Bait safe, read the stickies, get a mentor. What else?

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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:02 pm

We all know the mantra. But what other piece of advice would you give someone just entering the world of scambaiting? Mine would be don't rush things. Don't jump in and ask for a trophy right away. There'll always be stupid lads that would do it after your 3rd email, but 99% of lads need coaxing to get something special from. Take your time and reel him in slowly until he's so hooked he'll do anything for you.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 55

Have fun and stay in control of the bait perhaps?

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:26 pm

It's one that most will ignore, I know I did, but my big one is learn how to bait straight first. You generally get nowhere without at least learning how lads work, how formats work, how scripts work, and how real victims act.

I wish I'd followed that bit of advice because my first ever bait crashed in a week because I rushed things and messed around, trying to amuse myself. It was something I got out of my system quite quickly though, and luckily it didn't put me off baiting forever.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:07 pm

I tell my mentees to concentrate on just one bait at the beginning. Too many balls in the air mean no real focus.
My first bait lasted 5 months, and it was the only bait I engaged in for the first 4 of those months.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:36 pm

"It's always the mugu's fault"

Words I live by. Cool

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

I'd say start the bait by seeming to be compliant. Keep everything slow, ask a lot of questions. Then, once you finally get to the payment stage think of the bait as leading the lad around but making him think it's his idea.
A good metaphor is to show the lad a door and make him think that if he goes through it, the money is on the other side. Once he goes through, show him another door, with the money just on the other side. You can continue to do this, door after door. The longer the lad is hooked, the longer and more twisted the hallway becomes. He'll have gone so far that he just won't be able to resist going through each new door you present, because this time, the money JUST might be on the other side.

About getting trophies: Don't try too soon. The trophy request HAS to fit the bait and make sense as something that's required, not just an arbitrary request.

Also, don't be afraid to have a couple of characters for one bait, even if one of them is imaginary and never actually sends emails. Having a supervisor/accountant etc enables you to play good cop bad cop with your lad and you'll be able to get him to do more if he thinks one of you is on his side and the requests come from the "bad cop".

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:11 pm

Learn when to slap and when to ego stroke. A mistimed slap can cost you a bait. I have also found the best slaps are more passive-aggressive.

Plus everything else that has been said here.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

I would encourage new members to just strike out on their own, and then get a mentor.

When I first started, I read a lot, and then just jumped into baiting...at some point I figured out that I'm a very good straight baiter, but pretty much sucked at the funny, 'stand on your head while having concrete poured over you' type baiter.

I finally broke down and asked for a mentor simply because reading headers kept messing me up- Cherrie assigned Stargate to me for my baiting mentor. All total, I think I asked him two baiting related questions; I was a very low maintenance mentee, but I'm pleased to claim SG as a friend...he had a lad make this trophy for me last year (for my birthday, I think):

So, I guess my point is figure out what you like to do, do it, and then get help fine tuning that.

Trophy Videos · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:27 pm

Echo what TS said. Most people here have their own little niche worked out after a year or more of baiting. My advice is to start slow, and try out different types of baits. Lotto Lads, Check Lads, Next-of Kin/Trunkbox scams, etc. Find ones that you like. I started off baiting dying widow, orphan and NOK baits. Now, i'm getting into check lads and lotto lads.
And don't be afraid to mess up and lose them. You can always rebait them from another addy and try something different, if they deserve more punishment, or pick a fresh one. And enjoy yourself! Very Happy

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:43 pm

I agree with Slap, it doesn't take long to figure out what you specific talents are. For me, it is the lotto/check lads because I enjoy faking up various docs to send them, I have RL skills at P'chopping, etc. I have tried the NOK baits, but fall short on my ability to dialogue the lads. I think that as you do this a bit, you find out what you are best at and really enjoy.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:11 pm

I would also recommend you study other baiter's baits first before attempting one of your own. That way you can avoid asking a lot of the elementary questions such as "What do if a lad is asking for ID" or "I didn't have a backup plan. HELP!".

I am wondering by any chance, if this thread is a sneaky plot to try to get a bunch of useful advice into one thread, then we all watch it magically get stickied or embedded into the existing sticky.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:50 pm

My advice is not treat the mugu as a moron. His true colors will soon appear in the bait. Don't ask for ID's,
you kill the chance of asking for a photo later on.
Know your character that you are playing in the bait. Develop another character that will help you.

