Tonight on 20/20 ` We meet Barney. This is my right hand. As you can see, there's nothing left of my right hand. He's a warrior on wheels. Head hits the court; wheelchairs hit bodies. A young man going places fast. Are your Facebook friends who they say they are? A New York photographer, Nev fell for a gorgeous 20-something in Michigan, only to discover that ` oops `she was actually a middle-aged mom. Even whole families cut and pasted together. A young boy fighting a brave battle with cancer. I mean, who does that? That's just so <BLEEP>ed up. And baby snaps snapping up the big bucks. $6 million was paid for J Lo's twins. $3 mill for a Mathew McConaughey baby. $1.5 million for Christina Aguilera's issue. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora. I'm Sonia Wilson. Imagine losing your limbs one by one, until, at age 15, you're told your remaining leg has to be amputated. Simple, everyday things would be hard enough, but how about representing your country in sport? Out of the question? Well, tonight Erin Conroy meets the guy people are calling the Jonah Lomu of the Wheel Blacks. He's just 18, and he's about to start the biggest trial of his career. These are my arms. This is my left hand, and... I wouldn't call it a hand; I'd call it a spatula, cos there's nothing there. This is my right hand. As you can see, there's nothing left of my right hand, just freaky little thingamajigs in there. It's like acid. You know when you pour acid into something, it just burns straight in. So, I wouldn't really call it legs. I'd call it` call it breadsticks. My lovely little stumps. (CHUCKLES) For Barney Koneferenisi ` no legs, no problem. WHIMSICAL MUSIC Walking is boring. I mean, you can just walk everywhere. But if you're in a wheelchair, it's fun cos you can slide down the stairs. And I love getting hurt; I love brutal stuff, and that's where wheelchair rugby comes in. # They see me rolling. # They hatin'. # Patrollin' and tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. # Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. # Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. Wheelchair rugby is not for the faint-hearted. BANG! So brutal it's also known as murder ball. # Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. # Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty. # Head hits the court; or wheelchairs hit bodies. You do get smacked out of your chair a lot; you do get spun; you get thrown out. It's like you're in a brawl. BANG! It's a full-contact sport; possibly quite painful. Maybe lucky for some they have no feeling in their legs. Feels like... It feels like I'm in a war. Your rugby chair, that's your war machine. Those big wheels you're- you're pushing, those are your shields, and the person in the chair is the warrior. Barney's trialling for the NZ national squad heading to Germany next month ` all in the build-up to the Paralympics, Brazil, 2016. At just 18, he's the youngest player, and coach Peter Martin is watching him closely. He's very energetic, he's very quick, very able in terms of quad sport, but, um, he's got a lot of learning to do. At the end of this weekend's trial, just 12 names will be called to go to Europe. What does this mean to you ` getting into the squad? It means everything. I mean, going in there representing my country, I mean, it's an honour. It's an honour, and... I would be privileged if I get that honour. HIP-HOP MUSIC Barney doesn't let a few missing limbs stop him from doing much at all. # I wish you could walk in my shoes one day, so you can see the look... # He takes care of all his usual daily routines. Get in and have a bit of a boogie, do you? Is this part of the, uh, morning ritual, is it? Is this part of the, uh, morning ritual, is it? Yeah, just a little warm-up. Just a little wee boogie. Just a little wee boogie. Yeah, just a little bit of krump. Just a little wee boogie. Yeah, just a little bit of krump. Krump? OK. BOTH LAUGH He's even partial to a post-breakfast krump. But Barney hasn't always been so upbeat. He was just 4 months old when he contracted meningitis. It's a ruthless disease ` so swift that within hours it can destroy healthy flesh, leaving doctors with little choice but to remove it. It was just eating up my blood cells and just turning my blood cells bad ` bad blood. But then I got to the age of 5 and then my` my bones got weaker and weaker and weaker, and I just` I couldn't stand for myself. And then I got to my final year of primary school and I ended up` I got told that I had to spend my life in a wheelchair. For many years Barney kept his legs, but as time marched on, so did the virus, and doctors said they had to go too. At age 12 I had to have this amputated ` my left leg. And then at age 15 I had to get my right leg amputated. I couldn't live with myself looking this way. I couldn't, um, couldn't go outside, couldn't even look at people. Cos when I look at people, they'll stare at me 10 seconds and they'll think, 'Oh, look, he's useless.' Then I got picked on; I got bullied, just because I was in a wheelchair. What did that do to you inside? Just hurt me... Hurt me big time. But as he grew, so did his confidence. Then I got to high school, and I think the song changed there. UPBEAT HIP-HOP MUSIC I was more mature. I could stand up for myself. I could pretty much look anybody in the eye and say, 'What's your problem? 