My FBI Declassified Story

Summary

In this video, the host recounts a surprising visit from the FBI and IRS in 2020, prompted by his exposé on a fraudulent phone company selling 'Escobar Fold' devices. The agents seized evidence from his videos and asked for his silence, which he respected until the mastermind, Olaf Gustafsson, was arrested. Now, he's free to share the intriguing story.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video's creator had a rule at the studio where no one could enter without his confirmation, and this rule was upheld even by the unexpected visit from the FBI.
• 👮‍♂️ In June 2020, the FBI and IRS visited the studio to ask questions about the 'Escobar phone', a fraudulent product the creator had previously exposed in a video.
• 📱 The 'Escobar phone' was a scam involving a company that falsely marketed a $400 gold folding phone, which was actually just a Samsung Galaxy Fold with gold stickers.
• 🤔 The creator was initially confused and concerned by the unannounced visit, but was relieved when he realized the reason was related to his investigative video on the Escobar phone.
• 🚨 The FBI and IRS were interested in the creator's communications with the fraudulent company and took evidence from his videos for their investigation.
• 🔒 The creator was asked not to speak publicly about the FBI and IRS visit until he was given the green light by the agents involved.
• 📉 The fraudulent company's operations began to collapse after the scam was exposed, with payment processors like PayPal and Klarna cutting ties with them.
• 👨‍⚕️ Olaf Gustafsson, the individual behind the scam, was eventually arrested and imprisoned in Spain for fraud, money laundering, and other crimes.
• 📜 The creator received official papers from the FBI confirming the receipt of the Escobar Fold and the gold iPhone 11 Pro as evidence in the case.
• 🎥 The creator hints at more investigative videos in the future, indicating his interest in uncovering and sharing stories of tech-related scams.
• 📚 The video also mentions a bonus episode of the Waveform podcast with similar stories from the studio, suggesting a broader collection of intriguing experiences.

Q & A

What was the main reason the FBI visited the studio?

The main reason the FBI visited the studio was to ask questions about the Escobar phone, which was a subject of a video the narrator had published, exposing it as a scam.

What was the unique rule between the narrator and Bob at the front desk?

The unique rule was that if anyone showed up at the front desk asking for the narrator, Bob wouldn't let them in unless the narrator came out to confirm they were expecting the visitor.

Why was the narrator concerned when Bob informed him about people with badges at the front desk?

The narrator was concerned because he was unsure why someone with badges would be asking for him, which was unexpected and could imply some kind of trouble.

What was the Escobar phone scam that the narrator exposed in his video?

The scam involved a company selling a $400 gold folding phone, which was actually a Samsung Galaxy Fold covered with gold stickers. They were shipping these to YouTubers for positive reviews but not fulfilling orders from regular customers, effectively scamming them.

Why did the FBI and IRS take an interest in the Escobar phone case?

The FBI and IRS took an interest because of the fraudulent activities the company was involved in, as exposed by the narrator's video, which included scamming customers and potentially money laundering.

What items did the FBI take as evidence from the narrator's studio?

The FBI took the half-peeled Escobar Fold and the scratched gold iPhone from the narrator's videos as evidence in their case.

What was the narrator's initial reaction when the FBI agents asked him not to talk about the visit publicly?

The narrator agreed not to talk about the visit, understanding the importance of not interfering with the investigation, but he was curious about when he would be allowed to discuss it.

What happened to the company and its head, Olaf Gustafsson, after the scam was exposed?

PayPal and Klarna stopped working with the company, and eventually, the operation fell apart. Olaf Gustafsson was arrested and imprisoned in Spain for fraud, money laundering, and other related crimes.

Why did the narrator reach back out to the FBI agents after Gustafsson's arrest?

The narrator reached out to the FBI agents to confirm if it was now acceptable to talk about the incident publicly since the main perpetrator was behind bars.

What proof did the FBI provide to the narrator that they had received the phones as evidence?

The FBI provided papers that detailed the property received for use as evidence in the case, listing the Pablo Escobar Fold 2 mobile flip phone and the Pablo Escobar Gold 11 Pro mobile phone.

What is the narrator's current interest in creating more videos?

The narrator is interested in getting back into creating more investigative deep-dive type of videos, especially focusing on scams and other fascinating stories in the tech world.

