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10 commandments of baiting - WIP

If you want to bait, we want to keep you safe.

10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:12 pm

THIS IS SOMETHING I PUT TOGETHER FOR BSIDES CYMRU LAST YEAR. IT'S ONLY AN EARLY DRAFT, BUT IT'LL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I SPOKE ABOUT AND HOPEFULLY OFFER UP SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER BAITER.

Hello, and thank you for this opportunity to talk to you today. My name is Wayne May and for the past 16 years I've been a part of the antiscam community, both as a baiter and as the owner of ScamSurvivors.com, which was set up to help protect and educate people about fraud.

I'm going to talk about baiting today. I only have 10 minutes, so this isn't going to be a howto, just a quick "10 points to be aware of". If you want to talk in more depth about baiting later on, feel free to come find me. I'm always more than happy to chat.

The first few will cover the more serious aspects of what we do, but I promise you it does get lighter.

1. First up, BAIT SAFE.

If you're going to bait, it's essential you start with a clean slate. Don't use any of your real life details. Don't reply to any emails you received in your inbox, no matter how tempting it is. Instead make a new persona with a brand new email account and bait from that. It's always better to "belt and braces" when it comes to dealing with scammers. Remember that you're going to be seen as stealing from the scammers in their eyes, and sooner rather than later you're going to piss one off enough that he'll start throwing threats at you, even death threats. My team and I have received dozens of death threats over the years, and even had scammers try to shut the site down. If you've baited safe then you can treat those death threats as badges of honour. And trust me, we do!

2. Next up, BAIT ETHICALLY AND FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.

Not everyone is cut out to be a baiter. First up, racists. Unfortunately there are people who will start baiting because the scammers tend to come from foreign countries. Any self respecting site will kick them out the moment they make their motives known.

People who were scammed can make the best baiters given the right help, but if they're not over their own scammer yet then they can make the absolute worst ones. They risk seeing their own scammer behind every scam, or even being sucked into another scam. Becoming a baiter can do more good than harm in these cases.

Now, if you do decide to bait then remember that you have a responsibility to inspire others. That's why - and not everyone is going to agree with me on this one - I never cash bait, hack a scammer or send a virus to a scammer. Cash baiting has been frowned upon for a long time now, but people still do it. It's not the scammer's money you're getting, it's one of his victim's. All you've done is caused someone else to lose even more money.

When it comes to hacking or sending a virus, firstly, two wrongs do not make a right. Secondly, others are going to copy you and they may be a lot more cavalier in their attitude. I can tell you from personal experience that I've received a virus in my inbox from a victim after they got it from a scammer.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:24 pm

3. DON'T SHUT DOWN ANYTHING THE SCAMMER GOT FOR FREE.

The temptation is going to be there to report and close down any accounts the scammers use in the belief it'll stop them scamming, or at least slow them down. I wish! The fact is that most scammers expect their accounts to be closed and have already planned for it. If it's a Gmail account, A Yahoo one, a Facebook profile or something similar then the best course of action is to let it be and make sure the details are posted up online. However, if the scammer paid for something then it absolutely can be killed. Fake sites are all the rage with them lately, and we will try to get every one we can shut down. It's also worth pointing out that finding one scammer site can end up leading to dozens, even hundreds more made by the same group being closed, causing some real damage to the scammers. We work alongside aa419.org to do this, and they'd definitely appreciate any reports of fake sites related to advanced fee fraud you find.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:46 pm

4. SAVING VICTIMS COMES FIRST.

Here's a short story. When we call scammers, we're usually in a Skype conference so that people can throw in ideas and have a laugh at the calls in real time. We were once in a call with a scammer, and he thought I was a German gentleman who had already paid him $100. The mood instantly changed, and the sole purpose of that call became getting that person's details so we could warn him. We got his name and email address, and managed to contact him to make sure he knew he was dealing with a scammer and stop sending any more money. You can always call the scammer up again and have someone else play with him. You may only ever have one chance to save someone from being scammed.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:53 pm

5. DON'T EDUCATE OR GIVE A SCAMMER ANYTHING HE CAN USE ON SOMEONE ELSE.

Don't send any fake IDs to a scammer. No matter how ridiculous it looks to you, if it can fool the scammer then it can fool one of his victims too. A "Radio North Norfolk Digital" ID badge with Alan Partridge's face on it or an FBI ID with Walter Skinner may be obvious fakes to you, but someone the other side of the world may have no clue who they are and fall for it if the scammer reuses it.

