I need help

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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:48 am

I'm a total n00b when it comes to all forms of scams. Please tell me the many ways in which "The Lads From Lagos" (Also the name of a Lifetime Achievement award winning TV drama series from Rocket Land) can take your money. In this case, love and dating scams and other ones.

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:59 am

Well, I see you joined here in June, so you are not quite as n00b as many people around here.

That is an extremely open-ended question. If you are looking for a list of scams, they are constantly evolving and formats are always changing (and scamming occurs all over the world, not just Lagos). The best way to familiarize yourself with the major kinds of scams is to read some of the great material on this site and many others dedicated to teaching people about scams.

This thread lists many of the types of scams regularly baited: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=146973&highlight=poll
Per eater rules, please do not necro the thread.

Scamwarners (see the link at the top of every forum) has a very good overview of types of scams.
http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5

If you want to know if something in particular is a scam, just ask in the appropriate forum (if it' s not a dating scam, then main or misc is more appropriate) or over at scamwarners.

ETA: If you are looking for examples of real scam letters, just look in the surplus forum and you will find examples galore.

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:01 pm

Lads are extremely inventive. If one ploy doesn't work, they'll try another one. The best way to see what they try is to read the published baits here. These baits not only showcase the brilliance of the baiters, they highlight the lengths scammers will go to in order to try to get money from their victims. It is a true battle of wits, but when a baiter is involved, the scammer is hopelessly out-gunned. Wink

Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:21 pm

Love lads are more patient (for the most part ) than the lasses...

A few ways to tell they're a scam:

1) they say they love you within a couple e-mail's or instant messages
2) they ask for your cell number
3) they quote bad poetry at you
4) their answers don't make sense as to what you just asked

they usually don't ask or hint for money for a couple weeks...or at least my lads don't...

My longest running lad had the nerve to hint at a christmas present today - lol - told him I wasn't getting anything for anyone since I'm so broke (my car needed a new car part)...

Juan's stalker Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 1423

Welcome rmaster!
Hang around and read all the good stuff available to you.
Then hopefully you can join in the fun and tease and play with some of your very own pets.
It can be very addicting Very Happy

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:38 am

Easest way is to ask a direct question, Scripted replies don't answer questions. And genuine people [ like us ] don't use scripts

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 9:06 pm

You're all being so nice!

When I wanted to find out how romance scams worked, I read the stickies in the romance forum, written by such greats as Wayne, Lotta, and these days Murray Guru. I picked it all up from there, and in fact they were so well written, I didn't need to even bother my mentor with a single enquiry.

There is a reason that there are stickies! Read 'em ya lazy bugger! Laughing

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:24 pm

Ivana wrote:

Love lads are more patient
they usually don't ask or hint for money for a couple weeks...or at least my lads don't...

Mugatu wrote:

There is a reason that there are stickies! Read 'em ya lazy bugger! Laughing

Excellent advice! The Stickies are great, I've found loads of useful stuff there that has really helped me out.

And what Ivana says is really true I think. I've not really had a sucessful romance bait myself, he dropped me suddenly and I don't know why, but I have read that they are very patient. They build up to asking for money more slowly than many other scams.

They play on your emotions too, like they will often talk about having a child and then say that the child is sick and needs surgery and if you were just reading it and not knowing that it was a scam then it would be easy to get over-emotional and actually think that there was a real child that would die unless you gave them the money.

Romance scammers are the lowest of the low imo. When I grow up I want to specialise in them!

Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:50 pm

Lol my pakastani love lad finally found the pictures I was using (angelina jolie) and asked me why I fooled him - told him since I didn't have a cam, digital camera, or a phone I felt I had to get something to him to show I was real...he's in so far that he's willing to forgive me and his magic says I'm 5' 11", light hair, slim and pretty figure...but he won't believe the false teeth part :pout:

I just almost think he's a real person when he says something new that just adds up to scammer -- "he" lives with his father, doesn't have a job, stays up all night online (I talk to him until 9am his time), but is always doing things to help out his friends, he wants a us passport to start a business selling leather jackets (he's already begged me to help him, told him I just didn't have the time to start something new), has called me wife since the second letter with him ( very annoying too every other word is "wife")....so he's pushing for us to get married...a "friend" is going to give him money to open a bank account (necessary for a visa) and he & a friend are going to come visit me, his friend for a month & him for 6 months...he wants to get married during that time so he can get his green card and start a business...

but he hasn't told his parents about me, it was his friends who turned him onto the fact I was angelina jolie ... he's sent one trophy picture, but he hadn't shaved so I need a more presentable picture to show my parents...and he just put Ivana on the sign, I want both names on the sign - Iv@n@ Succ0k...

told him I could probably get a web cam in feb. at tax time...by then I hope to have burned him with a m7cn s3cur3...he's been slow about asking for money so far, but I know that's coming with the visa/flights/etc. for travel...

Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 5:02 am

Mugatu's advice is very sound, I may be biased, but I spent a lot of time on that sticky along with some other very talented members in order to produce something to help the sometimes neglected romance department in educating our new members.

Since writing that sticky we have had a lot of new romance baiters join in and the sticky has not only helped to enhance their baiting pleasure but also it has increased our baiting time.

We do generally love teaching people, but it is much more enjoyable to teach them about the advanced learning that is not included on page one of the sticky Wink

Thinking about it, with the sticky and university subjects available now, new baiters have never had it so easy Laughing

Elite Baiter Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 1006

Quote:

Thinking about it, with the sticky and university subjects available now, new baiters have never had it so easy

And the wonderful tools available!

Edited to add:
@Daisy

Quote:

I've not really had a sucessful romance bait myself, he dropped me suddenly and I don't know why,

If you were still at the "getting to know each other phase", wait a couple of days and send him a "sorry we didn't seem to hit it off but I wanted to wish you a happy new year." I was able to reignite a couple that way (with a merry Christmas message) ..including my scummy lad Craig (using a different baiter name).

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Posts: 70

There is many different scam scenarios but many follow a general script . Do your best to change the subject and keep control of the scum they will take a lot of abuse and it is fun to go ape chit slinging mad with them."Great stress relief" and they will keep coming back for more as long as there is a chance of scoring from you....

Give'em Hell

Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:45 am

Good job of getting them on YIM Smile

Now the fun starts...

I've been going to picture trophies and forms...I sent out a set of homeland security forms when they start to talk about coming here, but I had edited it to make it more straight...as I send out new forms I make them more & more outlandish Twisted Evil

Next set of forms I'm going to send will require lip prints I think Twisted Evil

They all want to get married and come to america (They can only dream)

And waste their time -- I've gotten them to describe the 4 different areas of nigeria, tell me how they make palm wine, describe the yam festival...talk about fishing & hunting...what I'm having for dinner (beans of course, I'm always broke)...and a lot more...

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Posts: 70

It is a goal for me to get a vlad on yim....
They love the email though I guess it is to much trouble for them to translate from a message window...