An American content creator has shared a funny video that shows him ‘raiding’ a call centre in Delhi. Justin Ho, 23, posted the now-viral video on Instagram, where it has crossed over 1.7 million views in a day. He claimed that the call centre was running a scam.
In the clip, Justin reached the centre with people dressed in oversized SpongeBob SquarePants costumes. What followed was utter chaos as Justin’s team created a ruckus in the office, dancing on the floor and not allowing the employees to work.
“We got information from inside sources that they were a scam,” the US content creator told Hindustantimes.com over an Instagram message.
“Everyone was scared when we first showed up. Then they started laughing,” he claimed.
Take a look at the video below:
A couple of security guards were seen trying to control the situation at the call centre. Unfortunately, their lathis did not have much effect on the SpongeBob SquarePants-costumed chaos creators.
{{/usCountry}}A couple of security guards were seen trying to control the situation at the call centre. Unfortunately, their lathis did not have much effect on the SpongeBob SquarePants-costumed chaos creators.
{{/usCountry}}Instead, the video shows Justin’s co-conspirators surrounding the hapless security guards.
Justin, who is of Taiwanese and Korean descent, told Hindustantimes.com that the raid was carried out on August 7. He has since left India and is currently in Thailand.
(Also read: Global cyber scam busted in Lucknow’s nightlife hub)
Video sparks amusement
Justin Ho’s raid sparked much amusement on Instagram, where people recognised it as a lighthearted protest against scam call centres rather than a full-blown crackdown.
“As an indian I can say, you are doing better job than the police over here,” read one comment under the video.
“SpongeBob suit looks lathi charge proof. My country’s protesters could definitely use this. Indians assemble,” a person joked.
“Who are they gonna call? The police??” another quipped.
“I’m an Indian and this is hilarious,” a viewer declared. The video has racked up over 1,000 similar comments.
Scam call centres in India
Fake call centres operating in India often pose as legitimate customer-support or technical-support operations, impersonating employees of companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and other well-known brands.
Their operators contact victims directly or use fake online advertisements, pop-ups and helpline numbers to get people to call them. Once a victim is on the line, scammers use tactics ranging from fake technical problems and account compromises to bogus refunds to persuade them to hand over money or sensitive information.
A significant number of these illegal call centres target people overseas, particularly in the US.
(Also read: Two US men plead guilty to helping Indian call centres scam elderly Americans)