fresh lad email accounts? forum etiquette question

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Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 24

I happened upon a lad setting up a new account on our mail servers just now (I work for an email provider), they sent a test email that was snagged in our filters, but sent only to themselves as a test. Of course, I manually pushed it through, so they're satisfied our filters aren't catching them.

Unfortunately, I supplied the wrong switch to a script and cancelled their account, (normally would have put them on a HOLD all email list) don't know what I was thinking but I did preserve their scam email (a certain dying woman who has loads of cash to give me for the Lord's work) and their 3rd party email address.

Shall I paste the 3rd party email address here? I'm pretty sure it's a virgin account, no google hits on it at least. In fact, while I was typing this, I hit upon three more, all to the "test only" stage.

What's the etiqutte on stuff like this? I catch these guys almost daily, probably 98% of their efforts are filtered, but they rarely realize it's filtered because they simply can't login again after their initial push.

Should I just obfuscate their email addresses and post them here?

Obviously I plan on cancelling their accounts too, but maybe I'll just wait until after their mass emails are caught by the filters...

bighouse

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:43 pm

You can put them in this forum.

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18

edit: sorry. you only have the addresses not the scam letters themselves.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:46 pm

Please don't cancel their accounts, unless they are paid accounts. Cancelling free accounts does no good and might ruin a potentially good bait.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 24

jojobean: good point Wink

cancelling accounts does lots of good, it keeps our IP addresses out of the blacklists...

But: I'm only catching and cancelling the account they use to send out the thousands of initial emails, not the third party (hotmail, yahoo etc) account they expect replies sent to, or if they're using us as that third party account.

They already expect this main-blast account to get cancelled as soon as the complaints come into the abuse address, the lads don't realize though that their email is never making it out in the vast majority of cases.

Slightlyoutofit: thanks, in the cases where I have them, I will post their scam emails to that forum.

I'm learning and soon will try my first real bait.

-bighouse

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

chris_walken wrote:

Please don't cancel their accounts, unless they are paid accounts. Cancelling free accounts does no good and might ruin a potentially good bait.

But if not canceled at this step of the game, and if it exposes even one innocent person to a scam, and they may fall for it.... This IS an ethical dilemma worthy of an open debate. (Unless I am missing something)

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:32 pm

chris_walken wrote:

Please don't cancel their accounts ... might ruin a potentially good bait.

That's true for existing accounts that are up and running, but I think if email service providers were to deny accounts to lads based on the content of the crap they send out (scam scripts), that would be GREAT! It sure would make it all much more difficult for them to reach victims and would hinder their scamming attempts.

And that's what we're really here for.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:34 pm

Hi there pastor Frank. Walken is right about this one. It is not about saving people, helping the cause by getting these accounts deleted. The fact is that deleting their accounts does not inconvenience the scammers at all. They keep all their data on their memory sticks, open a new account (or start using one they already preserved just in case) and know how to contact their magas. We, on the other hand, have no other way of contacting THEM. If you have a good bait running, and the account is deleted, I need to wait for my pet to contact me, or go through the trouble of calling him and getting his new addy over the phone.

So, please, kill phone lad addies, but not the others. It inconveniences the baiters, not the scammers.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

@ persephone et al.

I think I misread the original post... I thought bighouse was wondering if it was ok to allow a mass email just to post the lads addy here so we could play with him while 1000's of innocents were spammed with the script.

From what I understand now (after reading it several times) is that the mass spam is stopped but the REPLY TO addy's are posted for us to play with.. Do I have it right? If that is the case.. that looks like a great plan.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:55 pm

Quite frankly, I am confused now...... maybe BigHouse could clarify one more time (small words please, small brain here). I was a bit worried on what your boss would say, BH. This would not get you into trouble at work, would it?

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Small words... and pictures for me too please. Laughing

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:31 am

Pastor Frank wrote:

@ persephone et al.

I think I misread the original post... I thought bighouse was wondering if it was ok to allow a mass email just to post the lads addy here so we could play with him while 1000's of innocents were spammed with the script.

From what I understand now (after reading it several times) is that the mass spam is stopped but the REPLY TO addy's are posted for us to play with.. Do I have it right? If that is the case.. that looks like a great plan.

This is what I'm getting too.

Basically, Bighouse, being on the inside track, shuts down the email addresses that these guys use to send out tons of initial scam letters. That way, no innocent person gets a scam letter from them.

THEN, he posts up the reply-to email address, which is a different address, for baiters to reply to. In this way, no innocent people get the scam letters, but baiters get free reign on the scammer's email accounts, since we're the only ones who know about their email addresses.

Get it? I think this is a FANTASTIC plan, an absolute baiter's dream. Basically, the only emails these scammers are going to get will be from baiters, so think of how much more likely they will be to stick with a baiter when the baiters are the only ones responding to them!

This could make for some of the best baits in history, if I'm reading this right.

Bighouse, I think that plan is a go, and if so, I want an address!

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

@ Balogna et al.

If that is the case I think it is brilliant! Lets let bighouse confirm this as fact. If he (or she) does, it looks like the lads will only get baiters as their new friends.

If this is true we will have a nice edge against the lads.

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:13 am

That would be a trophy hunters dream - lad send out hundreds of scams and every reply comes from one baiter - Priceless.

@bighouse could you give us an idea how many scam emails originate from one scammer? I'm just curious it is it 10's 100's 1000's per day/week etc?

Cheers!

Master Baiter Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 139

I'm wondering if Bighouse has access to the passwords for the addys that send out the spam because I'm guessing that many 419ers use the same password for all their accounts. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:24 am

I interpreted it like Balogna and Pastor Frank too. Seems like a plan Wink

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Kimchi wrote:

I'm wondering if Bighouse has access to the passwords for the addys

I doubt that he does- if he did he wouldn't post it here and we wouldn't let him- that's illegal.

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