Social vigilantes turning the tables on crooks; why fighting back could be risky
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Online and phone scams are more sophisticated than ever. Ever-evolving technology makes the cons believable for people of all ages, and it’s created a new kind of vigilante justice.
These vigilantes take matters into their own hands to try to get swift justice, but there are questions about overstepping legal boundaries and being able to protect themselves against cyber criminals.
Ryan Kelly, who goes by “Youthpastorryan” on TikTok, is a full-time comedian, a part-time influencer, and now, a cyber vigilante. He posts videos showing people how he flips the script on scammers.
“So, a scammer texted me, and I don't think they enjoyed this interaction nearly as much as I did,” Kelly said in one of his TikTok videos.
Kelly has a degree in cyber security. He uses what he was taught in school to waste scammers’ time, before trying to shut down the scams all together.
“An artist got scammed, and that bummed me out, so I scammed the scammer,” he said.
Kelly gets up to 12 requests a day from people who are looking for justice after being swindled out of money.
“Welcome to 'Gaslighting for Good,' where I made a scammer take down his own account by making him so paranoid by the world I created around him. My name is Ryan, and here is my degree in homeland security,” Kelly said in another TikTok.
This need to get justice for others was born out of being the victim of a scam himself. When he moved from Los Angeles back to St. Louis, he hired a company to help him move his belongings and his car, but never got the service.
“I got scammed and I was like, ‘I actually have all the education around this. Let’s go and hunt scammers,’” said Kelly.
Kelly got hold of the scammer's driver's license information and home address, then called his local FBI field office. He says the agent he spoke to was impressed with all the information he was able to gather, and even had a similar story.
“They were like, ‘Why do you have this information?’ I was like, ‘No reason,’ and I explained what happened and weirdly enough, that FBI field agent goes, ‘OMG dude, that just happened to me,’” said Kelly. “So yeah, they took care of it and it really does prove everybody gets scammed. After that, someone tried to scam my 78-year-old aunt, Anne. I was like, ‘Oh, I am going to take care of everybody’s Aunt Anne.’”
Kelly’s goal is to waste the scammers’ time, because that means they have less time to prey on others. In addition, he hopes to shut down the operations entirely and expose them so that someone else doesn’t fall for the same thing.
However, many wonder if vigilantism can come with complications regarding the law.
“I have to ask you, is what you do legal?” Local 12 asked Kelly.
“What’s legal and what’s not is definitely up to interpretation,” he said.
Kelly says he does consult with lawyers sometimes.
Local 12 spoke with Northern Kentucky University law professor Ken Katkin about the legality of Kelly’s actions.
“I don’t think there’s anything illegal about that,” said Katkin.
What Kelly is doing is called “scam baiting.” That means he wastes scammers’ time so he can expose their crimes, but isn’t stealing money from them through false promises.
“Doing what I do, which is mostly social engineering, it’s just less tech and more con, to be honest,” said Kelly.
Katkin did mention there are ways these vigilantes can overstep the law, but he doesn’t see anything outwardly illegal in Kelly’s videos.
“Using deceptive tactics is not inherently criminal unless it’s done for criminal purposes, such as to take something of value to somebody,” Katkin said. “I think that’s my big message, really.”
Kelly isn't the only one playing the cyber hero. Ki Boga on YouTube also baits scammers, turning it into performance art and entertaining his over 3 million followers. In his videos, he creates fake identities, changes his voice, and keeps scammers on the phone for hours.
Cyber security consultant Dave Hatter says there is a real danger in doing all of this.
“Part of me loves these people, because I do think they are providing value to society, but I think you are playing with fire to a certain extent,” said Hatter. “You might be an expert at this, but if they can somehow find who you are connected to, like your kids, your mom, your dad. Could they wipe out your mom’s bank account to get back at you? Well, maybe.”
But for cyber vigilantes like Kelly, navigating the wild west of constantly-evolving internet scams and getting people justice is worth the risk.
“In reality, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, they are not getting scammed. They have too many safeguards. It’s your grandma, your aunt, your friend. When I demonstrate this to people and they say, ‘Hey, I didn’t fall for a scam because I learned from what you showed me,’ that’s incredibly rewarding,” said Kelly.
Hatter does not recommend people who aren’t working directly with law enforcement engage in this type of activity. If you have been the victim of a scam, he suggests you report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and contact your local FBI field office.