Outlines

00:00

🕵️‍♂️ Unexpected FBI Visit

The narrator recounts an unexpected visit from the FBI in June 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The studio had a strict rule that no one could enter without the narrator's confirmation, which was upheld by the security guard, Bob. The FBI agents arrived without prior notice, seeking information about the Escobar phone, a subject the narrator had previously made a video about. The video exposed a fraudulent scheme involving a company selling overpriced, gold-plated folding phones that were actually just Samsung Galaxy Folds with gold stickers. The FBI was interested in the narrator's communications with the company and took the phones featured in the video as evidence.

05:01

📵 Gag Order and Subsequent Events

After the FBI's visit, the narrator was instructed not to discuss the incident publicly. This led to a period of silence on the topic, despite the narrator's desire to share the story. Over time, the fraudulent operation began to unravel as payment processors stopped working with the company, and the mastermind, Olaf Gustafsson, was eventually arrested and imprisoned in Spain for fraud and money laundering. The narrator eventually received clearance from the FBI to discuss the incident publicly. The summary also hints at the possibility of the narrator's videos being used in future court proceedings in the United States and mentions the narrator's interest in returning to investigative videos, as well as an invitation for the audience to listen to related stories on the Waveform podcast.

Keywords

💡FBI

The FBI, or Federal Bureau of Investigation, is the principal federal investigative agency in the United States. In the video, the FBI's involvement is central to the narrative as they visit the studio to ask questions about the 'Escobar phone', a fraudulent product that the video creator had previously exposed. Their appearance adds a layer of intrigue and seriousness to the story being told.

💡Escobar phone

The 'Escobar phone' refers to a fraudulent product that was supposedly a luxury folding phone but was actually a rebranded Samsung Galaxy Fold with gold stickers. The video creator had made a video exposing this scam, which is why the FBI was interested in questioning him. This term is pivotal to the video's theme of uncovering deception and fraud.

💡Studio

A studio in this context refers to the video creator's workspace, where the main events of the video take place. It is a place of production for videos, podcasts, and other media content. The studio's security protocol plays a crucial role in the story, as it helps to set the stage for the unexpected visit from the FBI.

💡COVID-19

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The video mentions 'peak COVID', indicating the time when the pandemic was at its most severe. This context is important as it explains why only the video creator and one other person were in the studio, which adds to the suspense of the FBI's visit.

💡Scams

A scam is a fraudulent scheme designed to make a quick profit by deceiving people. In the video, the 'Escobar phone' is an example of a scam, where customers were misled into buying a product that did not exist as advertised. The theme of scams is central to the video's message about the importance of vigilance and the consequences of dishonest business practices.

💡Investigation

An investigation in this context refers to the process of the FBI looking into the fraudulent activities surrounding the 'Escobar phone'. The video creator is questioned as part of this investigation, which is a key plot point and illustrates the real-world implications of the scam he exposed.

💡Evidence

Evidence in a legal context refers to any material that is used to establish a fact or prove a case. In the video, the 'Escobar Fold' and 'Gold iPhone' are taken by the FBI as evidence for their case against the scam. This highlights the video creator's involvement in a real legal process and adds authenticity to the story.

💡Security

Security in this script refers to the measures taken to protect the studio and its occupants. The security guard, Bob, plays a role in adhering to the studio's protocol, which is to not let anyone in without the video creator's confirmation. This is a key element in the story as it leads to the initial interaction with the FBI agents.

💡Podcast

A podcast is a digital audio program that is available for download or streaming. In the video, the creator mentions recording a podcast as part of his activities in the studio. The mention of a podcast adds depth to the creator's role and the variety of media he produces.

💡Investigative journalism

Investigative journalism involves in-depth reporting to uncover stories that are often hidden or deliberately obscured. The video creator's exposure of the 'Escobar phone' scam is an example of investigative journalism, which is a key theme in the video and showcases the creator's role in revealing the truth.

💡Court documents

Court documents are official records or papers filed in a court of law. The video creator speculates that if the scammer is charged in the United States, his videos might appear in court documents as part of the legal proceedings. This suggests the potential impact and relevance of the creator's work in a legal context.

Highlights

The FBI visited the studio and the host was asked not to discuss the incident for several years.

The studio is located in a building with a front desk and security, maintaining a good relationship with the tenants.

A rule was established that no one is allowed entry without the host's confirmation.

In June 2020, during the peak of COVID, the studio was visited by the FBI and IRS.

The FBI and IRS were investigating the Escobar phone, a subject of a previous video by the host.

The Escobar phone was a scam where a company was selling fake gold folding phones.