'If you've got a problem with me, come and say it, and don't say it behind my back.' Today Barney's back at his old high school ` Papatoetoe High. It's weird ` weird coming back, looking at all these buildings. Brings back a lot of good and painful memories. Far from being an outcast at high school, he became a leader ` voted in by his fellow students as deputy head boy last year. I think this school is the most diverse school I've ever been to. They don't see the wheelchair; they see me. Hello. Hi. You're a pretty popular guy. Have you got a girlfriend? You're a pretty popular guy. Have you got a girlfriend? That's classified. Come on. Come on. (LAUGHS) Nah, I do have a special somebody. I met her in high school. We've been going out for two years now. She's beautiful. She's kind, and she's` she's very caring as well. And she-she especially cares for my disability. That's all we look for, is just for a girl that can look at us and not look at our body, but look at our heart. You did pretty good at school, didn't you? How good? Don't like to brag; don't like to brag really. Don't like to brag; don't like to brag really. But... But... Um, I passed my level 1 at year 10. I scholared my level 2 at year 12. And I pretty much swished through level 3. (LAUGHS) And` And I'm currently sitting at a foundation course that will get me into a Bachelor of Education. And that's made for proud parents. I didn't know he was a brainy. Maybe it's come from my dad's family. (LAUGHS) He's a smart boy, mmm. You must be so proud. You must be so proud. I am. I don't want him to be suffer; I want him to be happy. That's all I need for him. But as a mum, that's the only thing I say. I'm so proud I have a beautiful boy like Barney. My parents are my rock. They pick me up, brush me off. I know it's a parent's job to... to look after their kid. But I think my parents have worked overtime with me. Barney's left the sanctuary of his school for university. But that now means he faces new environments, new people not used to seeing his unique body. I get stared at by kids. I mean, I don't mind the kids, but, I mean, seriously, the adults. So when you're wheeling down the street, what happens? Probably people slowing` slowing down in their cars just to stare at me. But, um,... I feel very naughty when I` when people stare at me, cos I just give them the middle finger. And i just wait for them to do something. What else am I supposed to do? Wave? I ain't gonna wave at you; I'm just gonna give you a piece of my mind. (LAUGHS) Day two of the Wheel Blacks trial to choose a team heading to Germany for a European tournament. Barney's performance is impressive. He even set a new record in the speed test. New record there, Barney. New record there, Barney. What is it? New record there, Barney. What is it? 39 and two-thirds. The Wheel Blacks took home gold at the Paralympics in 2004, but success has eluded them for almost a decade. Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig... Captain Dan was on that winning team. He hopes new blood could be their ticket back to the top. Barney's got a huge amount of potential, you know. You just see him on the court; he just dominates. It's like doing a cone drill around us ` we're just trying to touch him, you know, let alone stop him. But I think he's kind of done his apprenticeship now. It's like it's time for him to step up. Many of the Wheel Blacks were passionate rugby players before they were in wheelchairs. For two it was an unfortunate game that became a life-changing event. They charged our scrum, and I couldn't pull out in time, so the impact of 16 men came together on my neck, and my life changed in a second. Put my head in there and ` not quite right ` I had all this weight, all this impact going through my neck. And, uh, it was my sixth and seventh vertebrae just basically snapped, and I'm just paralysed like that. I was playing a bit of, uh, tomfoolery around a swimming pool one day. Jumped in ` it was the short end ` landed on my head and fractured my, yeah, C5, 6 vertebras and haven't really walked again. But in finding rugby of the wheelchair variety, they've reignited their passion for playing. It's like big hits; it's fun; it's aggressive. You know, we're all guys; we've got some testosterone; we wanna get out there, and we wanna smash some people. It was like I was back in playing rugby, and the sprigs were going clank, clank, clank against the concrete as I was coming out of the dressing rooms onto the paddock. That's how I felt hopping into the rugby chair, and from that second, I was hooked. It was like a drug, and so I just can't get enough of it. Enjoy the pain. Despite being limited physically, everyone's been pushed to their physical limits. ...Two, one, stop. And now the team is named. OMINOUS MUSIC OK, guys, gather round. Time for making hard calls, selections. Put it in perspective, um, we are taking a team to Germany. > Will be as follows from highest to lowest. > Barney,... > Barney,... > APPLAUSE Barney,... > APPLAUSE ...Dan, > Kamo, Clayton, Robbie, Phil, Adam and Gavin. