"This is Rachel from Cardmember Services..."
Most of us have fantasized about finding "Rachel" and chopping off her head after two of three robocalls from her in any given day. Today, in fact, I went ahead and pressed "1" to be connected to a "friendly customer service representative." Apparently, Rachel didn't think I would press "1" if she was honest and said to press it if I wanted to speak to a surly douchebag who would eventually hang up on me. Granted, I only did so to screw with said "customer service representative" but my questions were not rude – things like "Do you have a call back number?" and "What is the name of your company again?"
So, once my "customer service representative" turned less friendly and ended the call, I did a little detective work – actually, shockingly little – before I found out that the FTC went after a company in California last June that was/is allegedly responsible for some 370 million of these illegal, scam robocalls. Blood boiling with this glimpse of the vile enemy, I tried Googling the (rather unique) names of the defendants, Johan Hendrik Smit Duyzentkunst and Janneke Bakker-Smit Duyzentkunst, and found, alongside scathing articles about the case, this...
All of the sudden, I was looking at not only an image of one of my most hated nemeses, but was also suddenly in possession of her home and cell numbers. But reading the intro on her page, she seemed so nice. So normal. It only got worse when I looked at her blog, which is all about crafting and how much she loves her children. Suddenly, the AntiChrist (or at least Mrs. AntiChrist) was no longer a faceless scumbag I wanted to choke to death. She was, by all appearances, a very nice, creative person and a loving wife and mother.
The cognitive dissonance was too great. I wanted to post nasty notes on her blog. But then again, I didn't. I wanted to write her and ask her if she understood how much angst and frustration her family business was causing millions of people, but I am pretty sure the FTC injunction made that clear. I was left, as I am now, unsure what, if anything, to do. Perhaps I will just send her a note explaining my (fairly limited) quest and nonetheless, wishing her well, simply as a fellow human being. I'm still not sure.
But this got me thinking about the nature of distance and dehumanization in our current culture. Our modern political discourse is poisoned by the reduction of all sides to deeply negative caricatures. Anyone who suggests that single payer health care might be worth considering is immediately a socialist Nazi who supports death panels. I know many reasonable people whose concern over federal budgetary failures has made them side with the Tea Party, yet when I think "Tea Party," I immediately think of some dimwit at a Palin rally whose family tree probably looks like a braided ficus.
When people interact on posting boards and the like, they feel quite empowered to do and say horrific things to their faceless electronic foes that they would never say if seated at a table with them. One need look no further than the title of this post for an example. I am always talking about the ways I would like to harm those responsible for phone and text spam, but in real life, regardless of her role in this plague, Janneke Bakker-Smit Duyzentkunst is a real person – one who I would NEVER want to actually hurt in a million years. Can you imagine me explaining that to her children? "I hurt your mommy because her company crank called me." Pretty pathetic.
Perhaps she will stumble upon this post and rethink her shady business. Probably not. But I thank her for reminding me that even the most faceless enemies do, somewhere, have a face... and quite possibly a heart.
Most of us have fantasized about finding "Rachel" and chopping off her head after two of three robocalls from her in any given day. Today, in fact, I went ahead and pressed "1" to be connected to a "friendly customer service representative." Apparently, Rachel didn't think I would press "1" if she was honest and said to press it if I wanted to speak to a surly douchebag who would eventually hang up on me. Granted, I only did so to screw with said "customer service representative" but my questions were not rude – things like "Do you have a call back number?" and "What is the name of your company again?"
All of the sudden, I was looking at not only an image of one of my most hated nemeses, but was also suddenly in possession of her home and cell numbers. But reading the intro on her page, she seemed so nice. So normal. It only got worse when I looked at her blog, which is all about crafting and how much she loves her children. Suddenly, the AntiChrist (or at least Mrs. AntiChrist) was no longer a faceless scumbag I wanted to choke to death. She was, by all appearances, a very nice, creative person and a loving wife and mother.
The cognitive dissonance was too great. I wanted to post nasty notes on her blog. But then again, I didn't. I wanted to write her and ask her if she understood how much angst and frustration her family business was causing millions of people, but I am pretty sure the FTC injunction made that clear. I was left, as I am now, unsure what, if anything, to do. Perhaps I will just send her a note explaining my (fairly limited) quest and nonetheless, wishing her well, simply as a fellow human being. I'm still not sure.
But this got me thinking about the nature of distance and dehumanization in our current culture. Our modern political discourse is poisoned by the reduction of all sides to deeply negative caricatures. Anyone who suggests that single payer health care might be worth considering is immediately a socialist Nazi who supports death panels. I know many reasonable people whose concern over federal budgetary failures has made them side with the Tea Party, yet when I think "Tea Party," I immediately think of some dimwit at a Palin rally whose family tree probably looks like a braided ficus.
When people interact on posting boards and the like, they feel quite empowered to do and say horrific things to their faceless electronic foes that they would never say if seated at a table with them. One need look no further than the title of this post for an example. I am always talking about the ways I would like to harm those responsible for phone and text spam, but in real life, regardless of her role in this plague, Janneke Bakker-Smit Duyzentkunst is a real person – one who I would NEVER want to actually hurt in a million years. Can you imagine me explaining that to her children? "I hurt your mommy because her company crank called me." Pretty pathetic.
