---
title: 'Glitter Bomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer Who Gets Arrested'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=VrKW58MS12g'
video_id: 'VrKW58MS12g'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 1394
---

# Glitter Bomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer Who Gets Arrested

> Source: [Glitter Bomb Trap Catches Phone Scammer Who Gets Arrested](https://youtube.com/watch?v=VrKW58MS12g)

## Summary

Mark Rober and his team, including Jim Browning and Pierogi, set up glitter bomb traps to catch phone scammers who trick victims into mailing cash. The operation uncovers a network of money mules, supervisors, and safe houses, ultimately leading to arrests and evidence handed to authorities like the FBI and Department of Justice.

### Key Points

- **The $379 glitter bomb trap** [00:00] — Mark Rober introduces a glitter bomb device that sprays glitter and stink spray when opened. It's designed to thwart porch pirates and scammers.
- **Tracy's scam and intervention** [01:07] — A woman named Tracy is being scammed for $12,500. Mark and Jim Browning convince her it's a scam and have her ship the money to a monitored address, but FedEx returns the package.
- **Two private investigators hired** [02:35] — Mark hires two PIs to stake out the delivery address, which turns out to be a safe house. They intercept the package and get Tracy's money back.
- **Second victim Phyllis** [03:19] — Another package arrives for a different victim, Phyllis. Mark's team gets both packages returned, and both victims recover their money.
- **Scammers switch to two-day shipping** [03:47] — When the first package doesn't arrive, scammers change shipping method from next-day air to two-day to avoid suspicion.
- **First glitter bomb delivery** [04:14] — Mark sends a glitter bomb to the safe house. The recipient is a man who gets covered in glitter and stink spray, leading to police involvement.
- **NYPD arrives and suspects innocence** [04:42] — Police show up. The recipient, Gary, explains he runs an Airbnb and the scammers rented the address temporarily. He is not a scammer himself.
- **Airbnb as scam safe house** [05:10] — Scammers use Airbnb rentals as temporary addresses to receive cash packages. The host Gary is innocent.
- **Money mule Crystal identified** [05:40] — A woman in an orange jacket collects the package from the FedEx driver. She is a money mule named Crystal who deposits the cash and wires it to scammers.
- **Money mule mechanism** [06:06] — Money mules receive packages, deposit cash, and wire transfer the remaining money to scammers. Crystal gets a cut of $100 per package.
- **Scam call walkthrough with Bessie** [06:49] — Mark demonstrates a typical scam call where a fake tech support agent tricks an elderly woman named Bessie. The scammer uses remote software to take over her computer and bank account.
- **Overpayment scam** [07:46] — The scammer overpays Bessie's account by $20,000 (fake) and then asks her to refund the excess by mailing cash, claiming it's an irreversible form of payment.
- **Bessie enters personal info** [09:08] — Bessie is guided to enter her name, social security number, and bank info into a fake refund form. The scammer adds two zeros to the refund field, making it $20,000.
