Newby piggy question

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Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

I've been following the site for years but finally bit the bullet & started straight baiting a few months ago.
I'm following the best practice advice about mail addresses and personal info etc but I'm struggling to find a mentor - I know they're in demand so I'm just carrying on being a clueless care home duffer who is making life awkward for 3 friends at the moment.
I've reached the stage where one is so frustrated with me posting cheques to banks instead of 'solicitors' that they've given me a bank account to use.
What do I do with this info please?
Apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place but I'd love to see a result for quite a few evening's emails ....
Thanks.

Something the mods dream up Joined: 22 Apr 2014 Posts: 905

PM any moderator (the ones with a green name) the details then add a piggy to your sig

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:43 am

As username says for the bank details - make sure you PM the bank details, the email address the scammer uses and also what type of scam it is.

For the mentor, there are loads of slots free, but you have to make a post before you can apply, so you should be OK now.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:45 am

As for getting a Mentor. You should be able to apply for one now that you've posted once.

Congrats on the Piggy!

ETA: Ninja'd!!

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

Thanks for the swift replies. I've sucessfully signed up now. If my mentor isnt a moderator I'll find one to give the details to. Thanks again.

Something the mods dream up Joined: 22 Apr 2014 Posts: 905

Nailgunner is online at the moment

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

Thanks. Dumb question number 2 for the day - how do I find a person online? Is there a list of online users anywhere?

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:48 pm

Unless they're hiding Cool

, they are listed at the bottom of the page on the main forum.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:49 pm

Have a look on the forum index page, at the bottom of the page you should see a list of who's online.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:54 pm

You may pass the details to your mentor as well.

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

Thanks all. It's odd - I can't see that panel using firefox but it appears when I try with IE. That's why I missed it. I know what to look for now though. Thanks again.

Something the mods dream up Joined: 22 Apr 2014 Posts: 905

I use Firefox and can see it no problem

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

I should have paid attention to the IT crowd. After a restart it has appeared. My fault - sorry. Thanks for your help.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:39 pm

^^^^
Sorted.

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

One final question if I could please? After what time period is it realistic to tell the sender that a transfer to their account has failed? I don't reply to the originator of the account every day but how long should I leave it before passing on the 'bad' news?
Thanks to all above for your patience.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:58 pm

Transfers take 3-5 business days, longer if international.So, a week. If he starts annoying you, tell him to be patient, you don't control international banking.

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:12 pm

^^^^ Not totally accurate (well for the developed world at least Smile

).

In the UK, the Faster Payments Service means that UK to UK transfers between the participating banks (all the big ones and Nationwide B/Society) take a couple of hours. Similar initiatives probably exist in the other EU countries

Transfers between countries in the SEPA zone (most of Europe) take a maximum of 2 days.

Outside that, you probably are looking at 3 - 5 days.

That said, I've never found a lad yet that knows any of the above, so you can pretty much tell them what you like.

I get the bank details and report them straight away and then wait half a day before acknowledging the scammer and tell him that I'm busy at work for the next two days.

Local holidays are also useful - tomorrow is a holiday where most of my characters are based, so it's an automatic extra day of not being able to send the money.

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

Thank you. I'm really looking forward to next Wednesday's exchange now.
It's genuinely surprising how satisfying it is to feel that at least one lowlife is inconvenienced, however slightly.
It's a real buzz, it's beginning to dawn on me why you all do this ...

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:51 pm

Don't tell him that the account was flagged. Just tell him that there was a general bank fault, or something like that.

After a couple of failed transfers, I tell them that the account has been linked to (Papuan rebels|Azawad insurgents|other geographically appropriate rebel group). Is it okay to do this?

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

My character is a senile old care home duffer with all the IT skills of a senile old care home duffer. He wouldn't have the first clue about why a transfer had failed. His care home manager is sorting the transfer out so all the scammer will get is "it didn't work". They'll have to work out why themselves. I suspect that the care home manager - Hattie - is as bent as a bottle of crisps so I doubt that the account failing will be the last problem they have with my character but I like the ideas given - thank you ...

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:15 pm

Another thing to think about is the details you have been given. Many lads don't have a clue about bank accounts and use mules (often in the US), who when asked for their bank account details give what they normally do for a domestic transfer - account name/number, bank name and routing number. The same often happens with UK banks (although IBANs and SWIFT codes are more common) and you just get an acc no/sort code.

The details they give are usually sufficient to report the account (unless you get a really dumb lad who just gives an account number and bank name), but not for a real person to do a transfer. So when you get the the bank, they will tell you, sorry need more details. So back to the scammer you go with a vague request for a SWIFTY and often they will come back with a brand new account.

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

That poses more questions for me I'm afraid. The mule accounts in the US (as an example) - are we trying to close those down? I'm sorry if I'm asking really really dumb stuff here but I simply don't understand. Do the scammers have access to the mule accounts or are itp's involved here. Again, sorry if I'm missing something obvious but I imagined that every account given by a scammer was one of their own and we were making life harder because they had to open fresh accounts?

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 7:37 pm

Any account that a scammer provides is considered a compromised account and is reported. At the very least, the account holder is involved (even if involuntarily) in money laundering and fraud.

It isn't a given that the account will be closed and you will never get any feedback about what actually happens - which is why you need to be vague about the transfer not working.

The report will be treated as a trigger for the bank that something is up. The account may be monitored, closed or the bank may just have a word with the account holder - their fraud team will decide what action they will take when they review the account.

Another thing with mules is that as well as reporting the bank details, the Mods will pass the details to scamwarners who will try and get contact details to warn the mule of what they are involved in (they are often scam victims themselves).

Elite Baiter Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 1474

B8er - that makes sense, thanks. The bottom line is to report every account the lads use and let the banks do the rest then? I had imagined it to be more black and white than it was. Naivety.

Edit:

Big Al: ETA: Ninja'd!! - ??

Lost me I'm afraid?

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:18 pm

^^^"Ninja'd" means B8er slipped in and posted the same info right before Big Al did.

Thanks for answering the (good and legitimate) questions. Calvin's mentor situation has been sorted, although, he will probably regret it. I will be back full force Monday. Mentees are required to do the laundry and ironing upon a mentor's return from "holiday."