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Original poster

Is there any harm in replying to a scammer?

16 replies

gettingolderr · 13/03/2023 13:43

I keep getting these scam emails telling me that the sender is escaping a war zone and looking for crypto investments / the daughter of Colonel Gaddafi with great wealth to share with me ... and todays one- his parents both died in Covid and his uncle is stealing the money they left him so he won't be able to study abroad.

I'm tempted to reply for my own amusement as I've had so many of these I can't believe how stupid they must think people are... but I wouldn't want to open myself up security-wise in terms of confirming my email address is real. Would I be unwise to waste this persons time for a bit of amusement?

OP posts:
AtomicBlondeRose · 13/03/2023 13:52

I don't know why you'd bother tbh. It won't be that funny, the person on the other end couldn't give a damn and you're just confirming you're a potential mark, because you care enough to respond. Delete and move on.

FiFiWrites · 13/03/2023 13:55

You've answered your own question. You confirm your email is an active one and that adds value to it.

You'd be a fool to reply so even if you think you're being witty and ironic the joke is actually on you.

Echobelly · 13/03/2023 14:01

I've done it a couple of times for the LOLs. I don't think there's any risk, they want to make the minimum effort so they're hardly going up track you down. I did make up a new Gmail address for it though to be on the safe side, mainly in terms of spam, not personal safety, because they tend to want to switch to chat on Google (because they get kicked off social media).

I strung one along for a bit but tbh, all the ones I have interacted with so far get boring fast because they (and its usually going to be multiple people) can barely string a sentence together in English, so they don't actually understand what you're saying and just keep repeating that they love you, you're beautiful, they want to marry you, etc because that's all the script they have.

One 'guy' said he was going to call me (on Google) but I assumed he'd just say there was a bad line and he couldn't. But he actually did and despite claiming to be (of course) an American military doctor, he blatantly had a heavy Nigerian accent and didn't really speak any English, he was just repeated the kind of stuff I mention above and blowing me kisses, I actually felt embarrassed for the guy! He didn't understand me asking what part of America that accent was from.

I can't believe any of these guys can get anywhere with anyone unless they maybe find someone exceptionally lonely who also barely speaks English or something, but I guess there are also slicker operators out there.

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Echobelly · 13/03/2023 14:02

Nb, these were replies to messages on social media rather than emails

mynameiscalypso · 13/03/2023 14:02

There's not really a person there. It's all automated. Nobody will care and you just confirm that your email address is 'live' making it more likely that it will be sold on the black market.

monsterradeliciosa · 13/03/2023 14:04

They know it's stupid, they just cast a wide net and for every thousand emails you will get one person dumb enough or desperate enough or mentally not well enough to see through it.

I wouldn't consider it amusing to play with them though because they are probably the victims of gangs who are making their lives and welfare rely on getting hooks, so I feel sorry for them.

Cymraescwtch · 13/03/2023 14:07

This podcast is worth listening to, especially episode 3 where the reporter interviews a scammer:
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvq7in

i suppose at least you're wasting time they'd spend scamming someone else if you reply, but it's also wasting your time

Bunnyishotandcross · 13/03/2023 14:12

Pinterest has some great examples of suitable responses!

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 16/03/2023 13:13

If you want to go on a list as someone who'll engage, go ahead. And be aware that a lot of these scams are not just blokes in an internet cafe but big operations run by organised crime. If you're happy to tangle with those people, crack on.

itsthefinalcountdown1 · 16/03/2023 13:42

They know your email is active and that you're someone who engages.

I'm not sure what is funny about responding. They don't care what you reply, they don't care who replies as long as one person is stupid or vulnerable enough to cough up money at the end of it.

You think you're wasting their time, they just factor that into their "working day".

Block, ignore, move on.

dontgobaconmyheart · 16/03/2023 13:42

What's the point though? Surely there are other things to be doing in the day.

At best you've wasted your own time, at worst you've confirmed the use of your email address.

The 'hilarious' videos you see online of people stringing along scammers thinking they are insanely clever always strike me as pretty embarrassing and arrogant and as has been pointed out, you really don't know who that person is or who's making them do what they're doing.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 16/03/2023 13:56

itsthefinalcountdown1 · 16/03/2023 13:42

They know your email is active and that you're someone who engages.

I'm not sure what is funny about responding. They don't care what you reply, they don't care who replies as long as one person is stupid or vulnerable enough to cough up money at the end of it.

You think you're wasting their time, they just factor that into their "working day".

Block, ignore, move on.

Exactly. They're getting paid for this, you aren't; and you've just proved you'll engage so they reckon at some point they'll catch you at a weak moment and you'll bite.

I have never worked out the amusement people claim to get from wasting their time like this, or the 'while I'm stringing them along they aren't scamming someone else.' No, their mates in the call-centre are.

2bazookas · 16/03/2023 14:08

I'm tempted to reply for my own amusement as I've had so many of these I can't believe how stupid they must think people are... but I wouldn't want to open myself up security-wise in terms of confirming my email address is real.

Not just your email address; you've no idea what other personal ID they have as well as your email address. They can do a google search on your email address; that could turn up other information about yourself; name, land address, birthdate, employment; leaving you exposed to ID theft .

at the very least, they can sell your confrimed-genuine email address to other scammers and crooks. Some of whom may be geographically far closer to your real life, and far more sophisticated.

silverycurtains · 16/03/2023 14:19

Scam baiting is a real thing...loads of people try to waste scammers' time just for the fun of it. It's a hobby for some!

If you had to reply I would create an email address very similar to the one they've emailed you at. So if you're maryjones@yahoo, create mrayjones@yahoo. Copy and paste their original email into a new email and then it looks like you're replying.

Take a look at some of the scam baiting sites though as they'll give you tips on how to keep safe. Some of these emails might come from sophisticated gangs.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 16/03/2023 14:21

Take a look at some of the scam baiting sites though as they'll give you tips on how to keep safe. Some of these emails might come from sophisticated gangs

'Yeah, go ahead and poke the bear for a laugh, but here's how to stay safe when you do it.' Here's an idea - don't poke the bear in the first place. You have literally NO idea who you are dealing with when you engage with these people.

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