Voice Acting Scambait

This bait started out much like any other I've been a part of: I sent a reply to an email that informed me that I could apply for a loan. Note that I've changed names or removed identities all together in some cases in order to avoid the scammer potentially finding this thread.
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My character is a professional video game designer who is in need of a loan so he can quit his job and start his own development studio. Here is the first couple of exchanges pasted below, as the messages are too long to include in a single screenshot:
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Scammer:
(Company name removed), Inc brings you real deal on 100% Guaranteed Loans (Business Loans, Farm Loans, Mortgage Loans & Personal Loans) without collateral, this could help you rebuild your Business or Personal finance. Our offer Loan from 5,000.00 to 500,000.00 and you can get approved with 48 hours, no travel required.

Please indicate your interest to get more details on the loan program; Referrals are welcome. Reply this email with your Application Like Loan amount and purpose of the loan. Thanks

(Lending Company Name)
Web: (removed)
Email: (removed)
Address: Tennessee Branch office
Phone: (removed)
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Me:
Hello, I received this message, and I wish to pursue a loan.

My name is Eric. I am the lead design coordinator at Triple-Arch Studios, which is a video game and electronic arts development company. I have worked on such titles as Call of Duty: Zombies. As of late, our sales have been in decline, and I am trying to move on to better things.

Despite the risks, I have came to the decision that I will start my own studio, where I can select my own employees, and make my own games, instead of piggy backing on someone else's declining success.

The thing is, I would need a fairly substantial loan. The trouble is, my credit is shot. I went through a divorce this past year, and my ex wife drained me of my life's savings, so I've been forced to do everything based on credit. Are you able to help me with a business loan? I would need about 300,000 USD to get started. Below I gave attached an itemized list of all of my necessities, and approximate costs, which add up to the previously mentioned loan amount.

Computers:
Approximately 30,000 USD.

Employees Initial Payroll (Salaries of all for one year):
Approximately 750,000 USD, but I would only need 100,000 USD from the loan for this, as sales of our creations will cover the rest.

Software Licensing:
Approximately 50,000 USD.

Health and Business Insurance, Collectively:
Approximately 120,000 USD.


I hope to hear from you as soon as possible,

- Eric
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It didn't take long from here. Within a matter of hours, I got a reply telling me to read an attached file, which is picture number one.


I promptly filled it out, and sent it back. Next, my new best friend sent me a certificate, congratulating me on my new loan!


The next order or business for this scammer was attempting to acquire my identification. To avoid this, I decided to send him a blank picture of the color black. After some time wasting and security mishaps on his part, we moved on. We as baiters have a responsibility to never give these criminals material to use against actual victims, and it's no different when it comes to ID that they can use to fool a victim.

Moving on now, the scammer next requested my banking information. I quickly gave him bogus account information, the numbers all being references to bible verses that reference thievery. Religion is a topic that comes up in this bait again and again, and ironically, the scammer didn't even notice. Not that it was apparently obvious, but still.

Then the scammer requested even more proof of my character. The scary thing about these loan scammers that, at least in my opinion, sets these scammers aside from a more classical example of a 419 scammer is the much more believable back stories and simulations carried out by the scammer. I could easily see someone who didn't know much about scams falling for it.

I procured a totally bogus utility bill statement which the scammer accepted, and then gave him a generic excuse as to why I couldn't give him a banking statement.

Eventually, the scammer "calculated" the fee I was to pay to initiate the loan, and then added it onto the first loan payment I was to make, all to be paid before the "Transfer Department" would deposit the loan in my bank account. Below is an image of that exchange. The total fee to be paid was just shy of $4,700. At this point, the scammer and I began discussing through text message. I have added a description of what type of communication each transcript is.
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Me:
How much is the fee?

Scammer:
Written on the signed Contract.

Me:
Is the fee just the first month's payment?

Me:
Okay nevermind, I found it. Okay so I need the 1,800 dollars, plus the first month's payment up front?

Scammer:
Correct.

Me:
Okay, so 4,696.82 up front. When is this needed?

Scammer:
When your banking details is received the fee need to be submitted for the Loan transfer to commence.

Me :
Im getting the requested materials

Scammer:
OK.

Me:
Can I call you sir

Scammer:
Not at the moment, busy with work i will call you back.
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At first the scammer was a tad dodgy about getting on the phone. No matter though, as very shortly thereafter the scammer suggested that it was time for me to send the fee, and informed me that bank transfer or Vemmo would be a viable way, but I countered by offering that a Western Union outlet was only 5 minutes away from me. (I specifically chose Western Union over Money Gram, RIA, or any other method because of the availability of an online tracking function. This feature would play a major part in the bait a bit later on.)

The scammer mentioned for me to send the first part of the payment, or $1,800 with Western Union, but then suggested that I send the money with FedEx through the mail. Sensing an opportunity to waste time, I agreed only to later inform the scammer that FedEx had closed early due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. He apparently only wanted FedEx to be used so I could conveniently send him the entire $4,700 dollars or so all at once anyways. I always try to break these payments into multiple attempts at sending, as it prolongs the frustrations of the scammer, and keeps them on the hook for longer.

