Coming back...and I'm PISSED!

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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:54 pm

Hello fellow baiters. It's been a loooong time since I've been in this forum, or even been baiting at all. I see some of my old friends are still around and going at it...good to know some things never change.

I took a few years off of baiting, due mostly to greater job demands, and some family issues. Although I have always held a warm spot in my heart for this place, and often wished I had the time to take up baiting again.

Well, now I'm coming back, and I'm on fire. I just learned that my mother...my own f'ing MOTHER!...was scammed out of $9,000.

It wasn't a 419 type scam...I'm pretty sure I've inoculated her against those with all of the stories I've told her about my baits, and she knows better than to respond to anything in email or on the internet. No, this was a personal scam. In brief, a guy walked up to her in the grocery store parking lot and told her there was something wrong with her car (he'd apparently squired fluid underneath it when she was in the store), and convinced her he was a mechanic and would give her a great deal on fixing it if she'd pay him cash. She's 76, uses a walker, not as sharp as she used to be, grew up in a small town so she's way too trusting of people - perfect mark. He then spent the next two days driving her around in her car, showering her with attention, and walking her into bank branches where she took out cash advances on her credit card to the tune of 9 grand, which she handed to him for supposed repairs on her car (which is only worth $15,000 so I don't know WHAT the hell she was thinking). It wasn't until a few days later, when she tried calling his cellphone and it was disconnected, that she realized she'd been had. He, of course, had disappeared with her money and it dawned on her that he never actually did any work on her car.

This is actually a relatively common scam, usually perpetrated on senior citizens, especially elderly women who are all too happy to have a nice young man take care of their cars for them.

Unfortunately this happened months ago, but she was too ashamed to tell me. Now that it's been so long, any possible leads on finding the guy are long cold and so she's out all that money, which was a significant portion of her net worth.

Moral of the story: baiters, you may think your own friends and family will never fall for a scam because of the education you've given them based on your in-depth knowledge of scams. But the truth is, anyone who is even marginally cognitively impaired or remotely gullible is still at risk. Especially, watch out for your parents! (And for the record, my mother has never shown any signs of dementia, just the general slowing-down of age and occasional mild forgetfulness...but now I realize there is probably something more going on because that was beyond stupid.)

I realize I can't do anything about the scumbag who stole her money, but I can take my retribution out on other scammers who try to steal money from vulnerable people. So...watch out, lads... is back in business! And she's got her hair brush at the ready... Twisted Evil

I've probably forgotten quite a bit about baiting, and I'm sure there are new tools and modalities that I'll need a refresher on...but I'll get a few baits going and check back in, in one of the baiting forums.

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:07 pm

So sorry to hear about your mother!!! But so glad you are back!!!!!!!!

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:21 pm

I was a lurker here for a while, and finally signed up because one of my relatives was taken by a 419 scammer. I definitely sympathise. Now I take out my rage by burning through their bank accounts and fake sites.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:13 am

Anyone can be scammed under right circumstances..sorry for your Mom.

Welcome back.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

WB, I wondered where you wandered off to.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:53 am

Welcome back Cachuma, wish it were under better circumstances.

You'll notice a few newish Mods, they still have the shine on their jackboots, and the Squirrel went RED.

Have fun

*** BANNED *** Joined: 26 Jul 2012 Posts: 1123

Welcome back. I wish it was under better circumstances though and I hope your mother gets through this ok. Anyone can be tricked and conned. There is always a new trick in the scammer tool set and unfortunately many of them are not as transparent as a lottery FMT.

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

Always great to see the older and experienced baiters coming back. Wish it weren't for this reason though.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:49 am

Welcome back! Sorry about your mother. Such scammers are also professionals, and know how to get the trust of their victims. This could happen to younger persons too.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:31 pm

Cachuma! Welcome back. Doc and I were just talking about hair brushes the other day. Smile

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:02 pm

Long time no etc. Very Happy

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:12 pm

bohigal wrote:

Cachuma! Welcome back. Doc and I were just talking about hair brushes the other day. Smile

HAHAHA!!! Yes, I have fond memories of my hairbrush, which kept me company all through my adventurous jaunt across Africa, while carrying my gym bag fulla cash. Wink

Thanks for all the welcome-backs! I've already got three lads scrambling for my attention, one of whom thinks I'm quite attractive. (Those of you who remember what Hester looks like, that always cracks me up...)

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:50 pm

So good to see you again Cachuma, even if under bad circumstance.

Go get 'em!

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:31 pm

Glad to have you back on board and sorry to hear about your Mum.

It is bad enough when one of the lads scams someone across the globe, but it takes a special level of evil to see an old lady with a walker, talk to her, drive her car, and scam her out of her money. I sure hope he gets his in the end...

Trophy Videos · Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:00 pm

I'm sorry that your mother was scammed, Cachuma.
We'll get the hot irons ready for the Small Boi tattoos for ya.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:09 pm

Better pissed than never! Welcome back!

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 3:38 am

Welcome back, Cachuma!

So sorry about your mom. Sad

Baiting Guru Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 2531 Location: AU

welcome back cachuma
give them hell

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 8:18 am

Thanks everyone...and yeah, hell is being given, in spades! Twisted Evil

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:08 pm

Welcome back, too bad it's under such horrible conditions.

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:42 pm

Welcome back Cachuma! I was trying to place you, the hairbrush did it. Laughing

Sorry about your mum, I hope she's handling it okay.

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 3:04 pm

Welcome back, but I don't like the reason, feel the anger though Wink

With some trouble you might be able to take this legal? More people than your mother might have seen him? He might still operate in the same town and have other victims there? Might take a while but you got a live one in the same country and cops will have to follow up so close to home this time.

Talk to a mod

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 3:33 pm

Cougar wrote:

Welcome back Cachuma! I was trying to place you, the hairbrush did it. Laughing

Cracks me up that my hairbrush is THE one thing everyone remembers about that safari! Never has there been a more famous hairbrush. Laughing

bill2 wrote:

Welcome back, but I don't like the reason, feel the anger though Wink

With some trouble you might be able to take this legal? More people than your mother might have seen him? He might still operate in the same town and have other victims there? Might take a while but you got a live one in the same country and cops will have to follow up so close to home this time.

Talk to a mod

We talked to the cops, several times. They weren't much help. Sad

They wouldn't even take an official police report. They said it had been too long - this happened back in July, but once Mom realized she'd been had, she was too embarrassed to tell us until just recently. They did go over to her place and take information from her, and said they would "enter it into their database" (whatever that means) so in case a similar incident occurs, they'll have this one to compare it to. But Mom was so sketchy on the details, I don't know how helpful that would even be. I'm sure they were mostly just placating her. That's the challenge with so many of these scam victims - they are often elderly and their mental acuity is not always the sharpest...which is why they are such perfect targets to begin with!

So really, my only option now is to hit back on other scammers with a vengeance. Which is what I'm doing now! I've got a few basic baits going, and one promising one with an NOK lad who is "falling for" Hester (he hasn't seen her pic yet... Laughing

). He's a good candidate for a safari...are Simba Safari's still up and running?? Hester may need a vacation. And she'll be bringing her hairbrush!

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:23 pm

Have fun getting even then, Cya around

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Feb 2012 Posts: 50

its good to have you onboard.
It's too bad it should be like this though.

Now give them bastads hell!

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