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Scambaiting Gets Comical; Internet Scammers All Dressed Up

Posted by timothy on from the made-in-the-shadenfreude dept.

Nurse Nasty writes "Scambaiting is a fun and relaxing full-contact email sport. It's all about baiting Internet and email scammers into exposing themselves and sharing that humiliation with the entire world. Recently I baited four different groups of Internet scammers into being comic book action super-heroes, and then giving them their own 10-page graphic novel. It's a bit of fun and eduction through entertainment." (Warning: The comic contains a bit of naughty language.)

41 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. My lovely dear by palegray.net · · Score: 4, Funny

    I am intrigued by your offer, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Before I do so, I must inform you that I am the deposed son of a deceased diplomat, and I would like to enlist your aid in moving the sum of $12 million out of my country from a secret account. Please reply (and subscribe me to) dearlyloaded@hotmail.com. Yours in Faith, Balatruyiah Malkorurtink

    --
    512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
    1. Re:My lovely dear by symes · · Score: 5, Funny

      God bless you dearest Balatruyiah - my fellow church members and I are delighted to help someone so neady at their time of greatest nead. I will send our account information as soon as you can confirm you are wearing the needed stockings, suspenders and rubber chicken. When you take the photos please do ensure you have "humped in heaven" written across your brow so we know it's you.

  2. 419 Scams are named for their law they break by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Informative

    They're technically breaking their local law by running these scams... but they're one of the leading industries so the government can't afford to shut them down. Since there's no hope you finding them if you go there so they feel safe from you, and certainty that they'd be arrested if they come here so you're safe from them finding you... let the fun and games begin.

    1. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by phonewebcam · · Score: 5, Insightful

      An obvious scam the government can't afford to shut down because of the taxes it brings in? We have one of those too ... its called the tobacco industry.

    2. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Informative

      While it appears that for some reason this scene is dominated by Nigerian scammers, they don't always operate out of their own country. Amsterdam and London are popular bases for these scammers and they get arrested there all the time, sometimes with the help of Nigerian police. Amsterdam cops bust 419 ring, arrest 52

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    3. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not to mention that giant ponzi scheme commonly referred to as "The banking industry."

    4. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by tburkhol · · Score: 2, Interesting

      They're technically breaking their local law by running these scams... but they're one of the leading industries so the government can't afford to shut them down.

      The scammers are breaking the law in most countries. The moniker "419" refers to a section of the Nigerian fraud code which basically says it's OK to scam a scammer. This allows the scammer to trick the victim into a minor fraud, such as claiming to be a friend or relative of a deposed Nigerian finance minister, or providing bribe money, and thus make the scammer immune to civil or criminal prosecution.

      Ob-wikilink

    5. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Tobacco? You're out of date and out of touch. 3 decades ago, tobacco was one of the biggest scams in the US. Today? Not much. They deliver precisely what they say, without being overly hyped. Scam? They tell you right on the package, "This shit can kill you!" How is that a scam?

      http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scam

      scam [skæm] Slang
      n
      a stratagem for gain; a swindle
      vb scams, scamming, scammed
      (tr) to swindle (someone) by means of a trick

      My recommendation for you, is reading comprehension 101. Somewhere, you've failed.

      Today, the biggest scams involve the defense industry, diet foods and drinks, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and the "War on Terra" along with the "War on Drugs". Please, don't allow your obsessive/compulsive hatred of tobacco confuse you.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    6. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Horse Shit.

      There should be no schedule 1 drugs, or schedule 2, or any other schedule. Prohibition gained this country nothing but rum-runners and armed gangs in the 1920's, and the war on drugs has gained us the same thing since the 1940's. Prohibition is for morons, fools, and zealots - and there is no proven method to separate the groups.

      Prohibition has not only killed tens of thousands of American citizens, it is today killing thousands of Mexican citizens, and destroying the poor excuse for a government that they enjoy.

      Legalize and/or decriminalize drugs, let the potheads and crack addicts have all they want. Can't you hear Darwin? "Those fools have nothing to offer society anyway - let them kill themselves!"

      If John Q. wants to blow 10 kilos of cocaine, LET HIM!! It's his right to die from an overdose if that's what he wants to do. Stop wasting resources on keeping him alive, just so we can persecute him for being a coke fiend!

      As for my caffeine and nicotine addictions, I'll deal with them myself, in my own good time. I'll stop smoking some day. Probably the day the doctor pronounces me dead. And, it's none of YOUR business.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    7. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by Jesus_666 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      How about this approach: There are various types of restricted drugs (you need restrictions to prevent random over-the-counter sale of antibiotics anyway) but all of the restrictions only apply to the seller.

