Re:Tech-Support Scams Prompt Google to Act
by toomuchtodo on Saturday September 01, 2018 @01:45PM
(#17893005)
There are people who fight back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzedMdx6QG4 [1] (warning: nsfw audio, use headphones)
With that said, when your loved ones are facing mental health challenges that make them susceptible to fraud, someone needs to step in to assume a guardianship role. That's not to say the government has no role; they should be prosecuting these cases harder, but there is no magic bullet. Everyone could be doing a better job.
[1] Code that drives it: https://pastebin.com/r4L2ufkp
A lot of times it's the old and infirm. A friend's father is going through the beginning stages of dementia and he got taken by the "MS support" scam.
Remember: 1) they wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable, and 2) it only takes a small percentage of folks to fall for it to make it profitable.
It disturbs me that our system of government and commerce does give a shit about this problem. The people who are caught doing this are given a slap on the wrist. I talked with a lawyer in TX once (googled a case, called him) and in the 00's a company was caught and convicted of terrible scams. They paid the fine and kept doing it, just in a slightly different way that was harder to get caught.