The psychological phenomenon at play here is often compared to the Milgram experiment, which tested how far individuals would go in obeying an authority figure, even when instructed to perform acts that conflicted with their conscience. In the Ogborn case, the "authority" was merely a voice on a phone, yet the employees complied with increasingly illegal and invasive demands because they believed they were assisting a police investigation.
On April 9, 2004, a man calling himself "Officer Scott" contacted the Mount Washington McDonald's. He falsely claimed to be a police detective investigating a theft. The psychological phenomenon at play here is often
The entire hours-long ordeal was captured by the restaurant's internal security cameras. The surveillance footage became central evidence during the criminal and civil trials. The psychological phenomenon at play here is often