If the scammer makes an obvious mistake, don't correct him. In fact, strengthen his belief that what he's saying is right. Let him believe that Scotland is in London or Sherman Oaks is a person.

You can teach them a few "alternative facts" too. More than one Russian scammer ended up believing that the Welsh for "across the pond" is "Ych a fi". Deeducation is not only a great tool, it's fun!
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:06 pm

6. PLAN ON KISSING A LOT OF FROGS.

Not every bait is going to be a slam dunk. Some scammers are dull as dishwater. Some refuse to stray from their script no matter what you do. You could tell them that Martians have landed on the White House lawn and they'll reply with "and when are you going to send the money?". Don't waste too much energy on them. You can't get blood out of a stone. For every funny call we post, there's likely a dozen or more that bombed.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:12 pm

7. ACCEPT HELP AND ADVICE FROM OTHERS.

Not just as emotional support or someone to have fun with. We all have our own skills and knowledge. Share them and borrow them. The old guard can tell you if something's been tried before and why it may or may not work, while the new wave may see trends or know tricks you don't. Someone else may know of a way to use something non baiting related to help in baits you may never have considered. Be open to receiving help, and be open to helping others.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:20 pm

8. LEARN SOME SIMPLE PHRASING TRICKS.

Sometimes wording something differently will make all the difference. Scammers on the defensive are easier to manipulate than ones on the offensive. Make them want to "make it up to you" rather than confront you. "Why are you treating me like you think I'm an idiot" works better than "You're an idiot". No matter how much you want to shout and scream at a scammer, you're more likely to lose control of the bait if you do. In a similar vein, there's a good reason "I'm interested, tell me more" works so well. It's short and to the point, it keeps the conversation going and it then makes the scammer work more than you are. Ideal if you're talking to several scammers at once.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:34 pm

9. LET THE LAD BE THE STAR.

The one constant in every bait is YOU. You may only get one shot with the lad. Have a rough idea going in, but listen to the lad and follow his lead. When we do calls, we go in usually with nothing more than the scammer's name and maybe a rough idea of what the scam is. Going back to the previous point, our conversations usually start with "I had your email, can you tell me more?" and then we let the scammer talk. We're listening for anything he says that we can jump on and go off on a tangent with. When a scammer mentioned his father during a trunk box scam we pretended we thought his father was in the trunk box and tried to get him to call the fire service to get him out. When one said he was selling the cats I was buying to pay for his daughter's wedding I invited myself to it and went into great detail about the "adult" presents I'd buy for her. When a scammer freaked out at my "faith healer" thinking she was a witch and started quoting scriptures at us, she became a "witchy woman" and spent the next 90 minutes putting curses on him while he got more and more apoplectic. It doesn't matter what plans you have going in, be prepared to drop them if the scammer gives you a funnier avenue.
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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Re: 10 commandments of baiting - WIP

Unread postby Wayne » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:38 pm

10. POST YOUR SCAMMER'S INFORMATION ONLINE.

If you forget everything else I say, at least remember to bait safe and to always post up the scammer's information online. A call where the scammer pretends to be his own daughter and talks to you in a falsetto voice is funny and something to be proud of, but someone telling you that they were about to send money to a scammer and didn't because of what you posted online is far more rewarding. It also does a lot more damage to the scammer.

Questions?
Click HERE for webcam blackmail/sextortion help.
Do NOT email me for sextortion help. Use the link above. If you ignore this, your message WILL be deleted.
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