What does it look like inside a scam call center?

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Have you ever wondered where all those spam phone calls you get actually come from? What does an average work day look like for people who spend hours daily doing nothing but cold-calling people in hopes of landing one gullible enough to hand over enough personal information to steal their identity?

As it turns out, not great. There are more people getting into scambaiting — the art of deliberately wasting scammers’ time for fun and profit — every day, but few possess the technical skill of Irish white-hat hacker Jim Browning, who mercifully chooses to use those powers for good. Browning gained access to the CCTV system of a scam call center in Pakistan, through which he observed their daily routine for months on end. You may very well have been called by one of these guys!

Although the insight into how the scam actually works, from obtaining lists of phone numbers to the actual deception, is fascinating, the good part comes right at the end. With the information gathered, there’s nothing left for Browning to do but reveal himself, striking true terror into these people who steal from the less credulous for a living. While it doesn’t pay back their victims, it’s still satisfying to watch them squirm.