A VPN isn’t enough to stay safe, not if you’re operating at the level of scene release groups. It’s the most illegal thing that you can do in the pirate world. It’s several years of jail if you get busted. If a kid get caught seeding a torrent, the punishment won’t be that harsh, but actually providing the whole world with the most fresh stuff is something different.
If you care about torrents it’s fine, but a lot of people don’t care about it and have other methods of leeching. You can take a look at FXP (for starters).