A New Online Pastime—Scam Baiting

Many have received that email from somebody which spins a tale of unclaimed money waiting to be claimed if only the recipient is willing to help. And of course, send advance payment to the scammer. This email scam has been going on for quite a while in the internet. But that is not the sad part. The sad part is that still more people fall for it. It is not only a loss for those people but also an encouragement for the scammers to continue doing their despicable work.

Enter the new online pastime—Scam Baiting. With this new kind of online gaming, scammers are being scammed. They travel for miles, sometimes thousands of miles, in search for non-existent cash, go to dangerous places that could get them killed, risk dehydration in a very hot and humid place, meet people who will not be there, get arrested in the airport, spend cash along the way, and go back home empty handed after getting stranded.

These online vigilante group called scam baiters said that this has two beneficial effects. One, while the scammers are busy getting scammed, their efforts, attention, energy and resources are redirected from real victims; Two, it will hopefully discourage them from scamming people again in the future because that prey might in fact be a predator. In addition to those reasons, I also think that another side benefit is that the scammers will feel how it is to be scammed—how it is to be on the receiving end of the scam. Another thing is as a petty punishment for all the hassle and grief they had caused.

Now, another online game is in cybertown. And the victims are fighting back.