419 The game.

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 30 Oct 2014 Posts: 11

Hello,

I think this is the correct spot for this post as it is concerning scamming, just not in a normal way. Anyway I am doing research and development on a euro/style worker placement/ resource management game and the subject is 419 scammers. Can you direct me to source material? Books, other websites and or dose this site have a list of scams used? I have the game dynamics down now I just need the thematic part. Thank you for any help. Edited: I just want to note to anybody reading this: I am not making a game that will in any way "train" people how to scam people. The game mechanics are very generic and just as playing monopoly will not train you to be a real estate mogul, this game would be useless at teaching anybody how to scam somebody.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 4:16 pm

www.google.com - it's a new concept, but you'll find all you need on there Wink

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 30 Oct 2014 Posts: 11

Started there, the topic is too broad for good research. this site has been very useful so far, I was hoping for a concentrated list of scams and maybe victim types and or what would a lad look for in a mark? Also what are the most common resources used by lads? I can think of computers, phones, mules in target nations, real bribed officials, at high levels props (Black money, gold dust etc.) and photos of Iraq war vets for the romance scams. I need more ideas. They will be used to build the resources deck, the scam deck and the mark deck.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Peat Moss wrote:

euro/style worker placement/ resource management game

Please let there be a "trust fall".

Good luck with your endeavor.

Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:45 pm

Peat Moss wrote:

I was hoping for a concentrated list of scams and maybe victim types and or what would a lad look for in a mark?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_fraud
ETA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 4:32 am

No offense, but I just spent a year on a closely related project and despite of that I have no idea what you are looking for here. It sounds to me you are not entirely sure yourself yet what you want and how you want to approach this. The proper sources (academic ones) are very specific. You need to narrow this down a lot before they are of any use to you.

Others may have been a little blunt when offering you just Google and Wikipedia, but you know, they are essentially right. This is a huge phenomenon and from your posts I get the feeling that you are not fully grasping just how huge. I suggest kindly and with no sarcasm involved that you spend maybe a few weeks more studying the basics independently and come back when you are more certain of what you need.

For reference: I've been around the scene for some 10 years now and it still took me one full year (or more, depending how you want to count it) to finish my project. And I had the advantage of being able to dive right into it.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 30 Oct 2014 Posts: 11

I actually just visited your sister site scammwarners.com. I think I will get plenty of source material there.

Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 11:52 pm

Just a suggestions, but maybe you want to look at the dynamics of the various scams. There are fewer "types" than you might think.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:03 am

Peat Moss wrote:

maybe victim types

Old people, young people, blacks, whites, Orientals, straight, gay, "dumb" people, intelligent people ... Basically anyone could be targeted and fall victim to a scam, it just depends on the type of scam.

Peat Moss wrote:

and or what would a lad look for in a mark?

The same as most of our Mods look for in a partner - a pulse (and that is optional in some cases).

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 3:03 am

^

Quote:

(and that is optional in some cases).

Roycropper? Laughing

Welcome to Eater Peat Moss! Good luck with your game. Smile

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

B8er wrote:

"dumb" people

...Triggered.

Not quite a Newb Joined: 20 Oct 2008 Posts: 27

If it plays anything like Monopoly, Instead of "go to jail" it has to be "on Safari" and instead of "pass go do not collect 200" "Go to Western Union do not collect 200".

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:21 pm

^ I prefer "go to jail".

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:14 pm

https://scholar.google.com/

There are 200+ academic articles on the subject, plus many more that are indirectly related to the subject. Expect to spend the next couple of months reading - that's what the rest of us, who has an interest in the subject, had to do.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 3:21 pm

^^Let's see. "Go to jail"? No. "Go on safari"? Doesn't quite cut it. "Get stredded in hash conditions"? Ding! Ding! Ding!

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:52 pm

"Dolla Chop" and "email harked" need to be on there as well.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:16 pm

How about "go and get a really regrettable tattoo"?

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:18 pm

Um, guys, I know I'm a spoilsport and all, but we have someone who's not a baiter supposedly doing a project that's not about baiting. Are all these inside jokes really helpful?

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:39 pm

^ I concur, and would like to add I have a bit of a problem with how this project makes light of a serious problem by turning it into a family game. I for one would prefer Cards Against Humanity any day.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 5:52 pm

^^^That occurred to me, but then I thought about the flip side that it could potentially highlight the vast number of different scams to people who have never even thought about them or considered the fact that they could easily become a victim.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 6:12 pm

In all seriousness I can't see how you'd make a game out of it.
Actually baiting lads, on the other hand, is the best multiplayer browser game ever invented, even if it makes Cricket look faster than drag racing.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 6:16 pm

Games have been made of weirder things. Done right, this could have educational value. Done wrong, it's likely going to end up being yet another idea that sounded great on paper and didn't work. I can't say which with the limited information the OP has posted, but I'm curious.

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 6:19 pm

^ Yup! And YOU get to be the GM and make their aim rules! The ultimate rpg is when the players are unaware that they are players!

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 30 Oct 2014 Posts: 11

Quote:

Um, guys, I know I'm a spoilsport and all, but we have someone who's not a baiter supposedly doing a project that's not about baiting. Are all these inside jokes really helpful?

I have been reading lots about the art and science of scambateing. And an important element of a good game is what is often called player v player fuckery, So Dolla choping account harking, nosy family members and yes scam bates are cards that can be played to interrupt another players scam.

As to it playing like Monopoly, I forget that few people outside of dedicated tabletop gamers understand the worker placement/resource management style game. The best known is Agracola, but the numbers of them are exploding in popularity and I have never seen one themed on 419 scams.

And Yes it may have some educational value. The hardiest part is brevity, the game needs to have depth to make it interesting and still be playable in 2.5-3 hours.It needs to have game mechanics that allows for several strategies to become the King Mugu, and still be simple enough to to explain in 5 min and pick up as a new player fast.
Like I said the game mechanics have nothing to do with real scamming, it will involve taking turns using resources internet time, fake documents, etc... or some physical props like fake checks, black money, gold dust etc. as the players turn progresses they invest time and resources into trying to get money out of a mark. There is always the chance that the mark will get wise, or family will step in at the last second or maybe even a WU busybody tells them it is a scam so there is die rolls involved to pull it off.
Then there is traits, intelligence, charisma, ambition, for the Mugu and intelligence, naivete, wealth for marks.
The game mechanics are easier as I have a website that sit up the game mechanics for you. I am willing to sift threw the resources for the content. I got all the time I need, I wan't to do it right.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Peat Moss wrote:

player v player fuckery

Like classic game theory? I'm getting a much clearer picture of what you are aiming for.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory

Edit: Your edit kind of blew the context of my post. Not a Cardinal sin, the flow would be much better if you just replied instead of editing your post. Think of it as a conversation.

No harm, no foul.