Im a professional scam artist I make desperate people love me and take their money
A young worker has given a first-hand account of what working inside a mass scamming call center is really like.Having fled war-torn Syria for Dubai, the 21-year-old was desperate for work and was ecstatic when he landed what he thought was an advertising role.Instead, he rocked up to a bizarre office location in the middle of the Dubai desert where those inside tried to confiscate his passport.The young man, who refers to himself as Beard, said he was then held captive and forced to scam people for a living.He worked alongside hundreds of others aiming to steal money in a ‘pig butchering’ romance scam in a sophisticated operation designed to part unsuspecting victims from their cash.This type of scam devastates thousands of Aussies a year.That’s why news.com.au has launched People Before Profit, calling on the federal government to make it mandatory for banks to compensate scam victims – just like in the UK.
In October last year, the UK introduced world leading legislation making compensation mandatory for scam victims within five business days except in cases of gross negligence.Beard has become a cog in the wheel of the insidious transnational scamming industry, estimated to have raked in $1.03 trillion dollars globally last year, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance.“I actually got used to it.I forgot this is not a job.
This is a scam,” Beard told news.com.au over a video call.“Those are not customers.Those are victims.
It just gets normal after a while.“You’d definitely feel bad for what you’re doing.But at the same time, it’s them or you.”Having just arrived in Dubai after fleeing his war torn home of Syria, Beard needed a job as soon as possible and saw an opportunity posted on encrypted messaging app Telegram as a “copy paste role”.He thought it was an advertising role and was quickly hired.The office was miles away from Dubai so he paid for a taxi to take him there.Drawing closer, he saw a bunch of tall, dreary build...