Scambaiting Gets Comical; Internet Scammers All Dressed Up 178
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.)
Re:Slashbaiting (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break (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 [wikipedia.org]
Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break (Score:5, 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 You're out of date and out of touch. 3 decades ago, tobacco was one of the biggest scams in the US.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 [thefreedictionary.com]
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.
Corrections from a scambaiter (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.
Re:419 Scams are named for their law they break (Score:3, Interesting)
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.