

He says he often contacts local police departments before conducting stings. He also receives money from a part-time job. Ghost says he gets some money from viewers through donations, which goes to traveling throughout the state to find potential abusers. “I do it for survivors, I do it for victims, I do it for kids out there. It kind of snowballed where, you know, I can’t just stop now.” He says he’s never been a victim himself, but he knows some victims. “And then, once I started doing it, I was like, Wow, that’s crazy. Why does he do it? He said he was a fan of “To Catch a Predator” and “always wondered how many creeps were in my area.’ I do it in a public area, so that way there’s cameras around.” “I bring my security with me,” which consists of Ghost’s friends. They go out and they deal with criminals all the time, and they know what they’re getting into,” Ghost says. But that’s the risk that we take, just like police officers. “I know that these guys are criminals and stuff, and they’re probably carrying weapons sometimes. “It’s better in court if they reached out first, because it doesn’t look like we enticed them or we instigated the conversation first.” Ghost said he and his team never make first contact.

He explains that he finds people on online forums, messenger apps, dating apps, social media and other web mediums. Some members are based in San Bernardino, Hawaii and Texas. Ghost said his team is made up of about five people who serve as decoys, perform phone calls and act as security for encounters. Recently, the account reportedly led to the arrest of a man in Elk Grove. It is led by a man who operates under the moniker “Ghost.” He tells The Times that he is a student in his early 20s based in San Diego.

The channel, called CC Unit, has 137,000 subscribers. His followers have hailed his work and praised him for keeping kids safe, while others in law enforcement and legal experts say he’s putting himself in danger and jeopardizing potential criminal cases. Warning: This story discusses child abuse.Īn activist behind a YouTube channel based in California is catching people in the state who are trying to meet kids for lewd acts. Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter.