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE Congratulations, guys. > Well done. Hey, so, Barney, you just made the team. How are you feeling? How are you feeling? I'm speechless. I'm quite frightened at the moment. I keep on thinking, 'Is this a dream? Is this a dream?', and I'm just hoping I don't wake up. But yeah, dream come true. For Barney, life without limbs hasn't held him back. There's no doubting this award-winning student, athlete and deputy head boy can achieve whatever he puts his heart into. Some of the guys think you're pretty good ` so good, in fact, you could help them get back to the top. What do you think? I think I can` I can bring the squad back to the top. And we're looking at gold in 2016. It's not gonna be easy, but it's gonna be a challenge, and I love challenges. I mean, I went through a lot of challenges in my life, and I conquered every single one of them. But this is gonna be a big one, but bring it on. Yes, gold medal will be great in Rio, thanks, Barney. Next up on 20/20 ` are your Facebook friends who they say they are? A New York photographer, Nev fell for a gorgeous 20-something in Michigan, only to discover that ` oops ` she was actually a middle-aged mom. What do you guys think? What do you guys think? LAUGHTER The whole cyber-saga caught on tape by his brother and a friend and turned into the indie blockbuster Catfish. a Welcome back. Is your new friend on Facebook really who they say they are? Tonight 20/20 chases down the imposter that created a whole fake family, claiming the young boy known as warrior Eli had a rare form of cancer. People rallied to the cause, only to find they'd been duped. So who would do this? And why? Ah, the internet ` playground for every pyjama-clad pretender looking to pull a fast one for profit, attention or perhaps just the twisted satisfaction of messing with someone's head. They're complete psychopaths. I'm probably chatting with a guy! (CHUCKLES) Case in point, Nev Schulman's head. God! A New York photographer, Nev fell for a gorgeous 20-something in Michigan, only to discover that, oops, she was actually a middle-aged mom. What do you guys think? What do you guys think? LAUGHTER The whole cyber-saga caught on tape by his brother and a friend and turned into the indie blockbuster Catfish. Why were you so captivated by her? Why this anonymous person on the internet? It was different. It was something new. It was a little mysterious. The hit film became a hit TV show on MTV. Nev now playing Dr Phil to other lonely hearts who've been duped, like this blonde who learns the male model she's been cyber-dating is ` surprise ` another woman. I mean, who does that? That's just so <BLEEP>ed up. I mean... Multiply that stunned reaction by a thousand, and you'll begin to understand the dimensions of a global internet hoax so vast and elaborate, it makes what happened to Nev look like an email typo. It started with a pitch-perfect combo of pictures and posts that just hooks your heart ` a young boy fighting a brave battle with cancer. His name? Eli Dirr, or Warrior Eli. Taryn Wright from Chicago stumbled across the story through a friend. I think he had three different types of cancer at one point. Uh` And how old was he? And how old was he? He was about to turn 6. That's a lot of cancer... That's a lot of cancer... It was a lot of cancer. That's a lot of cancer... It was a lot of cancer. < ...in a short amount of time. The internet had been humming with his story for years ` cancer support pages on sites like Alex's Lemonade Stand. The storybook family hailed from Saskatchewan, Canada. Eli's dad? A handsome Mountie, of course. BUGLE FLOURISH His mom, Dana a pregnant trauma surgeon with 10 adorable children. Right (!) It just seemed, like, really easy to, like fall in love with them. This 18-year-old in California, who asked that we not reveal her identity, became a faithful supporter of Eli's. Like so many others, she devoutly wore Eli's bracelets and ribbons, sent in care packages from the family. I would spend my lunch breaks at high school passing them out to my friends and saying, 'Wear this to raise awareness of childhood cancer.' Then, out of the blue, a heartbreaking Mother's Day post that would send Eli's dedicated followers into mourning. JS Dirr