Hey Lad, you've been had!

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Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:55 pm

ameriken wrote:

considering the posts I have seen (including one just tonite), I expected so see some folks on the other side of the fence!

Yes, you'll see threads where people boast about telling lads that they have been baited, but in general, only newbies do this. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but most regulars change tactics when they see the consensus in a thread like this one.

I don't tell them for several reasons:
- first, it spoils the field for the next baiter (trophies are much harder to get nowadays than they used to be)
- second, I want a lad to blame himself when things go wrong. Or (even better) if there are two scammers involved, i want them to blame each other

As to the suggestion that telling lads they have been baited makes them paranoid, there are lots of inventive ways to achieve the goal without admitting to baiting

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:00 pm

PsycheDelia_Smith wrote:

Where there are two or more lads involved, it can sometimes be productive to tell one lad he's been screwed over, but tell the others that he collected the money.

I like that option. Laughing

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:17 pm

The bait's over if you tell them you're a baiter. If you never tell them, it's never over.

The other day one told me I had sent him a fake transfer slip and that I was a liar and a cheat (yeah, like he isn't Very Happy

), then he asked me to send the payment by WU instead. Shocked

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:43 pm

One of the first baits I started when I joined last month is still going on and yielded a bank account which I gave to @@4l9.org and they got it shut down. While continuing that bait, I began baiting him from a second character, and just got a second account to turn over. If I get time I may consider a third bait with another character.

Getting a bank account is far from a trophy, and I don't quite know how much that impacts the lads, but I imagine at the very least it is frustrating for them.....and for me, being able to continue that over and over and over is far more rewarding than letting the cat out of the bag.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:10 pm

^^Getting one lad account shut down hurts them a lot mate, 2 shut down is major lad-pain Twisted Evil

So well done. Most of the accounts are set up using fake details, costing the lads time and money. Closing them is more then just a minor inconvenience.
As for burning lads, sorely tempting sometimes, but I resist. I'd rather re-bait them and waste even more of their time and resources.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:22 pm

I tend to play both sides of the fence (I voted that it doesn't matter). If I am pretending just to be a real victim, then I don't tell them. As others stated, I would rather them scratch their heads and wonder what went wrong.

There are, however, rare occasions where I think it is appropriate. There are times where they just need to know that everything that they have done is all in vain. The whole time it has been fake. I would have for a year long mugu to think that at some point it was real. I want him to know that from day 1, every tattoo, every safari, ever picture was for nothing. So, on that hand, I prefer to tell them. I think it makes them overly paranoid. I am in the minority on this though.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:47 pm

I'm just waiting for a certain mod to make a comment along the lines of

Quote:

folks that are prone to start polls wouldn't know a search button if it thwacked them in the butt with a porcupine

so I can add it to my signature.

Laughing

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:42 pm

Zen wrote:

Yes, you'll see threads where people boast about telling lads that they have been baited, but in general, only newbies do this. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but most regulars change tactics when they see the consensus in a thread like this one.

Wow Zen, not to pick on you, I was going to just drop this. I realize that I'm the minority opinion here, but I thought I'd try tilting at windmills one more time.
I used to never tell lads I was baiting them. I started doing it after I had a lot of experience with lads. I usually straight bait, which is why I post so few bits of my baits. Normally they are as entertaining was watching paint dry. I can string a lad along for 3-6 months with nothing more than questions, my scanner going bad, me losing the WU receipt, etc. I _never_ come out at tell a lad he's being baited. However, when any of us have done this for a while you pretty much know when the well is going dry. For example, when you get a lad to travel and he's spent his cash and time the trust level goes way down. It's almost impossible to regain trust at that point. Then when a lad says "I think you are fooling with me" I see no problem with replying "yeah I am". Remember I said I straight bait. My hope is that when the lad, having been burned with wasted effort for several months, gets the next real victim that questions his math or asks why the money needs to be sent Western Union, will dump that vic thinking it's another "joker".
It's a bit of an art form. You need to know the lad well enough to realize that the bait is entering end game. And I never tell the lad, I'm just willing to answer him once he begins to figure it out for himself.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:49 pm

@ Callum's new sig line... Shocked

@ anon mod... Laughing

Moral: Be careful what you ask for... Wink

Mod comment. That's actually been there for quite awhile, ParaNoid. I know because <strike>I said</strike> I know the Mod that said it.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:59 pm

@Mr Mugu..........I can understand what you are saying, but if a lad asks if you are fooling with him......why not deny it and try to move forward?

And lets suppose he drops you anyway......if he has spent that much time chasing one lead, why not bait him from another character and email address and start over? You know who he is, how he operates, wouldnt it be a better use of time and resources to go at him again?

I've got about 4 characters/email, and it just seems like one could cause more damage to continue harassing the lad as another character rather than spilling the beans, leaving him to lick his wounds, upon which he'll move on to the next vic anyway.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:08 pm

I don't think the answer to this question is completely black & white, with some very very good and experienced baiters saying that they'd burn in particular circumstances.

Always an interesting topic for debate this one Smile

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:10 pm

Josh wrote:

Always an interesting topic for debate this one Smile

However we've been that and done that dozens of times already covering the topic from all angles. No need for another debate.

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:22 pm

I say don't burn them. Unless in person, in which case, knock yourself out.
Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:35 am

mr. mugu wrote:

I realize that I'm the minority opinion here, but I thought I'd try tilting at windmills one more time.

I wasn't getting at you mate - sorry if it came across that way Smile

I'll amend my statement to...

Quote:

There are good exceptions to every rule, of course, but [...]

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:05 pm

ameriken wrote:

but if a lad asks if you are fooling with him......why not deny it and try to move forward?

That is what I call an opportunity for a slap! You can bitch them out up one side and down the other, and then get mad and storm off for a couple of days....if they come back and apologize, you have them on the hook.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:50 pm

Zen wrote:

I wasn't getting at you mate - sorry if it came across that way Smile

I'll amend my statement to...

Quote:

There are good exceptions to every rule, of course, but [...]

Well, I realize that I didn't make myself as entirely clear as I could also. If you're baiting as a pirate and parrot team (a modality I love btw), then it's kind of stupid to burn at the end. All you do is stop baiters from using that modality again. If you straight bait, it is possible to insert a seed of doubt about other victims and I find that a good thing.
@ameriken, there's nothing stopping anyone from saying "yes, I'm a baiter" and starting all over again from a new address. In fact, I do it all the time. It's kind of a personal mark of pride to me when I just reply with "how did you get my email address?" and get dumped. Very Happy

Edit: I should also mention if I'm aware that the lad is working with other lads and not solo, I don't do this. I'd rather work out a modality where it looks like the other lads are responsible for the screwup or chopped the money.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 6:36 pm

^^^^

Mugu, you are quite right. It must do something to their heads when they know that they have just been made the butt of every joke. I had one lad who was absolutely humiliated because his stuff was plastered all over this site. I made sure to link him to every place his name was mentioned. The lad actually found himself on the site. He went on how shamed he was. So, I just furthered it by showing him everything.

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