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Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

I am in a bait and I'm hoping someone on here has encountered something similar as I'm not sure what this lads angle is and how I'm going to respond.

This lad has claimed he was going to purchase an airline ticket for me so I could go and retrieve my funds. I fly from London to Hong Kong then Hong Kong to Auckland (if only Laughing

).

I was expecting at some point for him to hit me with a fee before he could finalise the booking. However he is adamant he has bought me a flight ticket and that I should proceed to London Heathrow tonight.

There is no sense in him having a victim get to London Heathrow only to find there is no ticket waiting for them he would gain nothing from it.

Does anyone have any idea what stunt he is pulling and what will happen next? I'm not sure how to respond to him. Of course at some point we are going to encounter a problem which involves me sending him some money but I'm not sure what it is.

UPDATE - I have checked the booking reference on the Virgin Atlantic website and the booking has been confirmed. Confused.com

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:17 am

Could be an attempted Kidnapping or maybe the Money will have something like Drugs in with it and your to be used as a mule.

(That'll be two cents please)

Elite Baiter Joined: 28 Mar 2015 Posts: 1916

Kidnapping? Truly, I don't know, but I am sure someone more experienced can help you. Suffice it to say, don't take that flight! Surprised

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:24 am

Why not? Kidnap you. Threaten to kill you if you don't take the money and whatever else to Aukland.

There seems to be a need for mules from Hong Kong to Aukland:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/67831251/methamphetamine-seized-in-auckland-drug-bust.html

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:27 am

Can you get any additional information by going through the "Manage booking" link on the Virgin Atlantic site? Perhaps it's been reserved but not paid yet (in which case there may be a last minute flurry to get a payment from you before you hit the airport). I've seen a few of these but only back in the olden days when more airlines allowed unpaid reservations for a bit.

Whether the lad has spent money on a flight for your character: how deep are you into the bait? If you were the lad would you spend money on the deal? I am also suspicious about Auckland as a destination, and that there will be a last minute change in plans regardless.

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

@ Morgan

I would be unable to as the reservation has been made in my baiter name. Plus, I'd never put myself in that much danger.

I understand that they might pay for a flight for someone they have already taken a lot of money from to get them over to a foreign country to rob them further or even kidnap.

However I have obviously never given this guy any money and we have been in correspondence less than a month. I now have a confirmed booking for a flight to Auckland, New Zealand via Hong Kong! Surely a lad isn't going to shell out that kind of money for someone he knows nothing about? If he has he is the dumbest lad I've ever met.

Is it possible to book someone on to a flight without paying for it? Would the victim get there to find they have been booked on but actually have to pay for the flight themselves? Surely at this point though (most) victim would just say screw this I can't afford to pay for a flight to New Zealand!

Big Al wrote:

Why not? Kidnap you. Threaten to kill you if you don't take the money and whatever else to Aukland.

There seems to be a need for mules from Hong Kong to Aukland:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/67831251/methamphetamine-seized-in-auckland-drug-bust.html

Never thought of that although I would have thought a drug mule would be someone they had known a lot longer who had a proven track record of gullibility with them. If they have paid for my ticket (and I am very sceptical they have) that is a big outlay for someone you really know nothing about. Flights from London to Auckland via Hong Kong ain't cheap. However, if you're running a successful drugs operation maybe it is pocket change?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/67831251/methamphetamine-seized-in-auckland-drug-bust.htm

Quote:

The raids netted $83m of drugs in one operation and $40m in the other, police said on Friday. The street value of the seized drugs is estimated to be $123 million.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3876

usually, lads use hacked parcel delivery accounts for their own deliveries. maybe a lad managed to gain access to a companies bonus-miles depot, and uses it to add credibility to the scam.

I'd call the airline and ask if that ticket is genuine, then "try" to catch the plane but due to some mistakes you couldn't get the plane.

or let your character strand in hong kong Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:03 pm

Aha: from the Virgin Atlantic website

Quote:

You may cancel your booking without penalty within 24 hours of making your reservation

I bet your lad's gonna cancel it and hit you with a last minute fee.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:36 pm

Wich his format?Also hard to say without see the bait.I do think tough you would be a mule.Ones you take that flight you own him something and then it's game on.Honkong is indeed a major narcotic distribution center.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:40 pm

Any victim gullible enough to take a free flight from London to Hong Kong thinking they were getting a large sum of money and going to Aukland could be setting themself up for anything.

I'll be curious how this goes.

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

firehouse5 wrote:

Aha: from the Virgin Atlantic website

Quote:

You may cancel your booking without penalty within 24 hours of making your reservation

I bet your lad's gonna cancel it and hit you with a last minute fee.

