Scam Baiting.

At first I thought it was a large syndicate at work, but it is not coordinated at all. At times I played four or five of them simultaneously. That was when I really got hooked onto scam baiting.  

I specialize in the “419 Scams”. I don’t know why I find it interesting, because they’re all so stereotyped.  Yet I smile every time a new one makes contact. The technique is always the same. It preys on the greed of mankind.

 There are four ways to deal with a scam:

1. You can fall for it. I don’t know how people get this right but they still do. I suppose fools and their money are easily parted.
2. You can ignore them, in which case his attention will shift to somebody else who might well be the fool we just spoke about.
3. You can report him and try to get him barred from the site and he will just open another profile to shift his attention to somebody else who, once again may be that very foolish guy we mentioned earlier.
4. You can bait him and tie up some of his resources for a week or more. And if enough people do this, we’ll put them out of business.

One such a scam involves a “girl” who pretends to be in love with you, living in appalling conditions and in need of a foreign partner to get her hands onto her inheritance. She wants to transfer a few million US$ into your banking account and join you. Ah, you will have to put up some money for her papers and fare etc.

Another scam involves a corrupt government official who wants to transfer several millions into an offshore bank account (yours).  In exchange he offers to give you a substantial slice of the loot. Then just before the money arrives, something happens that threatens to sabotage the transfer and you need to advance some amount of money.

 At this stage you can:

1. Pay and keep on paying to protect your non-existent cut of the loot. The money will never come.
2. Just ignore them so they can look for another victim who might just be the fool we spoke about earlier.
3. You can play them

This is where the challenge start! How long can you keep them busy without them realising that you are playing them. Remember, this starts after the first direct request for money. How many emails can you elicit from them.

1 eMail. – Go home. Everybody can get one. Even if you just ignored them.

2 eMails – A good novice. You only had to ask for banking details.

3 eMails – Hey, you’re getting good. Hope you did not pay for this email.

4 eMails – Great show man. You are a master like me.

5 eMails – Once only. It was a masterpiece, but I will get it again.

So when I finally lose them I send the last mail to inform them that I have played them once again! And I tell them how stupid they are! Then finally I report him to the site where we found each other and I cut another notch in my desk!

I think my photos and mail addresses are blacklisted with most these scammers now. The only time I get them lately is when I have a profile without a picture and they won’t reply to my mailbox anymore. So I have effectively gotten rid of most. Now that I have them on the run, I go hunting for them where previously I sat waiting for them. Only thing is I have to get a new operations mail address from time to time.

And they are easy to hunt. After a few weeks you can try them again; with another profile and a new email address. They don’t keep track of who they contact. When your email arrives the first time they assume that you are responding to their initial contact!

Try it if you want. It’s quite satisfying, but never let them know who or where you are. These people are dangerous! Never try to meet them. It won’t be a girl waiting for you. It will be a few thugs and they will know what you look like.

Use a profile without a picture or use a very old photo, but never use a picture of somebody else. You may cause his death

What do I hope to achieve? I told you, I keep them busy. I waste their time. I annoy them. I frustrate them. I deprive them.