Prometheus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 9,472
^ That's a different type of scam! The overpayment scam is when they're offering to buy products from you.
It looks like what we have here, to use the technical term, might be what's called a "phonelad", so named for the product category that they most commonly use to hook victims with, though they do cover all sorts of consumer electronics.
Phonelads typically offer electronic goods that they do not have, the most common being mobile telephones, and laptop computers. VERY rarely (as has been posted earlier in this thread), they may send a cheap item in some sort of attempt at appearing vaguely legitimate. They always go with wire-transfer services, as these are inherently insecure and are generally able to be picked up from anywhere in the world, even if they're supposed to be restricted to a particular region or location.
Phonelads are the only type of scammer that scambaiters recommend shutting down via reporting them to the providers of their e-mail address, and whatever other services they're using to hook people with. This is not done with other types of scammers, as letting the other types (such as Advance Fee Fraud scammers and romance scammers) keep their e-mail addresses leaves a Google'able trail of breadcrumbs for suspicious victims or would-be victims to follow, so that they can get help and support. It's done with phonelads because it's their primary means of dealing with their victims, and when it's cut off, it will raise suspicion.
EDIT: I should also note that messing with scammers, in P-p-p-p-p-Powerbook fashion is not the best of ideas. Scammers can be (and often are) very dangerous.
It looks like what we have here, to use the technical term, might be what's called a "phonelad", so named for the product category that they most commonly use to hook victims with, though they do cover all sorts of consumer electronics.
Phonelads typically offer electronic goods that they do not have, the most common being mobile telephones, and laptop computers. VERY rarely (as has been posted earlier in this thread), they may send a cheap item in some sort of attempt at appearing vaguely legitimate. They always go with wire-transfer services, as these are inherently insecure and are generally able to be picked up from anywhere in the world, even if they're supposed to be restricted to a particular region or location.
Phonelads are the only type of scammer that scambaiters recommend shutting down via reporting them to the providers of their e-mail address, and whatever other services they're using to hook people with. This is not done with other types of scammers, as letting the other types (such as Advance Fee Fraud scammers and romance scammers) keep their e-mail addresses leaves a Google'able trail of breadcrumbs for suspicious victims or would-be victims to follow, so that they can get help and support. It's done with phonelads because it's their primary means of dealing with their victims, and when it's cut off, it will raise suspicion.
EDIT: I should also note that messing with scammers, in P-p-p-p-p-Powerbook fashion is not the best of ideas. Scammers can be (and often are) very dangerous.
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