Boss culture intimidates targets into falling for con trick

By Wang Wenwen Source:Global Times Published: 2015-7-3 17:33:01

Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT



 One day I received a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. Before I spoke, a man on the other side of the phone, with a warm tone, said my surname and asked if I could remember him. I was totally lost and replied that I had no idea. He then repeated the question twice enthusiastically and I replied both times with a "No." He seemed to lose patience and said, "I'm your boss. Come to my office tomorrow." He then hung up the phone before I could reply.

What the hell was this? I wondered. The next day, I told my colleagues about it as a joke. One of them said she had received similar calls before, and another said, calmly, "This is a trap."

How could this be a trap? With curiosity, I searched on the Internet. To my surprise, many netizens have had such experiences and revealed the nasty tactics behind the "trap."

Those who swallow the bait are supposed to go to the office of the "boss," but before you arrive, you will get a second call, asking you to wait at another place. Don't expect to see the "boss" there, because he will soon spring the trap - he will tell you that he is stuck in somewhere and ask you to transfer money to him.

This is not that clever a plot. Many people would doubt the authenticity of a "boss" calling from an unidentified number. And given the volume of frauds, especially over the phone, in recent years, most of the Chinese public has gotten used to being cautious.

Yet the trick still works sometimes, thanks to people's fear of their workplace superiors. Although many may loathe or curse a tyrannical boss and hate going to work each morning, they still have to perform and won't give up any chance to burrow their tongue deep into his posterior. It helps if the favor seems a little dubious, or that the boss has made a mistake. As the saying goes "Better to do one bad thing with your boss than 10 good things for him."

Confucius once remarked, "At home, a young man should be dutiful toward his parents; going outside, he should be respectful toward his elders." This, from ancient times, has emphasized the importance of respecting one's elders, and in workplace, one's superiors.

It's natural that employees, especially those working for State-owned enterprises or public institutions, should respond faster to their bosses' needs than to their own, as this matters more than their actual performance to their promotion or future career prospects. When the boss says jump, they say "How high, sir?"

Many people work hard and hope for promotion but are troubled by the lack of routes to the top. As there is little direct communication with bosses, no one wants to miss the chance when an opportunity strikes. So the swindlers bet that you will be subject to the unwritten rules of interpersonal communication between bosses and employees and wouldn't challenge or doubt his identity.

We may not be careful enough to avoid private details such as our names and phone numbers being leaked to those with an ulterior motive. But before we are on the verge of falling into their traps, we'd better not blindly follow the instructions of our "bosses."

After all, your real boss will appreciate your sense of vigilance in such circumstances.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn



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