#rs: fake - pretend

[seance]

WHO AM I TO YOU? I AM THE ANTICHRIST TO YOU.

[qualityrain]

here to tell you that im a yukari liker if there are 1000 yukari fans i am one of them if there are no yukari fans i do not exist idc she did all that shes still my silly my girlfailure

[stariikis]

what's your ETA?

synopsis ; in a crowded train headed towards your friend's art showcase, you and your boyfriend are caught in an awkward position.

pairing ; non-idol!nishimura riki x fem!reader genre ; fluff, established rs, literal forced proximity wc ; 1180 warnings ; kissing (a lil bit in public), lots of teasing, and mentions of height difference..

“I swear, if you make one more cup of coffee and insist you have to drink it before we go, I'll personally push you onto the train tracks.”

Nearly spitting out his beverage, Riki swallows abruptly and coughs. “Now, I would say I’m used to your violent tendencies, but that’s just gory. But I’d honestly like to see it.” His eyes shine with an unsettling excitement that has you blinking rapidly. 

“You won’t be alive to see it…” You tilt your head and feign confusion. In reality, this is both your way of flirty banter. Since Riki just loves to tease you, you believe it’s only fair that you should be allowed to tease back. However, your version of teasing is questionably rude at times, way worse than any fireball of quips Riki showers you with. 

“You wanna go or not?” Riki sighs, his mug making a clunking sound on the table when he puts it down. “I’m ready to just sit here and argue with you until night — I’m not the one desperate to see Sunoo’s art exhibition.” 

“No, I swear it’s not because I’m desperate to go. You’re the one who’s closer to him though?” You shake your head and frown in bewilderment. “Fake friend.” 

Riki whips around in his seat. “Pick me!”

”Bad boyfriend!” You erupt into laughter and lunge forward to ruffle his hair. 

Playing along, Riki gets up and pushes you gently away from him. But at the same time his fingers grab ahold of your wrist, holding you close, like he doesn’t really mean it. He’s casting the bait, eyes that look deeply and adoringly into yours glimmering with enthusiasm. 

“You’re taking it to heart. Don’t take it to heart,” he murmurs, and leans in to kiss you, voice dropping down to a low. “Pathological liar.” Before you have time to protest, he giggles, hugging you close as if daring you to spit out another one of your alleged, ‘lies’. 

When you both reach the station, its difficult to see through the sardine-packed crowd of people in front of you. “It… is so crowded,” you tiptoe to be able to whisper in Riki’s ear – and even that’s not enough, he has to lean down with a huff of amusement for you to reach. “Why is it so crowded today?” 

Shrugging his shoulders loosely, Riki slips his hand into yours, squeezing it tight. “You’re the one who wanted to go to this art show.” He mutters quietly. “Kim Sunoo’s, no less. You know we can just ask him to conduct a private show for us?” 

“Is supporting your friends a concept nonexistent to you?” You snap, feigning irritation but responding by rubbing your thumb over his. Your boyfriend pretends to be hurt by this, staggering backwards as much as he can in the crowd. His free hand clutching his chest, the playful atmosphere set by your banter fades when he looks at you. Wearing a gentle smile, he leads you into the train when the doors and gates slide open. 

He manages to secure you both a spot along the wall near the right-hand-side doors. You can tell by the guilt in his eyes that he wants to find you a seat too, but you’re probably going to get dirty looks from the elderlies if you do so. Luckily, he saves you the social torture and doesn’t force you to take a seat. 

The first few stops the train makes are still bearable. Riki is squashed a little too close for comfort at times, caging you in against the wall while you just stare ahead as if nothing’s happening. You ignore the tingles the situations send, all the way from your neurons down to your toes. However, when the crowd dissolves as they alight at their respective stations, you can breathe a sigh of relief. 

Like usual, Riki makes a snide remark about your morning breath (even though you’re quite certain your dental routine is competent), and returns to scroll on his phone. What disheartens you, though, is how genuinely uninterested he seems in Sunoo’s exhibit. And how bored he seems to be, despite being here with you. 

There’s a nonchalant faze across his face as he scrolls social media, leaning in close with a hand adjusting its grip on the grab bar next to you. You tilt your head, chest starting to ache. Does he really not care as much as you’d like to think he does? To not even feel an ounce of excitement in this moment? 

The train screeches to a halt as if agreeing with your intrusive thoughts. There’s still a long way to travel downtown to where the exhibit is held, and unfortunately for you, this is the most crowded station the train has stopped at by far. So many people pour into the carriage that it’s not even five seconds before Riki’s whole body is pressed up against yours. 

He drops the arm holding his phone down to his side. 

