Do police bait?

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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:19 am

I wonder- are there any specialized law enforcers who catch 419ers? I'm imaging a squadron of policemen, getting lads to meet with them, then arresting them. If there aren't, there should be.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:11 am

Captain Midnight's Secret Squadron?

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:42 am

ChainYanker wrote:

I'm imaging a squadron of policemen, getting lads to meet with them, then arresting them.

Wouldn't that be considered entrapment? Confused

EDIT to add: I would love more than anything to see a group of lads get arrested, though.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:04 am

Its only entrapment if the lads were forced to scam. Its a sting op otherwise. And the lads would actually have to successfully scam someone before any arrests are to be made, unless you count conspiracy to commit fraud.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:21 am

@ChainYanker

Please excuse me if this answer is viewed as being exceedingly rude and unfriendly, but the answer is a plain 'no.'

There once was a task force in South Africa, but that dissolved due to graft and corruption up through all the ranks. Surprise!

In Nigeria there is supposed to be such a thing (the EFCC: http://www.efccnigeria.org), but they make Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny look very real.

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

Although I'm not saying it is wrong because I understand law enforcement angencies have other things to do and limited resources but catching international scam artists has never been the top of any law enforcement agenies 'things to do list' in any country. This is probably because such operations wouldn't be cost effective and their is the issue of jurisdiction if the scammer is in a different country to the victim; usually the case when it come to the 419 scam. Also to some extent there is still the prevailing sterotype amongst the non-baiting community (and even some baiters themselves still hold these beliefs) that victims of the scam somehow deserve the disasterous and sometimes fatal consequences that a scam has.

Even if the police could get a lad to agree to meet in their country lads are notorious for not turning up as some webcam meets on here attest to. Also the person you write to on Email isn't necessarily going to be the same person you meet up with even if someone does bother to turn up.

As far as I know the Dutch police are quite pro-active in trying to take the 419 cells in their own country to task but they are an exception.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:39 pm

The truth is that the Dutch police only protect their big banks.

If the police, e.g. the Dutch police *really* wanted to do something, they could.

The problem is the time factor. Scams with big bucks take time. The scammers start out asking for relatively small amounts. It can take months and even years to get up to the stage in which they ask for >$20.000, including hundreds of emails, countless phone calls, etc.

The police just don't have the time for that, and arresting a scammer because he took $100 for a fake certificate is going to get the scammer a light slap on the wrist, if even that.

What is needed is a real victim who has paid lots of money to the scammers, has all the documents and a few witnesses, and is willing to cooperate, knowing that he will never see a penny of his losses.

I don't know what is easier to find: that victim or a four leaf clover in the Sahara.

I'll bet on the colver.

I hope this post was soft and fluffy.

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:22 pm

^^ I miss the KD I used to know

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:37 am

Up here in the Great White North, the cops just arrested a bunch of child-porn dirtbags who were distributing their filth over the web, and they once in a while arrest Canadian scammers if a victim will come forward with solid evidence. I'm sure that baiting as we know it is one of their techniques in such cases, but surely not the only one.

As to baiting scammers in other countries, they'd never waste their time. Police have a hard enough time getting extradition orders, warrants, etc. for rapists and murderers in other countries when they know who they're after and where to find them. Going after an African (example) scammer who's sitting in a ladcafe, cloaked by anonymity and virtually ignored by the cops in his jurisdiction - never going to happen.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:49 am

It would not be entrapment if the LEO replied to the e-mail from the scammer, i.e. it came into his/her catcher account. An ASEM would likely be entrapment.

That does not change the fact that there really are no LEO's baiting to catch a crook. On the other hand I know and LEO or two who baits for fun.

Forever n00b Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 432

There aren't specialized law enforcers who catch 419ers, but there are officers who bust them from time to time. I've worked with postal inspectors in the US, and some law enforcement in CA, but to be honest, unfortunately, you almost have to extort the LEO to get them to go after the freakin bad guys. That's why I discourage utilizing LE now, and promote clubbing 419ers on sight. Wink