What's the point in Scam Baiting? What do we get out of it?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 3

Hey Everyone,
I'm new to this site, I've done my share of scam baiting, none of which is to the extent of what some of you have done. My hat is off to you, but as I've started my own scam baiting I wonder what is the point?

I mean, these retards are trying to steal our money, money from people who aren't as smart or in need of companionship, attention, dreams of being rich... so if we are scamming them, why isn't anyone baiting these guys into giving us money, scamming them out of a couple of bucks. I have read of few forums and all we've really done is waste their time, and in my opinion, our own, seems like the amount of time people have invested setting up fake email addresses, doing research of meet locations, writing countless emails, doesn't seem to be worth the payoff.

I'm not trying to down play the efforts of those who have already done some great scambaiting and have put a lot of time into their lads. I was just wondering how to really make them pay, because lets face it, these people ruin the lives of good hearted honest people. How can we ruin them??

Again. I praise the efforts of all of you scambaiters out there, job well done! Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

We don't scam them we bait them.

Scamming them for ca$h would make you a lowlife scumbag too (especially in the eyes of the law) besides it wouldn't be their cash but a victims.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:05 pm

Read some of the threads here and you will see that we can and have, made the lives some scammers miserable. I don't get anything financially from this, I do it for the good karma, and the laughs.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Phantom -- thank you for joining and sharing with us your points. Believe it or not, they have been considered many times over, and long ago, we decided, collectively, to not take money from the lads.

This may, and apparently does, offend your personal sense of "justice". That's okay. You can feel free to disagree, however, we don't condone discussion of cash-baiting, and we don't encourage doing it. In fact, we prohibit it. Call it an artificial line in the sand -- but it's a line we don't step over.

No doubt you read our FAQ before you started posting, but in case you didn't, please take a look -- Shiver described our reasoning in greater detail.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

Part of the benefit of scambaiting is the education of people about scams. Some of the scambaits are very entertaining; any audience those get will certainly be more aware of scams. Many victims have shown up here because they googled a bit of information from the scammer and have been saved, or given support. When baiting, we get a lot of information from them that we can use to hurt them. They give us bank accounts to pay money into, we report them to be closed. They give us fake websites they've set up for their scams, we report those and get them suspended. They give us stolen credit card information and sometimes the names of victims. We pass that information on so that the cards are reported and the victims warned at our sister site, www.Scamwarners.com.

So, we're making a difference. What do I get out of it personally? Satisfaction, entertainment and friendship of fellow baiters.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:19 pm

I've been doing this off and on for five years. What do I get out of it? Entertainment. Satisfaction. A release of stress. Fake checks. Fake IDs. A sense of community service.

I've also made some good friends by doing this, which I'd rather have than cash.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:25 pm

I do it for the fun and comradery. Where else can you be mean spirited like this, send thieves off to Western Union, team up to send thieves on safari, get them to send you silly photos, make complete and utter fools of themselves and feel righteous? You can only do that here!

I was going to make a joke about the big bonus cheques we all get, but i can see that joke would be innapropriate.

Lastly, while these guys are dealing with us, they are NOT stealing from anyone else. Thats enough to keep me here.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:43 pm

Quote:

money from people who aren't as smart or in need of companionship

Doctors quite often fall for scams. Their instincts to help often take over their reasoning. Plenty of factual information about that available through Google.

People in need of companionship, are you saying lonely people deserve to be ripped off? Dating scammers can truly destroy someones life, It's bad enough having low self esteem, only to have that played on by a scammer.

There are many many types of scam. Not all promise untold riches for assisting in transferring millions of dollars from dormant accounts etc.
Charity scams are a fine example, scammers using all sorts of tragedies to make their stories sound legit.

Personally I get satisfaction from knowing I'm keeping a scammer away from a real victim. Every minute with us is a minute away from him/her defrauding an innocent person.

Stick around have a good read and a laugh! and take your baiting to the next level.

Getting angry replies from some scammer who has made a wasted and hopefully embarrasing trip to western union can be a great satisfaction in itself. especially as it's known that lots of these guys brag about the money they are going to collect Very Happy

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:43 pm

Adds a little fun to my dull drab wretched life....... Sad

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 3

Thanks for the responses so far, please keep them coming. It's really giving me a crash course on scambaiting and with scambait etiquette.

I guess its a matter of personal justice, doing what is in our power to keep these guys chasing their tails without crossing the line. Classic good vs evil.

I guess when I read some of these emails they send me its just pisses me off, especially when they talk about how honest they are and when they throw God into the equation. "Godbless you" or "i am a God fearing person". I"m not all that religious myself but that is crossing the line.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:54 pm

^^ get used to the god thing. but i think you'll find that most of these people (well, the west african ones, anyway) are christian, and go to church every sunday. i'm sure believe in God. I remember the Spiritual Man that Nottobescammed rang a nubmer of times on his radio show. That guy could talk the bible and SHEESUS CRISE like you have never heard before - if he was in the US, he'd be making millions on cable!

they just don't see the hypocrisy in what they're saying.

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:54 pm

^^ I fully understand that one. I'm an athiest, but have respect for believers who respect me.

Using religion as a way to justify anything they want though drives me insane with anger sometimes. and not just in scambaiting, but that's not a topic for any part of this forum.

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:00 am

I think the biggest contribution baiting makes is to reduce the appeal of scamming. Left completely without opposition, these thieves would do more and more, it would be shown to pay with nothing to lose. Once humiliated, tortured, mis-educated, timewasted etc by baiters, the stress/return ratio goes up, and we have turned a few individuals to simply give up the dishonest life (not through ethical shifts but through the stress and costs sending them broke without easy rewards), the word spreads, now at least there's *something* at stake for them. If they get unlucky and get a baiter, they get stress and waste time and money chasing ghosts.

