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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 Apr 2014 Posts: 3

Hello, I've just joined up as I received an email from a close friend asking me to wire her 2500€ via Western Union as she'd been mugged in Greece.

I'm using an email address I don't use for anything else and have offered to pay her hotel bill (I checked online, the address given for the Western Union transfer in Athens is a hotel) and buy her a plane ticket home.

Any advice from more experienced baiters would be very welcome.

Thanks,
AJS

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:22 am

Hi AJS and welcome to Eater!
What happened to your friend is her email was hacked-it most frequently happens to emails connected with a phone. The scammer then spams everyone in the contact list.

If the scammer contacted you, he has your real life email and perhaps more information depending on what was in the contacts list. If the account you replied from has any RL details, please drop him. It isn't safe to bait.

If you create another account with gmail and can create another character, you can try to reply from there. If you read the Stickies, there's lots of info about stringing the scammer along and insisting that he give you the "hotel"'s account for a wire transfer etc.

Does your friend know she's been hacked?

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:45 am

Actually, contrary to Capone's post. Please do not mess with this scammer. They will have the personal details of your friends even if they don't have yours. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your friend or any of their friends/relatives because you managed to anger this scammer.

Do call your friend directly and let them know their account has been hacked.

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:47 am

As Big Al says - don't mess with them, they will have the details of who they emailed and also access to whatever information was in your friend's account, which could include details of her name and address (plus possible access to passwords for other systems).

So let your friend know straight away so that she can secure her email and anything else connected to it.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 Apr 2014 Posts: 3

Thanks for the warnings.... I'm using an email address especially created for the purpose which I don't use for anything else...
I've emailed the friend on her alternate address to warn her - I know sometimes hackers create a similar looking address to the genuine one, but as far as I can tell my replies are actually going into my friend's hacked email.... presumably this means she is locked out of it?

I've got to go to work now (shame), but I'll be back later...

AJS

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:49 am

I wouldn't rely on emailing her - the scammers may have access to all her emails if they are linked in any way.

If you possibly can, let her know by phone or text.

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:52 am

I understand that you are using an anonymous E-mail that you have set up for baiting. Unfortunately, your friends information is still in the hands of the scammer. Baiting this scammer could put your friend and anyone they know at risk and goes against the Ethics rule of not involving any Innocent Third Party's. (ITP's)

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:34 pm

^^^^
Big Al and B8er are correct and I was wrong-your friend is at risk.

Since the hacked email may be connected to her phone, I'd call her rather than sending a text.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 Apr 2014 Posts: 3

OK message received - thanks for the advice: I've left a message on her landline and will ignore any further communication from the scammer...... s/he seems to have gone quiet since I said I would send the money for the hotel bill directly to the hotel.

AJS

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:09 pm

Glad to hear it. Now sneak down into the Surplus area and find a nice fresh Knucklehead to beat up a while. No sense in letting that Baiter E-mail addy go to waste. Read the Stickies and apply for a Risky free Mentor.

Welcome to Eater!