Am I wasting more of my time or theirs?

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Master Baiter Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 120 Location: USA

I haven't been baiting long. Long enough to realize it's harder and less rewarding than I thought. Mostly because they don't read the emails you send in the beginning and stick to the script. I have resorted to not reading their emails at all and instead of responding with witty remarks and funny variations of their names, fake WU receipts, etc. I simply respond with a "when can I get my money?" or "I already sent all the info you are asking for to your business partner" (hoping that they may think they are getting chopped) or "I just sent the WU receipt to somebody who said they were your partner". Anyway, am I doing any good here? I answer about 10 new emails a day and have just been deleting all the romance/dating scam emails because they always send nude pics which I hadn't anticipated and don't want to see. It seems like you really need to spend a lot of time with these turds to eat up their time and money. I'm not sure if I'm using my time and effort in the best way possible.

419Eater is my life Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 416

Now that you have got the hang of the basic modalities, why not take a leisurely look around the baiting Louvre that is 419 Eater.

Check out the trophy gallery, the tales of exotic safaris, the libraries of published work, the hilarious sound recordings, the bank closures, the sheer silliness and hilarity of so much that gets posted.

Find something that makes you die laughing, or maybe that just appeals to your sense of righting wrongs, or whatever it was that drew you here in the first place. And then go for it! Try to find that "Mr Right" lad to share your experience with, and devote all your creative talents into getting the biggest payback on his time as well as yours.

That way, you will be devoted to scuppering one lad's scamming career, rather than mildly inconveniencing dozens of lads. And you will soon find that every incoming e-mail is a source of genuine interest and/or hilarity. Very Happy

HTH

N

Master Baiter Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 120 Location: USA

I guess what I'm saying is the novelty of it has worn off fast and I'm not sure if I'm making much of a difference.

419Eater is my life Joined: 19 Sep 2006 Posts: 416

I've never found a hobby with more novelty!

You can be anyone you like, and get evil strangers to do hilarious things for our entertainment!! Very Happy

And you can get a nice warm glow as well, if that's your cup of tea.

I just think that you might need to take a step back, look at what some of the other baiters are doing, and find a novelty that appeals to you. Then it will become less of a chore.

N

Master Baiter Joined: 23 Sep 2008 Posts: 236

Welcome drab!

Although it may not feel like it, you are making a difference. If you want to feel like you're making more of a difference then:

Bait for bank accounts and then pass them onto the friendly neighbourhood Alan. That hits the lads where it hurts, in their pockets!

Pop on over to the Fake Banks forum, where our site killers (Hi Dora!), will show you the ways in which the lads fake bank sites can be killed. There's nothing like the glow of satisfaction you get when Firefox tells you that it can't open the page.

Look at some of the other baits on the side, and find one that makes you say "I want to do that!" Find a lad in surplus, and give it a go! Thanks to a few baiters out here, I'm working on my first audio bait at the moment, and hopefully I'll have some results soon!

Don't get disheartened, if you need to, just sit back and read for a while till you get your inspiration back. The lads will wait.

Hope that's some useful stuff there, and not just me rambling as usual Smile

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 11:43 am

@drab

Keep your chin up, I wasted about a dozen opportunities to progress the bait when I first started

The secret is patience, its like growing flowers from seed you have to nurture and feed them berfore they bloom into something satisfying.

Plus My Mentor has helped me land my first Bank Account (Thanks Meridian) so dont give up

I only started a few weeks ago and still have a lot to learn , dont let my post count fool you, I'm a bit of a post whore Twisted Evil

Try out all the different modalities and see what you like best. The Church Baiting Modality has got me hooked.... Wink

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

This little diversion of ours can't be measured in terms of its global impact. We know that each of us only contributes a drop in the bucket. That said, the drops can be very satisfying at times when you tie up a lad for a year with ever-increasing fantastical tales, get him to travel on a 12 hour bus ride, only to be dis-spirited when he arrives and you are not there, forcing him to get back on the next bus home, where he receives an email saying that you were there all along and won't he take the bus one more time for you?? Wink

If you don't want to do it, or don't enjoy it, then you don't have to. But remember that every hour you get a lad to waste with you is time/money spent not victimizing someone else.