      Type 1 restricted drugs can only be sold by pharmacies and only if a medical doctor prescribed them. This applies to antibiotics and other medical drugs that shouldn't be handed out willy-nilly. Possession is legal as long as acquisition was. In case of an illegal sale proving it's a valid defense to prove that it was reasonable to assume the legitimacy of the seller.

      Type 2 restricted drugs are drugs likely to cause damage to the user or people around him when consumed. Tobacco, alcohol and similar recreational drugs apply. These can only be sold by a licensed dealer to adults and are likely to have additional taxes tacked onto them to offset the cost to society they create. Again, even in the case of an illegal sale, you're likely to get off the hook if it was unreasonable to doubt the legality of the transaction.

      Type 3 restricted drugs are drugs with a strong negative effect that can't be expected to be handled by laymen without killing themselves. Botox might be an example. These can only be sold by licensed dealers to licensed professionals. Possession by unlicensed people should usually be dealt with by something to the tune of confiscation; stronger measures should only be taken if large amounts (defined as, for example, N usual doses) are found.


      In general, people should be able to possess most things but there should be responsibility and, to a certain degree, accountability. You can do to your body what you want but you still have to pay the taxes put on the stuff you want to waste yourself with (this should still lead to higher quality at lower prices even with high taxes). Licensed dealers ensure that the trade proceeds in a sane way and minors don't get direct access to the goods.

      Everyone wins: You get to do whatever you want to without being criminalized. You also get access to drugs of a controlled high quality (as quality control laws are likely to be implemented). Society as a whole gets money to offset the damaging effects of recreational drugs. Everyone gets a bit of safety as controlled sale of the drugs allows certain threats to be reduced.

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    8. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by glodime · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Runaway1956 Wrote:

      As for my caffeine and nicotine addictions, I'll deal with them myself, in my own good time. I'll stop smoking some day. Probably the day the doctor pronounces me dead. And, it's none of YOUR business.

      Taxman415a Wrote:

      It wouldn't be any of my business if I didn't have to pay more for your health care because of your choices.

      I say that it is still none of your business. It costs money for funding highways and airports to connect distant places in the USA, but that is not a reason to prevent people from living in cities far from each other.

      They [addicts] end up in the ER (because they typically have no health insurance) or killing unrelated people in traffic accidents or whatever. Those both represent large costs to people that avoid the behavior.

      These costs don't seem to be reduced by making drugs illegal to use or possess. As drug users don't seem to care if it is against the law to use their drug of choice. In other words, making an activity illegal does prevent that activity. We could simply tax drugs sales at a certain level and the incidence of drug use would be roughly the same as it is today.

      It doesn't matter if the drugs are cheaper from making them legal, they still cost something and people that are addicted will still do whatever they need to to get more including crime and murder. Your argument would have been stronger if you could make a cohesive case for there being less crime and costs on a total picture basis, but you didn't bother with that. Also, your darwinian argument would be better if people tended to die quickly on drugs, but the majority just get strung out and are a drag on society.

      These seem to be arguments for funding public education and treatment (rehabilitation), not prohibition.

      I'm not really sold either way on it. If someone presented a really convincing case that the costs really were lower and particularly lower for the people that avoid the crap, then I don't really care. But most of the arguments seem to be from people that just want easier access to more drugs.

      If most of the money currently spent on law enforcement of drug prohibition (including legal and incarceration costs) where instead spent on public education and treatment (rehabilitation) in combination with taxation and regulation (think smoking and drinking laws and taxes, although I don't think they are perfect, just better than other drug laws) I think that there is a good case to be made that the economic and social costs of drug use could be reduced significantly.

    9. Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break by marten_77 · · Score: 2, Informative

      You made me curious, so I just read the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code. I don't think that you are correct in your statement of the law. Neither Section 419, Section 419A, Section 419B, nor any of their subsections establishes any such sort of affirmative defense. The language of the statute looks pretty similar to most other fraud statutes, and is rather unremarkable: http://www.nigeria-law.org/Criminal%20Code%20Act-Part%20VI%20%20to%20the%20end.htm

  3. Re:Link Dead by LostCluster · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let's make a 10-page graphic novel and talk about it on /.! That's sure to make a profit... for our web host!

  4. Slashbaiting by lucm · · Score: 5, Funny

    > Scambaiting is a fun and relaxing full-contact email sport. It's all about baiting Internet and email scammers into exposing themselves and sharing that humiliation with the entire world.

    Slashbaiting is even better: have someone posting a mildly funny story to generate trafic for their website, only to make their web server go down in flames in only a few minutes of exposure on Slashdot.

    ("Yes Mr Advertiser, I got 200k visitors on my website last January. 199,997 of them between 5h and 5h10 on Jan 3, but still...").

