Scambaiting tips - aren't we making the lads better ?

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Not quite a Newb Joined: 08 Apr 2007 Posts: 26

Hi,

I wanted to share some thought about scambaiting.

First I would like to greet all the members on the site as it is my first message. I have been reading various letter archives for several years and I especially enjoy reading Shiver's work but I only decided to start baiting a few weeks ago.

There is no doubt about it, baiting can be fun. Baiting waste the scammer time, and it is a good thing. This site is great, it is an amazing resource for scambaiter and Shiver's work is incredibly helpful in the fight against 419 scam because by being fun, many people read them and learn about this type of scam. The more people scambait, the better.

The thing, that I have been wondering however, is this : aren't the tons of baiting ressource, a wonderful gift for the lads. Would they be using UK telephone number redirection, fax2mail service, and so on if they didn't learn how from baiters who used them first. The best baiter are technically proficient. Most scammers arent so. A lot scammers are not very bright it seems but I am sure some are, and all humans learn.

The problem is that a lot of scam-baiting tips are the same tips than scamming tips. We are trying to scam the scammer.

I know that the tips forum is only accessible to registered users and that IP from African countries can't register but it's easy to bypass with a proxy.

I wanted to post my first message here with some tips of mine. I am a new scam-baiter but I am a very technically proficient guy and I've set up some crazy voip system to lure the scammer into believing who I am not but I am wary of posting detailed how-to by fear scammer could try to do what I've done.

Well I am using a Mac so a lot of my setup would be impossible to do for a lad (how many macs are sold in Nigeria, I wonder) but by posting it, I'll teach them it is possible (like using real-time filters to change your voice to sound like the opposite gender) and it's better if they don't even know what to look for.

If you want to know how-to setup the perfect phone-baiting system on a mac, I'll be happy to send you a PM message to explain how my setup works but I am not sure posting everything on an easily accessible forum is the way to go.

---------
Mr Pain

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:50 am

Don't give the lads too much credit.

Most of them sit around in internet caf�s using rudimentary techniques.

Their "philosophy" (if you will) is "low investment, high yield." I.e., before a lad starts becoming elaborate in his methods, Hell will freeze over.

Why should they anyway? There are plenty of people falling for their scams as it is. Why bother going high-tech?

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:57 am

Quote:

that IP from African countries can't register but it's easy to bypass with a proxy.

No not true. We don't ban any specific IP blocks. For the purpose you state and because people from those countries are also welcome to investigate scams. We can spot scammers easily without that.

Quote:

posting everything on an easily accessible forum is the way to go.

We don't post everything. Their techniques change as ours change.

We have been doing this for 3 years and have not noticed much of a change in scammers modalities. Do the police stop using their techniques or methods just because the criminals can see other criminals get caught with those techniques. And security by obscurity never works.

Everything that can be done is available free on the internet. We don't have a lock on knowledge.

And, a question. If you will give someone a secret method to phone baiting over a PM with no references or validation because this site is open, how are you sure they are not scammers who will pass the information on? If you do a background check, how can you be sure of that?

Not quite a Newb Joined: 08 Apr 2007 Posts: 26

DrWho wrote:

No not true. We don't ban any specific IP blocks. For the purpose you state and because people from those countries are also welcome to investigate scams. We can spot scammers easily without that.

Sorry I was mistaken then. I remember reading that you could easily identify scammer account, I probably assumed it was using IP origin.

Quote:

Everything that can be done is available free on the internet. We don't have a lock on knowledge.

No but it takes effort to figure things out. If I write an clear how-to on how to setup a pbx to simulate a company phone system, it's going to be much easier than having to learn everything you need about telephony.

Quote:

And, a question. If you will give someone a secret method to phone baiting over a PM with no references or validation because this site is open, how are you sure they are not scammers who will pass the information on? If you do a background check, how can you be sure of that?

Well I have more control on the information that way : there is a lot of info you can deduce if someone writes you, such as his profile, his post count and history and in my case he is likely a mac user thus not a scammer. It's not really HOW I do things that I don't want the scammer to know, it's what I CAN do.

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:11 am

Basically, this game, if anyone likes to call it that, is an arms race. The scammer will unleash something, and we repel it and vice versa. The days of having lads hold up signs is coming to an end, there is now the playing of the genuine victim...

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:24 am

I don't think that it is something to worry about. I don't recall hearing of any case where a lad has used baiter modalities in a scam.

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:21 am

Seeing as no one else has said it yet...
"Welcome! Pull up a chair, you're gonna love your new family Wink

"

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:24 am

Quote:

If I write an clear how-to on how to setup a pbx

click here
10 seconds work.

The Internet is a mine of info.
If the Lads were that interested they could do this, it is hard enough work to get them off their a**es to go to the WU.

Anywaysup, welcome to Eater
Bait Safe, read the stickies, don't upset the Mods, get a mentor, have a trundle through the help forum, join in.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 08 Apr 2007 Posts: 26

Quote:

Anywaysup, welcome to Eater

Quote:

"Welcome! Pull up a chair, you're gonna love your new family

Thank you two, I'm sure it will be fun.

Quote:

Bait Safe, read the stickies, don't upset the Mods, get a mentor, have a trundle through the help forum, join in.

Well, I might be newb here, but I've been following the scambaiting scene and reading this forum for several years... I don't know why I didn't join the fun before... I guess I wasn't bored enough till now. Plus it's going to help me keep my typing speed at a decent level Wink

Concerning the guide you posted slowfreddie, it's not what scares me. To do anything useful with that info still requires a lot of time and perseverances. I also started by using AsteriskAtHome/Trixbox, but you find yourself very quickly limitated if you dont write your own custom dialplan. What I would not want is for them to have easily access at say, the setup for an ivr that ressembles a bank. If they were sharing such a dialplan then little technical expertise would be needed with a guide such as the one you pointed to.

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:45 am

Hello, welcome to Eater.

It's really not a problem IMO, most lads are lazy and will try to catch easy victims. these are ripe for baiting. There are a few lads who are more proficient with computers/internet and can actually do a google search for themselves; these are harder (but not impossible) to bait because they are a bit more savvy and cautious.

As for the Asterix@home/trixbox scenario, I seriously doubt they are going to bother going to such lengths when they can get a flextel and divert it to thier mobile (they just tell the vics "always call my personal number to keep it confidential").

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:07 pm

Mr Pain wrote:

Well, I might be newb here, but I've been following the scambaiting scene and reading this forum for several years

Who doesn't?

Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:13 pm

unnecessary quote of previous post removed (Don)

scammers? Smile

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