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00:00Ashton Bingham
00:10My name is Ashton Bingham.
00:11About 10 years ago, I received a call from a scammer.
00:14And I got annoyed, so I decided to film it.
00:20You can't think of something more convincing
00:22than for me to pay off my IRS debt with a Target gift card?
00:25And the video blew up.
00:27That's when I turned to my Russian friend Art Kulik,
00:29and I said, hey, let's turn this into a business
00:32and start a YouTube channel tormenting scammers.
00:34And I said, tormenting scammers?
00:37That sounds fun. Set me up.
00:39Here we go. Refreshing.
00:44So we amassed millions of subscribers
00:46and devoted our lives to turning the tables
00:48on scammers everywhere.
00:50What are you looking for here?
00:51Why are you running if you're not doing anything wrong?
00:53We're not.
00:54We're going to .
00:55Why are you running?
00:56Scammer!
00:57It helped shut down some pretty big scam operations.
01:01Then people around the country started reaching out to us
01:04with their own stories of getting scammed.
01:06So how much did they get from you?
01:08Almost $53,000.
01:10Over two.
01:11Over two million.
01:12Yeah.
01:13And the voices of the victims made one thing clear.
01:16We needed help.
01:17Now, we've assembled an elite team of technological experts
01:21we call the Revengers
01:23to help us trick scammers into revealing their identities
01:27and catching them red-handed.
01:29Together, we are hunting down scammers
01:32wherever they hide.
01:33Unlock it!
01:34And bringing justice to our victims.
01:36Let's go!
01:37Let's go!
01:38Let's go!
01:39You will be tased if you don't get down.
01:41Get on your face!
01:43This is scammed getting even.
01:45Yo, E!
01:56Yo, what's up?
01:57Is Art there?
01:58I can grab him.
01:59What's going on?
02:00I think I got a next case.
02:01Just got a new submission.
02:02I'm going to send it out to you guys.
02:03Hey, E!
02:04What's happening, brother?
02:05I just sent that email over.
02:06Kay from Colorado.
02:08It's a PayPal refund scam.
02:10All right.
02:11I see the email here.
02:12A woman named Kay says she's the victim of a fake PayPal email scam.
02:17One that ended with her losing her life savings.
02:20Wow, E!
02:21We have to schedule a Zoom meeting with Kay.
02:23Yeah, let's do it.
02:24I'll reach out right away.
02:25Get that going.
02:26Thank you, E!
02:27We've investigated hundreds of these refund scams over the years.
02:31They almost always originate in India
02:33and start with a fake email that looks like it's from PayPal.
02:37There's a receipt attached that shows a purchase
02:40that's supposedly been charged to your PayPal account.
02:43At the bottom is a phone number to call if you didn't make the purchase.
02:46But when you dial it, you're not reaching PayPal.
02:49You're talking to a scam call center, probably in India.
02:53And that's where the trap is set.
02:55Kay reached out through our website for help.
02:58Now we need to hear exactly what happened to her.
03:07Hi there.
03:08Good to see you guys.
03:09If you could start, just tell us who you are.
03:12I'm Kay.
03:13I live in Colorado.
03:15I'm retired and I'm a singer.
03:18I sing in the local choir, the community choir.
03:21Oh, nice.
03:21Music has always been my life.
03:23Mm-hmm.
03:24And also God has been my life.
03:26I have a really wonderful Bible-believing church that I attend
03:30and gotten some really close friends from there.
03:33And it's a good life.
03:35God's been good.
03:36Tell us kind of the overview of what happened.
03:38Well, I got this email.
03:40It was supposedly from PayPal thanking me for my purchase of $439 for Bitcoin.
03:48And, of course, I knew that I hadn't done this purchase.
03:52So I looked at the...
03:55There was a phone number at the bottom of the invoice that I called.
03:58I got a hold of a guy.
04:00He called himself James.
04:02And he said he would be happy to help me get the refund back on that money.
04:06So the whole process started.
04:10He pulled up what he referred to as a PayPal refund or something.
04:16On your computer?
04:17Yes.
04:18He told her to download a PayPal refund form.
04:21In reality, it was screen-sharing software, the kind companies use for tech support.
04:26It gave him a view of Kay's screen and complete control of her computer.
04:31It was, I guess, like an application.
04:34He then loaded a fake PayPal webpage with what looked like a legitimate refund form.
04:40He guided me to filling in the refund amount I was supposed to put in.
04:44But he told me to put in, instead of $439, he told me to start with $200 to make sure it goes through.
04:52And that made sense to me because I have done that kind of thing in the past.
04:56I started to fill in $200 and the cursor was kind of weird.
05:00It was kept moving around.
05:02I finally managed to get it in the right space and I put in $200.
05:06And then all of a sudden it changed to $20,000 and then it just disappeared.
05:12Then James said, oh my gosh, you set it up for $20,000.
05:15We've sent you $20,000.
05:19He said he was going to get in trouble.
05:21He was going to lose his job.
05:23We need to correct this right away.
05:25Straight up hijack.
05:28James took control of Kay's cursor and turned $200 into $20,000 on his fake refund form.
05:34But that was just the beginning.
05:36Next, he had her log into her bank account while he was still connected to her computer,
05:41giving him full access to her login credentials.
05:44I could see that there was $20,000 put into my checking account.
05:49So I thought it was there.
05:51He was saying he was going to lose this job.
05:54We need to correct this right away.
05:56Kay saw an extra $20,000 in her checking account.
