absence of effective law enforcement, seems to me that anything that publicises these people & their scams has to be a good thing as it raises awareness to potential victims, and may indirectly result in some political/legal pressure to reform things.If it can entertain as well, then that's a bonus.And why shouldn't he and others involved make a living via Youtube for all the time & resources spent?

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 04:33:51 pm
content: It's simply great edutainment. And since the bosses of the scam callcenters pay the local police to turn a blind eye there is little to expect from Indian law enforcement. I agree with Mike, some public awareness might help.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 04:37:48 pm
content: Quote from: madires on May 11, 2022, 04:33:51 pmnot to mention that the more of the scammers' time gets wasted, the fewer victims get scammed.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 05:52:19 pm
content: I admit I'm not sure what the OP exactly has against this.And I'm curious to know since when kindness and compassion have ever helped curb scamming.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 06:24:47 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on May 11, 2022, 05:52:19 pmJudging by his past history here, he seems to be the sort that is deeply offended by the prospect of somebody somewhere having a good time and enjoying themselves.

author: cgroen
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 06:43:50 pm
content: Come on "eti", not againMark is a great guy, and is getting lots of young people interested in science and other stuff.One could claim that if we look at a battery, Mark is the positive wire and you are the negative wire......

author: alexnoot
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 07:53:32 pm
content: This bit from The Simpsons is a meme by now, but I think it fits quite well as a response to OP...

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 07:56:35 pm
content: Quote from: eti on May 11, 2022, 02:03:25 amWhat amazes me most is that this is basically asking acriminalto stick to the law.Maybe it helps if you say please? No doesn't work? Maybe introduce a new law with more paperwork that demands call centers to specify honestly about the work and companies they work for. "Please don't lie!" Would that work? Or would they also bribe those authorities or fake those documents to make it appear like they are actually hired by [insert big company name here]?I actually just happened to watch this video, as I was bored and mentally tired, and it was an entertaining half hour. (Yes my evenings can be that slow, but don't mind me) In all honesty, from time to time I actually enjoy these video's from YT'ers/streamers that try to mess with these scammer guys. On the one hand it's funny because if you know what they are up to, these (exposed) scammers operate so incredibly stupid. I'm amazed that CCTV cameras still get hacked. That they can just remote into the boss' PC with a password that was keylogged from their own CCTV cameras.And even though those videos may only affect the scammers operations with an 1ppm net influence, it's still a good laugh. I don't see a reason to be so bitter about it.I highly doubt that educating them is going to change anything. It's a mix of people with no moral compass, people in need of money doing any work to make a (high) pay, or professional bribing. Net result is you get criminals.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 08:26:27 pm
content: Thanks Ataradov, it IS funny, to see the pranks,...in an immature vein; I did a great big belly laugh, at some of the tactics. However, big big trouble, when 'they' start realizing you pose a threat, to, many millions of dollars and associated jobs /jail times...Imagine a boss, going to 'Shawhid', a security guy, tellhim "We've got a snitch problem", "We could all get shut down, can you do a few nasty moves, on John Smith, there in Virginia (United States).""Yeah, no probs, my cousin lives right there...does the dude have children ?". You can imagine how motivated organized crime can get, to reach out across the world, in this, hypothetical.You are right, to some extent, it's just silly 'Fart Jokes',but Mann; I would be looking over my shoulder, after provoking such an organization. Also, they tend to go to crude weapons, like clubs and bats, for some reason the crude and gross violence has the most 'deterrant' effect.But I appreciated the feedback and most criticism is actually welcome, as I value your views!

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 08:47:59 pm
content: They are not that powerful. The only way they can stay in business is because the crimes are local and local authorities don't care. They are not stupid enough to start committing crimes abroad given that they can barely maintain opsec locally.But as far as combating this stuff, I'd really like to see robust and functional caller ID. I personally would just block all calls from foreign call centers.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 09:10:06 pm
content: Quote from: cgroen on May 11, 2022, 06:43:50 pmYou mis-spelled "whine" there at the end.

