Surely once again you have received a message or mail from a Nigerian prince offering you millions of euros or those multiple SMS telling you to do a survey to win a bonus.
These scams, although they seem taken from a comedy movie, are more common than you think. But what you might not know is that there are people who have decided to return the blow to these scammedbeef. This is how the scambaitinga technique that mixes humor, creativity and justice in many cases.
This concept combines two words in English: scam (scam) and bait (bait) and the idea behind. Instead of falling into the trap, some users decide to go around the game.
Pretending to be potential victims, talk via WhatsApp or Gmail with scammers to frustrate their attempts, waste time and even collect information about their methods. It is like turning the scammers into their own victims, but with a touch of humor and a lot of intelligence.
Although in Spain this practice is not as widespread, in countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom it has become a phenomenon. Platforms such as Reddit and YouTube already have entire communities dedicated to scambaiting And users share their stories.
Step by step, this is how this ingenious trick for scammers works
The idea, as mentioned before, is to simulate that you have fallen into the trap. For example, if you receive an email from the typical «millionaire that wants to leave all your fortune», you can answer with interest, but asking for absurd details or raising impossible scenarios.
But these people They have some strategies that carry out and that are very good measured:
- Invent fictional characters: scambaiters They create false identities to talk with scammers.
- Raise ridiculous questions: they ask for absurd information or raise surreal scenarios to confuse the cybercrime.
- Extend the conversations: keep the scammer occupied for days or weeks, causing you to waste time you could use to deceive other people.
On platforms such as Reddit, Communities such as R/SCAMBAIT YR/SCAMMERPAYback gather thousands of users who love to do their own and put an end to all kinds of scams. These communities not only share screenshots and conversations with scammers, but also guides to identify fraud and protect themselves.
On the other hand, youtubers like Pierogi, from the Scammer Payback channel, carry the scambaiting at another level infiltrating in criminal networks. In some cases, he manages to eliminate malicious files or collect information to help the authorities dismantle these organizations.
The dark side of the ‘scambaiting’: is it always ethical?
Although the objective of scambaiting It seems noble, it is not free of criticism. Some detractors argue that this practice can cross ethical lines by resorting to tactics that touch harassment or public humiliation. In addition, there is a risk that scammers adapt their methods to become more difficult to identify and deceive.
In addition, these, or not all of them, are dumb. Cybercriminals are usually part of experiences organized with experience; They know how long they can waste before moving on to their next victim.
Curling the curl and seeing how really popular and viral these conversations are, many even have doubts about the veracity of some of them, making many something that really is false only for the likes or comments.
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Tags: Tips, tricks, scam, cybersecurity