solemnly writes that his wife had just been hit by a drunk driver. She survived just long enough to give birth to their baby girl. The web erupts in sorrow, hundreds of people posting their condolences. Taryn Wright reads the story and desperately tries to get more information. Oddly, she can't. I google the name of the person that had died, and there was no real Google hits at all for her. And there's the news value of a mother to 11 children dying on Mother's Day. It should have been covered? It should have been covered? Exactly. So at that point, are your alarm bells ringing loud? Yes, at that point they were super-loud. ALARM BELLS RING On a hunch, she tries searching the web for other places the Dirr photos might have appeared. Lo and behold this image of Eli's siblings in sunglasses posted on JS's Facebook page also appears on the site of a popular mommy blogger in, of all places, South Africa. So you contacted her and said what? So you contacted her and said what? I said, 'Hi, I'm Taryn Wright from Chicago.' There was an email saying, 'I think that your pictures of your children are being used by somebody.' And as I clicked more and more, I just saw more and more photos. Photos of Tertia Albertyn's kids, Adam and Kate, identified as the Dirr children Jude and Lily ` and not just once. I probably discovered over 70 images of my children. But it wasn't just Tertia's images that were lifted. The entire Dirr family ` the birthdays, the memories ` all of it was fiction, stitched together with purloined photos from various unsuspecting uploaders. Pregnant Dana? She's actually a photographer from New York. The sweet and brave little Eli? Those photos belong to Jenny. Her son Adam is a healthy kindergartener who, thankfully, never had cancer. And Eli's dad, the dashing Mountie JS? Hello? Hello? Hi, it's Elizabeth Vargas. Hi, come on up. Hi, come on up. Thank you. Well, we found him ` not on horseback in the Canadian tundra, but in an apartment in New York City, just a few blocks from ABC News. His real name is Ryan. Hi, Ryan. Hi, Ryan. Ryan. Hi, Ryan. Ryan. Hi. Elizabeth. 'And it turns out he has very little in common with his alter ego, JS.' So, just to be clear, you're not a Canadian Mountie? I am not a Canadian Mountie. I am not a Canadian Mountie. And you don't have 11 children? I am not a Canadian Mountie. And you don't have 11 children? I do not have any children. Back in Chicago, Taryn Wright has unravelled a decade-long deception. But it's the victims who'll hand over the most crucial clue. Remember those rubber bracelets in the care packages? Well, the return address wasn't from Canada, where the Dirrs said they lived. It was from Ohio. Because of JS's top-secret K9 Mountie job, he couldn't` he couldn't` (LAUGHS) LAUGHS: He couldn't send` > LAUGHS: He couldn't send` > His top-secret K9 Mountie job? Yes. He apparently had a sister in the United States that would send this out for the family. How convenient. Right. Right. < Who was this sister in the United States? The sister's name was Emily Dirr. But unlike the fake family she created, Emily Dirr is real. This is the mistress of deception right here in a the sweatshirt, munching on a snack outside her parents' house in Ohio. Emily Dirr declined our invitation for an interview through her attorney. She's not been charged with any crime. The only thing she appears to have violated is the terms of the service agreement on sites like Facebook ` and, of course, everyone's trust. She did, however, offer an apology to the internet community that she betrayed, which Taryn posted on her website. Why would somebody do something like this? Why would she make all this up? She didn't profit from it. She did not profit from it. I think that she must have had` You know, the attention must have kind of been addicting. People who do this I think justify it by saying, 'OK, I know I lied, 'but what's important is that it was still me.' But do you buy that? Do you buy that this is a victimless act? A victimless deception? There's absolutely a victim. To share intimate details of your life and feelings with someone who's deceiving you, um,... is wrong, and no one should go through that. Do you think we're going to see more of this kind of phenomenon? Do you think we're going to see more of this kind of phenomenon? Absolutely. So long as we're not looking people in the eye, face to face, there's always going to be a lot of room for deception. Coming up ` your baby pics and ultrasounds may be priceless to you, but for the stars' baby pics, well, it's cold hard cash. Think tabloid media are psyched about the baby known as Kimye? There's talk of a seven-figure fee for a photo ` not of the newborn; just of the ultrasound. How much is the ultrasound worth? The ultrasound ` if it can be proven to be Kim Kardashian's, is probably worth... million bucks, worldwide. a Welcome back. So, you think your kid's baby photos