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2022, 11:41:16 pm
content: Regarding the scammers, I'd be happy to throw supercritical plutonium cores at them, or just a small C4 charge blowing up their balls.Thise things wouldn't happen in good old Spanish Inquisition times, or in SpartaAbout Rober, I don't like it too much, but guess what, he's doing what makes the money.If acting like a teenager with 40+ years gave me millions, I probably would too!Take any good quality Channel... gets 100K if lucky!Do something stupidly awkard, 50M in 2 weeks!

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 12:37:14 am
content: Quote from: eti on May 11, 2022, 02:03:25 amThat's some baizou level cuckoldry.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 02:09:36 am
content: Quote from: John B on May 12, 2022, 12:37:14 amIt doesn't surprise me that the average Joe response is "REVENGE! REVENGE! HATRED!!" - that's why forgiveness seems alien to you, as you, and many people, feel always frustrated and offended, because you have a "Revenge!" mindset, and that will keep you imprisoned. We can ALL change our ways, we just have to WANT to and to sacrifice our hatred for compassion and to TRY and see it from their perspective. This is why Mr Rober and his mass "justice!" campaigns will always fall flat on their faces, as NOTHING kills sin and hatred like love and forgiveness; does humanity never learn? It seems not.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 02:18:18 am
content: Oh no, not this self-righteous bloke, AGAIN! That's right kids, it's eti again.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 02:20:29 am
content: Are you really this delusional? What kind of kindness do you apply to actual criminals that consciously picked that line of work and make millions of dollars a year doing it? This is not revenge, this is actual investigation and prosecution work (to the extent possible without violating the law) that local police is too corrupt to do.As I said, this can be stopped with decent caller ID and flexible caller blocking. But here corruption comes to the US side of things and telecoms are also making money on it, so they are not inclined to do anything.

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 03:15:03 am
content: Quote from: eti on May 12, 2022, 02:09:36 amI've actually learned some quite harsh life lessons in my time. For one I don't think for a moment that these call centre people you're talking about need to be "educated" about what they're doing. I can guarantee that if the same thing was done to them, they would immediately be crying foul. They understand perfectly.Kindness is only a useful trait in a system of reciprocity, where people have been raised as such. If you're outside their usual system, ie, family or close social circle, you're basically just setting your self up for a knife in your back.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 03:22:13 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on May 12, 2022, 02:20:29 amYes, this is absolutely annoying. I get calls on my phone that say "Spam Risk", but there is no available feature in the phone to filter spam risk calls and block them. Why can phones block incoming calls based on the number, but not on the caller ID?

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 05:09:49 am
content: Some say the world is overpopulated and measures should be taken to get it down, I'd say we should get rid of criminals, by using them for stuff like medical experimentation - the worse the crime, the more "experimental" it gets. In doing so, medical technology would advance faster helping the innocent to live.And if you want to see Mark Rober get glitter bombed:

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 06:39:20 am
content: Quote from: eti on May 12, 2022, 02:09:36 amFool me once, shame on you.Fool me twice, shame on me.Make a business out of fooling people out of their money, I hope you get eaten alive by a rabid badger in the near future.QuoteTheir perspective is that they are getting money out of gullible people. They have the option of not getting money out gullible people. With every phone call, with every day of showing up to "work" they choose to avoid this option. Forgiveness is all well and good, but if someone's stabbing my relative with a knife, stopping the stabbing takes priority over analysing their life to see stuff from their perspective and being compassionate about their hard life that led them up to this point.QuoteA significant portion of your posts sound like foaming-at-the-mouth rage against one thing or another where you show disdain or hate against something, you directly troll, you scoff at people who devote their time bettering community projects (FOSS) calling them names without even trying to see the good in their intents and the amazing amount of good they actually do, but at the same time you will lament at the poor treatment the scammy scum of the earth is receiving... not sure if you are a paragon of virtue or consistency.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 12, 2022, 09:04:22 am
content: Quote from: eti on May 11, 2022, 02:03:25 amThe ultimate fool's errand.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 02:50:14 am
content: Update from Mark's twitter:QuoteSo this video was extremely useful.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 11:08:33 am
content: A surprisingly positive outcome!