    --
    lucm, indeed.
    1. Re:Slashbaiting by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nurse Nasty is one of the regulars at 419eater.com, I doubt if they did this to generate traffic. The more peopel know about 419 fraud and the various methods used to scam people, the better. Even learning simple things, like why a check "clearing" doesn't, in the US at least, mean it is a good check; and may prevent soemone from being a victim.

      You'd be surprised how many people aren't aware of how scams work. I ran into someone selling his bike; he had received a "money order" for the purchase, shipping, and an "opps, I sent to much please send me a Western Union money order for the overage less an a extra $200 for your troubles" overage. I explained to him that it probably was a classic overpayment fraud and either take the MO to his bank or police station and explain his concerns; or to simply send an email saying deal's off bank won't take your MO and tear up the MO. Either way, he was saved from a very expensive mistake.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    2. Re:Slashbaiting by BertieBaggio · · Score: 2, Informative

      RTFSite. The 419-baiters take time and money from the scammers, which slows them perpetrating *real* scams.

      Also, they make the scammers more paranoid about the next responder, which is wonderfully poetic.

      --
      If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
    3. Re:Slashbaiting by hawk · · Score: 2, Informative

      The California bar has sent out warning messages about these.

      The version for attorneys has the attorney contacted from out of the country for help collecting a judgment, offering a typical contingency fee arrangement. The case quickly settles with the attorney involved, the attorney receives a cashier check, upon which no hold is put when he deposits it into his trust account (quite common for attorneys with a good relation with the bank who typically deposit institutional checks).

      The attorney is then to wire the "client"'s share of the settlement to its own country . . .

      Amazingly, many of these have been caught in time to save the attorney. I believe that some have been caught when the attorney called another attorney who had been named as the source of the "referral" who responded with, "who???".

      hawk, esq.

  5. Internet Justice, by yanguang · · Score: 3

    never fails.

  6. Who are the victims? by symes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sometimes I wonder if those Nigerians willing to engage in these scams are not just the poor and desparate foot soldiers of someone far more nasty... people who are caught in poverty and desparation can do strange things when offered a glimmer of a reward. Now what would be funny is if the 419eater people went and scambaited the Somali pirates. Now that would be worth watching.

    1. Re:Who are the victims? by Jeppe+Salvesen · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not quite. The 419'ers are proof of how technology and persistence can move people from the lower middle class to the upper middle class.

      --

      Stop the brainwash

    2. Re:Who are the victims? by jonadab · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > Sometimes I wonder if those Nigerians willing to
      > engage in these scams are not just the poor and desparate

      On the contrary, they have internet access on a regular basis. This pretty much implies that they are necessarily upper-class, by local standards. (This is not entirely the same thing as being upper-class by American standards, granted. But it's a *long* way from being the poor and the desperate.) Additionally, poor people in Nigeria would never have been able to put together some of those costumes. Also, they wouldn't have cameras to take the photos.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    3. Re:Who are the victims? by selven · · Score: 3, Informative

      From the 419eater.com letters archive:

      For the most part these criminals are not, "poor people trying to scratch a living", but are very prosperous compared to their law-abiding countrymen, and many operate in highly organised, and highly successful criminal gangs. Millions of dollars are stolen on a DAILY basis, with absolutely no thought given to victims, who are losing vast amounts of money, homes, relatives, jobs and worse. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just "greedy & stupid people" that fall for these scams.

    4. Re:Who are the victims? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Erh... no. It's like carrying monopoly money in your purse so the next thief gets nothing but colored paper instead of money.

      To make sure you see the difference between beggars and thieves: Beggars ask you for money. Thieves trick you into giving it to them. The difference is that in one case it's your free decision.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  7. OMMFG. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Shame on you /., posting this shit. The comic plumbed heretofore unplumbed depths of shittiness. I can't believe I wasted the time waiting on that shit to load. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME READING THESE "COMICS". They make pre-teen fan-fiction look like classic literature. What complete and utter shit. A new low for a slash story. Jesus fucking christ. Sure, moderators, mark this -7 Troll, but it's still not as bad as the OP.

    1. Re:OMMFG. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      You could've easily stripped off the photobucket URLS from the links in those 10 minutes:

      http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o6/nursenasty/mugu_x/PAGE001.jpg
      http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o6/nursenasty/mugu_x/PAGE002.jpg
      http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o6/nursenasty/mugu_x/PAGE003.jpg ...etc... just increment to 009

      It's still shit though.

    2. Re:OMMFG. by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Erh... you might not have noticed that the fact that this is strung together as a "comic" is not the main focus of the whole ploy. Or, in other words, it's not the comic that is awesome. It's awesome that the person creating it managed to trick scammers into posing in such a way that they could be used for a comic.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Re:Link Dead by Simon80 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Coral cache link to the rescue: http://forum.419eater.com.nyud.net:8080/forum/viewtopic.php?t=177394

  9. Re:racist by Donkey_Hotey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has ANYBODY noticed that these are fairly creepy and somewhat racist images?

