Caught?

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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:07 pm

Sorry to all concerned if this is not the place to post this.

Just a question, have any of you actually ever been caught out by the authorities? If so what we're the consequence's? Or even if there is any one really policing this?

I'm not worried about the scammers them self as I have read some of your posts about the worst they can do is die you, dead you (they give you 7 days notice thats fair I think), turn you into a mermaid (or the daughter of Laughing

) threaten, scream, yell, make huge arse text and if they actually turn up on my door well then my luck has changed Embarassed

Sorry done a bit of a search and didn't find any thing.

Just wondering what the repercussions are?

Thanks in advance.

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:16 pm

Good Question CD.

I don't think we are actually doing anything wrong,(other than setting up email accounts/web spaces in false names which is exactly what the scammers do).
After all we are just responding to THIER emails, They contacted us. We are not trying to profit from them.

So I don't think the authorities would be bothered to find an offense to charge us with.

However there is bound to be someone who can answer you definitively.

Step forward whoever you are.....

Master Baiter Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 140

What we do is 109.73% risky free.

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:26 pm

What you do is send a Western Union payment to the relvant FBI member, who can conveniently make your problems disappear. At least thats what I did.

Oh hang on... you don't think that was actually a lad do you???

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:31 pm

I actually thought the same as you PVJ, no one is doing any thing wrong but you never know.

Another thought I had was like with one baiter's scam about the hand written books and some of the story's could you actually advertise them on say Ebay? Auction them off (printed copies of course, I am sure they would bring a good price so many people have been done by them on these types of sites) and say the winning bidder makes their payment to the charity of their choice. Is this legal?

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:32 pm

Quote:

Just a question, have any of you actually ever been caught out by the authorities?

Doing what ? - replying to e-mails. Laughing

I don't believe that is a crime yet, and the first ones to complain, if it were, would be the scammers.

The only significant difference between me and a victim is that I don't believe a word they tell me. If you are saying that victims should be more co-operative and never inconvenience a scammer in any way maybe you'd have a point, but the world is not yet that insane.

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:42 pm

Contrary to what my post implies (I didn't mean it as any one here was doing any thing wrong), I personally believe you all do a fantastic job and should be congratulated.

My second thought on it about selling things on E-bay was putting some of this stolen money back where it belongs, if not back to the owner be put to some good use. Laughing

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 766

Foss wrote:

Oh hang on... you don't think that was actually a lad do you???

If it was to www.fbi.yahoo.uk, then it was totally legit.

--J.D.

419Eater Admin Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 7469

I have a good friend who is a detective in my local police force. He is aware of the sort of stuff I do, and apart from enjoying our work immensely, he says that there is virtually zero chance of getting into trouble, for run-of-the-mill scambaiting, other than perhaps being advised not to do it for safety reasons.

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:51 pm

I can't think of a single thing that we do that is even legally questionable, much less against the law. This is, of course, assuming that no one is cash-baiting (I'm certainly not). All we're doing is writing emails. No money is actually changing hands. We're not asking for money, we're usually pretending to try to send it to them. One might question whether the church baits walk the line, since we ask them to perform services for which they are expecting to get paid...but keep in mind that those payments are stated as donations. The stuff they do is not actually work for which they should be paid, but rituals they perform of their free will ostensibly to join a church. Naturally they wouldn't be doing them if they didn't think there was money to be had, but the money is always spoken of as a donation, not a paycheck.

The only exception where I see any grey area in is receiving artwork from them, such as paintings or hand-written books. That might get legally fuzzy if it has been made clear to the lad that he is going to be paid for his work; hence, it can be viewed as akin to commissioning artwork. But even so, I think the likelihood of there ever being any kind prosecution is, truly, nil. The fact is that these scammers contacted US, with CLEARLY illegal activities and provable intent (based on their original scam email). Not to mention these lads have likely been doing this for a long time and have more than enough criminal activitiy in their history that none of them would want ANY involvement with law enforcement, much less trying to prosecute some wealthy (in their eyes) American or European for a crime worth, comparatively to theirs, pennies.

