Safe Baiting - what are the chances of it going really wrong

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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:20 pm

Hi there,

I think safe baiting sounds like a REALLY good idea, but I was just wondering if this is just everyone being really extra cautious (again, not a bad idea) or if there are real examples of a bait going really, really wrong. Have lads ever tracked any baiters down? Has there ever been violence? I'm looking for hard facts here, not urban-legend-type friends of friends stories.

Thanks!

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:53 pm

Argo, I have only heard of one and I don't know if it legend or not. Maybe a baiter that has been here longer knows something.

But all in all, I just don't think you have much to worry about. Bait safe, don't agree to meet a lad (I mean in RL, not pretending to as part of a bait), and I can't see that much can happen. Remember, the lads want money. And most of the time, if you aren't going to give it to them, they will just drop you.

This is just my point-of-view; others may have more information or differing opinions. Very Happy

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:54 pm

I have similar concerns ....... I have been a bit careless really in the past although no harm has ever come of it I've always used yahoo & hotmail accounts. For some reason I cant seem to get a gmail addy just now, I do have googlemail though is that the same (IP stripper etc)

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 5:13 pm

Don't use any information that be connected back to you and you'll be ok. IP information usually only gives them an idea of where you are located and nothing about you personally.

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 5:56 pm

@BSF Googlemail is the UK equivalent of Gmail and does strip IPs.

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 6:27 pm

As far as I know, the only violence has been on victims who travelled to collect the "funds", and there have been deaths. No baiter I know of has ever had any problems.

And IPs give a rough idea of where you might be, not really where you are. Check your IP to see. %86 chance of getting the city right. How big is the community you live in? The chances of some 419 asshat coming to your town are small, and of him finding you in the location of your IP with "I am looking for Hugh G Erection", non-existent.

Bait safe, anyway.

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 9:22 pm

Actually, I am not really worried about it. I've done a few baits now and I'm having trouble seeing how it could get dangerous. I can see how a real scam could go wrong for a scamee, but for a baiter to get hurt he would have to go out of his way to put himself in danger.

I was just wondering if any of the collective fears that drive 'safe baiting' had ever been realised?

Elite Baiter Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 1006

Quote:

I was just wondering if any of the collective fears that drive 'safe baiting' had ever been realised?

I think because people do bait safe, there is no chance of the threats we sometimes receive being carried out. But I can invision a situation where someone responded to a scam mail, gave real info and then majorly jerked the scammer around..and the scammer just happens to have a cousin living in the same town. Baiting safe just insures that very unlikely scenario can't happen.

ETA - And since it is just as easy to bait safe..why not do it?

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 10:27 pm

Documented cases of lads getting violent on a scambaiter? Not that I can recall.

Could a lad be bothered to track down a scambaiter? Now we're not talking about being pissed off about an email, we're talking about really making him angry. The type of angry from having to wait months and months of torture, and having him spend his own funds and run around until he's broken. Then he would need resources to track you down, and turn up at your house... Documented case, Nope.

We like to err on the side of safety. You wouldn't want to endanger your family and friends, if by some remote chance you do make a nemesis.

We have an obligation to warn people of the potential dangers. We've warned you, and advised. You can do what you want. You're an adult.

Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 11:45 pm

beckythatcher, you are right. Such unlikely scenarios can happen.

I met a UK-based scammer. I invited him to my home. He visited. I wasn't baiting him then, I was believing him, and thought that if he met me in person, we could sort out one or two misunderstandings.

Later realising what he was actually up to, I then baited him for a year thereafter - using webmail addresses that showed my real IP address.

When I learnt about IP addresses and that, should he have looked, he could have found out that all those mails from all those people were actually from me - I was scared. I knew he couldn't physically harm me himself - I'm too good at self-defence (or just plain fighting, come to that). But maybe he had a gang of friends? Or maybe he'd burn my house down?

I wouldn't wish that sort of fear upon anyone. All the 'what ifs'.

This was maybe an unusual circumstance. Since then (for unrelated reasons, mind you!), I have moved. And that is a relief: he no longer knows where to find me.

But: all my contact with him was some years ago. And nothing did happen.

With all his knowledge of my life and movements, nothing happened.

I guess he just moved on to other potential victims.

Nonetheless, you can bet I bait safely nowadays. To do otherwise is simply not worth the worry.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Nurse Nasty wrote:

We have an obligation to warn people of the potential dangers. We've warned you, and advised. You can do what you want. You're an adult.

There is a .003% chance that a scammer will hunt you down, kill you, and eat your liver. The litigious nature of our planet requires a warning, but in reality, you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than a scammer tracking you down.

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 12:34 am

My first bait, several years ago, earned me a threat something to the effect of, "You better watch it Mr. Hank Rearan because I am going to come to London and kill you ooooooooooooooo"

Needless to say, I was and still am thousands of miles away from London!!!! Laughing

Moderator Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 14513

Just follow the guidelines of baiting safely and all will be well. Gmail will strip your ip.

I've gotten my fair share of death threats and even a few juju curses and I'm fine. Laughing

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 11:07 am

i think the answer to the question in your subject line is 'it depends on what sort of bait you are doing'

if you are replying to craigslist scammers then the risk is minimal, maybe zero.

but i found an old thread where there was a reference to shiver metimbers photographing some scammers, presumably from afar.
potentially that could have gone very wrong, if they had spotted him and smelled a rat.

or, if you pass on a lot of their bank accounts and they lose a lot of money, they might get very pissed off with you if they figure out what has happened.

Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 2:11 pm

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for safe baiting, and I don't feel particularly scared doing it. I was just wondering if everyone was being just generally cautious (good) or if this was a response to some incidents in the past (not as good).

Thanks everyone!

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