Trophy Videos · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:44 pm

Welcome to Eater, drab. Very Happy

I felt the same way as you do now when I started. I fumbled around this huge site, trying to find something I was interested in and learning the ropes. It's even bigger now, with more members, a great mentoring program, and even a University Forum.
I really started to enjoy myself and feel like my efforts were helping after a few months. Give yourself some time to find the place here where your individal talents and skills will help in the fight, and give you pleasure.
If you haven't signed up for a mentor yet, please consider it. They can really help you. Smile

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:52 pm

Quote:

Joined: 20 Apr 2009

That was quick. Laughing

Allow those creative juices to flow. Have fun with your lad. It's not only about wasting time, but torturing their existence. Pick a lad and build up his world. Promise him everything and then after a few months when he's ready to collect you pull that rug from under his feet so hard he lands on his face and cries. You want him to be afraid to open his email account. He'll develop a twitch anytime someone mentions the word 'email'.

Crushing a scammers hope is incredibly satisfying. You're only limited by your imagination.

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:10 pm

I've just started baiting too, but I've come to learn its quality over quantity. At first I was baiting 20 lads a day, and like you I got worn out! Now I only focus on the ones that I think I can have true fun with - who will safari? send me a photo? go to pick me up at the airport holding a ridiculous sign? join a fictitious church? I more or less ignore the emails that I know will go nowhere. Also, if you're not sure of exactly the best way to bait someone, post the e-mail here and members will give you tips on what to do next. Thats what I did for my first bait. Trust me, this hobby can be fun and rewarding, you just need to learn the ropes first. Good luck!

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:31 pm

Hi darb, Welcome! If you are looking for a more immediate feeling that you are making an impact, I suggest trying site killing. Why don't you stop in Fake Banks and check it out. Also try joining some mass baits. It is a great way to meet other baiters and when there is a bunch of baiters reporting back the comments, it is easier to understand the impact. You also might find that contributing to Scamwarners is rewarding. Post up some info on the scammers you have been in contact with and see how nice it feels when some potential victim posts a thank you for the warning. While the safaris and trophy baits are really fun to read, they do take a certain skill set and lots of patience. There are many other ways that you can make an impact.

Master Baiter Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 120 Location: USA

Well I had one just break script and tell me to F off, that makes me feel a little better. Razz

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:04 pm

^^^^^ then bait him again from a new address! i have seen that advice a lot in this situation.

i am also a newbie, and concious of the dilemma that you raise. i think the ideas about closing accounts and websites are good ones, but i will need to get that info from my own scammers first! baiting for trophies is also good if the scammer has to waste time or resources to produce the trophy. but i think that anyone who baits just to waste the scammers time has to ask himself or herself whether they are making a difference. some other websites i have looked at seem to spend their time inventing implausible scenarios for their own amusement, and i cannot see how that is hurting the scammers.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:48 am

Another way to get into the swing of baiting is to join a mass bait.

You may have to curb your natural exuberance to fit into what all the other baiters are doing, but you get very quick and visible feedback as to the problems you are creating for your Lad.

Elite Baiter Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 1006

Quote:

Well I had one just break script and tell me to F off, that makes me feel a little better. Razz

Bet that's the first time you've said that! Very Happy

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:38 am

Yes, I got a sobering reminder of the importance of this...

I got an E-mail from my lad this morning saying that they had just recieved a payment from another American 'client' and that client didn't make them use the Secur1ty Sh1eld protocol. Now there's always the chance that he was lying, but *sigh* I don't think he was. And for a while, I was really bummed that I had failed to keep him from scamming someone else (which is a good argument in my book to move beyond the 'straight bait' -though I'm not feeling experienced enough for something much more complex) but in the end, my resolve is strengthened. I will bait this looser every time I can, with every modality I can until he stops trusting in ANY seemingly oblivious dupe.

This is my first real bait (in that it's lasted for quite a while, and they're geniunely getting angry with me! and I'm hoping that by playing the fool a little while longer I can diffuse that anger and use their newfound trust to my advantage... lol)

Thanks everyone for your help, and yes, 419 Eater has provided the resources and advice that has made my baiting career... possible.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:17 am

The lads will tell you that you are having an impact.

With their insults and curses.

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 80

If you're not having fun, make it fun! Come up with off the wall goofy crap and tell your lads about it. Payment didn't arrive? It's because you were hung over from partying (always celebrate your expected millions by getting completely smashed the night before you send payment) and asked your pal Larry, Hank, Bo, Clyde, Cletus, etc. to go and send it for you. He came back and said it was sent but you couldn't get him to tell you the MTCN number because he kept playing with his damn new Ipod Touch 16Gb.

If you do get the receipt, it'll sure be hard as hell to read after you spilled at that beer on it. From my experience, lads become quite speechless at the rant of a drunk redneck who's just been 'conned' out of a few thousand bucks.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:01 am

Hi Drab, Don't throw in the towel just yet. I've just picked up this lad.