are gold? Well, tonight we meet the stars that are turning their baby snaps into real gold. We look at magazines and bidding wars to be the first to publish the pics and ask how much is, say, a photo of Kanye and Kim's baby worth? And just how much would a royal baby snap go for? REPORTERS CLAMOUR These ladies have never been bigger ` in public estimation. The sight of them with child and rocking the red carpet makes everyone smile. For one couple, the business of the bump began with this shout-out by rapper Kanye West at a concert in Atlantic City. Can you make some noise for my baby momma? Can you make some noise for my baby momma? CROWD CHEERS That would be girlfriend reality goddess Kim Kardashian. Think tabloid media are psyched about the baby known as Kimye? There's talk of a seven-figure fee for a photo ` not of the newborn; just of the ultrasound. How much is the ultrasound worth? How much is the ultrasound worth? The ultrasound, if it can be proven to be Kim Kardashian's, it's probably worth... a million bucks worldwide. Chump change compared to what Frank Griffin, of the paparazzi photo agency Bauer-Griffin, thinks the first real Kimye pictures could bring in July. So, how much would a photo of Kim Kardashian's baby go for? We're talking worldwide now. Two million to five million. Deal or no deal, it could be just the tip of Kim's baby-bump business. A chance after that 72-day marriage debacle,... Baby, you're my wife now. Baby, you're my wife now. How weird is that? ...shown on her E channel wedding special, to reboot her relatability and really cash in. Jo Piazza is the author of Celebrity, Inc ` How the Stars Make Money. I think that the Kimye baby could be the most profitable baby since the Jolie-Pitt twins, which will make this baby a multimillion-dollar baby. It's a lesson some families have learned over time. In the summer of 1980, Jessica Simpson's father, Joe, wanted to photograph her birth, so he brought a camera right into the delivery room. And the doctor said, 'I really like that lens.' We didn't have any money, so I traded him the lens for Jessica's birth. 32 years later, an all grown Jessica Simpson gave birth to her first child. Maxwell Drew Johnson weighed in at 9 pounds 3oz, and, thanks to this People magazine cover-photo session, a reported $800,000 in earnings. They sold the baby. That's how we talk about it in the trade. Magazines won't confirm the numbers, but Forbes reports $6 million was paid for J Lo's twins, three mill for a Matthew McConaughey baby, 1.5 million for Christina Aguilera's issue, $11 million to $15 million to charity for shots of Knox and Vivienne, Brad and Angelina's twin bundles of joy. But just selling photos of your babies is so two trimesters ago. The value in a celebrity baby isn't just monetary, but it's also improving a celebrity's brand. Jessica's transition from bombshell to motherhood offered new possibilities for her expanding business empire. She made money by getting this Weight Watchers endorsement, where she lost all of her baby weight. The estimated $3 million to $4 million deal hit a bump of its own, though. Because I'm having another baby. A lot of moms are having two kids in a row, so this makes Jessica so much more relatable. Girls gone wild! TV star and Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson shocked Reality Nation in 2009 with her transition from Hugh Hefner's Girls Next Door... We can actually listen to the heart rate here. We can actually listen to the heart rate here. HEART BEATS ...to mom-to-be. And it was good for business. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Whoo, let me tell you, it was the best thing I could have done for my business is get pregnant. No. (LAUGHS) Just kidding. She's refocused her brand on marriage to ex-footballer Hank Baskett and life as mother of little Hank, now 3. From Kendra On Top to best-selling books to products like Love Candy - a marital aid ` that fuses her party-girl persona with her new reality. It just so happens I have a family. (LAUGHS) All commemorated in photos on the wall that tell more than one story. This was, like, two or three days after giving birth to my son, and OK Magazine came in and took these photos. You know, it's just true happiness. And a lot of people were, like, 'Oh, you sold those photos,' which is true! (LAUGHS) I made some money. (LAUGHS) But that wasn't the only reason why. Look who hopes to follow that 'from here to maternity' business model. Look how small he's gonna be. Reality TV star Snooki. I'm pregnant. Are you ready for this? When you describe what you are or what you do for a living, what words do you use? I'm a certified nutjob. Or an entertainer. But I'm not that party girl like I used to be. # I don't care! # The Snooki & JWoww series revealed this week that transition can be a little painful. You're doing great. Here we go. A little more. A little more. Yay! A boy! But her baby, Lorenzo, with her fiance, Jionni, shows that for Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi, there's life after Jersey Shore. You gonna pee on Daddy's face? Instead of me, like, thinking about, 'OK, what am I gonna do tonight? What club am I gonna go to? 