- **Psychological manipulation** [10:15] — The scammer uses emotional manipulation, even making Bessie cry, to maintain control. They also call repeatedly to keep pressure and prevent rational thought.
- **Biological response to scams** [11:06] — Scammers exploit the victim's stress response. Their brain's rational part shuts down, making them susceptible to urgent demands.
- **Robocall success rate** [11:36] — From scammer computers, half a million robocalls yield only 5-10 victims, but the profit per victim is high (e.g., $12,500).
- **Phyllis sold to other scammers** [12:07] — After Phyllis's money was returned, scammers sold her info to others because her husband had just died, making her vulnerable.
- **Pierogi as decoy victim** [12:38] — Mark's friend Pierogi poses as an elderly woman to get a scammer's address in New Jersey. The package is sent to a hotel with a waiting money mule.
- **Money mule Jaquelin interviewed** [13:24] — The mule, Jaquelin, is intercepted by the PI. She appears nervous and claims she didn't know it was a scam. She gets on the phone with her supervisor.
- **Supervisor 'James' revealed** [14:30] — On the call, the supervisor James confirms multiple mules work for him. Jaquelin receives $75 per package but expected $700.
- **Scam network structure** [15:25] — A single supervisor manages multiple mules across states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey). Each mule receives up to 7 packages a day.
- **Aiming for a supervisor** [15:49] — Mark decides to target a supervisor instead of a mule. Pierogi negotiates a $50,000 transfer to get a supervisor's address in Illinois.
- **Glitter bomb to supervisor** [16:02] — Pierogi sends a glitter bomb to a supervisor in Illinois. The PI tracks the handoff at a gas station and follows the supervisor to his house.
- **Supervisor's face captured** [16:43] — The glitter bomb's camera captures the supervisor's face. The package is left at his location, and police are alerted.
- **Supervisor linked to business** [17:11] — Pierogi gets a message from the scammer claiming the package was received at a business. Investigation shows the supervisor's car is linked to a company.
- **Same car observed earlier** [17:36] — A week later, the same 2019 Honda Passport is seen at the safe house, confirming the supervisor's involvement. Evidence is handed to authorities.
- **Final address in Texas** [17:52] — Pierogi sends a glitter bomb to a last address in Texas. The recipient, a woman, films herself opening it. She takes a $100 cut and sends the rest via Bitcoin.
- **Woman is a supervisor** [18:48] — The woman in Texas is actually a supervisor, handling Bitcoin exchange. She is arrested after the package triggers a police response.
- **Ongoing investigations** [19:41] — Mark, Jim, and Pierogi have been in contact with Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and FBI, handing over evidence. More operations planned.
- **Scale of scam call problem** [20:08] — Scam calls originate from both US and India. Financial incentives are huge, making it hard to stop. Education and awareness are key.
- **Call to action** [20:37] — Mark urges viewers to educate family members about scams and share the video. He announces a multi-phase operation for the next year.
- **Creative Engineering class plug** [21:06] — Mark promotes his online class on creative engineering, covering design process from idea to final build. He mentions three original builds.