The company was accused of covering Samsung Galaxy Folds with gold stickers and scamming customers.

The host's video exposed the scam, leading to the FBI and IRS investigation.

The FBI and IRS requested all communications and evidence related to the company and its scam.

Andrew, a team member, had also been in email communication with the company.

The FBI took the half-peeled Escobar Fold and a scratched gold iPhone as evidence.

The host was instructed not to discuss the incident publicly until further notice.

PayPal and Klarna stopped working with the scam company, leading to its downfall.

Olaf Gustafsson, the head of the scam operation, was arrested and imprisoned in Spain for fraud and money laundering.

The host received confirmation from the FBI that it was now okay to discuss the incident publicly.

The Escobar Fold 2 mobile flip phone and a gold iPhone 11 Pro were listed as evidence in the case.

The host expresses interest in returning to investigative deep dive videos.

The host mentions other encounters with the FBI related to running the YouTube channel.

The Waveform podcast has a bonus episode with similar stories from the studio.

Transcripts

(upbeat music)

- So I've made a few references over the past couple years

to that time that the FBI visited the studio,

and I was asked not to talk about that

for what I feel like are pretty obvious reasons.

So for years I haven't,

but it turns out I am now finally able to tell that story.

So here we are.

So for those of you who don't know, we have a studio here,

and it's in a larger building

with more tenants in it obviously.

It's like an office building.

It's not exactly like an office building,

but you know, there's a front desk,

and security and all that.

And I've been in this building long enough

that we have a pretty good relationship with them.

So we have this one rule, basically.

So there's the guy at security at the front desk.

We'll call him Bob, just for this.

But Bob and I have this one rule,

which is that if anyone ever shows up at the front desk

and asks for me that he doesn't let them in.

I have to come out and meet them

to confirm that I was expecting them,

and then I bring them back to our studio.

So if someone just randomly shows up,

which you shouldn't, but if they do,

and I don't show up at the front to meet them,

then I wasn't supposed to meet them.

But if I have someone coming and I expect them,

I meet 'em outside.

That's our one rule, and we stick to it.

So in June, 2020,

it was pretty early in this new space that we have,

and it's also right around like peak COVID.

So I had sent everybody home,

and it was just me and Andrew coming into the studio

to work on basically building furniture,

and making videos, and recording the podcast every week.

So I got here pretty early on one of those summer mornings,

and I'm starting to get all my stuff settled,

and then there's a knock on the door.

(door knocks)

So I open the door, and it's our front desk guy, Bob.

And Bob basically says, "Hey Marques, there's some people

with badges at the front desk to see you.

I, of course didn't let them in,

but if you would like to, they're up there."

And then he just walked away.

And my first thought is confusion.

I'm like, what?

What did I do on the way here

that someone with badges would show up asking for me?

I'm a little concerned.

I'm not sure what to think.

So there was a solid minute where I just like

stood there in the doorway, like, okay, do I go up there,

or do I just stay here in the studio

without asking who the people with badges are?

Eh.

And then I just went up to the front.

I went up, I went up to the front desk,

and sure enough, there's three people with badges there,

and they walk right up to me,

and they all like flash their badges.

FBI, just like the movies.

Like FBI agent this, IRS agent this.

And they're like, "Marques, good to see you.

We've got some questions for you about the Escobar phone."

So immediately I'm relieved,

but I'm like, oh, oh, oh, the Escobar phone.

Oh.

Because see, a few months earlier

I had published a video about the Escobar Fold.

If you guys haven't seen that video,

basically the story goes, there's this company

parading around and selling this $400 gold folding phone,

which they're gonna use to destroy Apple and Samsung.

And they had these insane marketing campaigns and all this.

But really what they were doing, as I uncovered in my video,

was covering Samsung Galaxy folds

cheaply with like gold stickers,

and then shipping them to YouTubers

and people who they believed would talk about it positively.

And then not shipping any of the other orders

from regular people or the audiences

that watched those videos.

Those people were getting scammed out of their money.

And honestly, in hindsight, I don't know how they thought

they were gonna get away with this.

Like it felt pretty obvious to me.

But, you know, eventually their whole plan backfired

when I made a video about the entire thing.

So now fast forward a couple months,

and it actually makes sense that the FBI

and the IRS are interested.

I just didn't, I didn't realize

they were just gonna show up one day, but here we are.

But, you know, shout out to Bob at the front desk

for sticking to our rule.

