In message , VanguardLH
writes:
J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
[]
*Legally*, with the twisted legal systems in both our countries, you're
probably right. *Morally* ... well, they're wanting to do evil to me who
hasn't ... well, to use the example usually quoted in crime series I
_have_ had parking tickets, but I think have always been successful in
challenging them; whereas I'd be wanting to do evil to people who have
done evil to many and will continue. *Practically*: I'm not going to
succeed (or even try) anyway, as I don't have the necessary skills (and
CBA) - but if I did, I can't _really_ see them complaining to the
authorities ...

They have lots of money to lose if they were forced to discontinue their
operations. They'll hire lawyers and harass you in court.

1. I'm not talking about the (barely) legal companies that provide
arguably genuine services - offer to, and do, "clean your computer" or
other arguably genuine (if usually unnecessary) services. They're on a
par with companies that offer to do a "winter service" on your car. I'm
talking about the companies who, through deliberate deception, install
malware on your computer, either intending to subsequently be able to
blackmail you if you want your files back, or to steal card, account
etc., details. Or both. I think it is this latter type of caller most of
us in this thread are thinking of.
2. Lighten up! I was really only making a humorous suggestion - which I
think most others here recognised as such.
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Buffaloing by police or lawyers isn't a new tactic, and it often works.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barratry_%28common_law%29 - bullying by
excessive use of lawyers. I presume hard to prove though.

Intending to do harm is not the same as doing harm. Only a few crimes
have "intent" laws, like intent to murder. Intent to steal your money
probably isn't directly legislated, so until you give them your money
(or credit card) and until they actually take that money or use that
credit card number then the argument about [future] intent is
conjecture. They haven't harmed you until they actually do it, not
because they might lead up to that harm with spam/scam phone calls.

I suspect even obtaining card details under false pretences is a crime,
even before they're actually used - surely certainly so if the obtainer
is not who they claim to be (e. g. Microsoft). May differ US/UK. IANAL.
[]
I'm reminded by users that try to send fake bounces in some uneducated
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I'm with you there, as (a) the spammer may well have (mis)appropriated
someone else's genuine email [though the majority of spam email I've
seen looks as if it's from unlikely emails], (b) the original reason
suggested for backscatter - that bounces would result in the removal of
your address from lists as "invalid" - has rarely if ever been shown to
be valid [most "spam lists" propagate one-way: there's little incentive
to revise them, they being of dubious legality in the first place]. It's
cognate with "do not feed the trolls" in newsgroups - less likely to
result in action against you, but irritating to other users.
[]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go. - Oscar Wilde