Hey, we can't even get THEM arrested. Who is going to arrest US?

** Retired ** Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 750 Location: Air

@ Cachuma

Very well put. However on the subject of artwork, if there ever was a distant and very faint line that was crossed, it would surely be covered by the very explicit and often near-impossible standards the picture or carving was meant to turn out like. Ask a lad for an ultra specific piece and pick a fault when it arrives. If your playing it right, your mugu should never have a leg to stand on as he is not providing the item as you clearly described to him, and lets face it, when do Mugu's ever get it spot on ?

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:55 pm

good answer Cachuma. The lads are not likely to make any formal police complaints are they? Wink

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:24 pm

Quote:

The lads are not likely to make any formal police complaints are they

Ya never know...I've seen people on Cops tell the police someone didn't pay them for the crack they just sold Laughing

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:37 pm

@Renegade-Masterclass: good point. Which just reinforces the point that the likelihood of one of us scambaiters getting in any legal hot water is about as likely as one of those lads actually sending us a consignment worth US$12 million! Laughing

** Retired ** Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 750 Location: Air

LMFAO ^^^^

419Eater is my life Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 365

You know, when I first joined, I think that there was an actual Police Officer who was a member here...

We weren't allowed to touch it or speak to it, and it didn't move much but I'm sure it was alive because I've seen it post on occasion Wink

Mod comment: Are you sure? I thought this was pure speculation. Laughing

TS

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:44 pm

If......... for example, you were to tell a lad, for example of course (cough cough) that if he were to make you some ornaments, pictures etc, and you deceived him into doing it knowing that you were not going to pay/play ball with him, then you may be treading on thin ice. But he is hardly likely to complain, although what KDrive says is true. I have heard heard of the same.

The moneybaiting is you falling through the ice. You are then pretty much doing what they are doing. But because they are low-life, then is it okay? (Rhetorical question) Don't want to say too much, but if anyone wants to PM me, i'll be happy to pass bits on/explain myself.

Mr. Green

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:55 pm

^^^^I agree that cash baiting is crashing through the ice. And it's been expressed in no uncertain terms on this site that it is not promoted or sanctioned by anyone involved in 419eater.

As for the likelihood of any scambaiter ever being taken to task legally for anything, really, it ain't gonna happen. The comparison with crackheads complaining to the cops is that they are complaining to a law enforcement agency that actually has jurisdiction over the crack thieves. (And...did the cops actually go after the crack thieves?)

Who are the lads gonna complain to? Do you think any law enforcement agency in freaking NIGERIA are going to contact law enforcement in the US over some mugu getting baited into sending artwork that he never got paid for? And even if, in some alternate reality, some Nigerian cop did, do you think that the cops over here might...just...um...LAUGH at him?

This is a fun discussion, tho!

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:04 pm

I agree ^^ but in the UK, the Police are sometimes tightly governed whereby if someone (in theory) made a complaint, it would normally have to be investigated. Even if no charges were brought, it's still a bit of a pain in the arse.

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 766

^^^^Then the UK police have too much free time.

Give them guns.

--J.D.

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:41 pm

But surely you'd have to be extradited to stand trial in Nigeria or wherever. Somehow can't see any Western government agreeing to send one of it's citizens to be tried in one of the most corrupt countries on the planet on the word of a 419'er, no matter how bored the cops/government are.

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:04 am

Plus, who are the mugus going to complain about? "I was comissioned to create some artwork by Seymour Butts..." Laughing

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:14 am

"Anita Hardcok made me carve a penis out of soap, and then didn't pay me for it..."
"Ima Buttmunch ordered two paintings of cowbells, and never paid me..."
"I built a pyramid out of sandbags for Pastor Harry Ballz, but I never got the money for it..."

Laughing

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:09 am

I am not concerned. If I am ever sued in Nigeria, I can retain the services of several famous barristers that I've corresponded with.

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 4:19 am

^^^ I agree, most of us "know" several high up officals or their offspring. I have the personal email addresses of Chuck Saludo and several Barristers in Nigeria and other nations. I would be glad to share if anyone has need for such services. Just PM me... Laughing