Is this a BADGER bait?

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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:23 pm

I received this at one of my catcher accounts:

Quote:

Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from smtp7.hushmail.com (smtp7.hushmail.com
[65.39.178.136])
by imap9.hushmail.com (Cyrus v2.2.12-Invoca-RPM-2.2.12-8.1.RHEL4)
with LMTPA;
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:57:20 +0000
X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2
Received: from IMPaqm2.telefonica.net (impaqm2.telefonica.net
[213.4.149.62])
by smtp7.hushmail.com (Postfix) with ESMTP
for <[email protected]>; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:57:19 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from IMPmailhost3.adm.correo ([10.20.102.124])
by IMPaqm2.telefonica.net with bizsmtp
id fZWP1b00Y2h2L9m3MZxJmE; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:57:18 +0200
Received: from cps8 ([10.20.100.208])
by IMPmailhost3.adm.correo with BIZ IMP
id fZvk1b0014VmC7e1jZvk1D; Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:55:44 +0200
X-TE-authinfo: authemail="??" |auth_email="??"
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Received: from [41.216.40.9] by correo15.terra.es with HTTP
(authenticated as [email protected]); Tue, 14 Apr 2009
23:46:58 +0200
Message-ID: <18862173.1239745618071.JavaMail.root@cps8>
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:46:58 +0200 (MEST)
From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Reply-To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: [Suspected Junk Mail] WESTERN UNION BENIN
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_Part_12490_22185738.1239745618069"

Attention ,

We have concluded to effect your payment of $850, 000.00
dollars(EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS) through western
union, but the maximium amount you will be receiving each day
starting from tomorrow is $5,000.00 daily until the funds is
completely transfered.

Kindly Contact Western union Agent: Mr.Nelson B.Collins
TEL: +229-93-22-12-60
E-mail:([email protected])

Though, Michelle Smith sent $5000.00 in your name today so contact
Mr.Nelson B.Collins and tell him to give you the Mtcn, sender name
and question/answer to pick the $5000.00. Pls let me know as soon
as you received all your funds $850,000.00 thousand dollars Thank
you.

Yours Mr Nobert Ofordike

Ahora también puedes acceder a tu correo Terra desde el
móvil.

Infórmate pinchando aquí.

I sent out the routine "Yeah, right. Send me the details" email. Now just this morning I get an email from them and it has what appears to be a VALID MTCN. I didn't use any links on the email from today. I looked up WU through Google and ran the number and the sender's name and it came back "Status : Available for pick up by receiver."

This is supposedly for $5,000. Since when do scammers send money to victims?

I am a n00b here, so someone please explain what is happening.

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:34 pm

Hi Mr. Kruse,

It's a common scam. You can check the MTCN to see there is a payment available for pickup, but you can't see for how much. It's probably for the minimum amount, and you will need to pay fees to get it transferred into your name.

If it's a badger, he's emailing you from Benin. Wink

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

Definetely not a badger, so proceed into a full blown bait, by all means! Wink

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:36 pm

I have seen something similar where the lad gives a valid M7CN and when you check it because yyou can't believe your eyes, it appears valid. In the case I had it was already picked up, so I assumed it was one of his own he was using to further his scam modality. I tried to reply to his email but found the addy had been taken out already. I suggest messing with the order of the numbers, playing stupid, telling him the WU guy says the number is bad, and becoming the biggest pain in the u no whut to this lad. You know the drill. Enjoy!

BTW, Thanks for asking for me personally! Very Happy

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 6:50 pm

Badgerbait wrote:

BTW, Thanks for asking for me personally! Very Happy

LOL!!!

Well, thanks everybody, for all the advice. I had never seen one of these before. I will proceed to give him pain. Twisted Evil

If anyone wants to add anything, feel free. This could be a learning op for many more besides me Embarassed

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:09 pm

sorry, another newbie question - in the subject line, what does BADGER stand for?

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:10 pm

A badger is someone who intentionally wastes a baiters time, a anti-baiter or baiterbaiter if you will. But they seem to be extremely rare.

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:15 pm

Here is the email they sent me:

Quote:

Western Union®
Welcome to Western Union
Send Money Worldwide
GOOD DAY

ATTENTION CAPTAIN MARTIN AMSEL ;

WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF YOUR MAIL DATED 20TH APRIL 2009 WITH REGARDS TO OUR MOST EFFORT TO GET YOUR FUND TRANSFERED TO YOU THROUGH OUR WESTERN UNION DESTRICT HERE,WE HAVE MADE SEVERALLY EFFORTS BUT WE WERE HAVING DEFFICULTIES DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED OUR REQUEST SO TAHT WE START SENDING YOUR FUND AS PROMISED$5000 PER A DAY . BUT THIS MORNING WE JUST GOTTEN AN APPROVAL FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THIS BRANCH OFFICE THAT WE ARE TO START TRANSFERING YOUR FUNDS 850,000.00(EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFITY THOUSAND DOLLARS ) TODAY AND WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE PAYMENT OF THE $5000 , YOU DO LET US KNOW AND THE REST OF FUND WILL ALSO BE SENT TO YOU ACCORDINGLY AS PROGRAMMED.

