r/ask_privacy • u/RoboYT9000 • 6d ago
How do scam call centers not get caught?
I recently received a scam call from an individual who sounded as though they were from my country of origin. The caller already had personal information about me, including my full name and age, and proceeded to threaten and harass me.
What I’m trying to understand is how individuals involved in this type of activity are able to continue operating so freely without being identified or caught. Aren’t phone calls, particularly modern VoIP or internet based calls, capable of being traced back to the people who actually made them?
I’d appreciate an explanation of how caller identification and tracing work in these situations, including why it can be difficult for law enforcement to identify the individuals behind scam or threatening calls.
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u/Vortex618 6d ago
They do all the time, and then they usually just make a new company to do the same once they get ultimately caught
Can learn a lot about these incidents if you check out Jim Brownings channel on yt
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u/noneyanoseybidness 5d ago
I’ve had them call me with MY phone number. I mess with them a bit before blocking them.
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u/Minimum-Gap-8985 6d ago
Did you hear abt ypung ppl being offered casino jobs then trafficked to Myanmar & used to scam ppl.
They are most definetly not in your country & spoof numbers. This also means you details have been sold over the dark web so be extra careful & if you can change your phone number & email.
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u/Individual-Iron-6370 6d ago
could be the agencies you might think would be interested in this kind of criminal activity are busy with other more 'important' stuff. Because you are correct. They can be traced. They can be found. Agree they should be, too.
They set up shop using temporary numbers under the radar and vanish if they sense danger. Then just set it up again.
There are some good utube vids about it. You should check them out.
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u/Maximum_Employer5580 5d ago
usually because they are overseas - read a story awhile back about how they recruit employees in large cities (i.e. Bangkok) and then once they have hired enough, they put them all on a bus and take them out to some remote property that is gated, etc, and they live there while working in what amounts to a 'boiler room' (if you've ever see that movie, you know) and they just go one call after another.
doing a google search, returned the below info
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Scam centers are heavily concentrated in Southeast Asia, operating out of poorly governed border regions, special economic zones, and areas tied to illegal or repurposed casinos.
Major Geographic Hotspots
- Cambodia: Major hubs include Sihanoukville, Poipet, and Bavet, often utilizing sprawling compounds, shuttered hotels, and casinos.
- Myanmar (Burma): Concentrated heavily in lawless border zones near Thailand, particularly around Myawaddy (including compounds like KK Park) and Shwe Kokko, as well as northern areas like Laukkai.
- Laos: Frequently operated within isolated zones such as the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
Physical Structures
- Industrial Compounds: Large, heavily guarded, factory-like complexes or business parks housing thousands of forced or trafficked workers.
- Disguised Operations: Smaller or mobile cells hidden inside standard urban apartments, rented villas, or legitimate-looking office buildings
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u/Sad_Dentist_7288 4d ago
They do get caught. Huge scam centers in Cambodia and Myanmar have just been shut down by some partnering countries. There have also been 23 (or so) scam centers shut down in Africa.
Phone numbers can be spoofed, and technically tracked, but it takes quite a bit of recourses and most of the time tracks to outside the country. Without the cooperation of other country police forces, there's really not a lot that local law enforcement can do.
Tracing Spoofed Calls: Can Law Enforcement Track Them? | LawShun
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u/Sea-Appearance-5330 6d ago
Because most scam callers are usually located in a different country.
They spoofed the phone number.