I was a mystery shopper and all I got was a Tikki god.

Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

Silverstaff: Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

The scam that *defined* epic win. Awesome.

"Almost in every case that we've heard about, people overlooked red flags," Ziverts told The Fixer, adding, however, about the scammers: "These are very, very creative and crafty people."

No they are not. People are greedy idiots.

You want to talk great Sun-Times crime investigation (obviously, before they were bought and ruined by Murdoch and Conrad Black)? Try The Mirage Tavern (new window).

The Mirage Tavern was a drinking establishment at 731 N. Wells St. in Chicago purchased by the Chicago Sun-Times in 1977 to investigate widespread allegations of official corruption and shakedowns visited on small businesses by city officials. The journalists used hidden cameras to help ensure that city inspectors caught accepting payoffs for ignoring safety hazards were all properly documented.[1][2]


The whole thing is worth a read (and how the original articles are not available on line at all is a weird lapse by the Sun-Times).

BummerDuck: "Almost in every case that we've heard about, people overlooked red flags," Ziverts told The Fixer, adding, however, about the scammers: "These are very, very creative and crafty people."

No they are not. People are greedy idiots.

I wonder if there's a correlation between scam victims and people that think making $45K/year puts them in the 1%

"Why yes it makes total sense that an unknown entity from Nigeria would pick me to give two millions U.S. dollar. I'm important."

Wait a minute... This sounds a lot like how I was just paid in advance to tutor a wealthy member of the Saskatchewan royal family.

whither_apophis:

I wonder if there's a correlation between scam victims and people that think making $45K/year puts them in the 1%

"Why yes it makes total sense that an unknown entity from Nigeria would pick me to give two millions U.S. dollar. I'm important."

Interestingly, they're probably also the same people who are most uptight about privacy and security. "Goshdarnit! Bad people are probably spying on me right now because I'm so important and interesting!"

Silverstaff: Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

This is quite possibly the best thing I have ever read.

/+1 interwebs for you sir.

baited by shiver

I did like the whole 'Brady Bunch' theme.

/Don't remember the cousin though

Rwa2play: Silverstaff: Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

The scam that *defined* epic win. Awesome.

Wait... whatever happened to Jeff?

The hand carved Commodore 64 and P-p-PowerBook are tied as my favorites.

Awesome way to troll...

Getabrainmorans.jpg

Back in the 90s, when the online version of this was still gathering steam, I got a snailmail version of one of these scams. Government official, bunch of money, needs to transfer, et cetera, mailed from Kenya.

It was beautiful.

Really nice linen paper in the matching envelope and letter. The handwriting was as good as any I've ever seen, obviously done with a fine fountain pen. It had a wax seal at the bottom of the letter. Freakin' work of art.

I took it to the post office, and asked if they had a postal inspector around. They did (which was unusual - he was there checking on something else). When I gave him the letter, he was impressed, and took it around to the whole staff to show them how pretty it was. It's probably in a fraud museum somewhere.

DrewCurtisJr: Wait a minute... This sounds a lot like how I was just paid in advance to tutor a wealthy member of the Saskatchewan royal family.

I'm sure that's legit - Canadians are too honest for scams!

The Fixer also talked to Steve Hess, a vice president at the real estate company whose name was on the check. Hess said they'd gotten calls from three people who almost fell for the scam and their bank told them that five others had deposited their checks and become victims. Hess' company didn't lose any money, but they've had to sign up for costly check protection- not to mention wasting work hours dealing with it.

Normally I'm against scammers, but this is another case of "scamming the scammer"... You think I feel bad that my college slumlord was scammed?

/Not to mention the damn Koreans next door... them and their damn kids are loud and annoying as fark

GeeksAreMyPeeps:
I had never seen that before, and just read the whole thing now. I'm guessing "Jeff" was a temp account set up by another member of the community who wanted to avoid potential retaliation by the scammer.

Actually, I googled his userid and found his twitter account, which seems pretty legit so I guess he's ok.

Chicago Postal Inspector-in-Charge Tom Brady...

Sweet buttery icing on the lolcake

Some time ago, the Farkers and I had a whopping good time with a lady called "Miss Solomon Part Zento." (link anyone?)

We kept her on the hook for several days, convincing her we would be dropping in with a 727 loaded with mercenaries.

I don'y think she ever forgave me for making her wait out at the edge of the airport runway with $16 million in a steamer trunk, waiting for me to land at 3 AM to pick her up.

I have received two credit cards made out to "Chinga Sue Madre" and "Puto Cabron," (Spanish speaking Farkers will get a laugh out of that) along with many fake checks for large sums.

They cost about $40 to deliver by FedEx overnight, so I am hurtung the bastards, as well as having fun.

I got one of those secret shopper letters a while back.

Had a bunch of fun with it...oh, no, wait, I didn't. I took it over to the postal inspector, and then promptly forgot about it.

And then I went home and sorted all my dickeys in alphabetical order.

/True story.
//Well, not the bit about the dickeys.

Explain to me how people are getting these scammers to take pictures of themselves doing humiliating things. I might like to partake of this new hobby.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: www.thescambaiter.com

They might be getting scammers to give them funny pictures, and maybe even doing the world a service by keeping a record of scams, but I can't get past the fact that they call themselves "baiters." You can share the story of your first time 'bating. Or get 'bating help and techniques.

In that context, the Student/Teacher section disturbs me.

Link (new window)

Makes the Chicago Sun Times look like a couple of 8th grade boys getting up to pranks while their mom is at the mall watching "The Help."