Even though he probably had a bunch of people

like Flash FBI badges at him, he stuck to our rule,

and that was great.

So I appreciate that.

But yeah, so I came out, I brought them back to our spot,

and they basically then had a bunch of questions

about that video

and the process of dealing with that company in any way.

Like any and all communications that I had with them,

any email I'd ever sent or received from them ever,

they wanted everything.

And actually it was funny, another tidbit is,

Andrew at the time had just started running

the business email account here.

And when they were asking like,

has anybody else on your team possibly ever been

in email communication with this company?

And I was like, I think Andrew might've.

And Andrew just had arrived at the studio

and walked up to the front door of our spot.

And so I like, I go, "Hey, hey, come in."

And you know, first thing he sees is like

me in an empty studio with a bunch of people in suits,

like waving him over.

So he has a pretty funny alternate perspective

on this story.

So the FBI actually took the half peeled Escobar Fold

and the scratched gold iPhone from my videos

as evidence in the case.

They literally asked for them and took them away.

They put 'em in sealed plastic bags

that said evidence on them,

which is why I said at the end of the smartphone awards

that year-

Also honorable mention to the Escobar Fold 2,

which I also don't have on this desk

because it is in the possession of the FBI.

Someday I'll be able to tell that story.

So as they're leaving, you know,

they've asked me all the questions.

As the FBI and IRS people are leaving,

they're like, "Hey, don't talk about this

at all publicly, please."

And I'm like, "Of course, yeah.

No, obviously you're the FBI,

of course I'm not gonna talk about it.

I don't want to interfere with the investigation in any way.

But also like, when could I talk about it?

Like, how long do you think before I am allowed to?"

And they said, "We'll let you know."

So I've been biting my tongue for years,

not talking about it, hinting at it a little bit,

but not anything too serious.

But since then, a lot of the dominoes have started to fall.

You know, at first when the scam was happening,

PayPal stopped working with them.

So they'd switched to this only non-refundable

direct transfer thing with Klarna.

And then they stopped working with them too.

And then eventually the whole operation starts falling down,

and the guy at the head of it named Olaf Gustafsson,

this guy finally ends up getting arrested

and going to prison in Spain for fraud,

and money laundering, and a bunch of other things,

basically for everything that I talked about

in those videos.

So I've been holding onto this not really knowing like,

okay, is it cool now that he's behind bars to talk about it?

So we actually reached back out to those same FBI agents

because they left their cards,

and they're like,

"Oh yeah, no, it's cool now to talk about it.

You're totally fine."

So there unfortunately is no footage

of any of this incident,

but there is these papers which they provided as proof

that they received property to be used

as evidence in the case.

So one Pablo Escobar Fold 2 mobile flip phone,

AKA Samsung,

and one Pablo Escobar Gold 11 Pro mobile phone,

AKA iPhone 11 pro.

But hey, now you basically know the story.

Yeah, pretty serious business out here,

making videos about phones sometimes, you know?

Apparently also, if this guy Olaf ever does get charged

in the United States,

then it's very likely my videos would show up somewhere

in those court documents, which is crazy.

And also the phones that they took may show up as evidence.

But yeah, I do wanna get back into a little more of the

more investigative deep dive type of videos.

Obviously the giant scams don't happen very often,

thankfully, in the tech world,

but still they are fascinating stories when they do.

And by the way, that's not the only encounter that we've had

with the FBI in running this YouTube channel,

but that's another story for another day.

But hey, if you want more fun stories like this one,

let me know with the comments.

But also the latest episode,

the bonus episode of the Waveform podcast

is just stories like this one (upbeat music)

from the past couple years at the studio,

whole story time episode.

It's fun.

So go over there and subscribe and watch that.

But yeah, that's basically it.

Thanks for watching.

Catch you guys on the next one.

Peace.

(upbeat music)

It's a story of how I became a villain.

For at least 24 hours, I was hated.

- A couple weeks, I would say.

- Yeah, oh really?

A couple weeks.

Well, oh, 'cause the video had to come out.

Hang on here for a second, I'm gonna go get him.

I literally wait there with all my bags and stuff,

and like this guy disappears into this booth,

comes back out with another guy.

He goes, "Hi.

Oh, good to meet you."

And he's filming me now.

Okay.

- Oh no.

- So now he's filming me.

A couple weeks later I log into YouTube,

and everyone on Twitter's like,

"Why is Marques such a jerk?"