No one is a stranger to phone scammers. If you’ve never been a victim before, you were at least a target. If you’ve never been a victim or a target, you probably know someone who was. They are in the business of misery, and they never know when to quit.
It can be quite frustrating to be in the face of blindly confident thieves, but don’t let them get to you. A general rule is to leave them alone. Get the phone number they used and report it to the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) and Federal Communication Commision (FCC). Leave the hunting to the professionals. And who are we to disagree with the advice of government departments and security experts?
The official stance is always to disengage.
But then again, you wouldn’t be here if you wanted to disengage. Sometimes a little bit of retribution is in order. Put your prank call skills to work and read on.
How To Scare A Phone Scammer
Before we even discuss the tactics you can try - you have to know what you are up against. There is very little you can do to scare a phone scammer. These people are professionals. They know how to talk and go around the bush.
Even if they aren’t fluent in English, never assume that their language skills reflect their intellect. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. They may not get your money at first, but they always get some kind of information from you in the end. Your name, your phone number, your location, your credit card number, your social security number - there is so much they can get from you. And while they won’t be able to rob you outright, knowledge is power.
You always need to assume that they know what they are doing and that they are very dangerous. When you view scammers like this, you are less likely to make stupid mistakes. A more realistic goal is to keep them annoyed and keep them occupied. That is the best thing you can expect.
Another thing you need to be aware of is that they don’t always make the call first. Texts, emails, websites, and robocalls - there are hundreds of campaigns out there to prompt you to call them. By doing this, they cast a wide net, getting the attention of as many people as possible.
At the end of the day, the ones who answer are from the most vulnerable sectors. They get people who don’t know the law or the language to call them back.
If you want to face them head-on, here are the responses and approaches you can take to give them a taste of their own medicine before you sic ’em with the U.S law enforcement!
Use Generic Deflection Techniques
Let’s start off with the least aggressive route: deflection. When scammers get a hold of your emotions, it is easier for them to get the information they want. If you can’t keep your personal information private, you might as well stop here.
You should never give them an inch, and the best way to do that is to keep a cool head. When you detach yourself from the situation, you make more calculated hits. And who knows, you might hit them where it hurts.
Act Clueless
The best way to waste their time is by keeping them on the line. The only way you can do that is by convincing them you are a target. These scammers can smell blood in the water, so bait them. Let them think they have you, but don’t give them the satisfaction of making it easy either.
So how do you do this?
First, you need to have fake personal information on hand. You need to have everything prepared from your name to your social security number - just in case they ask for it. You might also want to slip in something that doesn’t fit, like an extra letter or number. You can even try to pull a “My birthday is February 31” or something similar to see if they are paying attention.
Every time you give them information, they are lulled into a false sense of success. During those moments, you can ask them questions to prolong the transaction, maybe even bring up an unrelated story. Stretch it out.
When it gets down to money, be very willing to give it to them. In the middle of reading out your “credit card number,” drop the call. Leave them high and dry, and then report!
Mirror Man
If you are good at reading people, you might want to try this. Mirror Man is something based on a House episode where a patient doesn’t know who he is. All he does is take bits and pieces of information and uses it to replace the gaps. If he sees a doctor, it means he is a doctor. If he reads a symptom, it becomes his symptom. He just reflects what’s already there.
Do you know how unnerving it is to see someone imitate your mannerisms? It is so juvenile but effective. When answering a scammer’s call, you can start off as yourself. But as the conversation goes on, take bits and pieces of the scammer.
Do they have an accent? Imitate it?
Did they cough? Cough back, twice.
Is their English broken? Double down on that.
How long do you think it will last until they realize you are using their mannerisms? Even if they don’t say anything, you know you are getting under their skin.
Test Their Patience In Conversations
Confront Them
Confronting them is the most common approach for people who want revenge. And to be honest, it isn’t a very effective technique. These scammers are brain-washed with toxic rhetoric.
“If it’s not me, it will be someone else.”
“They are American. They have money to spare.”
“I’m struggling. I need it more than they do.”
“It’s easier to make money in their country.”
While it is personal for you, it isn’t for them. Confrontation will not do you any good. If you are determined to give it a shot, some people try to talk them out of scamming. If you get someone new to the job, they might still be able to turn around. But know this, it won’t work if they aren’t new. The money and incentives are too good for them to pass up.
The Only Real Scare Tactic - Pose As The U.S Government
The only way to scare these phone scammers is to meet them on their level. If they are a large organization, you have to pose as one as well. And nothing can be bigger than the U.S government. Teach them the meaning of picking on someone their own size.
Pretend to be the CIA or FBI, any kind of U.S law enforcement they probably know of, and intimidating them. Act cocky and give out hard-hitting questions:
“What is your name?”
“Who are you working for?”
“Do you know the consequences of trying to de-fraud a U.S citizen?”
If they are trying an IRS or social security scam, you can also up the ante with:
“Do you know posing as a U.S government official is illegal? This directly goes against 18 U.S. Code § 912 - look it up.”
When they ask about your badge number, you can deflect with the “I’ll be asking the questions, son” or “That information is classified.” After you have your fun, end with a generic - we’ll be watching you and block their number.
If playing bad cop is not your style, you can try a more indirect approach. Pretend to be an actual victim, but play radio static once in a while. Maybe also play a generic police scanner in the background. When they ask you about it, curse, then drop the call.
When they try to call you back, answer posing as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You won’t be getting any calls after that.
Remember, at the end of every call, always report the details to the FTC - the real ones. They take reports for social security scams, government imposter scams, IRS scams, phishing scams, and false check scams - basically everything scam-related.
When you do this, you hit two birds with one stone. You piss off scammers while helping the administration put a stop to them.
If you want to try calling scammer numbers, you can check out IRS Scammer Numbers to Call or Indian Scammer Numbers. There we have a list of some active telephone numbers. If that isn’t enough, you can check the subreddit r/ScamNumber or Scammer.info to find other phone numbers you can call.
Happy Pranking!
Related: The Scammer Prank Call Handbook