FAIL. Check out http://419eater.com/ for the real thing.

Im currently looking for an apartment on Craigslist.Half of the people I have contacted so far have had ips in there emails from South Africa.I feel like playing one along then paying him in Canadian tire money :-)

Silverstaff: Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

My favorite is having the scammer and friends hand write an entire Harry Potter book. Link (new window)

latenite: Silverstaff: Obligatory: P-P-P Powerbook (new window)

My favorite is having the scammer and friends hand write an entire Harry Potter book. Link (new window)

The Harry Potter transcription was a classic. Very much in the spirit of 419 reverse scams. Play on their greed, and make them waste enormous amounts of time, then fear for their own safety.

Years ago when I was out of work I had fun messing with these people. I used the name Chuck U. Farley (pump up the volume) or Miles Long (snl). One group got so mad at me, said I owed them $5000. I told them to contact the FBI ans sent them the link to the website.

I just got this one 2 days ago from an AOL account. (the FBI uses AOL?)

I haven't decided on how to mess with this one...I'm thinking CIA creds and forming a joint-agency taskforce to rescue the endangered pacific tree octopus.



---warning: page-o-crap ahead...


Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
Fbi Headquarters In Washington, D.C.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 Website: www.fbi.gov


Attention, this is the final warning you are going to receive from me do you get me?

I hope youre understand how many times this message has been sent to you?.

We have warned you so many times and you have decided to ignore our e-mails or because you believe we have not been instructed to get you arrested, and today if you fail to respond back to us with the payment then, we would first send a letter to the mayor of the city where you reside and direct them to close your bank account until you have been jailed and all your properties will be confiscated by the fbi. We would also send a letter to the company/agency that you are working for so that they could get you fired until we are through with our investigations because a suspect is not suppose to be working for the government or any private organization.

Your id which we have in our database been sent to all the crimes agencies in America for them to inset you in their website as an internet fraudsters and to warn people from having any deals with you. This would have been solved all this while if you had gotten the certificate signed, endorsed and stamped as you where instructed in the e-mail below. this is the federal bureau of investigation (fbi) am writing in response to the e-mail you sent to us and am using this medium to inform you that there is no more time left to waste because you have been given from the 3rd of January. As stated earlier to have the document endorsed, signed and stamped without failure and you must adhere to this directives to avoid you blaming yourself at last when we must have arrested and jailed you for life and all your properties confiscated.

You failed to comply with our directives and that was the reason why we didn't hear from you on the 3rd as our director has already been notified about you get the process completed yesterday and right now the warrant of arrest has been signed against you and it will be carried out in the next 48hours as strictly signed by the fbi director. We have investigated and found out that you didn't have any idea when the fraudulent deal was committed with your information's/identity and right now if you id is placed on our website as a wanted person, i believe you know that it will be a shame to you and your entire family because after then it will be announce in all the local channels that you are wanted by the fbi.

As a good Christian and a honest man, I decided to see how i could be of help to you because i would not be happy to see you end up in jail and all your properties confiscated all because your information's was used to carry out a fraudulent transactions, i called the efcc and they directed me to a private attorney who could help you get the process done and he stated that he will endorse, sign and stamp the document at the sum of $98.00 usd only and i believe this process is cheaper for you. You need to do everything possible within today and tomorrow to get this process done because our director has called to inform me that the warrant of arrest has been signed against you and once it has been approved, then the arrest will be carried out, and from our investigations we learnt that you were the person that forwarded your identity to one impostor/fraudsters in Nigeria when he had a deal with you about the transfer of some illegal funds into your bank account which is valued at the sum of $10.500,000.00 usd.

I pleaded on your behalf so that this agency could give you the 03/11/2011 so that you could get this process done because i learnt that you were sent several e-mail without getting a response from you, please bear it in mind that this is the only way that i can be able to help you at this moment or you would have to face the law and its consequences once it has befall on you. You would make the payment through western union money transfer with the below details.

NAME: CHI JACOB
ADDRESS: LAGOS NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION:FOR
ANSWER: YOU
AMOUNT: $98
Senders name======

Send the payment details to me which are senders name and address, mtcn number, text question and answer used and the amount sent. Make sure that you didn't hesitate making the payment down to the agency by today so that they could have the certificate endorsed, signed and stamped immediately without any further delay. After all this process has been carried out, then we would have to proceed to the bank for the transfer of your compensation funds which is valued at the sum of $10.500,000.00 usd which was suppose to have been transferred to you all this while.

Note/ all the crimes agencies have been contacted on this regards and we shall trace and arrest you if you disregard this instructions. You are given a grace today to make the payment for the document after which your failure to do that will attract a maximum arrest and finally you will be appearing in court for act of terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking charges, so be warned not to try any thing funny because you are been watched.

DarkTrance: Note/ all the crimes agencies have been contacted on this regards and we shall trace and arrest you if you disregard this instructions. You are given a grace today to make the payment for the document after which your failure to do that will attract a maximum arrest and finally you will be appearing in court for act of terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking charges, so be warned not to try any thing funny because you are been watched.


The coont who sent you that deserves to get pacific tree octopus aids from pacific tree octopus rape.

I got a call on my cell phone saying I had won some "banking award."

The woman gave me the routing number of the bank I use and asked me to confirm my account number. I told her I was born at night, but not last night and hung up. The caller's ID showed on my phone, area code 727. I called the FBI and gave them the number. Never got any award.