YouTuber Pierogi targets scammers with 'Scammer Payback' channel, new project

YouTuber starts call center to target scammers

A former cybersecurity professional, who goes by the name "Pierogi" is terrorizing scammers.

AUSTIN, Texas - A former cybersecurity professional, who goes by the name "Pierogi" is terrorizing scammers.

Complaints of suspected internet crime soared almost 70% from 2019-2020, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. In 2020, Americans lost more than $4.2 billion to cyber-criminals.

Pierogi says he became inspired to fight back after watching YouTube videos. Now his own channel, "Scammer Payback," has nearly 3.4 million subscribers.

"When people watch my videos they want that sense of fulfillment," he explained.

Pierogi says the channel started out with prank calls to waste scammers time.

"And while we think that's really valuable, it's gone to so many levels," he said.

Through the channel, he has been able to give money back to scam victims and stop scams in progress.

"When you finally get that [scam victim] on the line, and they listen to you, and they understand, and you save them, that is one of the most exhilarating experiences," he said.

His latest project is called the "People’s Call Center."

"The idea around this was I've been calling in just by myself calling into these scam call centers for a number of years. And there are others that are like me that do the same," he said.

Pierogi is working with scam baiters from around the world on the "People’s Call Center." A scam baiter is someone who calls internet scammers pretending to be a victim to waste their time.

"And it was kind of good versus evil, the anti-scam call center versus the scam call center," he added. "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."