### Conclusion

The glitter bomb trap not only disrupted a scam network but also led to arrests and evidence sharing with federal agencies. Awareness and proactive education remain the best defense against such scams.

## Transcript

That sound something like this. Three hundred and seventy nine dollars- is a 20 billion dollar scam industry,
and see what crawls out. which I typically just reserve for porch pirates, of the slimy chain of command
and through five states. and of course glitter bombs, and the scammers before getting arrested.
so much money off these calls. Now all this started for me and I kept getting those annoying calls.
I could send them my harmless box that shoots out glitter Now my buddy Jim Browning has a YouTube channel and then thwart them in real time
My idea was to have a legitimate victim to actually send a glitter bomb instead. and it just so happened a woman named Tracy
was being scammed for $12,500 at that very moment. (phone ringing) I'm calling you, hopefully you've got my voicemail.
to what Tracy's about to say here about how could anyone ever send $12,000 in the mail because I hate to give these guys credit,
and when I put it in the computer, I mistyped it as $13,000. So I had to send money back to them $12,500
- [Jim] Right. I'm hoping you haven't sent that money. - [Jim] Oh no. All right. I hate to break this to you, but this whole thing is a scam.
- [Mark] I'll tell you what to do, Tracy. they told her to ship the money to. this clearly was some kind of safe house for the scammers.
but just in case, we hired two PIs And we knew we shouldn't do that right in front of the house the FedEx truck would come from,
that explained they were randomly selected And if you wanted to buy one of these from markrober.com This would allow us to speak to the delivery driver
And the plan worked flawlessly. her package was in fact out on the truck for delivery. - Okay.
- [Mark] But in a wild twist, there was a second package Her name was Phyllis and we later found out her package - [PI] Okay, so that one's going back, right?
- And FedEx was cool enough So both Tracy and Phyllis got all their money back. asking why the package didn't arrive,
two day shipping instead of next day air. And that story switched from defense in an official looking vest.
- [Mark] And waited for the sweet retribution. (machine blasting sound) Are you gonna give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
- What the (squeaky toy sound effect) - [Mark] But for the first time in three years (machine spray noise)
and he just sat there with the wretched smell, wondering what his game plan was gonna be, suddenly a bunch of NYPD officers started showing up
- It's a glitter bomb. It has a camera built into it. and they called us up and I explained the whole situation, for each other's work.
(laughs) - I mean there might be cameras on there, officer. on himself is cause he isn't a scammer.
But Gary runs an Airbnb and once you go in that door, So this wasn't a safe house at all. These scammers would use Airbnb to get a temporary address
must have been there yesterday. in an orange jacket who appeared right as the PI was talking She also looks directly at the camera and then decides
Once the FedEx truck passes, she hurries over to talk to him. she walks right back to her car,
The PI's got all the license plates on the street that day You should remember that name for later. It was this guy from Utah with a brand new account
he sent this message in awkward English at 3:06 AM, So I did some more research and learned that they would use a money mule
So Crystal in this case was the mule, the Money Mule's house, they use an Airbnb. who deposits the cash and wire transfers the remaining money
the next day, which meant we caught So we compensated him handsomely We stopped the scammers from receiving two packages
But before I show you exactly how we tipped the scales at tricking so many people. that basically says the same thing as the robocall,
please call right away to have it refunded. on your computer. and then I'll be able to fully help you out.
they've just installed a remote software program that gives They tell her that some accounts have actually already had So she needs to check her bank account to make sure
And when Bessie here asks if he can see her banking info, - [Scammer] It's a 3D page, so I cannot see anything. - [Mark] And so sure enough, she hasn't got the refund yet,
his billing department in order to process it. - [Scammer] I'm signing out from your account - [Mark] And this is true, he actually does sign out
so she can't see anything that he's doing. pre-stored username and password. to temporarily make this Lowe's purchase
And as he's editing away, he chats her up do you know this? - [Scammer] I used to share each and everything with her.
And you might be wondering why doesn't he just wire transfer But the problem there is that it's traceable But if you can get an old lady to mail you cash,
to try and track it down. and he informs her that unfortunately the billing department so they have one last option to try.
- [Mark] It's actually just a text window - [Scammer] It is an irreversible form. nothing would be changed over here.
that she's the one that has to enter all the information Maybe you can see where this is headed. So her name, last four of social, zip code,
(keyboard typing) the two extra zeros on his keyboard and hit enter. - [Bessie] Oh no, this is a mistake!
- I'm, it was supposed to be a 200 in there. I'm exhausted, I can't do this!
- [Scammer] Ma'am please check your account. Oh my God. Plus twenty thousand! If I'm not earn for my family,
- [Bessie] Yes, of course! you are also like my grandmother. you are making me cry now. You're...
- [Mark] He tells her that unfortunately So he needs to think for a minute, - [Bessie] Yes?
where she's totally willing to send $20,000 in the mail or even her family who might try and stop it.
and because she's a good empathetic person, for someone she doesn't realize is a heartless scammer. maintaining pressure on their victim is a key tactic.
