Biography:Jim Browning (YouTuber)

From HandWiki
Short description: Northern Irish YouTube personality and scam baiter
Jim Browning
Jim Browning YT logo 2021.png
Personal information
NationalityNorthern Irish
Occupation
  • Scam baiter
  • Software engineer
YouTube information
ChannelsJim Browning
Years active2014–present
GenreScam baiting
Subscribers4.22 million
Total views289 million
YouTube Silver Play Button 2.svg 100,000 subscribers 2018
YouTube Gold Play Button 2.svg 1,000,000 subscribers 2020
Updated 26 December 2023

Jim Browning is the Internet alias of a software engineer and YouTuber from Northern Ireland[1] whose content focuses on scam baiting and investigating call centres engaging in fraudulent activities.

Scambaiting

A software engineer,[2] Browning began researching scam operations after his relative lost money to a technical support scam.[3] He started his YouTube channel to upload footage to send to authorities as evidence against scammers.[4]

He has since carried out investigations into various scams, in which he infiltrates computer networks run by scammers who claim to be technical support experts[1] or pose as US IRS agents and use remote desktop software or social engineering.[5][6][7][8][9] Such scams have involved unsolicited calls offering computer services, or websites posing to be reputable companies such as Dell or Microsoft.[1][3]

BBC Panorama investigation

Browning was featured in a March 2020 episode of British documentary series Panorama, in which a large-scale technical support scamming operation was infiltrated and extensively documented by Browning and fellow YouTuber Karl Rock. The duo recorded drone and CCTV footage of the facility in Gurugram, Haryana, India and gathered incriminating evidence linking alleged scammer Amit Chauhan, who also operated a fraudulent travel agency called "Faremart Travels'', to a series of scams targeting computer-illiterate and elderly people in the United Kingdom and United States.[10][11][12] During a private meeting with his associates, Chauhan was quoted as stating, "We don't give a shit about our customers". Some of his call centre agents were recorded scamming and laughing at a British man who admitted to being depressed.[13] They were also recorded conning a blind woman with diabetes.[14] Although Chauhan denied the allegations in a phone interview with the BBC, he was arrested along with his accountant Sumit Kumar in a raid.[15][16]

Money-mule catching

In March 2021, Browning and Mark Rober collaborated to construct and distribute automated glitter bombs to identify and report money mules who were receiving their money via shipping services, such as FedEx, before sending it to the scammers.[17][18][19]

New York Times interview

Browning was covered in a 2021 The New York Times article documenting their confrontation of a small-scale refund scam operation based in Kolkata, India. The journalist, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, a native of Kolkata who moved to the United States, described a December 2019 scam-baiting operation by Browning, during which Browning intercepted a refund scam involving an elderly woman. Suspicious, the woman told the scammer that she would cease contact with him, only for the scammer to lock her computer.[20] Browning was able to contact the woman and help her unlock the computer. Bhattacharjee later flew to India to check out call centers that Browning had identified as possible scammers and to confront the individual who had perpetrated the refund scam on the elderly woman.[3]

AARP report

The April 2021 issue of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Bulletin contains an 11-page article by the director of AARP's Washington state office, centering on Browning's work fighting cyber scams.[1]

Temporary channel deletion

On July 26, 2021, Browning was targeted by scammers who pretended to be YouTube support staff and misled him into deleting his own channel.[21][22] His channel was reinstated four days later.[23] He explained in a video that the scammer used Google Chat to send an authenticated phishing email from the "google.com" domain and convinced Browning to delete his channel under the pretense of moving it to a new YouTube brand account.[24]

Scam Interceptors

In 2022, BBC commissioned for a television series for BBC One, Scam Interceptors, presented by Rav Wilding. In the series, Browning and a team of ethical hackers track down and attempt to intercept criminals and save the victims.[25] The 1st series premiered on 4 April 2022,[26] while the 2nd series premiered on 1 May 2023.[27]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2022 12th Streamy Awards Collaboration[lower-alpha 1] Won [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ With Mark Rober and Trilogy Media.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Doug Shadel (April 2021). "Inside an International Tech-Support Scam". AARP Bulletin (AARP). https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2021/international-tech-support-scam-exposed.html. 
  2. ↑ Flippin, Alex (20 July 2021). "FF12 dissects scam after Wichitan falls victim" (in en). https://www.kwch.com/2021/07/19/ff12-dissects-scam-after-wichitan-falls-victim/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit (27 January 2021). "Who's Making All Those Scam Calls?". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/magazine/scam-call-centers.html. 
  4. ↑ Tait, Amelia (3 October 2021). "Who scams the scammers? Meet the scambaiters". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/03/who-scams-the-scammers-meet-the-amateur-scambaiters-taking-on-the-crooks. 
  5. ↑ Gelinas, James (20 June 2019). "How some consumers are fighting back against robocalls". https://www.komando.com/privacy/robocall-revenge-how-some-consumers-are-fighting-back-and-you-can-too/573696/. 
  6. ↑ Cellan-Jones, Rory (25 October 2019). "Tech Tent: Shutting down the software scammers". BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50187088. 
  7. ↑ "Tech support scammers hacked back by vigilante". 4 March 2020. https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/04/tech-support-scammers-hacked-back-by-vigilante/. 
  8. ↑ "Robocall revenge: Meet the techies turning the tables on scammers" (in en). CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robocall-revenge-meet-the-techies-taking-down-scammers/. 
  9. ↑ Carlos Christian (8 March 2020). "Confessions of a call-centre scammer". https://theunionjournal.com/confessions-of-a-call-centre-scammer/. 
  10. ↑ Mooney, John (8 March 2020). "Northern Irish hacker exposes call centre scam in India". The Sunday Times (London). https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/northern-irish-hacker-exposes-call-centre-scam-in-india-8ks69lwkx. (registration required)
  11. ↑ "VIDEO: Briti häkker avaldas salvestised petukõnekeskuses toimuvast" (in et). Postimees. 3 March 2020. https://maailm.postimees.ee/6913784/briti-hakker-avaldas-salvestised-petukonekeskuses-toimuvast. 
  12. ↑ McCarter, Reid (4 March 2020). "Hacker breaks into scammers' CCTV cameras and computer records". https://news.avclub.com/tech-scammers-try-to-rip-off-hacker-get-their-cctv-cam-1842091672. 
  13. ↑ "Panorama - Spying on the Scammers". BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fzx2/panorama-spying-on-the-scammers. 
  14. ↑ "Spying on the Scammers: Part 3". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTXN9iTKHc8. 
  15. ↑ "Scam call centre owner in custody after the exposé". BBC News. 4 March 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51740214. 
  16. ↑ Dhankhar, Leena (4 March 2020). "Udyog Vihar call centre duped at least 40,000 in 12 countries; 2 arrested". Hindustan Times (New Delhi). https://www.hindustantimes.com/gurugram/udyog-vihar-call-centre-duped-at-least-40-000-in-12-countries-2-arrested/story-vsGBr7p13IF3whT3OTBVwK.html. 
  17. ↑ Rober, Mark. "Glitterbomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer (who gets arrested)". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrKW58MS12g&ab_channel=MarkRober. 
  18. ↑ Browning, Jim. "Catching Money Mules featuring Mark Rober". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvjjpzyiig4&t=0s&ab_channel=JimBrowning. 
  19. ↑ Webster, Sophie (2021-04-24). "YouTube Star Mark Rober's NASA Career and His Incredible Investions" (in en). https://www.techtimes.com/articles/259502/20210424/mark-rober-former-nasa-scientist-turned-youtuber-content-creator-engineered.htm. 
  20. ↑ Spadafora, Anthony (2020-02-10). "Lock My PC fights tech support scammers with free recovery keys" (in en). https://www.techradar.com/news/lock-my-pc-fights-tech-support-scammers-with-free-recovery-keys. 
  21. ↑ Leebody, Christopher (28 July 2021). "Northern Ireland YouTuber who exposes scams falls victim to ploy himself". https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-youtuber-who-exposes-scams-falls-victim-to-ploy-himself-40698244.html. 
  22. ↑ Halfacree, Gareth (27 July 2021). "Scam-baiting YouTube channel Tech Support Scams taken offline by tech support scam". https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/27/youtube_channel_tech_scam/. 
  23. ↑ Jim Browning [@JimBrowning11]. "Yes.... I'm back. Slightly different channel URL: youtube.com/channel/UCBNG0osIBAprVcZZ3ic84vw I'm trying to get the youtube.com/JimBrowning link updated, but this might take a little longer. Expect a video on the whole debacle later today.". https://twitter.com/JimBrowning11/status/1420969115867623424.  Missing or empty |date= (help)
  24. ↑ Jim Browning (30 July 2021). My channel was deleted... HOW? (YouTube Video). Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  25. ↑ Darvill, Josh (2022-03-07). "Rav Wilding and Jim Browning to hunt cyber criminals in new BBC One show" (in en). https://tellymix.co.uk/tv/610256-rav-wilding-and-jim-browning-to-hunt-cyber-criminals-in-new-bbc-one-show.html. 
  26. ↑ TV, Mem (2022-04-03). "Scam Interceptors: Series Premiere (S1EP1 BBC One Mon 4 April 2022)" (in en-US). https://www.memorabletv.com/episodes/scam-interceptors-series-premiere-s1ep1-bbc-one-mon-4-april-2022/. 
  27. ↑ "TV BAFTA-nominated series Scam Interceptors returns to hack the hackers and expose unscrupulous scammers" (in en). https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/scam-interceptors-series-two/. [yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  28. ↑ "12TH ANNUAL WINNERS". Streamy Awards. https://www.streamys.org/nominees-winners/12th-annual-nominees. Retrieved 10 December 2022. 

External links



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Biography:Jim_Browning_(YouTuber)&oldid=3442177"