KDKA Investigates: Scam Baiters Turn The Tables On Scammers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pick up the phone these days and chances are it's a scammer on the other end.
"When you hear someone saying they're from the IRS it is a shock," says Jennifer Redick, of Elderton.
It could be someone claiming to be from the IRS, or Microsoft tech support, or even someone saying they've kidnapped your spouse and demanding ransom.
"They said, 'How much money do you have?' I said, 'Seriously, I have about $300 on me,'" said Ed Morrissey, a scam victim. "They said, 'You can't bury her for $300.'"
It's a terrifying trend in modern life, but when scammers tried to dupe one young woman's mother last year, she decided to fight back.
Amanda: "That made me angry, because they're after the vulnerable people, and I don't like seeing people taken advantage of."
KDKA's Andy Sheehan: "And this motivated you to become a scam baiter?"
Amanda: "A scam baiter, yes."
Scam baiters like Amanda turn the tables on the scammers by scamming them. First by playing unsuspecting victims, stringing them along and appearing ready to fork over money.
Scammer: "How did you want to take care of that?"
Amanda: "Well, I have my debit card here."
Scammer: "Go ahead with the debit card number."
Then, just when the scam seems within reach, Amanda lets them know she's played them for a fool all along.
In one instance she told a scammer, who was trying to get her financial information, that she's claimed her pet python as a dependent.
Scammer: "How is that possible?"
Amanda: "'Cause he's very expensive, he eats a lot. His name is Jeffrey, like Jeffrey Dahmer. So, I have to invest a lot of money in his food."
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By day, Amanda works as a secretary at a Downtown law firm, but at night, she one of an army of people across the globe who engage in this unusual hobby. They then post the video on YouTube.
The videos can also be educational, teaching viewers about the latest scams and how not to get duped -- hanging up being the best remedy. The main thrust is to tie-up the scammers and waste their time.
"Make them mad, waste their time, tie up their lines so they can't call anybody else," says Amanda, "and if I'm stopping one person from getting scammed out of the thousands of people who work in the call centers, then I think my work it worth it."
But even if you're tempted, don't try this at home. The scam baiters use programs that disguise their phone numbers so the scammers cannot retaliate.
