Man reveals 'genius' trick to deal with scam callers and people are in awe

Editor's note: This article was originally published on June 18, 2021. It has since been updated.

With scam callers as active as ever and taking advantage of gullible people even in the middle of a pandemic, one TikTok user decided to beat them at their own game. Roy L. Baker Jr. aka @1roy_jr took to the platform to share a hilarious video detailing how he handles annoying phone calls from spammers and scammers. Captioned "CIA Fraud Division Coming to a dial tone near you," the video showed how Baker used his deep, smooth voice to do a spot-on impression of an automated voicemail greeting for the CIA.

The video, which according to Snopes received 72,000 shares and was viewed more than 5 million times within 24 hours of being posted, begins with Baker receiving a call marked “Spam Risk” from Mosier, Oregon. Using his deep-toned voice to deliver his best interpretation of a CIA representative – which he is clearly not – Baker answers the call to inform the caller that they've reached the CIA. "Hello. Thank you for calling the CIA. You’ve reached our scam and fraud division," he says. "All of our agents are currently assisting other callers. The TikTok user then informs the spam caller that the "agency" will begin downloading all of their incoming and outgoing call logs so as to "help" them with whatever scam they're reporting.

"To further assist you, please hold while we download your incoming and outgoing call logs to be analyzed against our database of known scam and fraud operations. An agent will be with you shortly," he announces in his booming voice. Unsurprisingly, the caller on the other end had heard enough and immediately hangs up the call. "That's what I thought," says Baker as the call ends. The video was a huge hit with netizens across social media platforms, many of whom called his impressive and unique hack "genius".

"His voice is directly from heaven," one commenter said while another responded: "Legend! Not all heroes wear capes!" Yet another TikTok user wrote: "I need this as my voicemail! Them darn auto warranty ppl won't stop!" Baker, who also manages the R. B. Design and Decor Etsy store, often uses the hashtag #myroyvoice on his videos. In addition to showing off his creative ways to deal with scammers, Baker has made at least one other video poking fun at the "extended warranty" spam calls.

In a video targeting "extended warranty" calls, Baker begins: "Ah yes, the extended warranty. Mmhmm... Well, before you get started, grab a pen and paper. The other guys have had a difficult time pronouncing the name of my vehicle. I'd just like to spell it out for you. Are you ready? Great. S... T... O... P... Space... C... A... L... L... I... N... G... Space... M... E... Did you get it? Great! How do you pronounce it? Say it one more time. A little louder this time. Now stand up and say it where everybody in your office can hear you. Outstanding!"

Here's Baker's "extended warranty" video: