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this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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Asklemmy
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I once had one of those crypto-people message me with a sales pitch, asking for money to help start their small business in Africa or something like that (can't remember what, I think it was a micro-brewery)
As an actual business owner, their initial ideas sounded okay, and I began forwarding them resources on how to secure a low-interest loan from their government and grants and stuff like that and then they abruptly closed up with:
"This is scam, brother. This is scam. You have good heart. I tell you only once, do not message this number."
We forget that on the other end of scams are real people with real problems, morals, and lives. The person on the other end of your scam probably started to feel bad and helped you out. And likely that person is being forced into performing these scams on people.
There's an excellent "Search Engine" podcast episode about this that came out recently called "Who's behind these scammy text messages we've all been getting." It's well worth a listen because it dives into all the slavery and human trafficking involved in modern scams that people aren't aware of.
The especially vile thing about these scam centers is that often they trick normal people just trying to find work and support their family. They steal their passport and then hold them hostage with slave labour.
Can you link the podcast?
Look up "pig butchering" by John Oliver. Yes, this is the technical term for it.
The podcast goes much more in depth than Oliver did. But they're both good content.
https://pjvogt.substack.com/
That's the website, but it's not rendering for me for some reason.
Here's a PocketCast link:
https://pca.st/podcast/cb2108e0-8619-013a-d7f7-0acc26574db2
Not the one you asked for, but another interesting episode on the topic: https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/141/
Aww.