Perhaps she will stumble upon this post and rethink her shady business. Probably not. But I thank her for reminding me that even the most faceless enemies do, somewhere, have a face... and quite possibly a heart.
Let them both rot in jail and adopt out their kids to honest working people.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered the very real possibility that the profile of "Rachel" is nothing but an illusion to put a more human face on a group that is nothing more than SOCIOPATHIC SCUM? With the internet it has never been easier to create misleading identities and engage in other forms of social engineering. How you choose to respond is up to you, but I'm not buying it.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually a very real possibility. If you look at the FTC complaint they have made over $6 million. But I sort of doubt this is fake, as people like this typically separate their evil deeds from their daily lives (like mob wives). She may just have been so cocky that she never thought her worlds would collide. It is interesting that her "about me" page has disappeared (although it is captured forever on my blog.)
DeleteJust so you know...her and her husband are living fat on money scammed from people. They own multiple million dollar properties that were purchased with 100% scam earned money.
ReplyDeleteThat is ALL they have ever done, they don't do ONE single legitimate business. Just a small bit more searching on them will show you that she also sells "nutritional supplements" does "psychic readings" and sells "homeopathic" garbage.
They've made a living of selling people useless stuff and preying on the fears of others...they are DESPICABLE people...and they are teaching EVERYTHING they do to their children.
Do you not even wonder what kind of horrible people their children are going to grow up to become? Thinking that what their parents are doing is perfectly ok?
F this stupid bitch. I hope her and her family die in a horrific accident for their unethical business practices.
ReplyDeleteMost of the spamming and spoofing they were charged and convicted for, were the backbone of credit card fraud and fake auto warranty scams. They were the direct cause for thousands of people to have their money and/or identities stolen from them.
I'm glad there is a face to this now. These people deserve everything poor that happens to them.
Believe me, I understand your disgust, but their kids are not to blame for the actions of their parents. They do not deserve to suffer for the scumbag things their folks have done. (Not to say they wouldn't suffer if mommy or daddy went to prison like they deserve. But that's why they shouldn't be pulling this kind of crap for a living.)
DeleteI did some research, and found that if I Googled "Hans Smit" California, I found a Manta listing for him in Agoura Hills at (818)879-9994. A recorded message from a man with an accent said "I am not here, but if you are looking for Rachel please call..." The two numbers he listed and the names at those extensions were officials with the Federal Trade Commission.
ReplyDeleteWhen the crap gets to deep, these people are simply going back to the Netherlands where they're from, and they're going to take millions of dollars they stole from old people in the USA with them.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm not suggesting that anyone help them understand that you don't want to be called anymore, by carving your phone number into a high-powered rifle bullet, and delivering it through the window, from the top of the ridge 100 yards behind their house in Angola Hills Ca. That could hurt someone, and we don't want to do that! Also, it could upset them, and be a hindrance to their peace of mind. Much like daily Robo-calls... (FYI, if you live near Simi Valley, own a high-powered rifle, and are drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon while your read this...this post is a joke).
ReplyDeleteLOOKS like the FTC threw the book at em. However, they are still at it. I KEEP getting 'cardmember services' calls!!
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-28/business/chi-ftc-settles-suit-over-26-billion-illegal-telemarketing-calls-20120328_1_sbn-peripherals-illegal-telemarketing-asia-pacific-telecom
No one who does what these people do can be excused, period. They must be punished. If I could I would haunt them on a daily basis until their miserable lives weren't worth living. Even now I am trying to find them so that I can, just maybe, find some way to harass them to a fraction of the degree they've harassed my family and me for years. They should be killed, slowly and painfully, and I have no patience for anyone who says differently.
ReplyDelete@ ThePrag. you said: "They do not deserve to suffer for the scumbag things their folks have done". I imagine that you are in the minority for your short-sightedness. Surely, the hearts of ANY parent that stumbles upon your blog, while weeping for the children, do so because of their exposure to this criminal element, and the periferal education they receive as a result. It would be in the interest of any children to remove them from this kind of life, and once seperated, strap those parents to a tree, naked, paddle their genitals with a steel spatula for a day or so, and then repeatedly shove a broken, splintered baseball bat up their asses, one that was signed by me and every other willing victim.
ReplyDeleteJust the facts ma'am.
Credit where credit is due... Mr. Smit has posted in another forum explaining his account of what happened. His company merely provided the dialing services to the shady companies using the "Rachel" recording. And while one could argue he should keep track of what his clients are using his service for, it is not the same as being the end user. He and his wife have essentially been run into the ground by this and I have still been getting calls. So, obviously, while he may have enabled these scumbags, they are doing just fine without his help as well. http://whocallsme.com/phone-number.aspx/3472632551/3
ReplyDelete"Our modern political discourse is poisoned by the reduction of all sides to deeply negative caricatures."
ReplyDelete"when I think "Tea Party," I immediately think of some dimwit at a Palin rally whose family tree probably looks like a braided ficus."
At what point do you make that 'AHA!' connection?