06:00So she believed she had accidentally stolen PayPal's money.
06:04What she didn't know at the time was, behind the scenes,
06:07James had quietly moved $20,000 from her own savings account into checking.
06:14James knew exactly how to keep her from double checking her accounts.
06:18He flooded her with panic, saying he'd be fired if she didn't pay it back right away.
06:23That pressure pulled her focus off her own accounts and kept it on him, exactly where he wanted it.
06:29His trick worked.
06:31Kay didn't realize what he'd done until much later.
06:34Thinking it was legitimate, I said, I can just send it back to you.
06:39He said, well, we got to keep this under the radar or we'll both get in trouble.
06:44I don't need to give all the details, but he had me send cash in a package.
06:50And then he had me go to a Bitcoin ATM.
06:53I eventually did that three times.
06:59How much total did they get from you?
07:02It was about 52, almost $53,000 at the very end.
07:08Kay thought she owed $20,000.
07:12But James fooled her into thinking her payments kept failing,
07:15and she ended up sending almost three times that amount.
07:19It shows how relentless these scams are.
07:22We'll get all the details when we meet with her in person,
07:25but we see this all the time.
07:27Nearly a million Americans are targeted by imposter schemes like this every year.
07:32This is so frustrating.
07:34I felt really stupid because suspicion was finally kicking in.
07:39Listen, this is not you.
07:41This is them.
07:42They're like these freaking hyenas, like a lich.
07:45They will suck into your blood and they will go until you dry out.
07:49Kay is reeling from all of these.
07:52This camera didn't just take her money.
07:54He robbed her of her confidence.
07:57Part of our mission is going to be helping her get back on track.
08:01We'd love to come see you.
08:02No promises,
08:03but I have a good feeling that we're going to really be able to do something big here.
08:07Okay.
08:08See you soon.
08:09Bye-bye.
08:09Bye-bye.
08:10Bye-bye.
08:10Bye-bye.
08:11Bye-bye.
08:12Bye-bye.
08:12Bye-bye.
08:15Bye-bye.
08:16Bye-bye.
08:17Bye-bye.
08:19Bye-bye.
08:20Bye-bye.
08:22Bye-bye.
08:23We're in Colorado, brother.
08:25Now we're in Pablo...
08:26Pe...
08:27Is it Pablo?!
08:29... Pueblo.
08:30I have a lot of questions about how they got the money and what the dynamic was between her and the scammer on the phone.
08:40I'm hoping that she can recover at least emotionally from this because you never know how deep these things go.
08:50Two big goals today.
08:53One, we want to find out more about the technology James used to make Kay believe she was dealing directly with PayPal.
09:00Hello, guys.
09:01How are you doing?
09:02And two, we want to find out more about the emotional pressure he used to get her to keep sending money.
09:09Was it mostly sympathy or did he put like a fear in you that you're going to be in trouble?
09:14Did he do any of that?
09:14Well, he did mention that I could be in trouble with the IRS.
09:18Kay is in her 70s.
09:19She's divorced and is relatively new at managing her own finances.
09:23I told him, I said, this is not a problem.
09:25If that money's in there and it's yours, I'll just send it back to you.
09:28You know, I'm thinking digitally, just send it back.
09:31And he said, well, we can't do that because if PayPal finds out, then I'll lose my job.
09:36And I don't know how PayPal system works.
09:39So James convinced Kay they had to work in secret to pay back the money.
09:43He had her try several ways to send cash, each time telling her the payment had failed.
09:48Then he upped the ante, pushing her to a Bitcoin ATM, a high-tech tool most victims have never even heard of.
09:56And he says, well, this is what we're going to have to do.
10:00He located a Bitcoin ATM near my house.
10:04He sent me a QR code for his wallet.
10:06Step by step, he instructed me on how to do all that.
10:09And then I started feeding in the cash.
10:12These machines turn cash into cryptocurrency and drop it into a person's digital wallet.
10:19And once it's sent, it's almost impossible to trace.
10:22James told Kay her first deposit had gone to the wrong wallet, then pressured her to try again.
10:28I was just convinced that how would he have the technology to make this happen if it was a scam?
10:33And I just, I'm not a tech person.
10:36I'm so sorry, Kay.
10:38He kept her hooked by creating a false friendship, sharing details to make it feel like they had common ground.
10:44He was talking about his fiance.
10:47She had a daughter.
10:48I didn't want him to lose his job.
10:52And he started calling me mama.
10:54Here we go.
10:56How did that make you feel?
10:57It softened your heart, you know.
10:59He preyed on your kindness and your compassion.
11:04Yes.
11:05I was like filled with anxiety and stress every day.
11:09It was through slow, careful manipulation over almost two months that James ended up stealing $53,000 from Kay.
11:19It wasn't until he failed to return her overpayment that she knew she'd been scammed.
11:25I feel terrible for her.
11:27She's still clearly reeling.
11:29James didn't just take her money.
11:30He took away her sense of control.
11:33Our mission is twofold.
11:35Get her some revenge and help her reclaim her power.
11:38Did you tell anybody in your family what's been going on?
11:43I kept it all to myself.
11:45Nobody knew anything until I got to the point where, you know, I had no money in my checking account to pay bills.
11:51So I was forced to contact my ex-husband.
11:54Yeah.
11:54And I just laid it out and he started to get very angry.
12:01But then he said, don't worry about it.
12:04I will get you some money so you can pay your bills that are coming due and we'll get through this.
