Most of us, especially young people, might think we’re immune to online frauds and scams. However, according to data from NatWest, people aged 18-34 were the main targets of scams, as 55% say they have been approached by scammers in the last 12 months.
Nobody likes scammers, so, most of us cheer when we see a good scammer takedown. The Scammer Payback subreddit is a place where scammers get baited and burned so bad they’re usually left speechless. Here we have for you the most hilarious texts where scammers finally met their match and were trolled, ridiculed, and utterly destroyed.
#1 Sometimes I Feel Sorry For Them
Image credits: Effective-Ad8546
#2 The Person Who Expertly Hit A Scammer With A “Your Mom” Joke
Image credits: NomadFreelance
#3 My “New Job” Is Working Out
Image credits: blahreport
The Scammer Payback subreddit is the community for the audience and fans of the American YouTuber and streamer Pierogi. The YouTube channel has 7.89M subscribers and features the creator baiting phone and online scams.
Pierogi is a former cybersecurity professional who was inspired to start his career on YouTube and Twitch after watching YouTube videos. At first, his channel featured videos of him prank calling scammers to waste their time. But, as time went by, the project grew into something more serious.
#4 This Is Mia
Image credits: NotUrAverageTM
#5 So Sad
Image credits: ResponsibilityFew318
#6 Couldn’t Help Myself
Image credits: blipsou
In 2022, Pierogi and his team set up a “People’s Call Center,” the opposite of a scam call center. The team called internet scammers for a week, pretending to be victims and wasting their time, preventing other people from getting scammed.
As the creator told FOX 7, he would usually do this by himself. “It was kind of good versus evil, the anti-scam call center versus the scam call center,” Pierogi explained. “There’s going to be evil in this world. And… I think that for every kind of evil thing that’s going on, there’s a positive as well.”
#7 The Person Who Let A Scammer Know They Might Want To Double-Check Their Scams
Image credits: DOUMEKl
#8 Nigerian Scammer
Image credits: Dakr1177
#9 Short And Sweet…
Image credits: FuneralPotatoes801
Pierogi isn’t just some Internet vigilante; he’s not against working with the government. Recently, as he’s told TIME, he started feeding federal authorities information about scam rings. “All different sorts of agencies have knocked on my door,” he said.
#10 There Was An Attempt
Image credits: Matthias0211
#11 The Person Who Cursed A Scammer With Dark, Dark Magic
Image credits: Lopsided_Pick9368
#12 Omg Is This What I Think It Is
Image credits: Sontazia
The creator also draws attention to the fact that it can be hard to put scammers behind bars. When people seek justice, often authorities of multiple countries have to be involved. Also, you’d need victims who would be willing to testify, which doesn’t happen often. “We’re making it harder for the scammers, but they’re also getting smarter,” Pierogi told TIME. “It’s this cat-and-mouse game.”
#13 Had To Be Reminded
Image credits: Vi11agio-Xbox
#14 First Attempt And I Have No Self Control
Image credits: Immediate-Prize-1870
#15 Simple But Sweet
Image credits: rosssettti
What is it exactly that scambaiters like Pierogi do? Aside from wasting their time and holding up the phone lines, scambaiters also expose their personal information or even target them with cyberattacks. Another popular streamer and scambaiter Kitboga told NPR how he’s sometimes able to get bank account details, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, and other info out of scammers.
#16 Wanna Date?
Image credits: Visible_Leading2016
#17 Straight To The Point
Image credits: The_How_2_Dad
#18 Too Hard Too Fast?
Image credits: Educational-Major760
Scambaiters usually assume some other persona when talking to scammers. For Kitboga, one of their names is an elderly woman, Edna, inspired by his grandmother. One of the reasons the streamer began scambaiting on his channel was because his grandmother fell victim to fraudsters: he found out she was paying for multiple internet and cable packages.
#19 I Saw Someone Do This 1 Trick. So I Wanted To See
Image credits: dankhits
#20 Too Harsh
Image credits: TheoLOGICAL_1988
#21 How Am I Doing Lmfao
Image credits: GApeachesgal
Kitboga then realized he could manipulate the scammers under the guise of an older woman. “The initial drive or mission was, if I spent 10 minutes on the phone, then that was 10 minutes that that scammer wasn’t talking to my grandma or your grandma,” he explained to NPR.
#22 I Guess I Came On Too Strong
Image credits: dogbert730
#23 It’s Become My Favorite Thing To Do
Image credits: RichardCinAZ
#24 Not In The Mood Today… LOL
Image credits: shoesmith74
Another scambaiter Jim Browning hacks into scammers’ computers and CCTV cameras and shows his viewers how the fraudsters are reacting to the baiting in real time. In one operation together with the Australian ABC News, he gained access to a scammer’s computer and shared the screen with the journalists as the scam of an Australian man took place.
#25 Not Quite Payback But Felt Good
Image credits: beepidybop
#26 This Is How I Deal With These Assholes
Image credits: SardonicSuperman
#27 Glad To See The FBI Has Begun Stepping In On Scammers
Image credits: astroconfessorr
After the reporters reached out to the man and warned him about a possible scam, the man unfortunately didn’t believe them. He supposed that ABC News were the scammers. ‘”A lot of the time the scammers build up a rapport with their victims,” Browning explained. “I’ve seen scammers completely turn this around, even though I’ve warned the victim that the person you’re speaking to is a scammer.”
#28 Bored With Them Now So I Just Do This
Image credits: BiglyIdeas
#29 The Person Who Tried To Scam Someone With A Truly Special Name
Image credits: reddit.com
#30 The Person Who Gave A Scammer Detailed Instructions The Specifics Of Their Home
Image credits: PoundPuppyReject
Scambaiting isn’t always successful, but it is, however, almost always entertaining. Which of these texts made you laugh the most, Pandas? Do you have any similar scammer takedowns to share from your own experience? Don’t hesitate and do so in the comments! And, if you want to see more scammers getting owned, check out our other posts here and here!
#31 The Person Who Was Just Trying To Give A Scammer A Deal
Image credits: WhatJuDoing
#32 Straight To The Point
Image credits: Totknax
#33 Are You Ready?
Image credits: mvrtxna
#34 Hope I Did It Right
Image credits: reddit.com
#35 How My Buddy Deals With Scams
Image credits: xMrSaltyx
#36 I’m A Lil New To This
Image credits: FalseSanctum
#37 April Fools
Image credits: NiteGard
#38 Omg They Sent It Again
Image credits: why_seal_why
#39 I Messed It Up. Make Fun Of Me
Image credits: DrKittyLovah
#40 The Person Who Let A Scammer Know They Already Have Plans Tomorrow
Image credits: Car_car166
#41 Sick Of These Motherfuckers, Been Texting Me For 4 Years… Im Not Trent!!!
Image credits: nikschwab
#42 First Time, How I Do?
Image credits: emptybottle-151
#43 Got ‘Em
Image credits: Messybones
#44 Bro Got A Little Upset
Image credits: Fluffy_Study8129