imagine being a totally random dude and all you want to do is catch some fish and then you get stranded in this weird, gigantic foreign kingdom and they make you the utmost authority on your language and literally all you wanted was to catch fish
can we stop shipping real people. can we like not do that anymore ever
Um…why?
Because real people are not characters. These people are complete strangers to us, and not all of them appreciate strange kids (and even adults) invading their private lives to get the newest scoop on who they’re dating or drawing explicit hardcore porn of them and their partner/friend without taking their feelings into consideration.
Unless someone has explicitly stated that they don’t mind being shipped/have fanart made of them in a romantic or sexual fashion, don’t do it. It’s creepy.
I’ve seen a lot of YouTube stars have to come out and ask people to stop the massive shipping campaigns for them because it made them/ their partners uncomfortable.
You wouldn’t do it to a stranger on the street, don’t do it to a stranger behind a computer screen.
Y'all the wildest thing ever happened today I need to tell you… Mom got a call from Washington DC telling her it was an emergency and she had to call back instantly. Of course she did, and she was put on the phone with this young man with a very very thick Indian accent… he gave his name and position and badge ID and basically told mom that he worked for the IRS and there was an issue with her taxes and she was being sued by the government for 8000$ and should she fail to cooperate her drivers license would be revoked and a policeman would be over to arrest her.
But what the guy didn’t know was that mom went to a prestigious law school and both her dad and uncle are lawyers. She was an active member of the union strikes in the 80s-90s and even had a lawsuit against them be taken to the Supreme Court. She knows the law and the workings of the government REALLY REALLY well, and she could tell something was up. She demanded evidence that they could identify her and after asking for her zip code he gave her the address of her house but she said that that information could be found online. She asked for her social security number or even her email and he said both were classified. She asked to speak to his supervisor and he said that he “didn’t have one available.” She kept on asking question after question that she already knew the answer to as someone with a really extensive background in law and his answers were really sketchy. Finally he told her that “the call was being recorded and if she didn’t comply and answer his questions he would send out a warrant for her arrest” and so she answered a few questions and THEN he said “okay I’m switching you over to my supervisor.” NOW HE HAD A SUPERVISOR.
So mom was transferred over to another man, this guy sounded older but he also had a very very very thick Indian accent. He also gave his title and full name and badge number and then told mom that she had to wire the $8000 through an online source immediately or she would be arrested. Mom was pretty sure this was a scam now but it was so elaborate and they had been so convincing that she didn’t feel right hanging up so she started interrogating the guy, demanding proof that they could identify her, telling them in detail about all of her past interaction with the IRS, demanding they provide literally any evidence that they were really part of the IRS and any of this was real. The guy on the phone started to get really aggressive, he kept yelling at mom for “wasting their time” and “accusing them of lying to her” and kept on telling her that if she kept this up he would send a police officer to arrest her and take all of her possessions. She ended up getting rightfully mad and YELLING at the man; yelling about her background in law, about how he wasn’t providing any evidence, about how his information didn’t line up at all with any of her past experiences, etc etc. She screamed at this guy for like a solid 20 minutes and you could hear him starting to totally falter. Finally he went “I’ve pulled up your house, I can see it right now, I’ll send authorities immediately.” and mom said to prove it and he said “you have basketball net out front, a brown garage door, and a brown front door.”
OUR DOOR IS LIGHT BLUE…
So now mom is really mad and also really sure this is fake but he keeps threatening legal action and she has a job and four kids and these guys are legitimately threatening her so she doesn’t want to risk hanging up yet. So she keeps yelling at him, calling his bluffs, and demanding he provide her evidence. He refuses to even email her. Then he slips up and goes “Look, after you’ve sent me the money I can tell you-” and mom LOSES IT going “Are you saying that if I PAY YOU, A MEMBER OF THE IRS, EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS IMMEDIATELY, only THEN will you give me information?? Did you really just say that to me??” And the guy starts going “no no I didn’t say that! That’s not what I meant!” Mom now has me google all of the information we’ve had so far (she’s been on speaker the whole time and I was listening in and taking notes at her request). I couldn’t find any information on the identities they had given, but I did find an article about a huge tax fraud scam taking place out of India that’s conning people out of thousands and thousands of dollars. Mom took the article and started reading it out loud to the guy and he legit goes “Ma'am, listen, I don’t care about all of that” and mom goes “YOU DONT CARE THAT THERE MIGHT BE PEOPLE TRYING TO IMPERSONATE YOU, THE IRS??”
So now she knows it’s a scam and at that moment a police car (highway patrol) happens to drive up. We were getting lunch at the time. She STANDS UP and goes “At this moment I can see a police officer and I’m going to ask him to trace this number.” The guy starts begging her not to, and then she just hangs up. Like… 10 seconds later she gets another call from a different number. She answers it and, ANOTHER INDIAN MAN with a very deep voice says that he’s a policeman from the local police department and he’s currently on his way to arrest her. But he got the name of our police department wrong… So mom hangs up instantly, calls the police, and requests to know if anyone is on their way to arrest her. It turns out they don’t even have anyone on the squad with the name of the guy who supposedly was coming to arrest her, but this WAS like the 3rd or 4th call like this they had received. Apparently these scammers had gotten tons of people just in and around our city alone…
But holy fucking SHIT it was so intense. Mom has been struggling with depression lately and she said that having the opportunity to scream at those guys was really therapeutic for her fjksjdjsjsk. It was so fucking wild to listen in on, mom really really knew what she was talking about and she was so stubborn about holding her ground and refusing to be persuaded and she just completely saw through their shit but they put up SUCH a fight; it was a really really elaborate scam. I felt like John Watson watching Sherlock solve a crime or something holy hell.
Guys, this scam has been hitting in my area. It gets worse.
They threaten to have people’s kids taken away.
It gets worse.
They SWATed people.
I’m inclined to think that if you get one of those calls and pull something like OP’s mom, you might want to call your local police non emergency line and let them know about it.
The IRS will not call you.
Anyone who claims they’re calling from the IRS is automatically a scam.
“There are clear warning signs about these scams, which continue at high levels throughout the nation,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Taxpayers should remember their first contact with the IRS will not be a call from out of the blue, but through official correspondence sent through the mail. A big red flag for these scams are angry, threatening calls from people who say they are from the IRS and urging immediate payment. This is not how we operate. People should hang up immediately and contact TIGTA or the IRS.”
Seriously, just don’t interact. If someone calls claiming to be the IRS, tell them (in your most bored-sounding voice) “wow, this old scam again. get a better job, dude.” and hang up. I’ve had to do this a couple times. One called me back, and I laughed at him and hung up. The IRS WILL NOT CALL YOU. Also anyone who is not okay with you hanging up on them and calling their line directly is not legitimate. If someone calls saying they’re from your bank, etc, just tell them you’re more comfortable calling the official number yourself, or tell them you’re driving and you’ll call back later. Real businesses will accept a callback.
because this whole thing got wildly out of hand and if thats not what you meant i dont kno w what to tell you because
PLACE YOUR BETS
its been over a year since i posted this and i gotta say its kinda fitting that the comic ive put the most effort into making visually interesting and has the most potential for lore expansion is a duel between two memes. thanks
this is the last year you can legally talk about homestuck once it’s 2017 you get arrested if you say any homestuck words enjoy it while you can
midnight new years eve. the ball drops. “sylladex,” i whisper. suddenly police sirens fill the night. my family looks at me in horror. but it’s too late. i’m ushered into a squad car. my cat leaves me
>sees frog >says “this is so incredibly illegal” >police come to arrest both the frog and me
