Netizens are unwittingly becoming victims of scam mails, which span many countries and often originate in countries like Nigeria.
MUMBAI: Netizens in Mumbai are unwittingly becoming victims of scam mails, which span many countries and often originate in countries like Nigeria. DNA had reported one such scam on Monday.
However, there is a global community of surfers who are laughing at the expense of the scamsters. And they are called, not surprisingly, scambaiters. The central idea behind scam-baiting, it seems, is to have a lot of fun. All one needs to do is reply to such scam mails, posing as a potentially naive client, but thoroughly interested in the deal. Then you regularly interact with the scammer, and make him comfortable with the idea of how easy a victim you are going to be.
Ankush Sohoni, an engineering student from Mumbai, thinks scambaiting is worth a while. “Once, I posed as a desperate housewife, and not only expressed my willingness to help the scammer but also asked him to marry me. This went on for three months, before he stopped mailing. I get scam mails by the dozen every two days. I create a dummy e-mail id and then make my move,” he says.
“Miss Young”, a self-declared scam-baiter explains what it’s all about on her website (
http://419.bittenus.com/): “Scamming via mail has become an industry in Nigeria, and surrounding countries. A common name of such kind of fraud is “419 fraud” after Section 419 of the Nigerian Penal code, the section that specifically prohibits this type of crime. The fraud is difficult to stop, but we can have some fun, and have the criminals use their time in vain. That is called scambaiting.” Her site allows readers to post their scambaiting mail interactions.
A recent report in 419legal.org, which is owned and managed by the Johannesburg Commercial Branch of the South African Police Services, says “419 Web fraud has risen to $183M in US alone, up 169 per cent from $68 million the previous year”. 419 legal also has a list of fake banks, which can be accessed on the website, used by the scammers in the past. Scambaiting websites also give readers baiting tips.
419eater.com, a well-known scambaiting site, has stories on scambaiting, which are not only interesting but also hilarious. In one case, a certain ‘Prince’ Joe Eboh from Nigeria contacts one scambaiter, who poses as “father Hector Barnett of the Holy Church of the Order of the Red Breast”. The scambaiter lures him into becoming a member of the fictitious church, to enable the transfer. Further, he not only makes the scammer send his photograph with his left breast painted red (a pre-requisite to enter the “church”), but also manages to fish out $219 from the scammer himself!
Dos and don’ts
Have fun, but realise you are dealing with potential criminals. Never give them personal details
These scamsters may appear silly and clueless, but coming face-to-face with one of them could be dangerous
While scambaiting, use an e-mail id from any free mail service
If the scammer asks for a fax number, tell him it’s broken down. Or use efax.com
When a scammer asks for a bank account, just cook one.
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