And we get to exercise our dark malicious selves for good and giggles too - and no good baiter spends nearly as much time on a scammer as the scammer spends on the baiter Wink

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:11 am

I do it for fun over all.

But as days keep passing, it is becoming more a hobby than an entertainment.

You know that some people like solving crosswords or sudokus, or playing chess, and you could wonder as well what is the purpose of that. They have to spend time thinking to enjoy it. And they do both. It is a challenge.

Well this is pretty much the same for me. A challenge. I love thinking and planning. I love to f***k and nag my lads as much as I can, because they deserve it, and in general terms and being as much as we are, I think it is better for the society than solving sudokus Very Happy

Cheers!

PD: I still like sudokus

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:27 am

WHAT !?!?! Im calling Shenanigans

Since when is Getting five At-at's shipped to you not fun? or having a lad travel across to war torn countries to meet a figment of you imagination?
( im refering to http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=153060 ) and tina and joes Safari
( http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133248&highlight=tina+joe )
now I had nothing to do with either of these baits but I really admire what they have done and I can only strive to get lads to do stuff like they have.
also funny security photo's by Peanut
you can't pay for better entertainment !
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=144670
I don't know scam baiting is not for everyone.

But what you are talking about is shunned upon here cash baiting puts you in the same basket as the scammer.

to put it in perspective one of these lads could be scamming your dad or mom out of there retirement fund if the recession hasn't done that already but anyways we waist there time so when they get a real vic they question them and flake because they think there a baiter. I hope I explained that right

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:16 am

What do I get from scam baiting let me see now

many long hours at the keyboard eating junk food
a sore back
a numb bum
RSI from typeing
eye strain from staring at monitor
big power bills
big mobile phone bills
big broadband bills
big post office bills

and why do we do it ?

well best of all, the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I send off a bank account to alan, so he can grind them into the dirt.
and the very rare chance to tear up a fake cheque (the right spelling)

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:55 am

What do I get from scambaiting?

An opportunity to exercise my desire to write romantic fiction with fewer chances of rejection letters. Very Happy

The knowledge that while I have a scammer on IM he is not IMing a victim and talking her into sending him money. (Well, he may multi-IM, but the time he spends on me he's not spending on a "real" victim.)

The satisfaction of seeing a scammer beg and plead and demand and wheedle me for something I have no intention of giving him. Nemesis, or retributive justice - seeing the scammer grovel like they want the victims groveling.

Yep - it's my free time used very profitably indeed. Mr. Green

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:37 am

I too was going to make a joke about getting a big check every mnth for my efforts. It messes with the scammer's minds for them to believe we gat paid to do this. We don't get paid, we do it because...

There are many becauses in life. Because baiting keeps them from a real victim. Because it is fun to play act different characters. Because it is cheaper than gambling (for me anyway). Because I used to have free time on my hands. Because the people here (for the most part) are some real fine people. Because I have learned a lot about the world and culture here. Because it is fun to mess with scammer's head.

That is a few for me. Very Happy

No cash involved. Cool

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:00 am

Some people get trophies out of it. Some feel a 'moral obligation' about it (whatever that is), Others it just passes the time whilst at work

Personally though, I do it for the chicks Very Happy

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:25 am

I do it for the chicks as well....

..and for making scammers unsure and confused about what they do, because that will save future victims.

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:02 pm

to keep the scammer busy with waisting there time and resources

a baiter let the scammer in believe that the have hooked a big $$ fish
that is willing to give lots off $$ or even work for them..

and at the end the scammer only gets more frustrated and
lose many hours for not scamming "real" victums..

i see it as a big payback time and a sort off having "fun" Laughing

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:10 pm

I work for the CIA. I'm here to infiltrate and recruit smart and clever people into becoming agents. So far my search continues...

I bait to cause pain, misery and confusion to their deluded world. Nothing makes me happier than seeing one of these gutless bastards cower before my almighty keyboard. Plus tormenting people and general mental torture is one of my hobbies. I also knit and make delicious brownies.

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:25 pm

Nurse Nasty wrote:

I work for the CIA. I'm here to infiltrate and recruit smart and clever people into becoming agents. So far my search continues...

I bait to cause pain, misery and confusion to their deluded world. Nothing makes me happier than seeing one of these gutless bastards cower before my almighty keyboard. Plus tormenting people and general mental torture is one of my hobbies. I also knit and make delicious brownies.

An insight there to the American Intelligence community - Thank God I work with British Intelligence. Its the same as above apart from we break at 3pm for tea and biscuits.

No knitting either.

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:38 pm

Although I'm new to the forum I've been replying to scams for a long time now both in mails and usenet (showing my age).

I mainly do it for the same reason I will talk to chuggers and church recruiters in the street. When I have time I'll also agravte the jehovah's going through watchtower word by word with them and pretending to be very stupid.

My thought is while I am messing them about I'm using up time that could be spent on someone more vulnerable.

And also...see sig

Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:54 pm

lots of reason are listed above that I completely agree with but also;

For the friends I have made whos real life I know nothing of
For the countless hours I have wasted of a criminal I dont know
For the people I prevent from being scammed who will never thank me
For the endless laughs at a criminals demise
For the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you find you have prevented a scam
For the knowledge that a scammer is going to have a really shity Christmas and the bigger satisfaction that I have caused it
For the people I meet who have lost everything and those I hear of who have lost even their lifes
For the frustration of knowing and not being able to stop a scam
For the typing practice (which is slowly getting worse)
For the cultural education
For all the new things I have learnt about computers

and lastly,
The mods leave their empty Pimms bottles just outside the mod room and if you are quick, you can get to drink the last few drops Laughing

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