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I've been getting calls for years at home where the caller would say "Mr XXX, this is the police" and then a pause and then "don't worry, we're just calling to

by e40 5y ago

I've been getting calls for years at home where the caller would say "Mr XXX, this is the police" and then a pause and then "don't worry, we're just calling to talk to you about <some charity event>". I have friends who tell me they always donate because they are afraid of repercussions. Lately the calls are actually bots, and very good ones. I had a short conversation with one and I thought they were human, before I hung up. Next call sounded exactly like the first, so I asked "are you human?" and after asking 2-3 times I got transferred to a human and told them to take me off their list. Haven't been called since.

dTal 5y ago
Um. I don't often swear on HN, but what the fuck. It should go without saying that it is not normal in a civilized society for the police to harass and intimidate random people over the telephone into giving them money - let alone automating it.
- artificialLimbs 5y ago
  There is no mention above about people being harassed and intimidated.
  - dTal 5y ago
    Yes there is. Phoning someone and saying "This is the police", followed by a pause, is calculated to raise people's heart rate and stress them out. They know that because they follow it up with "don't worry" - people shouldn't be worried in the first place. It deliberately plays on people's fear, and that's despicable. Then there's the fact that some people fear repercussions for not donating. How did they get that impression? An honest misunderstanding, no doubt... Then there's the repeated robocalling. That would certainly harass me.
  - dillondoyle 5y ago
    or if it's actually the police and not a scam
  - craftinator 5y ago
    The police always intimidate. It's how they try to gain control of every situation they are in. If there's no mention, it should be assumed, and should be assumed unless there's specific evidence to the contrary.
  - jakelazaroff 5y ago
    > I've been getting calls for years at home where the caller would say "Mr XXX, this is the police" and then a pause and then "don't worry, we're just calling to talk to you about <some charity event>". This is harassment and intimidation.
    - voakbasda 5y ago
      If only there was someone that could go arrest them…
  - e40 5y ago
    First time it happened my heart jumped into my throat. I was fucking pissed off.
jorgesborges 5y ago
I'm Canadian but worked briefly in a call centre during university. We were contracted out by different organizations -- the Veterans of Massachusetts, the Alaska State Troopers, the Hero Fund for Florida, etc., -- and we solicited donations for these organizations. What I learned through the process was that all the organizations were bullshit fronts and the donations flowed to different P.O boxes around the country. Most of the contributors were clueless patriots or dutiful elders. Most of the best callers simply made their own scripts and said whatever they wanted to close the deal. Anyway I left obviously but I think about it now and again.

by e40 5y ago

dTal 5y ago

Um. I don't often swear on HN, but what the fuck. It should go without saying that it is not normal in a civilized society for the police to harass and intimidate random people over the telephone into giving them money - let alone automating it.

artificialLimbs 5y ago
There is no mention above about people being harassed and intimidated.
- dTal 5y ago
  Yes there is. Phoning someone and saying "This is the police", followed by a pause, is calculated to raise people's heart rate and stress them out. They know that because they follow it up with "don't worry" - people shouldn't be worried in the first place. It deliberately plays on people's fear, and that's despicable. Then there's the fact that some people fear repercussions for not donating. How did they get that impression? An honest misunderstanding, no doubt... Then there's the repeated robocalling. That would certainly harass me.
- dillondoyle 5y ago
  or if it's actually the police and not a scam
- craftinator 5y ago
  The police always intimidate. It's how they try to gain control of every situation they are in. If there's no mention, it should be assumed, and should be assumed unless there's specific evidence to the contrary.
- jakelazaroff 5y ago
  > I've been getting calls for years at home where the caller would say "Mr XXX, this is the police" and then a pause and then "don't worry, we're just calling to talk to you about <some charity event>". This is harassment and intimidation.
  - voakbasda 5y ago
    If only there was someone that could go arrest them…
- e40 5y ago
  First time it happened my heart jumped into my throat. I was fucking pissed off.

jorgesborges 5y ago

I'm Canadian but worked briefly in a call centre during university. We were contracted out by different organizations -- the Veterans of Massachusetts, the Alaska State Troopers, the Hero Fund for Florida, etc., -- and we solicited donations for these organizations. What I learned through the process was that all the organizations were bullshit fronts and the donations flowed to different P.O boxes around the country. Most of the contributors were clueless patriots or dutiful elders. Most of the best callers simply made their own scripts and said whatever they wanted to close the deal. Anyway I left obviously but I think about it now and again.