    Just curious--if they were white Europeans, would you be asking the same question?

    --
    (There is supposed to be a Sarcmark® here, but my $1.99 check hasn't cleared, yet...)
  10. Define baiting by hwyhobo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Have we just been baited into reading crap for no good reason? Does that qualify as scam? Scam baiting? Or Baiting scam?

    --
    End anonymous moderation and posting on /.
  11. confused by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    so you're trying to promote your unfunny comic about baiting scammers by spamming it all over the place?

  12. Re:Diary of a Slashdot User by arjan_t · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nothing like shooting the shit with your pals after a long day of watching Star Trek VHS tapes.

    Drag yourself into 2010 man, Star Trek is on Blu-ray now...

    (and yes, 1985 called, they do want their VHS tapes back)

  13. Brilliant Troll is Brilliant by iamapizza · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ye Olde Rofl.

    --
    Always proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
    1. Re:Brilliant Troll is Brilliant by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      typo fail. it's always sad when someone tries to be clever and instead proves they're a failure.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  14. Shouldn't this be in idle? by AniVisual · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not newsworthy. Not newsworthy at all.

  15. Re:scam baiting 9/11 metaphor by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In the scammers case, the boss wouldnt give two shits if someone spent a day dressing up to do what an email asked.

    Making it funny it raises awareness of the scam. Raised awareness of the scam means more resistance to the scam.

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  16. Re:racist by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They're creepy and they're belitteling, demeaning and outright insulting pictures. That's part of the idea. Not because these people are black, but because these people are scammers. That they're black is simply quite logically considering they come from a country where most people are.

    I'm quite sure they'd be just as belittling, demeaning and insulting if the scammers were white, yellow or polka dotted red and blue. It's not fun because they're black. It's fun because they tried to trick people out of money and got exposed and publically humiliated for being criminals. Not for being black.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  17. Re:Pathetic by Bluebottel · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Offensive? The scammers lose some time and dignity if they get baited, nothing that will matter in a day or two. If they manage to scam someone that person might give away a large portion of their livelyhood.
    A swedish man got scammed for about 800.000 SEK (roughly 120.000 USD) and the bank/police cant do anything about it. They prey on the weak and exploit them to the max, they deserve what they get.

  18. Corrections from a scambaiter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a retired scambaiter, I'd like to address a few issues.

    They're technically breaking their local law by running these scams... but they're one of the leading industries so the government can't afford to shut them down.

    Actually, it's more about the culture. The government does take action against the scammers but a large part of the population supports them since, sadly, their culture is such that it's admirable, if you can earn (lots of) money without working. It is a sign of being smart and that's why scammers are sometimes referred to as "sharp men".

    Since there's no hope you finding them if you go there so they feel safe from you, and certainty that they'd be arrested if they come here so you're safe from them finding you... let the fun and games begin.

    Another mistake. The Nigerian scammers operate all over the world and in particular in Bangkok, Berlin, Amsterdam, Houston and London. Quite a few times, we have been able to supply the local police with information, which has lead to arrests and a couple of times, a local scambaiter has had the opportunity to come along. Photographs from arrests have been more satisfying than any of these "trophies". I'm not familiar with other forms of "vigilante justice" (if that's what scambaiting should be called) but I do think that the extent of cooperation we've gotten from the police is quite remarkable.

    Whilst this is the funny side of baiting and the one which attracts publicity to these scams (which is one reason why we do this), there is a much more serious side to it as well but fewer baiters are involved with that.

  19. Re:De-peer and 419 disappears by SteveFoerster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nigeria has already demonstrated that they shouldn't be online

    I hope someone someday collectively punishes you and everyone you know for things a few people who live near you did so you can get a sense of how fair your suggestion is.

    --
    Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
  20. The biggest scam is soap by Laebshade · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes. The biggest scam is soap. And antibacterial soap.

    Washing your body with soap gets rid of important bacteria, which upsets the balance of your skin, and causes odor. The next time you take a shower/bath, try scrubbing with a clean, wet cloth. No soap. No shampoo or conditioner.

    I haven't used soap, shampoo, or hair conditioner in 3 days, and I have no smell, my hair is healthier than ever, and my skin is no longer dry/scaly. I take showers to wash off the extra sweat/oil on my skin, but I only use a wet cloth. Read this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-477378/Six-weeks-wash-The-soapless-experiment.html - the woman went 6 weeks without washing, even if it's just a quick run under the shower.

    1. Re:The biggest scam is soap by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wow, way to blow away all of those Slashdotter stereotypes!!

      --
      Comment of the year