Recently, some employees of an organised crime call centre dialled our store’s number, and we were ready to record the conversation.
Written by Jon Cavell of Warragul Computer Repair.
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After someone has been scammed, I often hear disheartened relatives say ‘I don’t know why they didn’t just hang up, I thought they were smarter than that.’ To be honest, I’ve occasionally thought the same thing… until now.
The most important thing I took from the call was how vulnerable we all are in the face of the mental games these fraudsters play. For me it took all of my mental dexterity to keep composure and to think rationally while taking a call carefully executed by masterminds of organised cybercrime.
No, I didn’t get scammed and knew it was a dodgy call from the start, but I can see very well now how someone of sound mind would be tricked by these criminals. The poor line quality, thick accents, Telstra impersonation etc.. are orchestrated to significantly reduce your reasoning, and I certainly felt that even though I knew exactly what was going on.
I thought I fully prepared to delve deep into their processes to better understand them, but by the point we had convinced the scammer they had control of the system I was that exhausted by their mental games I pulled the pin in case I made a mistake – something everyone should do right at the start of scam call.
It’s important to remember scammers are not hackers. As a former professional white hat hacker (or, if you will, ‘reverse-engineer’), I find applying the term ‘hacker’ to scammers insulting. Scammers are criminal fraudsters who try to convince you to give them your private information or for you to just hand them arbitrary access to your computer, with one eventual goal: to make you and your money part ways.
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We are currently taking expressions of interest in a free public presentation, live play of a scammer call step by step, with an open forum on how your can fight back. Depending on the venue, seats will be very limited, so get in contact quickly! Email me at jon@warragulcomputerrepair.com.au or send a written request to 6 Smith Street, Warragul if interested.
