I am just having dinner when the phone rings. It is X from Israel.
The one who tried to recruit me. Hanging up the phone is fruitless.
It rings again seconds later … Sigh. I tell him to leave me alone me and
hang up again.
It was to be expected these guys don’t take no for an answer, but it
sure as hell is annoying.
Now a mail comes in about a lock they send me. As if nothing happened.
Are they trying to play dumb?
Anyway, I send back the lock and hope the problem goes away.
If I get hit by a piano that fell from an airplane you know who is
behind it …
ÂÂ
Barry,
I find the situation you are in unfortunate. I do however find the picture you posted hilarious.
Hopefully your persistance in your answers will soon pay off.
Nick
Nick: Thanks for the support and compliment.
I have decided only to talk to them in the public domain. So I will
not reply to their mails or phone calls.
I have an idea where this is going so I just made a special category
on this weblog for the ‘soap’ that is to come. The category is labeled
‘recruitment for the good cause’….
Barry,
I hope you wont get into serious problems because of this situation. You probably made the right decision by immediately saying no.
Good luck and keep updating this great weblog!
Floor
Wow Barry. They don’t give up. I think you are handling this really well and I totally agree with only talking with these folks in a public forum.
As for your comic. Hehe. Good stuff.
If you own a piano Barry, be sure it’s bolted down to the ground and also, if one of these callers askes to take you on a boat ride, don’t go and if you receive a message that your health insurance is about to expire, call your local authorities.
Keep up the good work.
This still makes the hairs on teh back of my neck stand up a little bit.
I just hope the best for you Barry, and that your “tell all” approach works as intended. At this stage, it could work for you or against you.
All the best.
Ah, thà t turbulent country in the middle-east. Doesn’t come as too big a surprise.
Have you considered contacting our powers that be in that sector (MIVD/AIVD/KLPD) or do you think that causes more troubles than it solves?
I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s a shame they’re focused on recruitment and not contributing to the community.
In retrostpect, I suspect they just picked the wrong guy to try and recruit.
Eric, i dont think alot of people really truely understand what is at stake, and th ramifications of being involved with a group like that, in that way. I think alot of people get sttracted to the idea of being involved in that sort of fantasy, not to realize they mean nothing to nobody, and are just a simple pawn. Most people dont usually figure that out untill its to late, and they are either dead or imprisoned in a cell that doesnt exsist.
Eric: >In retrostpect, I suspect they just picked the wrong guy to try and recruit.
I am still not sure what the deal is/was. Could be recruitment, could
be damaging my reputation or a setup to get me in serious trouble and
shut me up that way. Or a combination of all of the above.
Eric: > and the response has generally been “sign me up!â€
I am sorry to say this is a very naive response. It is not like your
own government is asking, it is a foreign one (with a ‘wonderful
reputation’) asking you to do highly illegal work in countries where
you do not know anyone. So if you get in trouble there is no network
of friends you can fall back to. Heck, you might not even speak the
language and have a lot of trouble communicating with anyone (lawyer
if they appoint you one). If your friends respond like this when being
asked to do spy work for a foreign government I do not think this is a
good sign. Are they willing to spy for, lets say, Iran? How would they
identify an Iranian agent from an Italian one?
And to answer the question: Would I respond the same way when my own
government would ask? The answer is clear: Yes, I would give them the
same answer (and treatment) as the other agencies.
My involvement building secure phones that people worldwide rely upon
to keep their communication secure against spooks like them just do
not mix with being close friends with them.
Sorry guys …
Here is another facet of the story: They are searching for talented lockpickers, but they knew or suspected that you would decline the offer. And perhaps they foresaw that you would tend to publish the information, so they got free advertising that they are hiring, distributed among all interested lockpickers. Regarding the “sign me up!”, perhaps not too unrealistic…
(And it would make sense to call again).
I’m happy that you declined the offer, keep your open attitude and keep up your great work 🙂
my geuss is that some one is pulling your leg ,professinals don’t behave in such ways they are much more discreet.
(just my two cents)
So-called “professionals” do work in those ways, and often worse. Its a crappy business, and as Barry has noted, on in which you can find yourself at the bad end of the gun.
He did the right thing, and I think so will most of us in that situation.