Tyrone: Yeah so, you see that s**t dawg?
Tyrone: That s**t has been popping out for - ever since yesterday man.
Tyrone: Like, that s**t's been coming over and over again.
Tyrone: What is that?!
Russell: What you just seen is live footage from a call-center in India-
Russell: - who's all purpose is to scam innocent victims out of their money.
Russell: Last year, Americans lost an estimated 29.8 billion dollars to phone scams.
Russell: This can only mean one thing.
Russell: Phone scammers absolutely suck!
Russell: By now you're probably very familiar with these scams.
Russell: Some guy with an Indian accent and an all American name -
Russell: - like Bill White or John Jones -
Russell: - calls you up and says:
Russell: "Hello, you're being given $10000 from the IRS for being a loyal American citizen."
Russell: Yeah, Loyalty Grants aren't actually a thing.
Russell: Not everyone is aware that these scummy scammers exist.
Russell: These people prey upon the disabled and the elderly because they're easy targets.
Russell: You have to be a really terrible human being -
Russell: - to swindle innocent old ladies out of their pension checks.
Russell: So it's time for some well deserved payback.
Russell: And I brought out the big guns to help make it happen.
Russell: I teamed up with Jim Browning -
Russell: - a.k.a. the Liam Neeson of scam baiting -
Russell: - to take down the shady operation called Tech Karma.
Russell: It's run out of India by a guy named Arjun Singh -
Russell: - who also goes by the fake name Eddie Smith.
Russell: I mean, he could've think of a better fake name.
Russell: Using the most Caucasian names possible -
Russell: - is the strategy these con men use to trick their victims.
Russell: Jim Browning was able to infiltrate their operation -
Russell: - and access all the private information on their computers.
Russell: Looking at their sales figures -
Russell: - we calculated that Arjun and his henchmen
Russell: - have defrauded victims out of over 500 000 dollars in the last nine months.
Russell: That's over $50,000 a month.
Rakesh: That's a lot of rupees man.
Russell: So, here's how the scam works.
Russell: Arjun's minions pretend to be from the Microsoft Tech Support.
Russell: Using the fake website called "livemicrossoftsupport.com"
Russell: And they spell Microsoft with two S's.
Russell: So you know they're super legit.
Russell: As you probably guessed -
Russell: - these guys aren't gonna help you with your computer problems.
Russell: They are your computer problems.
Russell: Can you imagine, a total stranger connects to your computer -
Russell: - locks it down and holds it ransom until you pay an arm and a leg to fix it?
Russell: Because, that's exactly what these guys do.
Russell: It's time to turn the tables.
Russell: Jim was able to get a buttload of personal documents from Arjun and his employees.
Russell: Scans of their passports, their home addresses -
Russell: - databases of their prior victims -
Russell: - even the resumes they use to apply to be scammers.
Russell: We've got it all.
Russell: We also have a virtual computer setup -
Russell: - which makes the scammers think they're actually connecting to our personal computers.
Russell: Warning! Do not ever let a scammer connect to your actual computer.
Russell: Because they can lock it and steal your private information.
Rakesh: Don't be stupid!
Russell: So, let's see how these scammers like having their worlds turned upside down.
[phone ringing]
Scammer: Thank you for calling Technical Support, my name is Robin, how I can help you?
Abdo: Yeah, hey brother, I've been trying to call -
Abdo: - the guy on the account for two days now, I haven't been able to -
Abdo: - get a hold of Arjun, is he in the office there working?
Scammer: Uh, okay, let me check that.
Abdo: I'm calling from the "Real PBX".
Abdo: We've been getting so many people calling to complain and -
Abdo: - I'm just trying to figure out what's happening so I can try to help them.
Scammer: Okay, let me check that, let me check that with Arjun.
Abdo: Okay, alright. Is he available now, right?
Scammer: No, he's on the call with someone.
Abdo: It's very urgent, is his phone call urgent or can he hung up?
Scammer: Oh no, he's talking with some - some customer.
Scammer: So that's why.
Abdo: Yeah, customer huh?
Abdo: Customer, is that what you call it? Customers?