12:11Because of all that, my anxiety lessened because I had somebody who had my back.
12:22Yeah.
12:22Kay's ex-husband might be just the guy who can help us get her back on solid emotional ground.
12:28Do you think we can talk to Al?
12:30Your ex?
12:31Oh, yes.
12:31Your ex.
12:32Yes, he's become quite animated about whenever he gets calls.
12:36Uh-huh.
12:37He gives them a hard time and he's good at it, so.
12:39So Al's been doing a little light scambaiting on his own with those telemarketing and scam calls he gets at home.
12:45Maybe we can bring Al and Al can scambait with us.
12:47We can do some scambaiting together, maybe.
12:48I would love to do that.
12:50In addition to scambaiting with Al, we're going to bring in our team of revengers.
12:54Since Kay has stopped talking to James, our revengers will hit the same call center, pose as new victims, and collect as much info as they can to help trace this operation.
13:04Luckily, Kay still receives phony invoices that appear to be from the very same call center.
13:09The fact that you're still receiving invoices from these people because you're on their list tells me that they're still trying to hit you from as many angles as they can.
13:16We're going to scambait them.
13:18We also have some really strong reinforcements in the scambaiting community that are going to help us to potentially reveal identifying information about the call centers themselves.
13:27That's great.
13:28We've spent the last 10 years researching these refund scams, and they almost always trace back to call centers in India.
13:51A few years ago, we went to Kolkata to see them for ourselves.
13:57Hello ma'am, I am calling you from computer maintenance department.
14:02These places are usually run out of high-rise office buildings packed with hundreds of employees.
14:08The scammers work 24 hours a day trying to steal money from innocent victims and funnel it to the organized crime bosses they serve.
14:15When we were in Kolkata, we worked with a local operative who posed as a job applicant and was hired to work in one of these phony call centers.
14:30Once he was in, he helped us take over their security cameras and fed us valuable intelligence about how the operation works.
14:38But we didn't get out without being discovered.
14:42This is the scammer group, 55,758 people.
14:46Guys, it's a very important message.
14:48We have seen two phony.
14:49There was two Indians with them.
14:51Might be they are with FBI.
14:54Be safe and close the centers.
14:56The bosses shut the centers down, at least temporarily.
14:59But they also put a bounty on our heads.
15:02Wherever you see them, shot them.
15:06They're not joking.
15:06They have guns.
15:08Yeah, we're in hiding because there's a lot of people looking for us.
15:13And we had to be smuggled out of the country.
15:16I need everybody in my room immediately.
15:18Get Connor and Sean, please.
15:21We've learned a lot about the inner workings of these criminal organizations on that trip.
15:25And now we're ready to put that knowledge to work and track down these scammers for Kay.
15:31But first, there's one more person we want to connect with.
15:34After hearing how Al stepped in to help Kay, Art and I are ready to meet him face-to-face and see if he'll join us in some scam-baiting.
15:42Before we're going to start any conversation, we just want to say on the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for your service.
15:52We're grateful for people like you.
15:54Al is a 75-year-old Navy veteran who served in Vietnam.
15:57Even though he's remarried, he and Kay share a friendly bond.
16:00Maybe you can walk us through the day that she called you and you learned about what happened.
16:04Well, when she called me, I could detect in her voice some reluctance.
16:10Something's happened and she really doesn't want to tell me.
16:14And then as she was going through the situation, in my mind, I was going, oh, how could you?
16:21Okay, first thing I did, got that out of my mind right away.
16:25Criticizing and condemning a victim is nonproductive.
16:28The bottom line is you want to get them up and running and feeling better about themselves as soon as possible.
16:35What was your first knee-jerk feeling towards the scammer?
16:40I know and I've heard people get so bad that they commit suicide.
16:45So my feelings for these people that do this scamming is the same that I would have for some murderer out here that stole a person's life.
16:56You're absolutely right about that.
16:58They push people all the way to the edge of the cliff.
17:01And they don't care.
17:02And they don't care.
17:03They take everything, starting with your soul, your heart, and go straight to bank account.
17:09Kay is not the only victim here.
17:11When Al helped replace that money that was stolen from her, he became a victim too.
17:15So we have an idea of how to get Al involved in getting revenge.
17:21We hear you've been doing some scambating yourself.
17:23Yeah, I did really make one guy really mad and he flipped me off on the phone.
17:29We have these little, little prepositions.
17:32Would you be open, willing, if we will get together tomorrow, let's say, and we will scambate a little bit these PayPal scammers?
17:41Well, tonight I will practice my Russian accent a little bit more.
17:51Like, I've always wanted to have a grandfather, the American grandfather.
17:55Well, maybe we can make that happen, yes.
18:03All right.
18:05You set this link up.
18:07Today, mission number one is to get our team together and start targeting James' operation.
18:13We're about to jump on a call with two of our best revengers.
18:17They're coming in now.
18:18We can't wait to loop them in on Kay's case and start baiting the trap.
18:22Canadian brother, Deo Galileo.
18:25What's up, y'all?
18:27Deo's based in Canada.
18:28Why you are jogging through the number, right?
18:31Or running?
18:31You're, like, sprinting.
18:32How do I drop it like it's hot?
18:34He's a scambator and voice actor with more than 15 characters he uses to shut down scammers.
18:40Yes, hello, I'm pulling back again.
18:43Well, what's that say right there, eh?
18:44Screw you, scammer, eh?
18:46Why you have done such a thing?
18:49Chappie!
18:50What you got, Boris?