People are pushing you on both sides, and suddenly there’s a wave of gratefulness that you’re not stuck in the middle of the carriage. As if your current situation isn’t painful enough. Your boyfriend can’t meet your eyes, and it’s not surprising. With your noses mere inches apart (only because of the height difference), even you, usually assertive and confident, have to look into the distance. 

“Sorry…” Riki says in a hushed tone, moving his lips closer to your ear. His head has practically dropped down onto your shoulder, and you can feel yourself filled with vigorous tremors. He slips his phone into his back pocket, and the hand previously holding it snakes protectively around your waist. You blink up at him, expecting a warm look down, but all you’re met with is narrowed eyes carefully scanning the surroundings. 

His neck still dipped downwards, he hugs you close when the final few people slip into the train. Clearly feeling you shaking, he hums soothingly into your ear, “you’re safe”. “You have me.” “Don’t be too scared.” Anything else he says goes in one ear and goes out the other. 

Because. In such a situation, what would you expect your boyfriend to proceed to do? a), Accept fate and stay in position, b), shyly turn away from the deathly awkwardness, or c), giggle and tilt his head to pepper kisses along your neck? 

Riki chose C. 

He’s so gross, you think, but only when you’re stumbling out the train and running all the way to Sunoo’s exhibit to save yourself from remembering the situation more. Why did he ever do that? I should have shoved him away and called him a pervert and acted as if I didn’t know him. 

What a lie — when he was pressing a final kiss against your cheek your first thought wasn’t even remotely close to wanting to shove him away. Rather, you had pouted, arms wrapped around his neck, because he’s going to have to make up for being both indifferent towards you and making you so late. 

(It is never really his fault.)

thank you for reading! i'm so sorry for the lack of uploads recently, life has just gotten a little bit busier and i finally got a lil break so i decided to write this prompt i thought of a while back!

more of my works >

[mrchalamet-mrstyles]

They are already starting their new storyline, and “predicting” that these tweets are going to force Timmy to enter another “PR” relationship, lmao. As usual, they have all of their bases covered, so if/when we find out who he may actually be dating right now, they can pretend it’s his team “scrambling” to cover this up. Maybe that was the point of that fake sighting all along?

🙄

Imagine believing anyone would have to scramble over something so outlandish and obviously fake, that only their stans have seen. If Tim and Armpit "know" that fans "know" and they and their pals so frequently send them reassuring "signals", then why do they need to create some fake PR rs for Tim? No one else even knows or cares about this "sighting" ffs.

[fallingsunflower]

I am not trying to change your (or anyone’s) mind about how they feel about Harry atm (lord knows it has been a looonnng 3 years of some nonsense). I will say that’s why I always try to keep some distance generally bc we don’t know this man, really - the good or bad parts. I do worry some people unstanning now (not you, specifically, sunny!) might fall into the trap of being a hater stan - still interested, but now thinking that everything about Harry is fake and his sole mission in life is to pretend to be nice while actively intentionally hurting people, only caring about money, etc.

All celebs live in a different reality and some are truly gross and depraved people/criminals but I don’t see that Harry deserves those labels yet. I’m actively willing to be wrong about Harry - but I’m ok for now knowing there are shades of gray in all of us and pressures/forces/things hanging over his head I don’t know about or understand so I’m giving him some grace but keeping my eyes open. And as for his industry friends - I mean, I don’t think he and lizzo are close friends (just promo buddies) and the azoffs are his friends but with their working relationship they also know a LOT about him so that also becomes tricky for me because the power dynamic at least when he initially became friendly with them was way off. Same with James in some ways who is rude/off putting/annoying but also to my knowledge not a creep or absuser. Let’s hope his non-industry friends are lovely 🤞

I’d like to clarify that I don’t hate Harry and I would never turn into a hate account for him.

For me, I’m tired. I enjoyed the 1D days. There was something a little carefree and boyish I liked about him. He seemed a bit more down to Earth, even when he started getting involved more with fashion and high profile celebrities etc. I feel as if he carried himself kind of similarly through 2020, with of course changes but I was willing to accept those (ie the shroom story in RS).

In my opinion, there was some kind of shift in 2021. I’m not pointing fingers at Olivia btw although I certainly think she was inadvertently lumped into it. I spent literally like 2 years defending this man lmao and I stand by it. I don’t think he’s an awful person but from then until now he’s carried over a bit of that shift in personality (from what I can observe - again this is just MY opinion) that I thought would disappear. And tbh, I’m tired of it.