even as they drive to the bank or they yell at them. - [Mark] Or call this many times in a row. - Yes!
it's an actual biological response for the part of our brain - Name a woman! In Tracy's case, they had her put $100 bills
In other cases, they have the victims wrap the cash and then foil so it can't be x-rayed. that are just too trusting for their own good.
So for the scammers, it's just a game of percentages from the scammer's own computers, will send out a half a million robocalls;
and land maybe five to ten victims after we got FedEx to send back her package, and I found out her husband of 40 years had passed away
The scammers knew she was mourning this loss. So they sold her info to other scammers the same week her husband died.
like that, it just made me that much more motivated and perhaps in the process we might stumble upon So now we needed another scammer to send a glitter bomb to,
it's better for him just to stop it cold So we reached out to our friend Pierogi to his actual phone, he turns on his cameras,
- [Scammer] If they will ask you in your bank - [Pierogi] Um, I'm getting it for Derek Wilson - [Scammer] No, no ma'am! No!
for your personal reason, for your personal reason! old woman Pierogi to get us an address in New Jersey. - [Scammer] Right. Grab box, right? So you can put the cash.
- [Mark] This one was actually to a hotel and not an Airbnb, once again a money mule was out there waiting for us. - [PI] For Jaquelin? I just need you to sign here.
- [Mark] So they took the package and drove around we made the call just to get the box back and then maybe the box audio recording might help us
part of a scam? - No. - [PI] I understand.
and I don't want no trouble. Oh, well now I feel bad. and they might even be victims themselves.
but maybe just in case, we just have (laughs) - [Mark] Then she got on the phone with her boss James.
I took the picture and sent it to you. you said that I was done for the day. You said that we was working out here in New Jersey.
or nothing for tomorrow. up like this in in New Jersey! which means Jaquelin was probably in the car
- And the other time she's in the car watching me. but Jacqueline was talking a lot of trash about you. might be gunning for your job.
- [Jacqueline] Bout a hundred dollars. So we get seven parcel and it's seventy five dollars Everybody's getting seven hundred dollars.
Delaware, Maryland, you gonna be here, having the time of your life. - We learned two key things here.
multiple mules reporting to them, and just one mule could receive as many as And the second is that this address was from a
So that same supervisor can work with And so in the spirit of avenging Phyllis, we really wanted it to be a supervisor.
- [Scammer] Uh, get the 50,000 dollars Once you're in your car, let me know. - [Pierogi] So I don't need to tell my husband?
- [Mark] This one would be in Illinois. It was interesting to see them experimenting with - [PI] Meet me at the gas station then.
Come park in front of me. - [Mark] The Walgreens was here, and the handoff occurred (shuffling noises)
We tailed the supervisor for a few minutes And then 20 minutes later he stopped here (machine shooting noise)
the cameras got a perfect shot of his face here. to approach him right after he opened it, And we just used the GPS in the glitter bombs
And right after that, Pierogi got this message The supervisor and scammer And that seemed like the end of the story
was tied to a business So we went back a week later to get footage that dumpster and house for reference,
And wait a second, that's a 2019 Honda passport. That's the same guy whose face is on camera we were able to hand off to the authorities
and a direct connection between a bunch of mules Pierogi came through with one final address in Texas And like all the others,
and then she took it inside to open it. You guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
- [Mark] Notice how she films herself opening the package. because I suppose there's no honor among thieves to confirm she hasn't taken more than she's allowed.
like a hundred bucks. gets a 10% cut and sends the rest back to the scammers. was exchanging the cash for Bitcoin
which meant she was actually a supervisor. - It seems the package may be in motion as well. but the police were alerted
- Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. with the parking warning. But as every parent knows,
from her pants and car - Yeah, so I just- I don't know. tell my probation officer, I don't know what's happened.
Okay, so I want to contact with with, err, someone. the police returned to the Airbnb to gather evidence. had her under investigation for another package scam.
and the actual glitter bomb and footage We did one more in Illinois and two more in California. because those scammers are being monitored
Jim, Pierogi, and I have been in contact with the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and the FBI. every last bit of evidence we've stumbled upon.
of how these scam calls operate, both here in the States and in India. because the financial incentives are so great.
thereby making it ineffective. please educate them or even share this video with them. if you've been exposed to fraud, but all the experts agree,
but proactive by spreading awareness I will close with some good news, in a video he just released on his channel,
of the folks over in India who scammed our girl Phyllis. And so over the next year, we'll be executing a multi-phase operation that will be,
I don't wanna give too much away, And the first phase might include a door handle So make sure you're subscribed,
(crashing sound) to measure the soil moisture level, - [Machine] Hi, I need a little water over here.
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And finally, this is a g-dang Lunchables assembly line. And what do all of those have in common? creative engineering course.
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