Okay, time for a quick show of hands. How many of you could have predicted that Indians would do something like this?
*Counts hands*
Just as I thought.
No one.
Fifteen people and five businesses are facing charges for their alleged involvement in a $5.5 million call center scheme out of India that defrauded more than 2,000 Americans.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that seven of those individuals were arrested in the U.S. on Thursday, and several other individuals and businesses in India are facing charges for carrying out a call center scheme where operators would pose as Internal Revenue Service officials or payday loan officers to target their potential victims.
Many of the scammers would allegedly threaten their victims with arrest, fines, and/or imprisonment if people did not pay their back taxes or penalties.
“IRS and payday loan phone schemes seek to profit by exploiting United States citizens, including the most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This indictment and yesterday’s arrests demonstrate our commitment to identifying and prosecuting those who hide behind these types of phone scams.”
Not gonna lie; I have limited sympathy for anyone who falls for Indian scammers. I mean, are there actually people out there who don’t slam down the phone the moment they’re cold-called by someone with an Indian accent?
How can that not be an automatic, trained response these days?
It’s not like the whole “scammy Indian call centers” thing is an esoteric secret understood by a small group of enlightened skin-haters. It’s a stereotype that transcends borders and nations; everyone makes fun of it.
Presumably, the only “Americans” who could still fall for this trick are low IQ coloreds (which is what “the most vulnerable members of our community” is often a codeword for). If that’s the case, hey, whatever. If Martin from New Delhi intends to swindle Shaniqua out of her remaining $100, I’m not going to interfere.
Also, let me state that the notion of a 400 lbs sheboon reading out her credit card details to a grinning street-shitter on the other end of the line is objectively hilarious, and something that needs to be transformed into a comedy sketch.
Y’know, for educational value. People need to know that they’re being scammed here.