# Crushing fraud support scammers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushing-fraud-support-scammers/665054 "2013-08-01T04:09:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushing-fraud-support-scammers/665054/1 "2013-08-01T04:09:34Z")
OK maybe a touch of IMHO but a call from a “Microsoft support” scammer that I managed to drag out for 20 minutes got me thinking. If you could track these guys accurately, assuming for an example they are in India. Would it be possible to initiate civil suits against them for damages in their own country? Press charges for fraud of some kind? Find some way to disband or seize the groups doing this? I am a computer guys and I understand the complexities in tracing and identifying, I am more curious about the existence of mechanisms to beard the proverbial lion in their own den. Like having a law firm with branches in several countries famous for harboring such establishments and crosslinking them to clients in other nations who are being targeted. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushing-fraud-support-scammers/665054/2 "2013-08-01T04:26:12Z")
Well yes, but you would have to physically attend a court in India, and then provide strong, direct evidence. Did you report it to police ? So if police have no evidence, then how can you say you do ? The most obvious level is that the scamming work is done in, from,via, legitimate call centres. second, The people you sue would have the home advantage and be able to get statements saying “you are confusing me with someone else, I do legitimate telemarketting and help desk services, so its perhaps possible to make this mistake, so its your mistake”. Now you are threatening to prove the India IT workforce cannot be trusted, they may well try to put you in jail for perjury - lying !. No one takes that risk. Its well known that India is corrupt, they have to pay bribes to get their police clearances to operate as “Trusted Outsourced call centre - guaranteed to be criminal free”. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crushing-fraud-support-scammers/665054/3 "2013-08-02T04:30:50Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > I am a computer guys and I understand the complexities in tracing and identifying, I am more curious about the existence of mechanisms to beard the proverbial lion in their own den. Brian Krebs does something similar to this with his [Krebs on Security](https://krebsonsecurity.com/) blog. To wit, > [@](#): > > Over the past six months, “fans” of this Web site and its author have shown their affection in some curious ways. One called in a phony hostage situation that resulted in [a dozen heavily armed police surrounding my home](http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/03/the-world-has-no-room-for-cowards/). Another opened a $20,000 new line of credit in my name. Others sent more than $1,000 in bogus PayPal donations from hacked accounts. Still more admirers paid my cable bill for the next three years using stolen credit cards. Malware authors have even used my name and likeness to peddle their wares. > **[Mail from the (Velvet) Cybercrime Underground – Krebs on Security](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/07/mail-from-the-velvet-cybercrime-underground/)** > > Over the past six months, "fans" of this Web site and its author have shown their affection in some curious ways. One called in a phony hostage situation that resulted in a dozen heavily armed police surrounding my home. Another… Read the blog entry about the latest attempt to take him down by those out to screw people, using heroin and anonymous calls to the police.