'What am I gonna drink?' I'm more, like, 'OK, what am I gonna put Lorenzo in tonight?' Like, 'What kind of jamies is he gonna wear?' His mother's line, as she put some branded baby gear on sale. I actually made baby Snooki slippers, so babies can have the little slippers. And then baby blankets, I have. So then I started with the animal prints and then the neons. Neon? > Neon? > Uh-huh. > The most anticipated baby of all is due in July, when Prince William and Kate Middleton will welcome their first child, a future king or queen. They'll organise it. They'll have the baby photos taken. She could do what Diana did and just walk to the doorstep. How much would an exclusive photo of Kate Middleton with her baby go for? I'm gonna faint. I'm gonna faint. (LAUGHS) I don't think I could put a price on it. Between 10 and 50, I would imagine. Yeah, 50 million. Alas, there'll be no such payout for the royal couple, nor will the new heir be bumping up any enterprising paparazzo's bank account. What are the odds that a photog`? What are the odds that a photog`? None whatsoever. (LAUGHS) None whatsoever. Coming up on 20/20 ` times might be tough for some economically, but there's one man with more business than he can handle. He will tow you on your birthday; he'll tow you on your wedding day. Repo on good. He will tow you on the day you die. You actually took one from a dead guy. Yeah. It was the day of his funeral. And I was like, 'Oh man, that's, you know, unfortunate, 'but at least he's not going to be coming out of the house yelling at me.' Tonight on 20/20 ` a Hi again. Times are tough financially out there. Businesses are going bust, but for one man, times have never been better ` the repo man. Matt Pitman calls himself, in fact, a repo ninja. He prides himself on getting in and getting out with your car before you even notice. Got notice from the finance company. People who have the lien asked us to pick it up. Can you move your foot out of the way? You planning on fighting me on this one? You planning on fighting me on this one? I'm trying to tell you, dude, you don't want to do this. Matt Pitman is a repo man. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) If you owe, he will tow. What we're going to do is we're going to hook it. So, yeah, we'll be on scene in about five minutes. Hopefully get this Forerunner hooked. He'll tow you on your birthday. He'll tow you on your wedding day. Repo went good. He will tow you on the day you die. You actually took one from a dead guy? Yeah. It was the day of his funeral. And I was, like, 'Oh man, that's unfortunate. 'But at least I know he's not going to come out and yelling at me.' This Thanksgiving, while you were scoffing turkey and trimmings, the man who proudly calls himself the Repo Nut was out gobbling up cars in Utah. Every year, we pick up at least six or seven vehicles on Thanksgiving day that we otherwise wouldn't` we didn't know where they were at. Matt Pitman might may be the most dedicated repo man in America ` so proud of his work, he records every tow and shows them off on You Tube. Repo went good. It's on the back. Modern trucks make a tow NASCAR-quick. Watch this Maryland operator demonstrate how it's done. Gone in 60 seconds? How about 20. You don't use the term 'repo man'? You don't use the term 'repo man'? There's certain key words that we do try to avoid when dealing with the debtors, because, you know, I don't call them a debtor to their face. And what do the debtor/customers call you? Uh, <BLEEP>,... Uh, <BLEEP>,... < (CHUCKLES) Uh, <BLEEP>,... < (CHUCKLES) ...usually. What a <BLEEP>. I've been shot at. Um, I've been stabbed. Took a shovel to the back to the head. I'm not taking it. I'm not taking it. Well, back up off me right now. Well, back up off me right now. I am, but` Well, back up off me right now. I am, but` Back off! Dude, dude. Repo work is not for the faint of heart ` or, some might say, for anyone with a heart. And you're OK with being a repo man? It doesn't bother you? No, not at all. It's not a personal thing for me. I didn't lend them the money. This is just business. I'm going out to this address to pick up this collateral to transport to this location. High drama when human roadblocks try to prevent the inevitable. But nothing stops him from his appointed mission ` collect your car... I'm going to stand right in front of your car. ...and his 350-buck fee from your lender. You're not getting it. How do you figure that? How do you figure that? Uh, I'm sitting in it. What are you gonna do? Rip me out? No, I'm not going to rip you out. This isn't like the TV show. One woman even stuffed her child into