I genuinely suspect these are honeypots.
lol why not? It works, after all. And I suspect the feds go a little bit lighter on regulating them so hard because they're so openly cooperative with them on stuff like this.
My thought too. It's also so weirdly done, too, like they're at an AA meeting. This isn't admitting you were drinking again to your sponsor, this is like courts and jail stuff.
That's something that truly blows my mind about every single one of these busts. Maybe it's because they just don't upload/broadcast the ones where it happens, but you literally never see videos of alleged pedos being approached/confronted by these yokels, and simply replying "I have nothing to say to you, stand away from me and do not follow me" and politely leaving the encounter. You (a "poacher", private citizen, with no law enforcement authority) won't be holding anyone hostage anywhere in public, and that childish "follow the guy around shouting to everyone nearby HE'S A PEDOPHILE HERE TO MEET A 12 YEAR OLD BOY!!!" shtick tends to get
them thrown out more quickly than the accused. In some states, that behavior is adequate justification for use of force in self-defense anyway, since that's practically a "rallying cry for a lynch mob" if left unchecked.
I'm sure genuine pedos are fucking retarded and the "trap" works because they're utterly terrified of exposure (they wouldn't be targeting kids if they weren't afraid to confront accusers more directly or act confidently in public under pressure), but it's ridiculous that not even
one has just laughed in their faces and replied "lol fuck off" (or its polite equivalent).
But even if they just stand there and tolerate the insults, I still can't believe they actually fucking
talk to these people. You'd think the last thing you'd want to do if you were guilty is give them the satisfaction of recording your confession.