I don’t want to waste my time talking about how “well even though Harry does this it doesn’t mean he’s terrible”. I agree but there are some patterns he hasn’t gotten rid of and I don’t want to defend him every day when I literally did that for like 2 years. He doesn’t deserve my energy. It’s tiring to defend every single thing. I think most of us are on the same page anyway so rehashing everything (like who he’s friends with or why he’s doing pap walks) is tiring.

Tbh I’d rather discuss other things. Things that make me happy. Doesn’t make me a hater of Harry but he’s just not my favorite right now and that’s okay

[purpleglitch]

I've been insane about roleswap ever since taxolotl made fanart about it. Whenever someone mentions it my brain explodes. So many things could change, because, in the lore, Dream's reputation as this scary unbeatable guy iinfluences how things play out. Not only because of him being the creator of the server but because of manhunt, so maybe george would have to "prove" that he's strong and SHOULD be feared. The ways he could do this are alarming, considering how smart he is and how little he cares about consecuences. Also, george and dream approach roleplay pretty diferently, so I think A LOT of relationships and events can change. How would have exile been if george was the one in charge? would rs!rivals be mortal enemies because of techno being an anarchist and dream a king?

Idk there's just so much, but anyway DNF ANGST.

OH ANON YOU'RE SO SMART I LITERALLY GASPED WHEN I FINISHED READING

YOU'RE SO RIGHT so many things could've gone differently because of how their roles changed and i didnt think about this when writing that brainrot post, love the idea of rs!george proving that people should fear him, and without the "dream will protect me" dynamic from c!dnf it's so interesting to think about what would happen, rs!gnf has the power to make c!gnf's "destroying the smp" dream come true and i feel like because his "apathy" or how he hids his emotions/attachments, he could fit the monster title that people gave c!dream, like emotionless, apathetic, how he doesn't care about the consequences, idk how to explain it but im shaking with excitement. also this got long again but here are more thoughts xD

For those events, i'd say first that exile could've happened from a different cause, i think tommy could've been one of the people that knew about george's actual feelings towards dream and viceversa so maybe he could've used dream as leverage against george (maybe for the discs?) or straight up harmed him which made george very angry and instead of putting obsidian walls around new l'manberg like c!dream, he could just threaten to blow it all up again unless tubbo exiled tommy, what if instead of the "spirit speech" is george laughing at tommy thinking dream is important to him and pretending he's only threatening destruction because he harmed the king of the smp which was against their "allyship" with l'manberg. During the actual exile, i think george could've been more mischievous and pranking tommy destroying his stuff and laughing at him for his situation, while also throwing comments that it was tommy's own fault for what happened, and whenever tommy tried to rebel against him i imagine george would be like "aww tommy don't do that... you don't want me to blow up your city with all your friends in there, do you? remember that poor tubbo only has one life left!" all with a fake sad voice(??)

As for rs!rivals..... oof, that's a bit more complicated like you said their political stances are very different, and i remember that clip of c!techno killing c!george on the throne room and.... yeah.... but maybe since they know each other from other servers they could have talked privately about dream's role as the king and how it was george's idea for him so he could relax and not be as involved in the story as before, techno would also be one of the people that know about rs!dnf feelings about each other since dream brings george up in almost every conversation they have, also i feel like techno would throw jokes like "dream you're copying my fashion style look at you, cringe, wear something else" and maybe it's my rivals bias but i want them to be at least in friendly terms 😭 george and techno would be not as close as rs!rivals but they teamed up for doomsday and i think techno would find amusing george's crazyisms and when the prison arc happens and dream finds out i think he would plead to techno to help george somehow, he tells him he's no longer king, hasn't been for months but he's worried about his boyf- george and either (1) knows about the favors between them and he tells techno he's using george's favor to help him or (2) maybe before the smp rs!rivals already had some favors going on so dream uses his so techno helps george. and techno reluctantly does, he clearly doesnt want to make his friend happy, shut up chat.

but i'm also interested in your thoughts of rs!rivals being mortal enemies!!! 👀👀👀 sorry this got too long LMAO didnt proofread this so sorry for any errors

[extantformoflife]

*holds up a megaphone* thoughts on ruby pokespe and also wallace being his mentor/role model/parental figure because norman is the worst

aha yes I have SO many thoughts about this!!!!

starting off Norman is indeed the worst and I have many many thoughts about how that impacted Ruby growing up and how we see that reflected in his behavior in the manga. like. the thing Ruby does, especially in the beginning of the rs arc, where he is clearly shown to refuse to let anyone know he's even semi capable at battling, even in situations where his life is at stake?? that's. that's not normal.

