Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? No, It’s Kitboga

Not all heroes wear capes

You are on the Internet right now. Reading this story, running applications, maybe browsing the web on the side (I hope I have your full attention, though). Things are running smoothly. You are experiencing this vast space of information, web pages and cat videos with no threats from the outside world. You are safe here.

Or are you?

Like in the real world, malicious actors are not absent from computer networks. In fact, they are everywhere, lurking in the shadows, looking for their next victim. It’s only a matter of time until they find it. The victim’s profile is that of a weak individual, not particularly tech-savvy, and ignorant of the dangers that lie beneath the surface. Elderly people, countryside dwellers and teenagers often check those boxes.

Regardless of whether you are part of a particular demographic or not, there’s no saying whether you are next or not. A dedicated scammer is very dangerous.

However, not all hope is lost. Where a strong antivirus may not be effective against a scammer, a hilariously effective YouTuber could save us all.

Enter: Kitboga!

Wigs for different occasions

Kitboga is a famous American YouTuber and Twitch streamer. He’s consistently putting out content that gets millions of views and attention. He receives admiration from most people, and hatred from some (his “ victims”, for the most part).

Nothing unique at this point, right?

Well, you see, Kitboga is, in my books at least, the definition of a funny, intelligent and caring digital superhero. His content is all about him getting scammed on purpose, or “scambaited”, by malicious scammers that offer to fix innocent people’s non-existent computer problems, for a fee. Alas, there is often no problem that those devils will actually fix, as they trick people into believing their files and digital identity are in danger.

But Kitboga knows. He is aware those criminals exist out there, and that they target innocent people with their scams. So he volunteers to be their victim. His aim is to entertain, educate, and waste as much of those scammers’ time as possible. Time that they would otherwise invest in fooling others with their tricks.

Kitboga does not play Kitboga during those interactions with scammers. He adopts invented personas that match a scammer’s stereotypes of an ideal victim. He wears a pair of cool-looking shades in his streams and videos, rarely taking them off. More strikingly, he often puts a wig on to match with his chosen identity at the time. Granny Gloria’s hair is curly and grey, while young Jenny’s is blonde and youthful. His voice is also digitally modified to sound as convincing as possible.

His personas pretend to be uneducated around IT and computer subjects. Some times they have a difficulty clicking or typing on the computer. In reality, however, Kitboga is technically literate and skilled, in a way that he wouldn’t fall for the scammers’ tactics.

He’s doing a pretty good darn job, if you ask me!

Educating and entertaining the masses

During his journey to confront the next bad guy, Kitboga makes sure to enlighten his viewers around the scamming tactics at play. He will often point out the gimmicks deployed by those tricksters, and the ways to spot them. He will explain the happenings on the screen in a way that is understandable and digestible by the not-so-tech-savvy. He makes sure to show us all what the main elements of a technical support scam are, so that we don’t fall for it.

This guy is all about digital literacy!

At the same time, he urges us, the viewers, to share his videos and teachings with our family and friends. He openly invites our grandparents to pay attention and not fall for cheap tricks and tactics, when called to pay their taxes using Google Play cards. His care for your and my relatives can be witnessed in his live streams and videos.

It’s a relief to see how a stranger actually covers our backs.

As if that wasn’t enough, he manages to pull everything off with tactful and well-placed humor throughout his calls with the scammmers. Granny Barbara’s inability to hear the scammer and correctly type the web address indicated by the scammer is more than hilarious! Her blabbering about her youth and her crush with the postman makes the dialogues all the more fun and convincing!

There’s no better way to describe it, so have a look yourself!

The definition of a modern digital hero

I know what you’re reading might seem like a promotion or advertisement of Kitboga’s content. However, I sincerely believe his work adds so much value and novelty to those who spend some time going through his adventures.

What Kitboga does is more than just a vocation or an entertainment stunt to make people laugh. His work is inspiring, honest and he has an aim that is greater than himself.

His intention is to waste as much time as possible talking to a scammer who thinks he found his ideal victim. Time that he would otherwise spend deceiving vulnerable people out there. And, while it might seem like that effort is minuscule compared to the scammer’s numerical superiority, it is still a noble cause. Kitboga gets scammed so we, our friends or family don’t have to.

In some cases, he tries to change the scammer’s mind and perception regarding their actions and career choices. While most of them sound remorseless and determined to cheat people, there are a few cases where doubt and shame can be heard in their voices. If even one of them quits deceiving people after their experience with Kitboga, that is a huge win for us all.

To top it all off , he offers pure entertainment value and jokes that are well-thought and spicy!

What’s not to love about him?

The moral of the story

The world needs more people like this digital hero. People who are willing to sacrifice their resources to help and enlighten others. People who can make us empathize with victims of fraud and deceit, and see the ugly side of this world. And finally, people who are genuinely fun, smart and are rewarded by society, be it in views, money or stories like this one.

We owe gratitude to Kitboga and people like him. Keep doing what you’re doing!