18:52Hello?
18:52Yes, this is Marsha.
18:53I was trying to reach Nolan.
18:55Chappie Gray is our secret weapon here in the U.S.
18:58So you don't want it, right?
19:00She keeps her true identity a secret so she can work undercover on our sting operations.
19:04Then come and get it.
19:06You are two minutes from my house.
19:09Thank you for jumping in.
19:12Okay, we have the victim named Kay.
19:16Pretty much wiped out her entire savings.
19:18She lost $53,000.
19:21Oh my gosh.
19:22The main scammer that she was talking to is named James.
19:24We have the original invoice that was sent to her.
19:28We also have the direct contact number that she was talking to James on.
19:32This number is probably down.
19:34It's how it tends to go.
19:36But Kay, her personal email is actually on the invoice.
19:40And she is still to this day receiving more invoices.
19:43So there's a very good chance that these invoices she's receiving are still linked to the same call center.
19:48Call center.
19:48The idea here is to get Chappie and Dayo on the phone to the same call center that targeted Kay.
19:55They will pose as new victims and start laying a trap for James and the other scammers.
20:01We want to hit these guys from every angle possible.
20:03And we're going to be going after some of their cash mules around the United States.
20:06We want to strip away as many resources as we can so they can't steal any more money.
20:10Even though this scam is based in India, they use cash mules right here in the U.S.
20:16Their job is to pick up money from victims and then launder it back to the scammers overseas.
20:20Take down the mules and the whole network starts to crumble.
20:24We can start baiting.
20:25We will try to get you guys some mules out there.
20:27I think a good place to start would be Baxter County, Arkansas.
20:31We've made dozens of calls to law enforcement agencies across the country trying to set up a sting.
20:36But we kept coming up empty.
20:37Then we called the Baxter County Sheriff's Department in Arkansas and they said yes.
20:44They've got a bait house ready.
20:46And if we can get these scammers to send some cash mules there to pick up money from a supposed victim,
20:51we'll have a shot at making a major arrest.
20:55So I think we start getting our decoys ready.
20:59We will contact them.
21:00We will pretend to be elderly people.
21:02We are going to take them on the ride of their life.
21:07They are about to buy a ticket to a roller coaster that nobody wants to go on.
21:12This kind of roller coaster, I'm always down for it.
21:16Let's get started.
21:16Let's dive in.
21:17Let's take these guys down.
21:18Record everything.
21:20Yeah, let's go get this done, guys.
21:21Let's do this.
21:24This is great.
21:25Today is a scam baiting with my American grandfather.
21:39That'll be interesting.
21:40Yeah.
21:42Before we get started, we wanted to give Kay and Al a quick update on what our professional scam baiters are working on behind the scenes.
21:49Well, we reached out to our Revengers.
21:53And they're going to be bombarding the same call center that you were dealing with.
21:57Of course, we'll be asking for James every time we call.
22:00But these call centers have hundreds of employees using fake names.
22:04Whether we reach James or not, every call gives us a chance to target his operation.
22:08And to track down the cash mules here in the U.S. who keep this scam alive.
22:14So, we are going to be able to bait and identify potentially more local mules.
22:18Thinking they're going to get cash, they're going to show up and meet handcuffs.
22:22Yeah, it's amazing to me the network that you have to have in order to catch these scammers.
22:28I had no idea that these scammers, like an octopus, they have so many tentacles out there.
22:34We want to chop every single tentacle of that octopus.
22:37Chop, chop, chop, chop. Done.
22:41And you see, and you're smiling again.
22:43And if we can give you some pictures of cash mules and handcuffs,
22:46would that make you feel a little bit better?
22:47Oh, geez. Yeah.
22:49And it's far more than I thought you'd be able to do. So, I'm really happy.
22:52Now that Kay and Al are up to speed, it's time for our Russian grandfather and grandson
22:58to team up, rattle some scammers, and show Kay she's not powerless in this story.
23:05Thanks for calling support.
23:07This is Jacques.
23:08Uh, Jacques, yeah. How are you doing? This is Vlad. I just got this invoice. Is that correct?
23:14It's correct. We sent you the invoice. It's in reference to the Geek Squad production services.
23:19We're using another scam email that Kay got from this same call center.
23:23Only this time, they're pretending to be Geek Squad instead of PayPal.
23:26And these services were a production service, which came along with the computer.
23:32But right now, that was expired. So, it's going to get renewed for the charge, which you see on the email.
23:38So, do you wish to cancel that? Or do you want to continue with it?
23:42Well, Jacques, Jacques Le Jacques, my grandfather, he's next to me right now in the same room.
23:47He's the one who received that email. He's not very good with technology.
23:50So, can you please explain to him what's going on?
23:53Grandpa, Diedushka, please talk to this Jacques. His name is Jacques Jacques.
23:56You're talking about this protection on my computer?
24:01Yes, sir. The email is for a connection service on your computer.
24:04Wait, wait, wait. Are you assuming that I'm owning this computer?
24:08Like you do own a computer, sir, correct?
24:10Or a laptop?
24:11No, I'm asking you.
24:14Our record shows us that you do own a computer or a laptop, which has our company's services onto it.
24:20Hold on. Hold on one minute, please.
24:23You are saying that your records are showing that I've got this computer.
24:30Where did these records come from?
24:33Sir, our services came along with your device. So, that's how we have your records.
24:39So, now, if you wish to cancel it, please be next to your computer.
24:43Or if you wish to continue with it, that's well and good.