Quote:

Welcome to Cheap fabrics
CHEAP FABRICS COMPANY
FABRICS ONLINE
Thames Court, 1 Victoria Street,
Windsor, Berkshire. SL4 1YB.
Website: Under Construction
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel:+447033429876
Fax:+447033429876

URGENT PART-TIME JOB OPPORTUNITY

My name is Gregg Nulton a Texan working in Berkshire, I want to know if You
would like to work online from home and get paid without affecting your present
job?
Actually i need a representative who can be working for our company as online
book-keeper. We make lots of supplies to some of our clients in the USA/CANADA
for which i do come to USA/CANADA to recieve payment and have it cashed after i
supply them raw materials. Its always too expensive and stressful for me to
come
down and recieve such payment twice in a month so i therefore decided to
contact you. and the payment is going to be either in Cashier Cheque, Money
Orders, Company"s
Cheques or Bank to Bank Transfers or Credit Card Transfer.

I am willing to pay you 10% for every payment recieved by you from our
customers who makes payment through you. I have series of arrangement with the
FBI in Washington, in attempt for anyone to make away with my funds,definitely
the law will catch-up with him, and he will definitely face the consequences.
Just incase you are concerned about how i got to your contact, it was through
the American Chamber of Commerce for trust worthy individuals, i was directed
on how
to make an online search. Pls note you dont have to be a book keeper to apply
for the job. Kindly get back to me as soon as possible if you are interested in
this
job offer with your:

FIRST NAME: ....................

LAST NAME: .......................

ADDRESS: .......................

CITY: ................

STATE:...............

ZIP CODE:.......................

COUNTRY:................. .........

MOBILE PHONE NUMBER(S)...........

GENDER: .......................

AGE: .....................

MARITAL STATUS: .................

ATTESTATION

According to how you have been briefed earlier by a qualified representative of
this establishment. You are required and mandated to receive payment on behalf
of
the above mentioned firm. You are to deduct 10% of all funds processed on a
particular order and forward the balance payment via Western Union Money
Transfer
and MONEYGRAM to any of "Cheap Fabrics" Group regional warehouses that will be
given to you later. You will notify the company a week ahead if eventually you
want to discontinue this job so as to terminate all payment coming your way to
avoid conflict.

Gregg Nulton
Director of Cheap Fabrics, UK

If you want we can bait him together. I'll walk you through some of the basics and show you how to extract some fun out of this lad.

Just send a mail to him saying you want more information. Don't send him any personal details just yet. It's got lots of potential. He's looking for an accountant who doesn't necessarily need to be numerate, Very Happy

and he's pretty thick with the FBI. Very Happy

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 8:06 am

I've felt the same way in baiting the lads. Basically I straight bait and don't really try for any of the crazy stuff because I don't think I can pull it off. Anyway, my straight baits last about 2 months and I can get my lads pretty annoyed. But you are right, it doesn't feel like you are really doing much.

So I've moved on to ASEMing the lads and trying to get accounts to report to Alan(check out the link in my sig if you are interested in seeing a walkthrough of that) as well as finding websites to shut down. You get to put piggies and colorful flags in your sig line for these and you are really doing some tangable damage to the lads' operations when you complete these modalities.

Try other things and I am sure you will find something you like here.

419Eater is my life Joined: 27 Jan 2009 Posts: 479

test lads for compliance with multiple identities simultaneously... then feed them to s*cur*ty shi*ld and hope to make it (back) onto the leader board. I like to help them help themselves ... get what they deserve

I have recently started ASEM dabbling with characters from the X-files. I learned why not to ASEM 500 lads at once in gmail, but I did find three chunks of ladgold for less than $2000 of imaginary offerings. It's not that gmail zapped me for spamming (this time) but that I received so many eager replies to the same subject.

I like to help people (lads aren't people) so I find ways to make activities easier or better.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:37 am

I know it can be a bit of a slow start but once you get going it gets better. I suggest keeping a few ticking over with one-line responses, and having a few who seem promising who you nurture to fruition (just like some perverse kind of farming!). The tickover responses let the lad play out his script, then he may get more interesting - always around the theme of "give me" though!

Join a massbait, shared spoils and shared toils - and then you know you are making a major difference to one lad at a time. Massbaiting sometimes gives us intelligence which has stopped a fortune in duff cheques and victims. Or learn the ropes over at Scamwarners and help the victims and potential victims over there, you'll recognise a few familiar faces Smile

Am I wasting more of my time or theirs?	View next topic View previous topic