the car as it was being towed. I can drive away any time that I'd like to. I can drive away any time that I'd like to. < With us in it? You can get the kid out of the car or you can pick her up at my impound. We got a maroon Tahoe here at the gas station. We're going to get a live skip on film. Pitman admits his entire industry operates in a grey area of the law. He thinks of himself as a legal car thief, a ninja. If we can, we like to get in, get out, and people will be, like, 'Where'd my car go?' I've got a key, so I'll walk up and jump in it. A ninja who sometimes doesn't even need his truck to take a car. With a key from the bank, he jumped into this one and just drives off. That's how the pros do it, baby. That's how the repo man gets his car. In his insatiable search for cars, Pitman goes hunting with advanced license plate recognition cameras. They're mounted on the hood. On Sundays, for example, he religiously cruises church parking lots. Now you're watching` The pictures will actually change to the side cameras as it starts picking up the first plates. The system captures license plates and compares them to a database of wanted vehicles. When he gets a hit, he hooks them up. The debtors don't have a prayer. Who knew Big Brother is a repo man? Another secret ` the thoroughly modern repo man is using social media to track you down. I mean, I can follow people on Facebook now, and they'll tell me when and where they're gonna be. (CHUCKLES) Wait a minute. So you follow them on Facebook, and they say, 'I'm going over here'? 'To a wedding.' We had a wedding a few weeks ago where we were looking from two vehicles from two parties that happened to be from each side of the wedding. Once the wedding came together, both were in the same parking lot. Once the wedding came together, both were in the same parking lot. But, Matt, it was their wedding. It's` That's their day, not mine. My` My job is to pick up the vehicles. And don't think it can't happen to you. Even if you don't owe a dime, your vehicle can vanish if you park in the wrong spot. That'll kind of make you mad, won't it? Just watch what ABC's Washington station, WJLA, caught on camera. Looks like a legal parking next to the DMV in Arlington, Virginia. But it's really a tow-trap. Excuse me! A company using a spotter and a bait car, luring cars into a private lot so they can tow them away. Hey! Excuse me! Eric Friedman is director of the Montgomery county, Maryland, Office of Consumer Protection. We're talking about towers that are hiding, and wait for someone to make one little slip-up, walk across the street to mail a letter, walk across the street to get a cup of coffee. Then they swoop in. But that's not illegal, right? But that's not illegal, right? Well, it's not. But it's despicable. PJ Marcel is king of the road in Queens, New York. He's the guy who makes you wish you'd obeyed that sign ` the one that says no parking. You got people. They'll argue, argue, argue, argue. Call this police, I know this guy, call that one, make a phone call, I know this guy, my uncle owns this. And then it comes down to at the end, you're just gonna pay. Marcel says desperate drivers have offered just about everything you can imagine to set their vehicle free. A woman didn't have money to pay. She had the summons and she wanted to offer me sexual favours. Unfortunately, I'm married. I'm not allowed them. Certify this, Matt. Back in Utah, repo tower Matt Pitman says he feels the debtor's pain. You're not going to take my car today. But through the tears and sob story,... (HOWLS) ...the vehicle always goes. So if you're thinking of letting those car payments slide for just one more month, or claiming the cheque just got lost in the mail again, take a good look at this face. If you see him coming up your driveway, one thing's for sure ` the next place you go is on foot. Next up on 20/20 ` pranks on the web aren't new, but now companies are trying to go viral with them in order to sell their products. Even Pine-Sol scared their way into our viral video hearts. Pine-Sol lady? Pine-Sol lady? Oh, she's great. Oh Jesus! (SCREAMS LOUDLY) (SCREAMS) All press is good press. Tonight on 20/20 ` a Welcome back. The value in going viral ` pranks get millions of hits on YouTube, so now business is getting in on the act, working on the theory that all publicity is good publicity. Now, it's got to the point that there's sort of an arms race online. The next prank has to be bigger than the last. Lurking in elevators,... (SCREAMS) ...around street corners,... BOTH SCREAM ...even in the comfort of your own home. (SCREAMS) Nowhere is safe from the devious mind of a prankster. You OK? Oh my God, you gave me a heart attack. What used to be a private joke is now often posted online for the world to see and see and see. The best pranks garnering millions of clicks, so now those desperate for a little attention are going big with