Scamming the Scammers

Gotta love it -- from the Sydney Morning Herald:

Scamming the Nigerian scammer
The tables have been turned on at least one Nigerian scammer after an online vigilante successfully played him at his own game with an intricately laid "anti-scam" operation.

The campaign netted a life-sized wooden carving of a Commodore 64 computer keyboard which was sent all the way from Africa to the scambaiter who is code-named Shiver Metimbers.

Millions of dollars have been conned out of gullible Australians who fall for a variety of Nigerian scams (also known as 419 scams) received via spam email or in a targeted response to an online advertisements they have placed.

Shiver Metimbers runs a website called 419eater.com, which is an internet hub for scam-baiting advice and war-stories. But his most recently celebrated exploit is what he describes as an "artwork anti-scam" in which he poses as the director of Derek Trotter Fine Arts.

To ensnare his victim, Shiver Metimbers replied to numerous scam emails with a standard letter apologising that he was too busy to accept their business proposition at this time, asking instead if they knew of any local artists that might benefit from his financial help.

When he found a willing victim, his anti-scam unfolded in much the same way as a typical 419 scam, promising payment only after a substantial investment had been laid down - in this case the receipt of a series of commissioned wooden carvings from a local artist.

The guy's website is a hoot: 419eater and be sure to read the story of John Boko and Bert the hamster...