Abdo: You stupid. Okay, alright, I'm gonna try to call him later.
Scammer: Yes, you can call back.
Abdo: Okay, okay brother. Okay.
Russell: Now, I'm gonna call Arjun -
Russell: the tip-top scammer who lives in a penthouse apartment in Dehradun, India.
Russell: Remember, I have his ID card, home address, even his credit card info.
Russell: Homeboy is about to shit his kurta.
[phone ringing]
Abdo: Yeah, hello Mr. Arjun. You're so hard to get a hold of brother. Where have you been all day?
Scammer: From where you are calling?
Abdo: I'm calling with The Real PBX.com. I know you have some business with us and we've been talking for a while now
Abdo: to try to make sure your implementation perfect.
Abdo: Looks like we're getting lots of complaints here about the outgoing calls, right?
Scammer: No, no, we do not need any help. Everything is okay.
Scammer: You do not need to call back.
Abdo: Okay, but look, we got so many complaints about your account [stuttering] in particular -
Scammer: Do not call this number! Do not call this number!
Abdo: Listen! You stupid! Are you stupid like your other colleague I'm telling you I'm calling from the real - [phone call ends]
Russell: [laughing]
[phone ringing]
Abdo: Just to confirm brother, your Singh Arjun, ***@gmail.com, right? Account ID on Real PBX?
Abdo: And your last payment was credit card number [censored]?
Scammer: If you have any problem, you take care of it, do not call me. Do not call me!
Abdo: So do you want me to close the account you stupid?!
Scammer: Yes, you can close it!
Abdo: Close the account, right?
Scammer: F**k off!
Abdo: Okay you donkey! [phone call ends]
[phone ringing]
Scammer: Hello?
Abdo: Brother, I'm gonna take the next plane to Dehradun, and come to [censored] so we can speak face by face.
Abdo: [censored] Just to be specific.
Scammer: F**k off! [phone call ends]
[phone ringing]
Abdo: Yeah, can I speak with Shummy please?
Abdo: Welcome to my paradise. Are you ready to stop hanging up on me now man?
Abdo: Let's just talk face to face please. I'm trying just to get to the bottom of this.
Abdo: Help me so I can help you -
Scammer: Do not call this number!
Abdo: You donkey!
Scammer: Why don't you understand?
Abdo: You donkey! I'm gonna call you for the rest of your life!
Russell: Now, Jim and I are gonna call Jimut, aka Ryan.
Rakesh: Uh, yeah hi this is Ryan Gosling with the IRS. I used to make hit movies like The Notebook.
Rakesh: But now I am working here part time, how are you doing?
Russell: He's one of Arjuns's top earners and has scammed people over a $125,000
Russell: Jim was able to connect to his computer so we were able to f**k with him very, very hard.
Russell: The hardest f**k.
[phone ringing]
Scammer: Thank you for calling Microsoft, this is Ryan how may I help you today?
Jim: Yeah, hi. I got a problem with my computer here, it's got like a blue screen
Jim: and it's got error message. If you can help...
Scammer: Uh, yeah sure. Um, sorry for the inconvenience with support.
Scammer: Uh, could you please help me with the error message? What was it saying?
Jim: Yeah, it's like a blue thing, I've not seen it before like a...
Jim: Says "Microsoft alert error 268D3X89383" and it's got like, a large "Warning".
Scammer: Okay, alright. Let me just check the error code first.
Jim: Okay.
Scammer: [mumbles]
Jim: Okay.
Scammer: And, what were you doing when this thing came up?
Jim: Oh, I was kinda looking up on the internet, my - my -
Jim: - I think it might have been my roommate, I- I- I-
Jim: - I've never seen this before, I don't know what -
Jim: - I've got a roommate Tyrone and he -
Jim: - I don't know what he looks up on the internet he -
Jim: - he's just - it could be anything. You know he's -
Jim: - God knows what he looks up.
Scammer: I understand.
Scammer: Now, the alert that you I mean - the error misses I mean - area code that you just gave me.
Scammer: This area code mean that, there might will be a suspicious activity on the IP address.
Scammer: A harmful virus.