24:46Diedushka, there is an expiration date on this computer, right? And this protection.
24:51The protection plan has been expired today.
24:54Expired, Diedushka, expired.
24:56It's going to be a different software.
24:58It's going to be a different what?
25:00Soft. Soft. It's going to be soft.
25:02But you don't need that. You need hard.
25:03Now, wait a minute.
25:04Let me spell it out for you.
25:06Hold a minute.
25:07Let me spell it out for you, sir.
25:08I'm confused now. Are we talking about my underwear?
25:11Not soft underwear, Diedushka. Soft. Wear.
25:15What? You talk about my underwear now?
25:18Jacques Jacques, have some patience.
25:19Yes, sir.
25:20Please have some patience with my Diedushka.
25:22Tell him there is nothing wrong with his underwear.
25:24It's expiration date on his software.
25:26Your subscription, Diedushka.
25:27All right, sir. I'm just tired of this game.
25:30Okay? No more games over here.
25:32Games? What do you talk about games now?
25:34That's it.
25:35You're a natural.
25:41Natural nine.
25:42You're a natural.
25:43Natural nine.
25:44That's so good.
25:45My soft underwear.
25:48Is this triggering for you or are you enjoying it?
25:50I am enjoying it.
25:51Okay, okay.
25:54What we just saw was the start of Kay's recovery.
25:58That spark you need to keep moving forward
26:00after being victimized by these scammers.
26:03But we're not stopping here.
26:04Our team of Revengers is scam-baiting the call center
26:07where James works as we speak.
26:09It's going to take probably a less comedic tone.
26:11It's going to be a lot more straight and narrow.
26:14They're going to be really playing the decoys
26:15and getting these scammers,
26:17eventually sending cashmules to where we're going to be.
26:18So hopefully we can drop them.
26:20All right. Good.
26:21Bye-bye.
26:22Thank you for getting connected, Geek Squad.
26:34How can I help you?
26:35Yes.
26:36Hi.
26:36I'm calling about some refund
26:39that I received in my bank account today.
26:42Our Revengers have been scam-baiting relentlessly
26:45for the last three days,
26:47calling the phone number from Kay's invoices
26:49and posing as new victims.
26:52I went to the bank
26:54and I have the money he told me I need to take out.
27:00Okay.
27:00He said someone will come and pick it up for me.
27:04The plan is simple.
27:05To get the scammers at Kay's call center in India
27:08to send one of their U.S.-based cashmules
27:11to our bait house in Arkansas
27:13so investigators can make an arrest.
27:16But to do that,
27:17Deo and Chappie have to sound real.
27:20Who told you to take out the money?
27:22Alex?
27:23Alex.
27:25No, no.
27:26Are you ca-
27:26You're trying to kidding me, right?
27:29You motherfucker.
27:29Why are you swearing at me?
27:31Yes, I am Alex.
27:32Well, you told me to go to the bank
27:34to take out the $30,000
27:36and I have it here now.
27:38Don't be as smart as with me.
27:40Huh, you motherfucker.
27:45Shoot.
27:47Deo got close a few times,
27:48but the scammers kept getting wise to him.
27:50The same thing happened to Chappie.
27:52Dude, I'm going to have a stroke.
27:54Like, I've never had so much pressure on you.
27:56I really have been baiting 12 to 13 hours a day
27:59for the last three days.
28:00Both the scammers, like, were in.
28:02But the mule bailed,
28:04and then another mule bailed.
28:06While they've been pushing hard on their end,
28:08I've been relentlessly calling Kay's scammer,
28:10James, for the last three days.
28:12And nothing.
28:14Until now.
28:15Hello, this is James.
28:19You told me that you will pick up my call.
28:21I took a chance and I left messages for him
28:24on the direct number he used with Kay,
28:26and it looks like it just paid off.
28:29May I speak with James, please?
28:32I'm posing as a 94-year-old victim
28:34named Felix from Arkansas
28:36who's ready to hand off his payment to a cash mule.
28:39Right now you have the cash?
28:41Six, zero, 60,000?
28:43Yeah.
28:43Okay, can you send me the picture?
28:47Okay.
28:49I'm going to send my person
28:50to your home to collect the cash.
28:53It looks like James is buying it.
28:56He's sending a cash mule named Martin
28:57to Arkansas
28:58to collect our fake cash from us
29:00in just two days.
29:02All right, I need to know
29:03what time they're coming
29:04so I can be ready.
29:05I will be letting you know
29:06in the morning when I will call you, okay?
29:10The sting operation is a go.
29:13We're heading to Arkansas,
29:14and with any luck,
29:15we'll make an arrest.
29:17But there's still a lot that could go wrong.
29:25Look at me, I'm a disaster.
29:27Oh, yeah, that's normal.
29:28No, it's a rarity.
29:29No, we'll just...
29:36Baxter County, Arkansas,
29:43is mostly rural
29:44with a large retiree population.
29:46They are prime targets
29:48for international fraud networks.
29:50When we called the sheriff's department for help,
29:51they told us they were already tracking cash mules
29:54operating in their area,
29:55and they jumped at the chance
29:56to team up for a sting.
29:58I mean, it's a scam,
29:59which we thought
29:59would really only be so prevalent
30:02in big cities.
30:02We're so used to baiting these guys
30:04in California and big cities,
30:05but cash mules go anywhere.
30:07Let's do it.
30:14We're at the bait house,
30:16an abandoned property
30:17the sheriff's office secured for us.