there's multiple ways to interpret these kinds of things obviously but to me a lot of Ruby's early behavior suggests that he does not feel safe telling people no, or at least does not feel that his refusal will be respected. but if it's not safe to tell someone that you don't want to battle (or you have reason to believe they won't listen to you) you know what you can do? you can pretend to be an idiot! you're not refusing to battle, you're just so prissy and materialistic that you'd never be able to even if you tried. you're not saying no, and no-one can get mad at you or hurt you for saying no.

but! that is actually not really what you asked so moving on. Wallace. we all love Wallace. hm. take that might be surprising to hear? I don't think he's a very good mentor. or, at least, not yet.

there's no doubt that Wallace is LEAGUES better than Norman (has not dangled Ruby off of a building) but also I think it's..... pretty clear? in his interactions with Ruby? that he doesn't. really know what he's doing.

specifically, I am talking about the scene near the end of rs where Wallace stages that thing where he posed as a fake competitor to make Ruby loose and then proceeded to tell him off for the way he's been acting. and, to be clear? I think that Wallace made some points! someone did need to talk to Ruby about that!!! my problem is specifically the way he went about it?

Ruby is a child! a conversation like that should have probably taken place in a space where he felt safe, and not. y'know. DURING an eco terrorist attack. also, personal opinion here, but again given that this is. an eleven year old. maybe offer him some support and stuff instead of just telling him what he was doing wrong? idk.

restating that I love Wallace and.... honestly of all of the clumsy attempts by adults in pokespe to scold a protag it's. one of the better ones we see (cough cough professor oak) I just do not think that? Wallace was working with all of the information in that moment.

anyways I guess what I'm trying to say is I think Wallace has the potential to be a good mentor figure for Ruby! but until he has all the information about Ruby and Norman that its gonna be extremely hard for him to handle situations appropriately. like. you handle a well adjusted child and a kid who's been the victim of some pretty long-lasting child abuse differently, y'know?

Wallace is doing his BEST and Ruby is ALSO doing his best and they may not!!! have everything worked out just yet!!! but they're already doing better than Norman and I think if they keep trying and learning that they can only get better :)

I would talk about this more but uhhhhh I'm on my phone so I can't reference anything. idk I might go into more detail at another time bc I love talking about Ruby he is my favorite silly fancy lad.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Thank you so much for the costs/benefits analysis, I agree with most of it and would like to add the benefits of the additional Pleasing sales (and the other brands they were peddling, like eliou) and free promo for MP. A lot of middle aged women and/or mothers also might feel better about Harry now (and buy his stuff), a huge prospective customer segment. And also the networking his team has made through Olivia, might come in handy, even if he quits film.

About the costs: Not sure the queerbaiting allegations are a bother, we might see them disproportionally. And it's hard to link the fact that there won't be an Oscar in Harry's future to the fake rs directly, it might rather be his airy attitude towards the movie business or...ehm...his acting. He's far from being an unbookable actor, but his fandom is a risk, which paid off for MP big time. All in all nobody can't say if Holivia got more or less butts in seats than it would've gotten otherwise.

Costs for Harry personally might be a decline in mental health due to the pressure he's been under for a long time from many different parties, like his label, his fans, witnessing the horrific misogyny and feeling responsible, maybe Olivia's side, maybe his loved ones (who might hate to see him troubled, or have to be a part of it, or hate stunts in general). I know that Harry is the best judge of what causes him pain, but with Holivia I'd say the chances that it didn't are very very low.

Another fickle thing is the loyalty of longtime, hardcore fans with staying power (and $$$). Right now I feel it's not a problem because of the perfect 'monster' Olivia was (obviously she isn't) and the gains in less engaged fans. But will the latter stay or move on in two years? The financial gain will still be much higher than the ~7% of highly invested fans who left (they did free promo for MP instead : )

Personally, I'd love love love to know where Harry's red line is, the thing he'd consider too high a cost...Anyway, sorry for spaming you with my thoughts, I always love to read yours, there is nobody else like you in fandom (heart emoji)

*************

Thanks for your thoughts anon. I absolutely agree that the advantage of going next level in his career is much wider than just the album an include things like Pleasing. With acting it's not so much that I think the fake relationship has stopped it from an Oscar, but it has contributed to their being lots of think pieces about how bad he is at acting.

I'm not sure where your approximately seven per cent of hard core fans left because of Holivia figure comes from. I would be very sceptical myself. There's always some sort of turnover of hardcore fans.

I like the way you discuss Harry's mental health I have found that discussions of the impact of the closet on Harry's mental health within fandom have a tendency to focus on things that cause fans distress (and are often part of the justification for that misogyny) an show no curiosity about Harry. I've always thought that there's no particular reason to assume that pretending to date people was the most damaging part of the closet - it could be difficult, but it might not be.