I've just checked back, the first document he sent me with the booking reference number on was sent to me yesterday just before 10AM BST and as of 14:30 BST today the booking is still live Shocked

so even if they cancel they will incur some kind of fee. Warms your heart eh? Laughing

I really don't know what they are going to do but if they recruit drug mules on such scant evidence then more fool them. The lad is running a recovery scam on me and I have told them a story of me losing over 40k to a 419 scam but is that really enough for them to fly me to HK to kidnap me and use me as a drug mule? It never has been before.

Hope I can convince them I got on the flight but they will be able to see my booking information too and I am not sure if that will alert them to the fact I never got on.

I shall keep you all posted.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3876

firehouse5 wrote:

Aha: from the Virgin Atlantic website

Quote:

You may cancel your booking without penalty within 24 hours of making your reservation

I bet your lad's gonna cancel it and hit you with a last minute fee.

so what would happen, if the baiter calls the airline in order to move the reservation forward, so the lad misses his opportunity of cancelling the flight-reservation Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:54 pm

Quote:

I really don't know what they are going to do but if they recruit drug mules on such scant evidence then more fool them. The lad is running a recovery scam on me and I have told them a story of me losing over 40k to a 419 scam but is that really enough for them to fly me to HK to kidnap me and use me as a drug mule? It never has been before.

The kidnap isn't likely.
The recovery scam is not to bad to recruit a free mule.The mule can't snitch because he don't know the lad.Victims that are broke would maybe take the flight and when arrived they would been put under huge pressure.I would like to know the truth about this.Why he want you to fly to Auckland after HK ?
Based on the destinations and weird request my guts say "drugsmule"

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:58 pm

It seems odd that a lad would pay actual money for a real flight, yet setting up a fake flight would risk ending the scam early once the victim got to the airport and learned there was no ticket. It's quite possible that the lad will require you to pay some sort of "ticket unlock" fee (as fh5 said) but, if so, that's the most convoluted AFF I've ever heard of.

IIRC, I think loualsindor mentioned somewhere that he knows his way around airline booking systems. You might want to PM him and ask him to take a look for you.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:13 pm

PM the reservation number to a mod. If the reservation is paid with a stolen credit card, the card can be reported stolen. If it's paid with the lad's bank account, the account can be reported.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:23 pm

TheLoneHaranguer wrote:

It seems odd that a lad would pay actual money for a real flight, yet setting up a fake flight would risk ending the scam early once the victim got to the airport and learned there was no ticket. It's quite possible that the lad will require you to pay some sort of "ticket unlock" fee (as fh5 said) but, if so, that's the most convoluted AFF I've ever heard of.

I was thinking not exactly a ticket unlock fee (agree, that would be really convoluted and risky), but a normal AFF where the lad suddenly discovers "Oh No we need to urgently sort out this diplomatic clearance fee" (or whatever), "we will have to delay the trip if you don't pay this minor fee quickly".

in which case the trip is more of a red herring to get the victim thinking the money is practically in hand. However I agree this is a very weird situation and looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

^^^

If that is the case they are taking it to the wire. Haven't heard from them since this morning and the flight is due to leave in just under 6 hours from now (22:30 BST) and they still haven't cancelled!

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 3:58 pm

^^^Can you get out of the flight because "I went to check in and they would not let me board as the details the airline had didn't match mine, i.e. birth date, passport number, etc.?"

I'm not sure of the UK regulations, but in the US, at least the last time I flew, I had to show ID to match the reservation.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:12 pm

^^ That is the case still.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3876

https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=86125

I found this here, it mentions a similar trick with booking a ticket.

maybe it's booked with a stolen credit card, and either during the flight or after the flight, there'll be a lot of bells ringing because that ticket was bought with a stolen credit card number.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:34 pm

And the same for flights from the UK.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 6:22 pm

Other than the SW posting, I haven't seen this before. Since all that's required for check-in is a passport swipe, I don't see how he's going to cancel without penalty.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 3876

I would proceed by sending the lad a mail that I'm going to be on that plane, already checked in and so.

and let's see what happens.

maybe stredd the character in hong kong and watch the lad trying to fix this.

(maybe that's the plan, cancel the connection flight).

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:21 pm

It has been known for a Lad to book and pay for a Mugu's flight. Here, for eg (details of the flight start at 5 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQh5JNTg5uM

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

@Robert

Pretty much the plan. He rang a few hours ago and I confirmed I was at Heathrow. Just checked again a little over 2 hours to go and the booking is still live.

Looks like they are expecting me in Hong Kong he claims he will be sending hotel reservations.

Just turned my phone off as obviously can't have it on in flight.

Seems like they see my character as drug mule material.

@TM I have seen that film but he got a flight ticket after months of patient build up and the scammers knew he was a big money target. I have been in touch with this guy less than a month he has nothing to verify that I am who I say I am he seemingly has just bought into my one line opening story of being a scam victim. He has then bought a flight ticket to Auckland, it is all very strange. I'm beginning to think it is a drug mule angle as opposed to AFF