Comments on: African crown jewels http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/ "Hitch your wagon to a star." —Ralph Waldo Emerson Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:52:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: Ben http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39703 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:07:43 +0000 http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39703 Rikker: Wow, I'm very, very, very tempted to get into this scambaiting thing myself. Vengeance on all those spammers and scammers! But vengeance is not mine, so I guess I won't repay. ~sigh~ :P No, really, it's rather satisfying to hear that some of them are getting their due. There's got to be a fetid, slimy, rotting-flesh-smelling place in hell for all those spammers. J: LOL, I get more spam than that, but Gmail luckily blocks most of it. Rikker: Wow, I’m very, very, very tempted to get into this scambaiting thing myself. Vengeance on all those spammers and scammers! But vengeance is not mine, so I guess I won’t repay. ~sigh~ :P No, really, it’s rather satisfying to hear that some of them are getting their due. There’s got to be a fetid, slimy, rotting-flesh-smelling place in hell for all those spammers.

J: LOL, I get more spam than that, but Gmail luckily blocks most of it.

]]> by: J http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39649 Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:20:29 +0000 http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39649 Just one? Golly you need to sign up for more free offers and have someone put your name in the restroom at an internet cafe. Monday morning, my junk mail folder at work will have at least 1000 emails promising me companionship from a jilted woman from eastern Europe, instant weight loss, large fortunes, and manliness. It takes about an hour for me to sort through everything. I'll gladly trade you inboxes for a couple hours. Just one? Golly you need to sign up for more free offers and have someone put your name in the restroom at an internet cafe. Monday morning, my junk mail folder at work will have at least 1000 emails promising me companionship from a jilted woman from eastern Europe, instant weight loss, large fortunes, and manliness. It takes about an hour for me to sort through everything. I’ll gladly trade you inboxes for a couple hours.

]]> by: Rikker http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39615 Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:13:04 +0000 http://www.topofthemountains.net/2007/06/24/african-crown-jewels/#comment-39615 Those tricksy Nigerians. This isn't just spamming, though. It's straight up scamming. The infamous "419 scam." It's sad that there are still people who fall for 419 scams, but even sadder that some of them believe the story so completely and get so wrapped up in their own greed that they often refuse to accept that they've been scammed even after they've been duped out of (at least) thousands over the course of several years, and even when the scam is explained to them. A fool and his money... as the saying goes... feed an entire African village. Wait, that <i>is</i> how the saying goes, right? :P It's perverse, I know, but there are a number of websites dedicated to scambaiting, where people play along in order to get the scammers to do amusing things. Probably the best example of this is someone who got some would-be scammers to act out Monty Python's famous <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2007/02/20/419_scammers_tricked.html" rel="nofollow">Dead Parrot Sketch</a>. Goodness knows what story the scambaiters concocted to get the scammers to agree to act it out. And perhaps the most twisted part of all--the scammers actually have decent comedic skills! (Oh, and since I'm already putting my poor taste on display, might as well suggest <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/28/nigerian_letter_scam.html" rel="nofollow">another classic one</a>--a scammer who carved a replica Commodore 64 out of wood. Better than I could've done! Those tricksy Nigerians. This isn’t just spamming, though. It’s straight up scamming. The infamous “419 scam.” It’s sad that there are still people who fall for 419 scams, but even sadder that some of them believe the story so completely and get so wrapped up in their own greed that they often refuse to accept that they’ve been scammed even after they’ve been duped out of (at least) thousands over the course of several years, and even when the scam is explained to them. A fool and his money… as the saying goes… feed an entire African village. Wait, that is how the saying goes, right? :P

It’s perverse, I know, but there are a number of websites dedicated to scambaiting, where people play along in order to get the scammers to do amusing things.

Probably the best example of this is someone who got some would-be scammers to act out Monty Python’s famous Dead Parrot Sketch. Goodness knows what story the scambaiters concocted to get the scammers to agree to act it out.

And perhaps the most twisted part of all–the scammers actually have decent comedic skills!

(Oh, and since I’m already putting my poor taste on display, might as well suggest another classic one–a scammer who carved a replica Commodore 64 out of wood. Better than I could’ve done!

]]>