But I recently listened to the podcast with the pap who took the photos of Harry and Olivia at Jeff's wedding (episode 142). And there's one detail that I hadn't been able to stop thinking of. The pap talked about how Harry is known for really hating having his picture taken (he emphasised this a lot), but on this occasion Harry had a drink and was relaxed. I immediately thought of Michael Grandage's comments about the ease with which Harry played Tom drunk. That has really stuck with me.

Obviously there's a cost to being closeted in his life and also to being this famous, but we don't know how it manifests itself.

[autiboards]

some times I worry that the way I make posts on this blog make me look either " less intelligent " or like I am pretending to be . the way I normally type is so different , more " articulate " than how i do on here . it feel s embarrassing , like I am faking a disability . which I know I am not . when I post here , I am use ing the AAC I have to write about AAC . I type exactly what is in the box , with all the different formatting it has .

it is still some thing I feel like I am appropriating , like people will see me as ID ( * ) if they don't know me or lying if they do . I don't know if that is internalised ableism because many many AAC use rs are not ID , so how could text indicative of use ing AAC mean I am , but I know it is the public perception .

some how I feel like this more online than in person . but maybe that is because I know how mean people can be online and I am not as aware of other people and how they think / feel in person . maybe it is because I can read back what I wrote , and when I use AAC in person people don't look at the screen so they hear the sentence with out the formatting .

just feeling self conscious I guess .

( * I don't think being ID or being see n as it is bad , it is just not true for me and I don't want to trick people in to think ing I am . )

[squirrelwrangler]

You've always interested me so much. Can I ask where you are from? :3 Are you American?

I'll admit, I'm a little befuddled by this ask, but as is obvious from my sporadic personal posts, yes I am American. I was actually born in Washington D.C., so I feel I can claim some weird extra US points by that. Both of my parents were officers in the US Navy, so while I have never lived outside of the US, as a child I moved frequently from one coast of North America to the other, so as far as which regional cultural subset, even though I currently live in Texas and have for the last 20+ years, I don't identify as Southern. (Plus if you know the sub-regions in Texas, living south of the Nueces River as I do means that my local area has some strong ties to Northern Mexico). I do have a Texan variant of the drawl but I talk fast and slur my words, so idk how recognizable it is. Also had to have some speech therapy as a young child (couldn't pronouce my Rs).

Family-wise at least maternally I have ties to the Pacific Northwest and upper Great Plains, but that constantly moving military family history means a strong disconnect from that intra-generational extended family in close proximity that is relatively common elsewhere. My paternal grandfather did immigrate to the States from what was then Czechoslovakia, and the village that he was from is still on the Czech Republic side, but ironically he was Slovak (and Hungarian). Other European ancestry is a mix of various German, Swiss, Romanian, English, and Swedish, and for some ancestors we can go back to canton records in the 1400s and others we're looking at a "Romanian" mercenary who entered the country less-than-legitimately through Alaska and worked for the proto-CIA, and he's not the only 'okay that's a fake name' dude. So yeah, overall am a pale-ass White American. (Family history claims a spec of Salish but also that it was so far back in the family tree that nobody pretends to have Native American ancestry).

Been to Italy once for a short trip, have hopped over the border to Canada and Mexico for afternoon trips once, and thanks to an aunt who lived there I've been to Hawaii as a very small child. But for the most part my entire life have been inside the continental US and almost always within a few miles of the ocean. That military brat history means government vouchers if you moved yourself aka every new base transfer my parents were driving us, U-hauls included, on a three to five day road trip across the US, so I've seen the roadside versions of most states. And quite a few state and national parks. And while I never lived in on-base housing, I grew up on Naval commissaries and Naval government hospitals and in areas outside of major cities - suburbs of Annapolis and north of Corpus Christi. San Francisco was the only really really big city I lived in, and D.C. the one I spent a lot of summer visits to. And if you know D.C., it doesn't have skyscrapers. Hate those. I have what I call the optimal seagull to pigeon ratio - it's better to live where the dominant parking lot flock is gull. You could not pay me to swim in the ocean; I don't like beaches. But I have to be within a 20 minute drive to said beach or else I feel miserable. Growing up I had no desire to enlist myself, but it's the closest thing to personal/familial culture above anything regional. I hated football long before I moved to Texas because I had to attend too many Army-Naval football games in shitty wet cold Maryland late autumn weather. (Also I hate most fish but will swear by crab and crab cakes).

