# What's the point (with insulting Indian phone calls)? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 11, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927 "2019-07-11T21:23:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/41 "2019-07-12T11:22:43Z")
As a point of clarification, I have received spam phone calls from people with Indian accents. I think. I honestly couldn’t tell you if they were Pakistani, Indian, or something else. Anyway, not a one of them ever told me they were fucking my mother or anything e;se like that. As the OP stated that he was already prejudiced against Indians, I can only say that this sounds like karma. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/42 "2019-07-12T12:14:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > …since I know these are crooks trying to separate innocent victims from their money, every minute I occupy them is a minute they are (1) not making any money, and (2) not stealing from anyone else. Let’s say it’s a public service. You’re a saint. mmm ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/43 "2019-07-12T12:24:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > “I am fucking your mother, asshole!” “Goddammit dad, go home.” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/44 "2019-07-12T12:36:15Z")
I once had a phone call (a solicitation at work). I told the guy not to call back and he started making some comments. I said something to him and hung up. The same guy called back the next day (he had others listening) and tried to get rise out of me since I wasn’t buying their scam. I guess all Americans are assholes based on that. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/45 "2019-07-12T12:46:46Z")
Guys, can we just put the accusations of racism aside and just concentrate on how Indians are the worst? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/46 "2019-07-12T12:47:07Z")
> [@](#): > > I guess all Americans are assholes based on that. We are, but not based on that. I have gotten a couple of calls similar to the ones described, but to be fair to the scammers, they don’t usually become abusive until I do first. I even had one call me back to complain that I insulted him. Which I certainly had, and continued to do. Nothing stops them, so I might as well amuse myself venting at them in creative ways. Fuck you, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/47 "2019-07-12T12:50:06Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But some callers delight in throwing out offending language, like “Do you want to suck my dick?” “You can eat my shit!” and “I am fucking your mother, asshole!” and it goes downhill from there – long, long after it is obvious that this call will not generate any revenue. Wait, it goes _downhill_ from “I am fucking your mother”? I have to confess a bit of curiosity as to where such a conversation might go. Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure my response would be something like, “Well, she’s been dead since 2008, so knock yourself out”, or something similar. Except I never answer calls from numbers I don’t recognize, so I never seem to get the chance. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/48 "2019-07-12T13:08:00Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > See above.You may be right. But I return to the OP: since these scammers are in it for the money, why don’t they cut their losses when it is obvious that they won’t earn anything? Do they think they will grind me down and I will give up my credit card number? Are they getting pleasure from thinking they are offending me? If so, then they are stupider than I thought. As vile as the work is, it’s still not being done by machines. If you’ve noticed, humans occasionally get frustrated and act sub-optimally or not their best interest. We’re not a ruthlessly efficient, profit-maximizing species (or at least most of us aren’t). It’s being human. They got pissed they didn’t catch a live one and are hurling invectives in frustration. That’s all it is. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/49 "2019-07-12T13:41:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > So karma is real! Well, I’m sure many in India think so. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/50 "2019-07-12T17:07:02Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I have all the time in the world, and since I know these are crooks trying to separate innocent victims from their money, every minute I occupy them is a minute they are (1) not making any money, and (2) not stealing from anyone else. Let’s say it’s a public service. > > See above.You may be right. But I return to the OP: since these scammers are in it for the money, why don’t they cut their losses when it is obvious that they won’t earn anything? Do they think they will grind me down and I will give up my credit card number? Are they getting pleasure from thinking they are offending me? If so, then they are stupider than I thought. For the same reason you don’t you cut your losses when it’s obvious it’s a scam. You can cast it as a public service all you want, but that is unconvincing. You’re getting revenge on them because you don’t like what they’re doing. They’re doing the same thing back None of the people in this scenario are rational actors. You are wasting their time out of spite. They are angry at you for wasting their time. You may be immune to having nasty things said to you, but most people aren’t. Which is why people say nasty things to other people when they are angry. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/51 "2019-07-12T17:20:38Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I have all the time in the world, and since I know these are crooks trying to separate innocent victims from their money, every minute I occupy them is a minute they are (1) not making any money, and (2) not stealing from anyone else. Oh, I missed this part earlier. You’re deliberately trying to waste as much of their time as possible just for shits ‘n’ giggles and pretending that you’re somehow being altruistic by doing so? Yeah, no wonder they’re swearing at you. I have no love for spam callers and don’t think they should be shouting obscenities over the phone even at time-wasting giggleshits, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical to be a time-wasting giggleshit. Behave like a grown-up and just immediately say “No thank you, not interested” and hang up as soon as you realize it’s a spam call. If you really want to devote some of your unlimited spare time to thwarting the efforts of spam callers, it would be far more constructive to, say, volunteer at senior centers to help some of their most vulnerable potential targets learn to identify spam calls and immediately say “No thank you, not interested” and hang up like a grown-up. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/52 "2019-07-12T17:24:59Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > We are, but not based on that. > > I have gotten a couple of calls similar to the ones described, but to be fair to the scammers, they don’t usually become abusive until I do first. I even had one call me back to complain that I insulted him. Which I certainly had, and continued to do. > > Nothing stops them, so I might as well amuse myself venting at them in creative ways. > > Fuck you, > Shodan Can I just say that it is quite jarring to see you close a post with what everyone else is thinking? ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/53 "2019-07-12T18:05:58Z")
Deep down inside I’m pretty sure too many abusive Indian scam calls is why I found myself rooting against the kid in Slumdog Millionaire. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/54 "2019-07-12T18:27:10Z")
Hell, I call people with fake scams all the time just so I can move on to abusing them. It’s great: they think I’m from some exotic place and that I’m trying to scam them, and so they try to waste my time with a bunch of baiting questions, but really all I ever wanted to do was just cuss out a random stranger. In an odd sort of way, we both win and the world is a slightly happier place. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/55 "2019-07-12T18:33:34Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I have never heard of such calls. > > Given the OP’s last statement, I am guessing that he is being pranked by people that know him. I just received one of the “lower your credit card interest rate” calls just the other day. It was an automated call, so I didn’t speak to anyone directly and didn’t receive any abuse (but I wanted arguments!). It showed up on my caller id as the name of my bank (!), which is why I picked it up. But when I heard they were claiming to have contacted me numerous times about it before (they hadn’t) and they were offering a 6% rate – right – I knew it was a scam and hung up. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/56 "2019-07-12T19:16:51Z")
P.S. Mean to add that I’ve worked with a ton of Indians, have had them as neighbors and my PCP is Indian. I’ve liked all of them. So, no, it has nothing to do with being Indian. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/57 "2019-07-12T19:17:29Z")
It happened to me once, with someone claiming to be from the IRS. The guy completely lost his shit at my being uncooperative. I expected higher-quality scamming from someone impersonating a government official, frankly, and I told him so. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/58 "2019-07-12T19:20:34Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Can I just say that it is quite jarring to see you close a post with what everyone else is thinking? When I say it in the Pit, it means Regards. Bless your heart, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/59 "2019-07-12T19:28:13Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > P.S. Mean to add that I’ve worked with a ton of Indians, have had them as neighbors and my PCP is Indian. I’ve liked all of them. So, no, it has nothing to do with being Indian. My wife is ethnically Indian, although she grew up in the US. She’s OK I guess 🙂 . My in-laws are not among my favorite people. All of my other Indian friends and relatives-in-law are quite nice, though. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927/60 "2019-07-12T20:09:13Z")
OP, the truth is, you’ve brought this on yourself. When you answer the phone and stay on the line, you give scammers two important pieces of info: 1) It’s a working phone number. 2) You answer the phone. That automatically shunts you from a robo-call to a live scammer AND switches you to an active number list, so you get MORE calls. As for the obscene language, scammers often try to intimidate callers into placating them by buying whatever they’re hawking. This may seem counter-intuitive, but it apparently works with elderly consumers. And staying on the line doesn’t impact their income. We’re talking millions of phone calls made per day per scam. What it DOES do is provide you with more justification for your racist rage, which may be the real reason you’re doing this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-with-insulting-indian-phone-calls/836927.md?page=4)