their pranks. You have to ask ` at what cost are you willing to get this reaction and what is the reaction really worth? There's a truck... This husband got four million views and unflattering headlines for tricking his sleeping wife into thinking their car was about to crash into a truck. Babe, wake up. There's a truck! Babe, wake up. There's a truck! (SCREAMS) I snuck into my girlfriend's apartment. And this guy went as far as to pose as a home invader,... So once they get back here, I'll be wearing this mask. ...sending his girlfriend and her friends into tearful hysteria. ALL SCREAM It's only me. Thank you. Oh! This guy's made a name pranking workers at drive-thru windows. Here pretending to pass out. Just this week doing an invisible man gag with a phony car seat. So, this is how the costume works. Over 18 million have watched this guy chase people around Miami dressed like a zombie. (GROWLS) He claims he was almost shot for his efforts. Media strategist Ryan Holiday says there is a formula ` extreme pranks equal extreme exposure. How do you know if you've gone too far? How do you know if you've gone too far? It's an arms race. What fooled people yesterday is not what's gonna fool them today. And so the things have to get more extreme, they have to get crazier and crazier. Consider this one ` the work of a Brazilian television show. Unsuspecting victims are lured on to an elevator that breaks down when they're joined by ghoulish companions. (SCREAMS) Critics question whether the show could be held liable for inflicting extreme emotional disturbance. (WAILS) But 68 million people watched it. It's the type of exposure advertisers can't buy. So now they too are trying to get in on the often juvenile act. To show how crystal clear their televisions are, electronics company LG got into the elevator terror game. CLATTERING CLATTERING Whoa! This was a stunt about deadly bad breath by Tic Tac. (SPEAKS FRENCH) Even Pine-Sol scared their way into our viral video hearts. The Pine-Sol lady. The Pine-Sol lady. Oh, she's great. Yeah, baby! Yeah, baby! (SCREAMS) Jesus! Yeah, baby! (SCREAMS) Jesus! Pine-Sol! (SCREAMS) Whoo! Whoo! (LAUGHS) (SCREAMS) Oh my God. All press is good press. Holiday thinks people are going to continue pushing the limits of pranks to get attention. If you're just someone who's trying to make a name for yourself, you kind of don't have anything to lose. That's even more dangerous. Someone like Jose Barrientos ` stand-up comic and community college student looking for his big break. Hi. I like to prank people. Sometimes I take it too far, though. Jose, on a whim at the start of this past semester, decided to prank his Speech 101 class by adopting the persona of a stereotypical Mexican immigrant, complete with a pinata. MEXICAN ACCENT: I was born in Mexico, and, uh, my dad, he has a pinata, like, workshop, I guess. He makes pinatas. I thought people were gonna laugh. They didn't and just took it at face value. OK, so how many people here know the true history of Cinco de Mayo? Realising he was on to something, Jose decided to take it all the way for four straight months. I hung out with them. We got food. I went to their birthday parties. With the accent? With the accent? Yeah, I never broke character, so they thought they knew me. They would say, 'Jose, are you on Facebook?' And I would say,... (MEXICAN ACCENT) 'No, what is that?' 'You know, it's social media.' And I said,... (MEXICAN ACCENT) 'No, I am Christian. I don't do any of that.' It's difficult. And so when you finally revealed yourself... Talk about that moment. Well, it was scary. So my speech was on the importance of being able to communicate. I said,... (MEXICAN ACCENT) 'If you have an accent, I have Barrientos Accent-Be-Gone,' which was a drink. MEXICAN ACCENT: If you take this,... MEXICAN ACCENT: If you take this,... STUDENT CHUCKLE NORMAL VOICE: ...your accent disappears. As expected, the reaction was mixed. I don't know. You got me. You lied to us this whole time. You were playing that you had an accent. Jose got an A in the class, but he nearly got tossed out of school. And many of his classmates felt betrayed. And I do feel bad for that. You want to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs. Since November, when Jose released the video of his prank, it's collected over two million views and he's received all kinds of national media attention. You can't do anything great if you're doing what everybody else is doing. Eventually you have to do something kind of... off the wall. The comedian now among those more than happy to take the joke as far as they can. (GROWLS) All right. If you want to see any of tonight's stories again, head to our website... You can also email us.. Or go to our Facebook page... And let us know what you think of those stories tonight. We're interested in your stories too, of course, so if you think you've got a good one, give us a shout.