FOR THIS EFFECT, WE HAVE SENT YOU THE FIRST PORTION OF THE $5000 THIS MORNING AND BELOW ARE THE INFORMATION ON HOW TO PICK IT UP :

WWW.WESTERNUNION.COM

SENDER'S....ROMY DAN

TEST QUESTION.... IN GOD

TEST ANSWER........FOREVER

MTCN..............768-237-xxxx

AMOUNT............$5000

RECEIVER........CAPTAIN MARTIN AMSEL

CALL US WHEN YOU PICK IT UP SO THAT WE CAN TRANSFER THE REMAINING BALANCE +229-98349xxx
INSIDE THE WEBSITE, CLICK TRANSFER STATUS AND THERE YOU WILL SEE A SPACE FOR THE MTCN AND THE FIRST AND SECOND NAME OF THE SENDER WHERE YOU TYPE IN AND CLICK CHECK STATUS FOR YOU TO KNOW THAT THE MONEY IS AVAILABLE TO PICK UP BY THE RECEIVER BEING YOU. YOU HAVE TO CARRY ON THE ABOVE DIRECTED INSTRUCTIONS AND THEN GET BACK US IMMEDIATELY YOUR RECEIVE YOUR MONEY TODAY.

SINCERELY,

MR. NELSON B. COLLINS
+229-98349xxx
Western Union Payments
Dollars Western Union Logo
Western Union®
Welcome to Western Union
Send Money Worldwide

And on the advice of the select members of the forum, I decided to start with this for a responce:

Quote:

Mr. Collins,

I went to the Western Union office and the clerk there said I did not have a valid number. I told
him that it was not possible. I tried to argue with him, but he threatened to call the police.
I came home and ran the number through the web site and it is indeed an invalid number. So please
tell me what is going on? Is this some kind of joke??

Please find someone else to play your jokes on as I wasted 2 hours of my time going to your office
to learn of your foolishness. You may laugh now. You got me to go to the Western Union office
and I made a fool of myself.
--
Captain Martin Amsel
[email protected]

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:00 am

I apologize, I'm still learning. What exactly is a "badger," as opposed to a scammer? I have looked through most of the stickies - I haven't seen a definition and I can't seem to figure it out on my own. Sometimes I'm pretty thick that way. Thanks.

EDIT: Sorry, MoP. After reviewing the thread I saw your description of a badger - my bad. Embarassed

I told you I'm thick sometimes. Thanks for your patience.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 9:32 am

Badgers should be shot on site...no mercy Evil or Very Mad

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

r2d2 wrote:

what does BADGER stand for?

http://badgerbadgerbadger.com/

Laughing

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:52 am

The term is "badger" because that was the username of the earliest identified case. they are rare indeed - mostly the answer to "is this a badger" is no.

This use of "active" MTCNs is an unfortunately clever one by the scammers as it gives them a key piece of evidence to show a victim that indeed there is some money waiting for them. As mentioned before, WU online check does not reveal the amount. Nor the receiver's name - so the lad can send a transfer online to someone else entirely. The victim tries to recover the funds, is unsuccessful, and then the lad reveals that ... oops! ... they need to sort out one minor thing, possibly involving a small fee.

419Eater is my life Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 366

I had a scammer that sent a MTCN that was a valid number that had already been picked up.

The lad had too many scripts and not enough IQ he had a hard time getting anything right.

p.

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:13 pm

Please note, we Badgers on board now are not "Badgers" (are you? Badger Grylls? I am definitely not!).

Pablo, I had the same thing. The guy had apparently lost his email priveledges. I wish i had kept track of the M7CN just to use it for baits, I think it would make for great evidence of a dolla chop, and be using their own stuff against them. I bet you could even turn it on the same lad if you worked it hard! Twisted Evil

Not sure of the ethics of it, though. Time to review the ethics of baiting thread...

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:03 pm

^^^^^
Badgerbait

I can certify that I am no way a Badger and am 100% risky free
Cool

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:50 pm

^^^ Badgerbait,

advice of the mods is not to send the lads something they can reuse on other potential vics, such as a working MTCN.

Additionally, Mr. Kruse, you might want to send the MTCN information to the mods so they can take care of it.

(see my post to hint&tips here for details and mod response.

Thanks!

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:58 pm

bruckner wrote:

Mr. Kruse, you might want to send the MTCN information to the mods so they can take care of it.

(see my post to hint&tips here for details and mod response.

Thanks!

I'm going to be doing that. I am currently working with my mentor on this and we will be involving the mods/admin as far as giving them the #'s.