As for religion- well my dad's family was staunchly Catholic, he was an altar boy- but he's the definition of lapsed, refuses to step into a church for fifty-odd years. And what I was raised as? Atheist but culturally Christian, I'd say. The sum total of my religious instruction was "God is 𝝅 because everything is broken down into circles including DNA" and then what history and especially art history books taught me. And yes, that makes living in the Bible Belt meets Latino Catholic region both amusing and extremely infuriating. Cis Female. Ace. Thirties.

Have owned dogs most of my life and most of those dogs have been sighthounds and the cats were Siamese, so I have a strong understanding and interest in domestic dogs while also thinking that the optimal hound should have a cat's personality and the perfect cat acts like a dog. As a teenager I did ride horses - English style, to break that Texan stereotype.

If you've never had tamales, you're missing out. Also Beef Stroganoff is served best on white rice, and there's no such thing as too much sour cream. And Hatch chilies are an abomination.

[hyderabaddeccannews]

Naqli CBI, Naqli Police aur Naqli Income Tax Officer ke Baad aab Naqli Anti Corruption Bureau Officer Bankar Loota Kirane wale ko

Cyberabad Police have arrested 2 Criminals who pretended to be fake anti Corruption officers & Demanded Rs 10,000 from a kirana shopkeeper

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/Cuw9MHzkuve47iXd/?mibextid=oFDknk

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_SihDvJjlf/?igsh=MXh1ZTNwMjM1djR5NQ==

https://youtu.be/976SC4sDSoM?si=LHG_B_19HD7UotAU

[cybercrime-blogs]

Fake Call Centre Busted: Scammers From This Noida Office Made Rs 40 Lakh A Day By Cheating Americans, 84 Arrested

In a significant operation, the Noida Police has successfully dismantled a sprawling cyber fraud syndicate that had been exploiting leaked American social security numbers. This sophisticated operation was headquartered in a building located in Sector 6 and was orchestrated by a group of tech-savvy fraudsters. These individuals employed intricate techniques to deceive US citizens into divulging their highly sensitive personal information. The operation came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday evening when the police, acting on a tip-off, conducted a decisive raid that led to the apprehension of 84 individuals involved in what can only be described as one of the largest cyber scams ever witnessed in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Impersonation Tactics and Luring Innocent Targets

This cyber fraud ring was distinguished by its meticulous planning and skillful execution. The majority of the perpetrators were young and possessed a knack for managing business process outsourcing (BPO) operations. They successfully impersonated personnel from the US Social Security Administration, going to great lengths to emulate an authentic American accent. This clever ruse enabled them to assume the roles of officials responsible for notifying victims about the alleged leak of their personal data. The scam involved placing hundreds of calls daily to unsuspecting US citizens.

Also Read: Cybercrime in Nagpur - Cyber Blackmailer Couple Arrested in Pune for Extorting Money

A Calculated Deception

Operating stealthily under the radar for a period of four months, this fraudulent enterprise managed to amass a staggering daily revenue of Rs 40 lakh. The masterminds behind the operation, identified as Harshit Kumar and Yogesh Pandit (also known as Anna), are currently at large. Astonishingly, the call center employees, totaling 84 individuals, were reportedly aware of the fraudulent activities. However, the lure of substantial financial incentives prevented them from either reporting the matter to the authorities or resigning from their positions.

Elaborate Modus Operandi

The cyber criminals employed a well-organized modus operandi to extract sensitive information from their unsuspecting victims. Utilizing software like VICIdial and eyeBeam, the fraudsters initiated voice messages, notifying recipients about the alleged compromise of their social security numbers (SSNs). Victims were then directed to call back on a designated number. Once the victims returned the call, the scammers pretended to have access to their case files and proceeded to gather personal details, including names and zip codes.

Earning Trust and Ultimate Betrayal

The criminal operation ruthlessly exploited fear and panic, employing tactics such as fabricating suspension orders against the victims' SSNs due to alleged "suspicious activity." In many cases, victims were coerced into divulging the last four digits of their SSNs. This information was subsequently used to concoct elaborate narratives involving criminal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and vehicle-related fraud. Frightened and desperate to protect themselves, the victims unwittingly became participants in cases of identity theft.

A Web of Deceit Unraveled

As the calls progressed, victims were transferred to another individual posing as a US Marshals officer. This new persona instructed victims to convert their assets into cryptocurrency or gift cards to purportedly avoid imminent account seizures. Capitalizing on the situation, the fraudsters would provide victims with a code, which was then used to siphon off their hard-earned money into the criminals' accounts. Alternatively, victims who purchased gift cards unknowingly surrendered access to their funds when providing the secret numbers from the cards.