author: YurkshireLad
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 11:34:14 am
content: Just listening to a single recording of scammers conning money out of a naive old woman is enough for me. Scammers won't get compassion and forgiveness from me.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 12:27:07 pm
content: Quote from: YurkshireLad on May 13, 2022, 11:34:14 amThat's because they believe all westerns are wealthy and can afford to pay., even those who say they're poor.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 01:15:55 pm
content: I don't think it's that simple. The 'excuses' of westerners being wealthy and dumb, the obstinacy of sticking on the western alias names and other behaviour seem to be a sign of a mental conflict. They know exactly that they are committing fraud and other felonies while trying to blame their victims and their alias (more like an alter ego) to soothe their conscience.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 02:00:13 pm
content: There's two things going on here.First the assumption that all these scams originate in not-western countries. That's not true, anyone who has watched a few of Mark's glitter bomb videos will know that several of the scammers he has traced are entirely domestic US operations,Two, people who do operate these scams out of India and other places aren't adopting western pseudonyms as a purely criminal tactic. I'm sure that using a pseudonymisa criminal tactic, but the fact that it is awesternpseudonym isn't. Quite a lot of people from non-western countries adopt "English" names or anglicised nicknames when dealing with English speakers because English speakers are too dumb to cope with 'complicated' foreign names. I've known dozens of examples over the years: Fakhri - an Iraqi born millionaire civil engineer with an English wife who goes by Frank, Chandrakant - an English born bloke of Indian extraction who goes by Charlie, Shaheen Abdulfaz Sharibianni - an Iranian student who got stuck here in England when the Iranian revolution happened who went by the nickname Shab and so on.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 02:45:08 pm
content: Quote from: Cerebus on May 13, 2022, 02:00:13 pmI don't like using the term racism, because it's really overused, but I it's clearly a factor in some of these scammer's psyches, whether they get orders from those operating in the west or not. They believe white people are dumb, greedy and wealthy from the spoils of colonialism. The criminal acts committed by the British in India and by other Europeans, before anyone living now was born, helps to justify their actions, which they see as revenge and taking back what's rightfully theirs.We recently had a troll from India, who expressed a similar view, so it wouldn't surprise me it's used by scammers to justify their actions.Quote from: diycounterespionage on April 26, 2022, 03:08:26 pmhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/news/my-thread-has-been-locked-in-a-high-handed-manner/msg4139392/#msg4139392

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 03:16:45 pm
content: One swallow does not a summer make, anecdote is not evidence, etc. One doesn't have to go looking for racial/racialist/racist explanations here. The Essex thug mugging old ladies is not driven by race memories of the celtic Trinovantes being ultimately displaced by Anglo-Saxons, he's driven by simple criminality. That a few criminals chose to makepost factojustifications of their acts on historical grounds of colonial wrongs isn't a motivation for their acts or an excuse for them. Neither is it an excuse to go looking at their nationality as a cause of their criminal behaviour. I bet their grandma-ji would say just the same thing to them as mine would to me: "Two wrongs don't make a right, nyah?".

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 05:27:48 pm
content: Quote from: Cerebus on May 13, 2022, 03:16:45 pmOf course making money is the goal. It does seem that racism is often used to justify it. The trans-Atlantic slave trade was primally about making money. The idea that the blacks were an inferior race was used to prevent people from feeling bad about themselves. It's very different to the Nazis who used racism purely to target a group of people.

author: Ice-Tea
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 05:33:05 pm
content: Next time I get a call from "Microsoft about your computer, Sir" I'll think about that video, chuckle and put the phone down.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2022, 07:33:12 pm
content: Quote from: Ice-Tea on May 13, 2022, 05:33:05 pmHave you tried booting into a Linux virtual machine and trolling them? Unfortunately they always ring me on my landline, which isn't next to my PC and I don't have laptop, so I can't do that.