Don't try swimming if you don't know how to swim.

As mentioned before, don't try to trophy bait during the first 25 baits.
Too many noobs want to church bait. All you are doing is educating the mugus to this type of bait.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:54 pm

Well, my 2 cents....

Others have said it, but I still find it the best advice. Don't rush into things. Observe, note and experiment. The lads will always be there so don't be afraid to fall on your face and loose a lad on your first tries.

Try strait baits at first. You'll realize where your strengths are and build on those. Eventually, you'll develop a kind of instinct when it comes to baiting.

Don't try and go for the trophies or the safaris on your first baits. These take time to master and it may not be your forte in the first place. Some here are very good at these, others not. To each his own.

And finally grasshopper; when you can walk on the rice paper, then you are ready..... Wink

(edit for typos)

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:52 pm

Bait straight first, learn the basics of the scams so you know what the "angles" are.

Be pre paired to loose your first few baits - I have learned just as much, if not more from them than my "successful" baits

Dont rush, let the bait pan out in front of you. You dont realize this until you have gone through the above a few times

You are in control of the bait, not replying for a few days because of computer problems or ISP are fine even when their is an ultimatum from the Lad, in fact thats encouraged at times to up their blood pressure.

All lads aren't dumb. don't be surprised if you come across a highly intelligent Lad that will be able to chew you up and spit you out (while learning anyway)

Try everything and learn what suits your style of baiting. Trophy, safari, straight baiting or whatever wastes their time so its a win

Dont be afraid to ask for advice

My 2 cents from a NooB Smile

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:02 pm

Advice for new members? Those are pretty good tips for "old" members too.
Here's what I wish I woulda known when I joined up...

- Baiting is highly addictive. Kiss your free time goodbye.
- Remember that lads aren't stupid. They just look that way, often on purpose.
- Stupid questions are permitted, maybe even encouraged here. Go ahead & ask.
- Mentors are 100% risky-free, and there is no final exam or volume commitment.
- There is no such thing as.... oh never mind.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:26 pm

Obi makes a good point -- don't assume all lads are stupid. Some are, just as there are stupid people in any population. But weak English skill doesn't mean a lad is an idiot. A lot of these guys are (unfortunately) successful at this and know a lot about the psychology of their scams and their victims. And a lot are either members of gangs or well-connected with other lads who have particular skills -- e.g., the diplomat, wash-wash scams etc.

The point of all that can be boiled down to "don't underestimate your lad." You can get away with a lot in a bait, but your character has to be believable to him. A good bait is like a chess game, you're in a battle of wits against an adversary who has a clear idea of the way the game is played. You need to keep a step ahead.

(All that said, if you are lucky enough to find one of the few truly stupid ones -- the small-boy who is emulating the big guys on the block -- you're in for some serious fun! Very Happy

)

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:06 pm

To be honest, I find it much more fulfilling to bait a SMART lad, rather than a stupid one. This is because, while I do bait for fun, my primary motivation in baiting is to fight 419 crime and help prevent victims from losing money. The stupidest lads, while entertaining, are usually not very successful, so while you can waste a shitload of their time, you probably aren't really having all that great an impact in saving any vics. But if you can find a SMART lad, and get him well and truly convinced that you are a real victim, and (after lots of hard work and nurturing) get him to waste lots of his time and money on YOU, then you have probably kept him from scamming other REAL victims. This, to me, is the big pay-off.

So this is really just more reason to get very good at straight baiting before you dive in for the fun stuff. It takes some finesse to get the smart ones invested in you - but once you do, the possibilities are unlimited!

Remember, the stupid ones don't have any money to waste. The smart ones are making money - they are the ones you can get to go on a multi-day safari, wasting hundreds of dollars in travel and hotel fees. Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:20 pm

I don't want contradict my lovely Valentine, Cachuma, but the stupid ones can still waste money. Very Happy

Better yet, they can waste money they don't even have. If you get them to buy your story, you can persuade them to borrow money to print and scan forms or go on safari. Then they're not only ruined, but in trouble with family or friends. And deeply discouraged.