The Noida Police's swift action in dismantling this elaborate cyber fraud operation serves as a testament to their commitment to combating cybercrime and ensuring the safety of citizens in the region. This operation highlights the importance of remaining vigilant and cautious when receiving unsolicited calls or messages, especially when they involve sensitive personal information.

Also Read: Kashmiri Brother-in-Law could not show Kamal, and pressure on Nagpur police failed

Noteworthy Takeaways:

Complex Cyber Deception: A massive cyber fraud operation, situated in the National Capital Region (NCR), recently targeted U.S. citizens through deceptive phone calls, masquerading as officials from the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Pilfered Social Security Data: These scammers managed to acquire American social security numbers from the depths of the dark web, weaponizing this stolen data to strike fear into their unsuspecting victims.

Accents as a Tool: The group of individuals orchestrating this elaborate scheme possessed a remarkable skillset: the ability to mimic American accents with precision, thereby successfully impersonating genuine U.S. citizens.

Personal Data Alarm: The call center employees capitalized on their access to the stolen data to inform their victims about an alleged leak of their personal information, with a specific focus on their social security numbers.

Psychological Coercion: By weaving fabricated tales of criminal activities connected to the victims' data, the fraudsters coerced their targets into divulging even more sensitive details, such as the last four digits of their social security numbers.

Impressive Success Rate: Despite the initial skepticism surrounding such scams, this operation managed to reach a staggering 400,000 U.S. citizens and duped over 600 of them.

Elusive Masterminds: The orchestrators behind this operation, Harshit Kumar and Yogesh Pandit, remain at large, evading capture even after a police raid.

Complicit Workforce: Shockingly, the call center was staffed by 84 employees, including 38 women, who were fully aware of the fraudulent nature of their work but continued due to enticing financial incentives.

Profitable Endeavor: The fraudulent operation reaped daily revenues of approximately Rs 40 lakh, thanks to its manipulative tactics and scale.

Cutting-Edge Technology: To efficiently manage their deceptive calls, the call center employed advanced software like VICIdial and eyeBeam.

Multi-Stage Swindle: Victims were initially manipulated into sharing their banking details and then transferred to individuals impersonating U.S. Marshals, who advised them to convert their funds into cryptocurrency or gift cards.

Financial Exploitation: This led to victims either transferring funds directly to the fraudsters' accounts or inadvertently divulging gift card numbers, resulting in substantial financial losses.

Legal Accountability: Call center employees have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), in addition to relevant sections of the IT Act.

Seized Evidence: During the police raid, authorities confiscated 150 computers, Rs 20 lakh in cash, a vehicle, and crucial documents. Forensic and cyber teams are currently analyzing this evidence.

Ongoing Vigilance: This incident serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by cyber fraud. It underscores the critical importance of remaining vigilant against such sophisticated scams. Law enforcement agencies are actively adapting to counter these criminal operations and bring the culprits to justice.

Source: https://www.the420.in/impersonating-us-authorities-noida-fake-call-centre-scam/

[newswisenow]

How to Get Verified on Threads Using Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Get Verified on Threads: Instagram's Threads, the new Twitter alternative, is rapidly gaining popularity, attracting millions of users who have already signed up for the service. With such a massive user base, you might wonder how to distinguish yourself from the crowd. If you're looking to stand out and establish credibility, getting verified on Threads is a great way to achieve that. The good news is that if you already have a verified Instagram account, you will automatically be verified on Threads as well. How to Get Verified on Threads: Instagram's New Twitter AlternativeTo get verified on Threads using Meta Verified, follow these steps: How to Get Verified on Threads: Instagram's New Twitter Alternative There are several reasons why you might want to pursue verification. If you're a public figure, it's essential to prevent others from creating fake accounts pretending to be you. Fortunately, Instagram offers a verification process that you can utilize. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to request verification using Instagram's legacy method. - Open the Instagram app in your device and tap on your profile icon located in the bottom right corner. Next, tap on the hamburger menu icon situated in the top-right corner. - From the menu that appears, select "Settings and privacy" on Instagram App. - In the settings, locate the search bar and type in "Request verification." - Among the search results, choose the "Request verification" option. - A form will appear, prompting you to provide necessary information. Fill out the form accurately. - Once you've completed the form, tap on "Submit." - It's important to note that Instagram verifies accounts based on notability and public interest. Therefore, the verification process isn't guaranteed. Instagram will review your application and inform you of their decision regarding verification. If the legacy verification process doesn't work for you, an alternative method is to use Meta Verified, a service offered by Meta (formerly known as Facebook). Meta Verified allows you to pay a fee to Meta in exchange for account verification. It's worth mentioning that this service is similar to Twitter Blue and is currently available only in select regions. To get verified on Threads using Meta Verified, follow these steps: - Launch the Instagram app and tap on your profile icon. - Next, tap on the hamburger menu icon to reveal additional options. - Look for the "Meta Verified" option in the pop-up menu and tap on it. - You will be presented with a "Subscribe" option. Tap on it. - Select the Instagram account associated with Threads and tap on "Sign up." - Instagram will provide you with information regarding the subscription cost. For instance, in India, the subscription fee is Rs. 699 per month. - Tap on "Pay now" to proceed with the payment. - After making the payment, Meta will contact you within 48 hours to confirm your identity. They will request a government-issued ID for verification purposes. - Once your identity has been verified, a blue tick will appear on your Instagram profile, indicating that you are a verified user. This verification status will also be extended to your Threads account. Read Also How To Unhide the Threads Badge on Instagram: Exploring Options and Implications By following these methods, you can increase your chances of getting verified on Threads. Whether you opt for the traditional Instagram verification process or utilize Meta Verified, attaining that coveted blue tick will help establish your authenticity and differentiate you from the millions of other users on the platform. Download the Threads Official App on Play Store Here: Android | IOS Read the full article

