A vigilante hacker has humiliated an Indian tech support scammer by hijacking his laptop, activating his webcam, and broadcasting his activities live.
The incident was detailed in a viral X thread on August 19, 2025, by a hacker who goes by the alias NanoBaiter.
According to his posts, the scammer, identified as Gaurav Trivedi, attempted to deploy a fake Microsoft pop-up to lure victims into calling a bogus number.
Such scams usually involve gaining remote access to computers through tools like AnyDesk or TeamViewer.
However, NanoBaiter turned the tables by baiting Trivedi into connecting to a virtual machine. From there, he infiltrated the scammer’s own computer, switched on the webcam, and began posting images of Trivedi at work in his Raebareli apartment.
One screenshot showed a startled Trivedi with a Windows Defender alert flashing a trojan detection labeled “Agen.Agent.21.4.4.” Location data pinned him to Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
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Images later showed the scammer eating, lounging, and using his phone. In one post, NanoBaiter tagged Raebareli Police, urging them to intervene. “He thought he was scamming me. Now the internet is watching him,” the hacker wrote.
The exposure quickly spread across X, where users debated the ethics of vigilante hacking. Some called it justice for years of online fraud, while others warned against glorifying actions that still break cybersecurity laws.
Cyber experts note that tech support scams remain a global threat, particularly targeting elderly victims.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported cybercrime losses of $16.6 billion in 2024, up 33 percent from the previous year. Such scams exploit trust, locking screens with fake alerts and coercing victims into unnecessary payments.
So far, Indian authorities have not commented on the case.
But observers say the event highlights both the vulnerability of scam networks and the risks posed when vigilantes take the law into their own hands.
As one cybersecurity analyst noted, “The public may cheer now, but turning cybercrime into spectator entertainment opens new dangers for everyone.”
