9 Sep 2023

Scam baiter Jim Browning

From Saturday Morning, 10:00 am on 9 September 2023
scammer call centre

scammer call centre Photo: Jim Browning

New Zealanders are losing millions of dollars each year to scammers impersonating banks, tech support, and government departments.

The exact cost is not known, as embarrassed victims often don't report their losses.

Like most people, Northern Irish software engineer Jim Browning hates scammers, but unlike the rest of us he welcomes their approach.

He's a scam baiter, an internet vigilante who turns the tables by playing a naive victim while simultaneously hacking into their computers.

His youtube channel exposes scams, explains how they work, and has even led to some scam call centres being shut down.