30:19No, no move in.
30:23One of their top investigators,
30:25Bryce Hinson,
30:26is leading the law enforcement side of the sting.
30:29If all goes well,
30:30he'll be the one making the arrest.
30:31We need to make sure
30:33that if I do go hands-on with somebody,
30:35probably gotta chase somebody,
30:36we have to give out
30:38the best vehicle description.
30:39Yeah.
30:40So that way,
30:40everybody that is surrounding this area
30:43knows what car to look at,
30:44so that way they can apprehend him.
30:46There are extra deputies
30:47in unmarked vehicles
30:48already hiding
30:49throughout the entire neighborhood
30:50to assist in the arrest.
30:52And Art and Eli
30:53have surveillance cameras set up
30:55to document the cash handoff
30:56from every possible angle.
30:57That footage
30:58can be turned over to Hinson
30:59to be used as evidence in court.
31:02So I think we're ready.
31:03Now, we're just waiting
31:04for Kay's scammer James
31:05to call from India
31:07and say his U.S. cashmule Martin
31:09is on the way.
31:13Okay, is this in?
31:14Quiet, please.
31:15All right, quiet, please.
31:17Hello?
31:17Yeah.
31:17My manager told me
31:21that he is coming.
31:25All right.
31:26Oh, fine.
31:28I'll stay here.
31:29Just let me know
31:30when he's here.
31:31Okay.
31:32Not two minutes.
31:34Okay.
31:36Better get my ass ready here.
31:39Yeah, all right.
31:40Let's get back on the road.
31:41I'm getting ready
31:42to become Felix,
31:44the 94-year-old victim
31:45Martin the cashmule
31:46is expecting to meet.
31:48Back to your big condom mansion.
31:49Dude, oh.
31:51For those who have seen
31:52our scam-baiting YouTube channel,
31:54you may know
31:57I like a good disguise.
31:58You are wearing
31:59a white hat
32:00and a black t-shirt.
32:01How many times
32:02did I have to tell you?
32:03Yeah.
32:03And no,
32:04it's not a hobby.
32:05PayPal, right?
32:07Yeah.
32:07Yeah.
32:08Huh?
32:10Hello, Tom.
32:11How you doing?
32:12Hey, Tom.
32:13What's going on?
32:13Talk to us.
32:15You want police?
32:16It's a tactic
32:17to lure in scammers
32:18and expose call centers
32:19all over the globe.
32:21Just tell him
32:21to come to the door.
32:22I'm old for f***ing sake.
32:24And it's worked
32:25many times before,
32:27but it is a gamble.
32:29If Martin doesn't buy it
32:30and bolts,
32:31the whole operation
32:33is blown.
32:39Any second,
32:40the mule could show up.
32:41James gave us
32:43a password
32:43to use with Martin.
32:45First,
32:45we confirm the pickup
32:46is for PayPal,
32:47then say FTC.
32:49He will respond
32:50Fleming 770.
32:53If I look convincing enough
32:54and Martin takes the box,
32:56Investigator Hinson
32:57and his team
32:58will swoop in
32:58for the arrest.
33:01They're definitely
33:02here somewhere.
33:02They're definitely
33:03here somewhere.
33:04police van is near
33:15your place.
33:17That's what they said.
33:18Police van is
33:19near your place.
33:24This is not good.
33:26If this camera gets spooked,
33:27he might not show.
33:28I know.
33:29And we're very careful
33:30in setting up
33:31these sting operations.
33:33We have no cop vehicles
33:34on the street,
33:35but we can't control
33:36other events
33:37in the same area.
33:38If this cash mule
33:39doesn't show up,
33:40we're not arresting anybody.
33:43Okay, he's calling me.
33:44He's calling me.
33:47Okay, does this sound
33:48quiet, please?
33:51Whoa!
33:52Okay, now my agent,
33:55he's just nearby your house.
33:59There is a police van
34:00parked nearby your house,
34:02right?
34:03I have no idea
34:05what you're talking about.
34:08This mule is terrifying.
34:10Yeah.
34:11Tell your agent
34:12to get his head
34:13out of his ass
34:15and get it done.
34:17Is he coming now or not?
34:18Yes or no?
34:20Can you come out
34:21of your door?
34:23It's hot.
34:23It's hot.
34:24I'll come out
34:25if he's here.
34:26It's hot outside.
34:27I don't want to stand there.
34:28No, just outside the door.
34:32All right, hang on.
34:34I'm coming outside now.
34:38There's no cars
34:39in my driveway.
34:40What are you talking about here?
34:43I'm outside.
34:45Can you just look
34:46around your drive?
34:48Is there any police,
34:49police, you know,
34:50car, van
34:51is being parked?
34:53No!
34:54I see nobody.
34:56Okay, let me just text him.
34:58Oh my God,
34:59this is so ridiculous here.
35:02There is a fine line
35:03between playing dumb
35:04as a victim
35:05and aggravating the scammer.
35:07The last thing we want to do
35:08is give the impression
35:09that I'm messing with him
35:10or not being truthful.
35:11I think I've kept the bait going.
35:13Now it's just a waiting game.
35:14Let me know
35:24if you see any activities.
35:30Men on food.
35:30Men on food.
35:31Men on food.
35:32Yes.
35:32Someone's coming.
35:40If they know the password,
35:40it's the guy.
35:47Hello.
35:48Hi, how's it going?
35:49I'm fine.
35:50Is this an FTC here?
35:52Yes, sir.
35:52For FTC?
