On the other side of the spectrum from scammers, is the equally rhetoric filled world of scam baiting. Scam baiting, almost a sport, is an activity in which Internet users will reply to scam ads and pretend to be a vulnerable victim. They try to make it seem like they are exactly what the scammer is looking for: somebody willing to give their money away. Then, the scam baiter stalls the act of actually giving the scammer money, sometimes scamming the scammer back, either getting money or other "trophies" from the scammer (see image to the right). The whole point of this endeavor is to use up the scammer's time, keeping them from preying on actual victims that might be susceptible to giving away their information.
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In my personal favorite of scam baits, a man named "Tope" attempts to scam a victim by the name of Father Bateyoo Reelgud of the Church of Fish and Bread. A quick summary of the happenings, Father Reelgud says his church often gives donations but this year only has about $300,000 left to donate. If Tope can prove himself a real person by filling out forms with information and submitting an authentic picture with a fish on his head and bread in his mouth, he can have the money. After submitting these, Tope is contacted by Father Ron Jeremy who show picture evidence multiple times that Father Reelgud was killed in a tragic accident. Eventually, Father Jeremy agrees to make the donation and sends the money, however something "goes wrong" along the way and the money never makes it. After a long time of not hearing back from the church Tope is contacted by yet another priest, saying that the church burned down and the only remnants in the wreckage were a few pieces of paper one with an email for the scammer on it, thus this next father asks Tope what his business with the church was. At this point, Tope has caught on and doesn't respond.
The full correspondence of the text can be found here. To the right I give a specific rhetoric filled email excerpt from this ordeal This email first and foremost is were well spoken and respectful in its tone. This sets a precedent for the believable character of a minister and also lets the scammer know that the person they are attempting to scam is trustworthy and trusting. By setting up this fake persona early and well, the scam baiter contributes to his cause of stalling the scammer, making him think there is a target available. Noting a heavy a reference to God in the initial email from the scammer, this scam baiter sets his entire precedence religiously, alluding to God many times, both establishing credibility in his character and allowing the scammer to think that his cause is "Godly" by the eyes of the priest. This also tricks the scammer into believing he has potential to gain money from this. Lastly, the priest states he has previously given donations, establishing his credibility by feigning that he has done similar things many of times. He states that he has hundreds of thousands of dollars to give away and implies that this is low for a donation. The scammer, likely only looking for a couple thousand dollars, thinks he has hit a gold mine and is more likely to blindly follow the churches instructions for the chance at such a large amount of money. This lends to the scam baiter's credibility and helps to lure the scammer into the trap. |
Father Reelgud's Initial response
Dear Sir, The rest of this email can be found in the link provided to the left above
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The video to the right gives another interesting scam bait.
Dr. Phil and his assistant, Robin, investigate a scammer who claims to know Dr. Phil and Robin! At the end the strategies used by the scammer are discussed. This scammer uses a classic technique for scamming to get more out of a victim. Here, the victim is told that the solution to her relationship problem, meeting with Robin is no longer possible, even after an initial payment has been made. Then the scammer offers for a larger and better solution, meeting with Dr. Phil and Robin simultaneously for a hefty sum in addition to the first. This is strategically done after the initial transaction of money so that the scammer is ensured some sort of a payoff with a large potential to get even more. Rhetorically, this technique preys on the emotional side of the audience with an appeal to Pathos in which the scammer lets the victim down and then excites them again even more, helping to accomplish the scammers goal of getting money. |
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