Woman masterminds the best possible deterrent for spam callers

Imagine clocking in each day, settling down with a steaming cup of deceit to swipe the savings of unsuspecting victims. It’s a grind, really—a thankless job steeped in a cycle of lies and letdowns, punctuated by the occasional “sorry, wrong number” and the grim realization that maybe they should have listened to their mothers and pursued a stable career in accounting instead.

But on a particularly mundane Tuesday—or was it Wednesday? Who keeps track anymore?—our everyday con artist, Scammy McScamface, dialed into destiny, akin to the daring scammer who recently found himself in a Parisian vacation.

In a delightful one-minute TikTok clip from @irlrosie, Scammy attempts to swindle the TikToker out of a suspiciously specific $3.6 million. The catch? She interrupts him at every turn with nonsensical phrases like “WHY YE” and “My bank of America’s not one. Only with the 1.3 innnn it.” The scammer, clearly flummoxed, struggles to maintain his composure, devolving into an embarrassing mess of stutters and sighs.

As the conversation unfolds, the woman can barely contain her laughter, stifling giggles that threaten to expose her ruse. Meanwhile, Scammy is left questioning his life choices, possibly contemplating a career change to something equally stressful, like lion taming or bomb disposal.

Viewers couldn’t help but praise her quick wit and comedic timing. Comments ranged from “Your huuuhhuhh’s have me dying” to “I’m over here trying to laugh quietly so he doesn’t hear me too.” Some even expressed a desire to join the fun, with one user exclaiming, “I need a scammer to call me so I can play… this is hilarious!”

Yet amidst the laughter, there’s a sobering reality: scammers are relentless. As one TikTok user pointed out, “The scary part is they do this all day.” They’re not wrong. In 2022 alone, Americans lost a staggering $10.3 billion to internet scams, marking the highest losses in five years. Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks accounted for $2.94 billion in financial losses in 2023. This troubling trend disproportionately affects older individuals, with those aged 60 and above losing a total of $3.4 billion to online scams that same year.

So while it’s tempting to revel in the occasional triumph over these scammers, it’s essential to remember that they’re not merely bumbling fools on the other end of the line. They’re part of a larger, more insidious problem that preys on the vulnerable and costs billions annually. But hey, until we can outsmart them for good, why not join in the fun and engage in a little battle of wits?