Rebuffed scammers call the law on victims

[Ash]

And all of us are automatically guilty of disorderly conduct - the great catch-all. Raise your voice loud enough and you can get arrested for it.

 

[Ash]

Wow, first double post in a decade.

 

[22-rimfire]

NEVER voluntarily admit police whom YOU didn't call, without a warrant.

Don't resist, but NEVER consent.

Assuming that you didn't do what the police claim, I would inform them that this is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard and ask to see a search warrant. I would also ask who made the complaint but I know they would never tell you.

 

[22-rimfire]

Well, I narrowly avoided being swatted yesterday!

My phone rang, waking me from a nap. Caller ID said "804". Strange...and suspicious.

I don't answer any call that shows some sort of odd numbers, anonymous, or other notation intended to not allow you to see the originating number. I have received calls from police with the "anonymous" listing as they often do not want to let their cell numbers out for general consumption.

 

[we are not amused]

This is a rather interesting thread, lots of various opinions, some good some bad.

First, most phone scammers aren't going to "swat" someone for pissing them off because the last thing they want is extra attention from Law Enforcement. Those that do are probably very dangerous people who have mental problems, and are very much in need of as much LE attention as they can get.

Jerry Pournelle hit it right when he suggested that "swatters" be hunted down and caused to feel pain. (clicking on Chaos Manor is the second thing I do after the Drudge report)

I first heard about "swatting" when it was used against Conservative bloggers by Liberal hate groups, since then I have learned it is a popular tactic used by disgruntled "gamers', anti-hunting and animals rights groups, anti-gunners, and in domestic disputes. According to some reports it has caused deaths.

Some excessive paranoia has been expressed by some members about answering the phone. This is silly and can have negative consequences that may out weigh any perceived safety as someone doesn't need to call you to "swat" you. I have received many phone calls from numbers that I didn't recognize that I was glad to get. Friends and relatives calling for assistance from someone else's phone, distant relatives, and people who I didn't know but had good reason to make contact with me. Hiding in fear is not something I recommend or practice.

For those interested in Sen. Joseph McCarty, I sternly recommend "Blacklisted by History" by M Stanton Evans. Available from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

P.S. I actually meant to use the word "strongly" in stead of "sternly", but the word is appropriate, so I let it stand, thanks spellcheck.

 

[58limited]

Long thread, haven't read all of the responses.

I have caller ID, I never answer the phone if I do not recognize the name or number - if it is someone I know or who needs help they will leave a message on my answering machine and I will pick up while they are talking; if they don't leave a message then I consider that the call is unimportant. Same with the door - I have a good eyepiece that people outside cannot tell I'm looking through. If I do not recognize them I do not answer. If it is the police, I open the door but with the chain in place and ask what they want, we go on from there (this only happened once back in the dial-up internet days - my computer modem screwed up and dialed 911, officer said that had happened a lot).

 

[Bubbles]

...most phone scammers aren't going to "swat" someone for pissing them off because the last thing they want is extra attention from Law Enforcement. Those that do are probably very dangerous people who have mental problems, and are very much in need of as much LE attention as they can get.

The "IRS" and "Microsoft" scammers are overseas outside the reach of US LE. I suspect they're also in countries whose governments encourage these scams so there is no risk for them to "swat" someone in the US.

I also have a home-based business so ignoring calls from unknown or out-of-area telephone numbers is not an option.

 

[TwinReverb]

And all of us are automatically guilty of disorderly conduct - the great catch-all. Raise your voice loud enough and you can get arrested for it.

Why would I want to yell at a cop anyways?

And I doubt it's as simple as just raising one's voice.

 

[Ash]

Oh, yeah, raising your voice can do it. Disorderly conduct is such a broad catch-all that just about anything can be it, including sitting down.

 

[Deanimator]

Raise your voice loud enough and you can get arrested for it.

I have no desire to talk to the police in ANY tone of voice.

"Am I free to leave?"

If the answer is "no", I follow up with "I have nothing further to say without benefit of counsel."

They can talk to my lawyer or not at all.

 

[Robert]

This appears to have run its course.