35:53Morning.
35:54Yes, sir.
35:54Are you morning?
35:55Because this is for the PayPal.
35:57Yes, sir.
35:57How are you doing?
35:58I'm tired.
35:59All right.
36:00This is for you
36:00and the FTC
36:02Yes, sir.
36:03And the PayPal.
36:04Yes, sir.
36:05They're all under.
36:06This is going to be all sorted?
36:08Yes, sir.
36:09Passcode Fleming 770.
36:12You will be tased
36:13if you don't get down.
36:14I don't know what's going on.
36:15Get on your face!
36:17I don't know what's going on.
36:19Put your hands behind your back!
36:20I'm sorry.
36:21I don't know what's going on.
36:24I don't know what's going on.
36:25Okay, cool.
36:25We'll talk to you in a second.
36:27Stay there.
36:28Yes, sir.
36:28Up up!
36:30Oh my Jesus, please, sir.
36:31What's going on out here?
36:32I can't, please, sir.
36:33Talk to you in a second.
36:37We got him!
36:38He didn't even flinch
36:40when he saw my face.
36:41The mask totally worked.
36:42I knew it would.
36:44It's never failed before.
36:45Yeah.
36:45Good job, y'all.
36:46Fuck yeah.
36:46Good job, buddy.
36:47Yeah.
36:48The car's now on
36:49South Rodeo.
36:52South Rodeo.
36:53Chase, the name's the name?
36:54No way.
36:54There's another person.
36:57We just learned
36:58through Hinson's
36:58undercover deputies
36:59that Martin had an accomplice.
37:01The other guy
37:02was in the car
37:03parked down the street
37:04and bolted
37:05when he saw his body
37:06getting arrested.
37:07Deputies are in pursuit.
37:09So maybe,
37:09if we're lucky,
37:10we'll get another arrest.
37:13All right, boss.
37:14Before I ask you any questions,
37:15okay?
37:16Yes, sir.
37:16You have the right
37:16to remain silent.
37:17Anything you say can
37:18and will be used
37:19against you in court.
37:20You have the right
37:20to talk to an attorney
37:21before I have a question of him.
37:22Do you understand your rights?
37:23Yes, sir.
37:24Who brought you up here?
37:2524, man, three.
37:26Pardon?
37:26Who brought you up here?
37:27Be honest.
37:28Pursuit of vehicle,
37:29West Road.
37:30Who brought you?
37:32I continue.
37:33We're trying to figure out
37:35what's going on
37:36because right now,
37:37you want to know something?
37:37He's running from us
37:38and that's going to be
37:39even more shit.
37:41Why is he running?
37:42What's his name?
37:43King.
37:43That's all you know him?
37:45Yes.
37:45And just help me pick up
37:46something from him.
37:48He said that his uncle
37:50that he has a customer.
37:51And his name is King.
37:53That's all you know.
37:53And you don't know
37:54what kind of car it is.
37:55I wasn't paying attention.
37:57Okay.
37:57All right.
38:01You hear the sirens?
38:02Is that the chase?
38:03Yeah, they're still going.
38:05You got a lot of people
38:06involved right now.
38:10They're on 126,
38:11which is up that way.
38:14Patrol deputies, I think,
38:15getting close behind him now.
38:16Yeah.
38:16So we maybe have
38:17two for one here.
38:18Yeah.
38:18During the chase,
38:31the guy wrecked his car
38:32and the deputies
38:33that were following him
38:34caught up to him
38:35and took him down.
38:37Thankfully,
38:37his car was the only one
38:39involved in the wreck
38:39and nobody was injured.
38:41Good job, y'all.
38:42Everybody.
38:43Everybody.
38:44Fantastic.
38:45My God.
38:45My God.
38:48Back inside the bait house,
38:51we're sitting with
38:51Investigator Hinson
38:52to go through
38:53the surveillance footage
38:54when my phone rings.
38:55The answer?
38:57It's James calling back.
38:59Yeah.
39:00Hello.
39:01Hello?
39:02What is the problem here?
39:03Sir, someone just came
39:05to your house
39:06and you have kidnapped him.
39:08Who?
39:08What are you talking about here?
39:10There's no person.
39:11If you're not going to leave him,
39:12I promise you,
39:13I will bomb blast your house.
39:16Fuck you, motherfucker.
39:17I'm going to kill you.
39:18I know your address, right?
39:20I know your address.
39:21Yeah.
39:21You think you're going to
39:22catch my people?
39:23Threats like this
39:24are completely laughable,
39:26but entirely common.
39:27We hear them all the time.
39:30James is just running scared,
39:32but with good reason.
39:34Do you understand
39:34that anything you say can
39:36and will be used
39:36against you in court?
39:37Right now,
39:38investigators at the sheriff's office
39:40are questioning
39:40the getaway driver,
39:42a guy named Pranav Sharma,
39:44for intel about
39:45the main operation.
39:47Where are you from?
39:48Texas, sir?
39:50On your life or how?
39:51No, sir.
39:51I was born in India.
39:53So what are you doing here
39:54from Texas?
39:55It's him.
39:56Okay.
39:57So you understood
39:58that you were coming up here
39:59to get money,
40:00get cash from somebody?
40:06Okay.
40:07But I think you know
40:08that this is not on the open up,
40:10that this was not a
40:11legal job
40:13that you guys were doing
40:14coming up here to do.
40:15Sorry.
40:16You knew that.
40:18You knew.
40:19Okay.
40:20Okay.
