What the Tech: How fake Zoom calls are used to fool others
By JAMIE TUCKER Consumer Technology Reporter
No one wants to revisit the COVID lockdowns of four years ago. But tens of thousands of people revisit that time every single day. Pretending to be part of recorded business meetings on Zoom recorded 3 or 4 years ago.
Only 20 students watched one high school history class in 2021. But students worldwide continue to log onto YouTube to watch it again. Or, pretend to watch it.
Comments on the video are from students who say they play the video to trick their parents into thinking they’re in an online class. Others say they play the videos on a computer loud enough for everyone to hear, but they’re playing video games on their phone.
These recorded Zoom meetings are being used by people needing an excuse to avoid their work, school, and social situations. The video has over 2 million views and counting.
Meanwhile, 1.8 million adults have discovered a city finance department meeting in Waipo Valley, New Zealand.
As members of the department talk about budgets and money, viewers of the viral videos are avoiding co-workers and family members who think they’re attending an online meeting.
One comment from a viewer says, “I have cranked this video for “I’m in a meeting, leave me alone. Thank you Waipa District Council, whoever you are.”
If you need a meeting with a different accent, you can find that too with a simple YouTube search. I found a city finance department meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico recorded in 2021.
Only 10 people were in the original meeting. But as of today, 169 thousand people have pretended to be there.
Working remotely presents many problems when someone else is at home. Distractions of phone calls, visitors, and ‘can you help me’ questions. If you need an excuse, thanks to the internet, you can find them.
