Prompt Cast
Alex Goldman's Complicated Relationship with a Tech Support Scammer in India
TLDR Alex Goldman discovers that his friend Alex Martin, who he thought was the manager of a call center, was actually someone else named Kamal. He also learns that "Alex Martin" is a name used by multiple people in the office when they know Alex Goldman is calling, and one of the Alex Martins, Akash Sharma, reenacts moments from a call and expresses embarrassment over his own actions.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Alex Goldman corrects a previous story he did about his relationship with a tech support scammer in India, revealing that the scammer dropped the facade and admitted to being a telephone scammer in a shameless manner.
03:52
Alex Goldman realizes that the person he thought was his friend Alex Martin, the manager of the call center, was actually someone else named Kamal, and he eventually manages to get in touch with the real Alex Martin.
06:54
Akash Sharma reveals that Alex Martin is not one person, but a name that everyone in the office would use when they knew Alex Goldman was calling, and Akash was one of the Alex Martins that Alex Goldman spoke to.
10:42
Akash Sharma, one of the Alex Martins that Alex Goldman spoke to, reenacts moments from a call with Alex Martin and expresses embarrassment over the things he said.
14:59
Akash Sharma started working at Akastings after leaving a previous job, and he initially made legitimate calls to people in the UK about phone bills.
18:14
Akash Sharma initially joined a group at Akastings that he thought was Microsoft technical support, but later discovered that they were scamming people by offering a non-existent technical support service for $400.
21:22
Akash continues to work for the scam company, even though he feels ashamed, because the money is helpful, but the bosses start getting violent with employees who don't meet their sales goals.
24:46
Akash stayed at the scam company because he would lose his commissions if he quit, and he was also scared due to a rumor that he was trying to steal contacts to start his own company; he later confirmed that he was beaten up while working there.
28:13
The hosts reflect on the nature of their internet relationship with Alex Martin and discuss the possibility of meeting in person.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