In any event, there aren't many stupid ones and it is more challenging to bait the smarter ones. I've only baited two true idiots in my career, but I love the fact that I left them in debt. (Both are in my sig lines.) Then again, getting a lad in trouble with his oga is better. Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:34 pm

I wholeheartedly agree with Cachuma here, I'm baiting a pretty convincing lad, he even has (sorry, had) a very professional looking bank website. Wasting his time is so satisfying...

Back on topic: Try and create a believable story for your character, and stick to it. Telling 5 lads 5 different stories is a real pain in the arse.

Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:44 pm

Here's 2 more

Google is your friend. Names, addresses, IP addresses. Look them up and see what more info you can find out that can help you in your bait.

Post the details of your scammer online. Sure baiting is fun, but without posting your lad's email address and name, all you did was waste a lad's time for a bit. Think of this. Just by posting your lad's details you could potentially save other people from becoming victims. How cool is that? Very Happy

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:19 am

To be blunt:
Stop asking us "what do I do now?" There is probably 50 years of baiting experience contained in these forums. Read everything. Search for key words. When I see this question, I immediately think, this person doesn't have the desire to make their own decisions and just wants to be told what to do and take the easy way out.

Also to baiters who respond "get a mentor". Just answer the question.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:04 am

^^^I strongly agree with the last sentence.

My advice would be "Try some things". There is no "perfect" way to bait. Develop a style that you like. Have fun and be creative. The more off the wall I am (in my standards) the more the lads seem to like my baiting.

I'm not pushing for trophies, but if one would "fit", I would take it. I would like a safari more, but that too has to come out of the bait, not out of my desire.

Baiting is like writing a screen play with an actor who doesn't know his lines. Very Happy

That's what I do anyway... Cool

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:28 am

ParaNoid wrote:

Baiting is like writing a screen play with an actor who doesn't know his lines.

I like that analogy! Very Happy

It's really true. I keep plotting out baits in my mind, only to have the lad change the script. Then I have to write a new screenplay. But that's all part of the fun. Being creative is everything. There is no formula, no right or wrong way. You have to go with the flow and try to stay a step (or several) ahead, but be flexible.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:01 am

DrWho wrote:

Also to baiters who respond "get a mentor". Just answer the question.

Yes, please.

My $.02
1. Don't get too attached to your first few lads/ first few baits. Look on them as a learning experience and nothing more. Your first ones will teach you quite a bit about how lads think and operate, and also about what will and won't get you dumped by your pet. Even the most experienced baiters sometimes get dumped, so don't stress about it. You can always pick the same scumbag up again with a new character, so you have nothing to lose by experimenting.

2. As tempting as it is, please do not teach your pets how to improve their spelling or their scripts by pointing out obvious mistakes and/or discrepancies that can twig a real victim. Part of baiting is encouraging the lads to do everything wrong, in the hopes that they will make a serious mistake with a real victim.

If your pet sends you anything that looks real, take him up for it sending an obvious fake, but give him NO clue why it's fake. With a bit of luck, the next one he tries will be really crappy. If your pet sends you a ridiculous fake ID or document so bad that you damned near ruin your keyboard looking at it, accept it and hope he tries to use it on real vics.

3. Search is your friend, but a bit fickle. Try to be specific when using the search function, as a search for common terms such as "abacha" or "ID" will overwhelm it and produce 0 results. Also, read the last few pages of the Main and Help fora, as the answers to most of the common questions can be found there.

4. Do ask if you cannot find the answer to a question by using search or reading the recent threads. New baiters learn by asking questions, and we were all newbies once. That said, please ignore responses from "one month wonders" that say nothing but "read the stickies, get a mentor!". Someone more experienced will be along shortly to answer your question.

5. Trophies/ Safaris/ Artwork/ Videos- You need to understand that these things do NOT happen with every bait. For every "lad setting himself on fire" video or 2000 mile safari, there are literally hundreds of baits that died long before they were even close. Ask anyone with a safari hat in his/her sig or anyone who has scored an awesome trophy, and you will see how much work goes into these things, and how many potentials drop out along the way.

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:10 am

Every noob should read this thread

So far one of the best, excellent advice by all members

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