Jim: I'm gonna kill him because, you know I - I -
Jim: - he's a roommate of mine and he just -
Jim: - I found him on Gumtree (a website), should've known better -
Jim: - this is your fault Tyrone.
Jim: I knew it was you.
Tyrone: Brother I'm sorry I mean like - you found that Tech Support guy -
Jim: Yeah, can you - can you fix this because it's just sitting - it's all locked up.
Scammer: I understand that.
Scammer: So, first of all, before I move towards fixing it -
Scammer: - I need you to understand a problem in a better way, so I can give you the perfect solution for it.
Jim: What do I need to do?
Scammer: Okay, first of all, please check if you have any control over the mouse.
Scammer: Like - can you click on anything, can you -
Jim: Uh, it keeps moving, it's -
Scammer: - please, you know, please click on the question mark once.
Tyrone: Wait, hold on. Before y'all CHANGE it though
Tyrone: - like, am I gonna be able to keep those pictures of Mia Khalifa and the stuff that I downloaded -
Tyrone: - or just gonna make them - the PC wipe everything?
Scammer: Uh we - right now, we are focusing on the problem.
Scammer: After than, we'll talk about the solution
Tyrone: Got you.
Tyrone: Okay, alright.
Scammer: Okay, please type in you first and last name.
Scammer: Uh, in the name-box and then I'll give you the support key.
Jim: Look at that, look, all these warnings! What are all these warnings?
Scammer: Something was trying to send in your log in or recovery information.
Scammer: This is what it tells me.
Jim: See, I told you you shouldn't be on those websites.
Tyrone: Listen man -
Tyrone: - I told you, we should just split a premium subscription together brother like -
Tyrone: - we keep going on like torrents and stuff like that, we always gonna get like virus, I told you man like -
Tyrone: - P**nhub is only like $10.
Jim: Yeah, what's up there, it's just like a - what was that -
Jim: - on the screen now.
Tyrone: Yeah so, you see that s**t dawg?
Tyrone: That s**t has been popping out for - ever since yesterday man.
Tyrone: Like, that s**t's been coming over and over again.
Tyrone: What is that?!
Jim: Yeah, it's trying - on the screen there.
Tyrone: Yeah, honestly man, we gotta fix this computer dawg because like -
Tyrone: I can't be logging into my work and stuff.
Jim: What's - dragging over that, I can't read that.
Jim: He's Jim - guy. He is a -
Scammer: Uh, am I speaking with Jim by the way?
Jim: Jimmit, Jimmit, yeah. Jimmit.
Scammer: No, am I speaking with Jim?
Jim: To Jim, nah, I think it's a Jimmit.
Jim: Is it Jimmit?
Scammer: No, I'm speaking to Jim.
Scammer: Probably last name is Browning?
Tyrone: Yeah, I'm Tyrone.
Tyrone: So, this is Tyrone.
Tyrone: Tyrone Williamson.
Tyrone: I'm not sure if it came my name or what's happening, but like -
Tyrone: - you can put Tyrone Williamson down, that's fine.
Scammer: And what's your friend's name?
Jim: Iver, Iver.
Tyrone: This is Iver.
Jim: Iver, yeah.
Russell: Now, I'm calling Jamut with Arjun number showing up on the caller ID.
Russell: So, Jamut thinks he's getting a call from his boss when he picks up.
[phone ringing]
Jamut: Hello?
Rakesh: Hey Jamut, did you hear what happened?
Rakesh: Did Arjun tell you what happened?
Jamut: I'm sorry, what?
Rakesh: Did somebody - Did you use the computer?
Rakesh: Tell me about - Did you see duck with ID? The duck on the screen? Remote ID?
Jamut: What duck, are you mad? Are you nuts?
Rakesh: You saw the duck! The duck strolling on the screen! The clicking - the one that is - It is walking walking on the screen right?
Rakesh: They got on the computer, they know everything about.
Jamut: What duck man? Are you f***ing nuts or what?!
Rakesh: No, the duck on the computer, it's walking around. The duck is walking around, it's virus.
Rakesh: Is this Jamut?
Jamut: This is Jamut, yeah.