40:22This scheme
40:23to just basically defraud
40:25innocent people
40:26out of the money.
40:27Okay?
40:28That's what,
40:29you know,
40:29that's what we're
40:30talking about here.
40:31We kind of know
40:32how it operates.
40:33We see it a lot.
40:34A lot of it happens
40:35electronically,
40:36as you know
40:37as well as I do
40:38from overseas.
40:38If the investigator
40:40can get a precise location
40:41of the call center
40:42in India,
40:43he can turn that over
40:44to the feds
40:44who will work
40:45with their foreign
40:45counterparts
40:46to shut the operation down.
40:49I want to know
40:49from you
40:50the mechanics of this.
40:53I don't know, sir.
40:54I want to, like,
40:55say something stupid
40:56and all this
40:57would have my
40:58Lord President
40:58and everything.
41:01I want to step back out.
41:08In the end,
41:25Mr. Sharma
41:25stopped talking
41:26and lawyered up.
41:27So did
41:28Martin the cashmule.
41:30He's originally
41:30from Nigeria
41:31and his real name
41:32is Osuzua Ikpanwosa.
41:34Both men were booked
41:35into the county jail
41:36to await trial.
41:37There is still
41:38a good chance
41:39they could turn
41:40over valuable information
41:41about the call center
41:43in exchange
41:43for a plea deal.
41:46But in the meantime,
41:47Art and I
41:48are back in L.A.
41:49and we get to call
41:50Kay with the good news.
41:52We got two arrests
41:53connected to James
41:54and the call center
41:55that scammed her.
41:56And there may be
41:57more coming.
42:02How are you doing, Kay?
42:03Good.
42:03Pretty good.
42:04I'm glad to see
42:05my scam-baiter partner.
42:07Yuri.
42:08You won't talk
42:08about my underwear
42:09anymore, you know?
42:14We have something
42:15extraordinary
42:16to show you.
42:18Yes.
42:18We took the scam invoice
42:20that started your scam.
42:22We took every other invoice
42:23that you've received
42:24from these people.
42:26We were calling
42:27these guys incessantly
42:28and someone identified
42:29himself as James.
42:31It was a James
42:32at fake PayPal
42:33and I got him
42:34to agree to send
42:35his cashmule
42:36to a bait house
42:38in Arkansas.
42:39Two guys showed up
42:41and both of them
42:41were arrested
42:42by the sheriff's department.
42:44Yay!
42:44All right.
42:45The first guy
42:46that walked up
42:47to the house
42:47the guy on foot
42:48was incarcerated
42:50on a felony charge
42:51of theft of property.
42:52The guy that drove
42:53is extra screwed.
42:54He's incarcerated
42:55on multiple charges.
42:57One felony
42:58of theft of property
42:59another felony
43:00of fleeing by vehicle
43:01and a misdemeanor
43:02of reckless driving
43:03also because he put
43:04a lot of people's lives
43:04in danger just by doing that.
43:06He's also being held
43:07by the U.S. Department
43:08of Homeland Security.
43:10Both of them
43:10have a bond
43:11of $25,000 cash
43:13for each charge.
43:15Now they're both
43:15charged with felonies.
43:17They both have
43:18very big charges.
43:20You under-promised
43:22and over-delivered.
43:23You were honest with me.
43:24You weren't sure
43:25what you could accomplish
43:27but this is just
43:28way more than I expected.
43:31Amazing is the only word
43:32I can come up with.
43:33I'm so pleased
43:34to see how happy
43:35this has made K and L.
43:37But our work
43:38isn't done yet.
43:39We want to make sure
43:39that nothing like this
43:41ever happens to K again.
43:42K, you know that scammers
43:43have access
43:44to your personal information,
43:45right, because you've
43:46been getting these invoices
43:46but we wanted to show you
43:48Surfshark Alternative ID.
43:50It's a service
43:51that's going to help you
43:51protect your personal
43:52information with
43:53a different name,
43:54a different email address,
43:56a different phone number
43:56whenever you sign up
43:58for services in the future.
43:59This is a tool
44:00that helps you
44:01to keep your real name
44:02and your real address
44:03more private.
44:04When you get scammed
44:05it's already too late
44:07and that's why I think
44:08it's the best way
44:09to prevent it.
44:10I'm going to take
44:11all of your advice
44:12to heart
44:13and do what you
44:15instruct me to do.
44:16Before we say goodbye
44:17I want to know
44:19how case recovery
44:20is going.
44:21When you guys
44:22came into my life
44:23I felt so much more
44:25relieved about everything
44:26because you made it
44:28understood to me
44:29that there's no reason
44:31to feel guilty
44:32or ashamed
44:32because so many
44:34other people
44:34have had that
44:35and you have treated
44:36me in that way too.
44:37there's no judgment
44:38there's no condemnation
44:40and that's been awesome.
44:42So thank you guys.
44:45Arresting these cashmules
44:46is a major win
44:47a message that
44:48this kind of fraud
44:49won't go unchecked.
44:51But our biggest win
44:52is giving Kay
44:53her self-confidence back.
44:56Stopping scams
44:57is about more
44:58than just taking down criminals.
45:00It's about restoring power
45:01one victim at a time.
45:04Take care.
45:05See you next time.
45:11Bye.
45:12Bye.
45:16Bye.
45:17Bye.
45:17Bye.
45:18Bye.
45:18Bye.
45:20Bye.
45:22Bye.
45:31Bye.
45:32Bye.
45:32Bye.
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