Have you ever played along with a scam email?

Question

If you have, I'd like to hear your story. I've sent in the forms they want, filled in with erronious info, and kept the gig up for weeks. They try to call the fake number I send, and there is no "Shakina Mybutta" at that number. I tell them how sorry I am, I must have transposed some numbers, and send them another fake number. One guy called 9 different numbers before he sent me a hateful email and quit! Do you play along with them? What are some of the best pranks you've pulled on them?

Don't worry, I do use my Linux computer and several proxies. It has it's own internet connection, not connected to my home network.

Answer 1

Yes, and I gave them this number:

[phone]

This is the reject hot line.

Very Funny, call them and listen. :-)

Edit: Also sent a few letters to some Russian dating scammers just to mess with them and waste their time, but I got bored with it after a while. Got them to send me some good pictures of random models that were suppose to be them though.

Answer 2

These guys can be dangerous. Don't play games unless you can do so from a rented computer at the mall and use a fake name
which you will never use again.
People have gone to Nigeria to track these guys down and have wound up very dead.

Answer 3

I did. But it backfired.
And now I get like 300 spam messages a day with no way to turn them off --unless I start over on another account. And I don't want to give them the satisfaction.

Answer 4

Lol i recently got an email from an "ebay" member wanting to buy my item(which btw i wasnt even selling). Ive given them wrong information which they responded to me saying there was an error. Lol i even asked for his address so i could "send" him the item i was "selling". He sent me an email back saying that he couldnt because his parents would get mad. I sent him back saying how could you buy my item if your parents "will get mad at you". Lol he sent me a email cursing till he cant anymore and he said that I shouldnt report him to anyone. Lol guess what? he got caught....

Answer 5

Sometimes these email are used in ways you are not aware of. Do you know the original email sender can get/trace all the various email boxes the mail has "travelled"? Once collected, the sender can sent more of whatever type email of his/her choosing....I usually delete them if they are from unknown sources...

Answer 6

I never have, but here is a link to the flat-out funniest reverse scam I ever heard about. Dunno if it is true, but I sure hope so! I get so many freaking e-mails from Mr Mobutu Sese-Seko...

http://www.wendywillcox.50megs.com/

It's a really long story and you have to read all the way through it, but I laughed my butt off at many points along the way!

Answer 7

Every time I get one of those Nigerian idiots in my e-mail asking to help them get money out of their country,I play them to the hilt and totally piss them off to the point that they e-mail hate mail to me. Don't do this unless you know what you are doing. I just like to do my part in making their life miserable.

Answer 8

I've done a small bit, but figure it is a bit unwise unless you can armor plate yourself (real, yet fake, addresses, ids and stuff).

Here's how the pros do it (complete with pics):

http://www.ebolamonkeyman.com/
http://www.419eater.com/

Answer 9

I've been tempted but scammers might have better technology, and I would regret that I didn't simply hit "delete".
I enjoyed your story though.

Answer 10

No, I haven't - I end the chain.