is this for real?

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Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:40 pm

Got this in a baiting account... at first I thought it was a scam, then real, then a scam, then I looked at the headers and there's references to this forum in there?

Quote:

Mod edit - edited to remove headers showing senders email addresses etc - SP

Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2007 02:06:30 -0500
To: xxxx
From: xxxxx <[email protected]>
Reply-to:xxxxx <[email protected]>
Subject: WARNING: You are being scammed

Dear Friend,

WARNING!

THIEVES ARE TRYING TO STEAL YOUR MONEY!!

FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS EMAIL!

I am part of a large group of people who try to keep internet crooks
from stealing money through scam emails.

An informant has told us that you are sending email to a known
employment scammer. This person is trying to steal your money by
Advance Fee Fraud, also known as a 419 Scam. The "job" you have applied
for does not exist!!!

PLEASE, DO NOT SEND THIS LETTER TO THE SCAMMERS, AND DO NOT TELL THEM
THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

This would keep us from warning other good people, and might put our
informants in danger!

Fake job offers are usually one of 4 types of scam:

1. Application and/or training fees. These scams are pretty plain.
The scammer puts up a job offer online and waits for people to apply.
Anyone who applies for the job is given fake company info and an
application form. Somewhere in the "hiring process" there will be
fees for applying or "training seminars". Once the scammers have
your money, the "job" will be gone, along with the scammers.
2. Payment processing, fake checks. This is a hard and fast, short
term scam. You will be told to receive checks or money orders, cash
them, keep your "commission", and send the rest of the money by
Western Union to your "boss". These checks or money orders will be
fake, even if your bank cashes them or tells you that they have
"cleared"!!!! The bank will find out in a few days or weeks that
the checks are fake, and will make you pay all of the money back,
even the money you sent to the scammer. The bank might even have
you arrested for cashing bad checks. This scam is a one-way ticket
to finding yourself deep in debt to an unforgiving bank or even
a jail cell.
3. Payment processing, checks and wire transfers. This is where
fake job scams get really dangerous, because the scammers actually
involve you in their crimes. As above, you will be told to receive
checks/ money orders/ wire transfers, "process" them through your
bank account, keep your "commission", and wire the rest to your
"boss". In this scam, the money is real. Unfortunately for you,
the money is also stolen from other scam victims. The scammer is
using you to break the paper trail of the stolen money, so that
it can't be traced back to him. In plain language, this is called
"money laundering". When the victims report that their money was
stolen, the police will come looking for the person that received
the stolen funds, you. This "job" is nothing more than a very good
way to find yourself in prison.
4. Package routing. In this scam, your "job" is to receive packages
from various sources, address them to your "company", and send them
on. The problem is that the packages you process are filled with
goods paid for with stolen credit cards. As in the above scam, when
the police track the shipment of goods, the paper trail will lead
to one person, you. Taking this "job" will get you arrested on
charges of receiving stolen goods.

I ask you to do these things:

DO NOT SEND THIS LETTER TO THE SCAMMERS, AND DO NOT TELL THEM THAT YOU
HAVE BEEN WARNED. Our informants could be hurt or killed if you tell
the thieves that they are being watched! These people risk their safety
in order to get us the information needed to keep people from being scammed.

2. Please stop mailing and talking to with these crooks now. Do not answer
e-mails, and do not talk to them on the phone. Do not ask if they are trying
to steal your money or involve you in a crime. What do you think a thief will
say? They will only send you more lies so you will send your money and cash
their fake checks.

3. DO NOT send any money, and NEVER go to meet the scammer! Victims of
419 scams who go to meet the scammers have been kidnapped, held for ransom,
and sometimes killed!

4. DO NOT try to confront, abuse, or argue with the scammer, as they
already have your name and address.

5. Please send me an e-mail letting me know that you understand this mail
and have stopped talking with this criminal.

Sincerely

John Smith

The dodgy bit is "Our informants could be hurt or killed if you tell
the thieves that they are being watched!"

I'm confused.

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:41 pm

It's real. You're being legitimately tipped off. Probably got your name from an accidentally sent cc list. There are also some Nigerians who do tip off various authorities on scammers and their activities.
You could email him back saying its ok and that you are a baiter.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Yes, it's legit, just send them a reply, say thanks and tell them you are a baiter.

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:47 pm

I'm sure this is quite real. Clearly there's no scam being attempted...only a warning to a potential victim. I agree that the thing about informants being "hurt or killed" is a little melodramatic, but everything else in the email is 100% accurate, in terms of how these scams work. Obviously whoever sent it to you somehow got ahold of your email in relation to one of your baits, and thought you were a real potential victim.

Also, header analysis shows the sender to be from the US -- Plano, TX to be exact.

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:48 pm

^^^The email was sent from gmail so header analysis aint gonna do much

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 11:56 pm

Cool, thanks guys. Yeah, definitely a bit melodramatic! Oh well.

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:03 am

Well maybe it was one of the lads trying to find out if your mail address was infact a baiter address ?
And that others have sent mail saying thanks I'am a baiter just confirms to them more baiters addresses?
Just a thought

Master Baiter Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 136

^^^ but if it wasn't a baiter wouldn't that spoil things for the lad?

Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:05 am

Well now he does'nt have to waste any time to find out

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

^^^^^ As has already been posted above, it is a legitimate warning and not from a lad.