[lucioborges]

RS Notícias: Google contrata Michel Temer para atuar nas negociações sobre regulação de big techs

  #JovemPan #JornalDaManhã O Google contratou o ex-presidente Michel Temer (MDB) para auxiliar nas negociações relacionadas ao projeto de lei 2.630 de 2020, o PL das Fake News, que pretende regularizar as redes sociais no Brasil. Fonte: RS Notícias: Google contrata Michel Temer para atuar nas negociações sobre regulação de big techs

[abissalcomenta]

ABISSAL COMENTA

O nome do blog veio do meu nome de guerra ou apelido como DJ amador em Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte e Recife.

Inspirei-me numa frase do cantor e compositor inglês Joe Jackson, no maravilhoso álbum ao vivo Summer In the City[i] em que ele tocou piano e cantou, apoiado apenas pelo baixista Graham Maby e o baterista Gary Burke, apresentando algumas de suas canções antigas e vários covers.

Em determinado momento, ele introduz o baixista Graham Maby, dizendo que ele ia tocar  “ a very deep deep groove".

Todos sabemos que a regra número 1 para evitar ganhar um apelido que você não gosta é inventar o seu primeiro.

Adorei essa expressão e pensei nos seres abissais, que vivem nas profundezas dos oceanos e decidir adotar este nome DJ Abissal quando pilotava as pick ups ou os notebooks. E acho que provou-se ser a decisão correta, em especial, porque a minha a primeira ideia era Lorde Gaga, rs.

Acredito ser uma pessoa que têm muita experiência, histórias, decepções e conquistas para compartilhar.  

Essa newsletter pretende cumprir alguns objetivos que eu tenho de comentar assuntos cotidianos, que já abordo nos meus posts, envolvendo política, economia, direitos humanos, meio ambiente e cultura de uma forma leve.

No ABISSAL COMENTA eu compartilho com você os melhores conteúdos sobre o que aprendi em mais de 35 anos como militante dos Direitos Humanos, gestor público e do Terceiro Setor, bem como líder Governança Social produzidos por mim!

Diariamente temos notícias novas e estudos saindo por todos os lados.

O excesso de informação disponível nas redes tem tornado difícil para muitos profissionais experientes filtrar aquilo que é relevante e o que não é, o que é informação velha e o que é tendência. Sting já previa isto na canção "Too much information" da sua banda The Police, do álbum "Ghost in the machine". 

Quero te ajudar nesse processo, ajudar a organizar os temas que vão afetar a sua capacidade e das empresas em criar valor com direitos humanos, sustentabilidade, governança social.

Por isso todo dia vou compartilhar uma espécie de briefing das notícias e sugestões de leituras, filmes, séries e álbuns que eu entendo que merecem ser conhecidos e que tenham alguma relação com o assunto tratado. Cada dia da semana daremos uma dica e a minha expectativa também é de que, pelo menos uma vez por semana, eu faça um artigo aprofundando assuntos mais comentados durante o período trazendo informações mais detalhadas sempre fugindo das fake News.

Espero que me acompanhem nesta jornada.

Fernando Matos nasceu em Recife, Pernambuco, em 1965.

Além de escrever, é advogado, militante dos Direitos Humanos, consultor em governança social. 

Também está disponível para palestras e treinamentos corporativos.

[i] https://open.spotify.com/album/1hgoX3E5xDVSD2vhKTjzKG?autoplay=true