Rakesh: Okay, listen.
Rakesh: Oh my God, okay I am very worried about because they found the computer they're connecting about that. They saw everything.
Jamut: You're f***ing nuts, you know that?
Rakesh: No, no! What are you talking about? Listen, banchode I'm trying to - [phone call ends]
Russell: [laughing]
Russell: Now, I'm calling as Grant, an old army veteran that Arjun conned out of his retirement fund.
Russell: And whose information I was able to get using scammer's internal data base.
[phone ringing]
Scammer: Thank you for calling Online Technical Support, how can I help you?
Grant: Uh, where's Eddie?
Scammer: Please hold.
Eddie: Thanks to be on, are you still there? Hello?
Grant: C'mon man, like - I know you just don't want to deal with it, but like, you don't feel bad at all?
Grant: Like, zero?
Grant: Like, please, please, I'm begging you. I'm on my hands and knees...
Grant: I'm begging you to please have a heart and just, do something. $100? $200?
Grant: I just need to buy a new tent before the winter comes around.
Grant: And, last thing I wanna do is to have my - my ventilated son freeze to death so...
Grant: I- I literally had to sell my last kindey just to like get through the last payment -
Eddie: Who take? Who take money? Who take money from you?
Grant: I just told you who take! It was Eddie!
Grant: Yeah. Tech Karma. You take.
Eddie: No.
Grant: Look, please,
Eddie: This is not Tech Karma.
Grant: You know Arjun, right? That's your boy. That's your buddy.
Grant: You guys high five each other every time you scam somebody
Grant: Oh my God, high five, we've just scammed somebody of 1500 bucks. Great.
Grant: So maybe you should ask Arjun and say -
Grant: - hey Arjun, we should have a heart today because we made this guy go on the street and his son is dying.
Grant: Maybe we should have a heart today. You could do that?
Grant: Look, you can keep sitting there, flaring your nostrils, inhaling exhaling
Grant: 'cause you don't know what the f**k to say or...
Grant: You could be a decently commendable human being and just speak your mind.
Grant: I am sorry, oh my God I'm so sorry to hear that - [phone call ends] [laughing]
[phone ringing]
Grant: Hey, how are you? This is Grant. Um, is this Eddie by any chance?
Arjun: Tell me sir, quickly.
Grant: Quickly.
Arjun: What happened? Why are you calling again and again?
Grant: Because you guys are... I'm on the street because of you.
Grant: Oh this - Wait, Arjun? Finally! Dude, please! This is Grant.
Grant: Remember? You told me your name was Eddie, took my money? 1500 bucks?
Grant: I'm begging you, please, I'm on the street now and honestly I'm struggling beyond belief
Grant: And I'm literally just calling over and over again to plead and beg with you guys.
Grant: Can I please just feed my kid, make sure we get a tent so we're not stuck outside in the cold?
Grant: [stuttering]
Arjun: He have lot of money, okay? He have lot of money so you do not worry about him.
Grant: What are you talking about?!
Grant: Who's - Why are we talking to the third person?
Arjun: Do not call this number okay?
Grant: I don't have a lot of money! I don't have a lot of money!
Arjun: You waste your time.
Grant: Listen -
Arjun: F**k off!
Grant: I'm telling you I will make your life a living hell if you wanna f**k with me - [phone call ends]
[phone ringing]
Scammer: Thank you for calling how can I help you today?
Grant: Tech Karma, that's you guys, right?
Scammer: Uh, no sir.
Grant: What's your company name then, if I got it down wrong?
Scammer: This is -
Scammer: Online support.
Grant: That's your name, like, dictionary word online support?
Scammer: Yes sir.
Grant: Uh, okay.
Jim: Online support, yeah.
Grant: Interesting...
Jim: So how do people get thir money back, Mr. Online Support?
Scammer: I don't know where you have spent your money.
Jim: Oh, it was - it was given to Tech Karma.
Grant: I think - I think it was given -
Scammer: Who's Tech Karma, sir?
Grant: It was given to Tech Karma that it helped Arjun Singh pay for his penthouse appartment last month, I think.
[phone call ends]