can an Indian ...

[Jimmy Stewart ...]

Can an Indian in a scamming call centre in wagga wagga who is trying to rip you off and steal all your money do you under hate crime for calling him a black bastard over the phone ?

[jon]

That's not very nice jim.

[Jim Jackson]

So what's the equivalent racist epithet for the white scammer?

[Jimmy Stewart ...]

are there any ?

[Jim Jackson]

doesn't that say a lot?

[Max Demian]

Whitey honky colonialist slaver.

[Fredxx]

What, that white scammers don't exist?

[Max Demian]

That whites invariably play fair?

Meaning 7: Benevolent; without malicious intent, e.g. "that's white of you"

(Actually it appears that meaning is ancient and comes from the association of white with purity rather than race.)

[Jimmy Stewart]

that's it !

[Jimmy Stewart]

it is not very nice being scammed ...

[critcher]

its about time BT stopped these scammers, it must be possible somehow.

[Fredxx]

Many years ago Microsoft came up with a anti-spam suggestion that you had the right to charge to receive an email, or the sender paid that would be refunded if the recipient agreed.

These days the cost of phone calls is so cheap they're not a disincentive. Until there is a cost to the sender, or one imposed, we will continue to receive these fake calls.

Numbers can also be forged. It is not beyond man's ability to insist these are kosher numbers by limiting entry into the world's telephone network, and/or charging when receiving calls from dubious operators.

[Steve Walker]

Part of the problem is that numbers can be legitimately spoofed. It is fine for a VOIP phone, used while away from home to send the number of your home landline. For a company phone to send the number of their contact centre. Even for a Foreign call centre to send the UK contact number of the company they are working on behalf of. Indeed it can be necessary - if a company that you are a customer of is using a foreign call centre, you may not be accepting international calls and they need to show a UK number to get a legitimate call through to you.

[Jim Jackson]

No. They exist in large numbers. I just wonder why a racist epithet is needed at all? Scammers/spammers are just right bastards whatever their colour/religion/shoesize

[Fredxx]

While I might agree with you, from my personal experience 90% of scammers claiming to represent BT, Microsoft or some other plausible entity seem to use people with an Indian dialect.

Of course they could be whites using cultural misappropriation to enhance plausibility but I doubt it.

Agreed.

[Jimmy Stewart ...]

lucky for you...signed the porridge wog

[Jimmy Stewart ...]

tee hee

[Peter James]

I noticed in the past few weeks that a lot of spamming calls showed local numbers. And yet their determination to obtain my bank account details would show them to be criminal rather that working on behalf of Microsoft, Amazon or BT as they claim. Peter

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I don't think the colour or race is the problem here, its the people who run these scam centres who should be locked in a cell and subjected to these calls for 5 months day and night and see how they like it. Brian

[Steve Walker]

Yes, but blocking number spoofing to prevent that, would also block legitimate use of it.

Indeed, I think spoofing doesn't go far enough. I hate companies phoning with withheld numbers (particularly one, some years ago, that randomly phoned me with an autodialling modem, but that I could not identify and so could not tell them to stop).

I wish it were a legal requirement for companies and organisations to always show a valid phone number - at least spoofed to the switchboard or helpline - then it would be so much easier to block or ignore withheld numbers.

At the moment, many companies, the local hospitals, etc. all just withhold their numbers.