Rookie seeking advice

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 9

I've been getting scams in my regular email for a while now and have been tempted to reply and play along, but I don't want to use my personal email account. I have a gmail account set up. Can I reply to these emails using my gmail account or do I need to wait for a scammer to email me first?

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:39 pm

Don't ever use your personal e-mail account (or any real life details). Use a gmail or fastmail account, set up solely for the purpose of baiting. Use entirely made up details.

As for replying - mugus send thousands of e-mails and have no idea if they sent you one or not! Get on the surplus messages board, on 419eater, select a couple of good ones, and send the following:

"I just got your message. I am interested. Please explain more."

Then, ask a question or two in each reply...your character is cautious, but interested. Make him explain everything!

Good luck!

Bruin

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:41 pm

Update to my answer - yes, it is generally safe to use an e-mail that was sent to your personal e-mail account, and reply from a baiting account. The mugu will have no way to figure out or link your fake e-mail persona back to a real recipient, so it is safe.

Bruin

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 11 Oct 2010 Posts: 9

Ok, thank you for your help!

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:45 pm

I'm new too, and that's what I started doing. My "catcher" account doesn't have a very high volume, so I just quickly read through the surplus forum until I see one that I like, and I give some sort of vague response. They're just happy someone responded, and so far I've only had one non-response this way.

Just pretend like you got the message and play away! Just make sure you give fake details.

I like to base my characters in Washington so I can use www.k7.net for the voicemail and fax, and it matches up with my story if they check. I just never happen to be around for the phone *wink*.

Also, make sure you make up a completely fake address. Do a google maps search of it and see if anything comes up.

I'll stop pretending I'm an expert now and defer to the big dogs. Feel free to ask more questions! I've found that the eater community is very welcoming and don't ostracize you for asking "stupid" or "obvious" questions, even if they are embarrassingly bad.

Yarrrg!

--The Commodore

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:13 pm

Fake addresses are easy to do.... consider these:

7834 Flimflam Way, Atlantic City, East Ohio.

3418 Mendacity Avenue, South Succotash, Iowa

222-B Baker Street, Upper Mendacity, Dorsetshire, Uk.

Feel free to make up your own!

Bruin

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:20 pm

Welcome to the nuthouse, p-rat! Go to this web site (http://www.419baiter.com/guestbook/), put your catcher addy in the guestbook, and in a few days you will have more scam emails than you know what to do with. Having a surplus of scam emails allows you to be selective in what type of scams to bait.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jan 2009 Posts: 1440

You can generate any kind of fake identity you like here:

http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/gen-random-sp-us.php

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:43 pm

For those needing scam mails to look through, feel free to use my catcher account:

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=144494&start=50

419Eater is my life Joined: 29 Sep 2010 Posts: 407

BRUIN wrote:

As for replying - mugus send thousands of e-mails and have no idea if they sent you one or not! Get on the surplus messages board, on 419eater, select a couple of good ones, and send the following:

"I just got your message. I am interested. Please explain more."

I have also tried a couple this way:

Quote:

I am not sure this email was intended for me. I was captivated by your story though. If there is anything I can do, let me know.

I get replies from that too....

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 16 Oct 2010 Posts: 1

Sorry to add to this thread, but needed somewhere to start.
I've just been 'hooked' by a scammer and I was furious....now I've cooled down and found your site I'm interested as hell in getting back at this piece of crap. The more I read in here the more I like it..
This 'lad' has even found my cell phone number and is texting me to get a response....can anyone advise where I should start??...preferrably with a mentor??? should one be available....thanks for any advice in advance..

419Eater is my life Joined: 22 Jan 2010 Posts: 329

^^ Our policy here is that to never bait a lad with your real details. Although the chances that he'd realise you were the same guy are slim, it's not worth the risk of harm.

Post the bastard's details on eater and we'll be happy to make trouble for him. In the meantime, feel free to take your anger out on some of the other equally deserving scammers out there.

Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:23 am

Welcome to eater, Flyor. Glad you found and decided to join us. I would encourage you to sign up for a mentor here (clicky). You shouldn't have to wait long at all to get a mentor. In the meantime, please read the "stickies" and browse around Eater University to get a feel for how things work around here.

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:20 am

P-rat,
Welcome & have fun. I send scam emails to my g-mail baiting account all the time. Just make sure you delete any RL info. They don't seem to care where you are from or if they originally sent it to you. They just send out heaps & any reply they get is what they want. Have fun.
Flyor - I wouldn't follow this up using any RL info. Cut all communication. Bait him again from another ip but don't mention your previous experience with him. Post the info & I'm sure many of the very astute & talented baiters here will have him squirming in no time.
Cheers!
Slug

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 4:20 am

the commodore wrote:

I'll stop pretending I'm an expert now and defer to the big dogs. Feel free to ask more questions! I've found that the eater community is very welcoming and don't ostracize you for asking "stupid" or "obvious" questions, even if they are embarrassingly bad.

hey we aren't that bad, but yes, if you give an answer that is not Eater policy, we set Chuck Norris onto you, please, if you feel you have to answer a question, check that it is Eater policy, we have some rules, and guidelines, and those are what make 419Eater the main website for anti scammer activity.

Ask any question you like, the answers will be along Eater guidleines, and tell you where the lines are. Everyone here is more than accomodating with advice, answers, even the Squirrel.

If you don't agree with us, well, sorry, thems our rules, go suck