After telling the scammer hours later that I'd just missed reaching FedEx in time, he stated "And you didn't inform us immediately." I simply scolded him for not answering his phone, even though I hadn't actually attempted a call. This plan was designed to plant the seed of paranoia I needed a bit later, but for now, it needed time to sprout. Next the scammer reverted back to wanting the first $1,800 via Western Union, and I told him I could be there shortly.
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Will I get my loan tonight?

Scammer:
If this is done as quick as possible.

Me:
Okay, well FedEx closed right before I got there to send the money

Scammer:
And you didn't inform us immediately.

Me:
You didn't pick up your phone

Scammer:
Can you get the first part of the payment ($1800.00)sent via Western Union as said earlier?

Scammer:
Western union still open?

Me:
Yeah, I think they're open 24 7

Scammer:
I would want your loan transfer done today. How soon can you have that done?

Me:
I could be there in an hour
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At this point, I took the time the scammer believed I was standing in line for to produce a fake image of the MTCN being entered on the Western Union website to show the progress of the transfer, with the status bar showing that the money has been sent, but not picked up. Here's the conversation that went down leading up to that.
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Me:
Excellent. i'm sending it now

Me:
Alright, it has been sent. Let me know when you get it.

Me:
Hello? Are you there>
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I felt it was pretty rude of the scammer to stop replying to me after I had supposedly sent his money, but it actually gave me just enough time to forge the images I would need.
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Scammer:
Hello

Scammer:
You will have to send to the other email address.

Scammer:
Haven't received the payment confirmation yet, resend to the other email address. Thank You.
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Here the scammer made it fairly clear that he had yet to receive the money. I suppose he was pretty excited by now, but I had other plans.
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Scammer:
Hello

Scammer:
You will have to send to the other email address.

Scammer:
Haven't received the payment confirmation yet, resend to the other email address. Thank You.

Me:
Which email?

Scammer:
(email address removed)

Me:
Oh okay cool I got your email. Thank you so much. I will let you know when the loan is in my account
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This last message is the beginning of how I introduce my hacker character, which requires quite a bit of finesse under most circumstances. Remember that seed I mentioned earlier? Now it was sprouting. I quickly sent the scammer the image I had created of the message I had supposedly received from the scammer's email address, and the image of the Western Union money transfer status.

To create the first image, I sent my character an email from a different email address, posing as the scammer. I told myself that the payment had been received, and that the loan was processing. Next, I took a screenshot of the message, then edited the displayed email address in a photo editor to display the scammer's email. Next, I left out the signature that the scammer had been using, which I hoped would give the scammer ammunition to use as an alibi later on when I would call his innocence into question.

The last finishing touch I added was to take a picture using my phone camera of the edited screenshot. This masks any impurities in the image, and makes the scammer call into question my abilities on a PC, which is important in order to hide the fact that I'm also the hacker. Since I can't even send him a screenshot, this adds an extra layer of believability. It also shows the scammer that I really entered his MTCN on the website when I also use this method to send him the online tracking image.



Finally, I sent the pictures to myself through Facebook Messenger to remove any EXIF or metadata that could lead the scammer back to me, and then sent them to the scammer, who was no doubt sputtering in disbelief, judging by his next replies.
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Scammer:
Confirm the Receiver's Name: (Name Removed)

Scammer:
(This message was just an image of the receiver name.)
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Now the scammer called me to tell me that he was not the person that had sent me the email of confirmation. I feigned disbelief, and maybe even a little distrust, but ultimately I allowed the scammer to believe that I trusted him.
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The next thing I did was to begin emailing the scammer from the hacker's email, being careful to use different a different set of verbs and adjectives than my victim character. Example: if I were to use the terms "police" or "transfer" as the victim, I'll instead say "de popo" or "payment."

Also, I use broken english in these exchanges, but also use very good english when faking exchanges between the hacker and my victim character in order to get the scammer to believe it is either A: more than one hacker, B: trying to point the scammer down the wrong path, or a combination of both. The ultimate endgame here was to make the scammer believe he was being framed for swindling money out of the victim. I use this technique as a way to distract the scammer from questioning my authenticity by making him waste time trying to prove his own innocence. Below you will find some of the exchanges between the hacker and the scammer.
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Hacker:
Hello my guy. Got de money from Mr. Dickensen. Now I need for you to play de game my way, and you will receive half of de fund. Do we have a deal? That's 900 dollars. Agree now, do not play de games. I know about you my guy.

Scammer:
Why are you doing this bro?

Hacker:
De same reason everybody does dis, money. Now we can make good brudders

Scammer:
Do not ignore me bruh email me now if you want de money
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At this point, my assumption was that the scammer would engage in a conversation with the hacker about how to acquire his cut of the money, but not actually do anything. In the short term, I was watering that seed of paranoia by vaguely hinting that I knew he was in West Africa. I knew this of course because of the date created field on a personalized .PDF document he had sent me. By comparing the differences between the given time, and the time here, I managed to locate his timezone. Note that VPN's rarely change the given time on a system, because they typically only mask online activities. It didn't take long at all for the scammer to begin messaging me back with broken English intermittently laced with some Yoruba.
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Scammer:
I WANT THE MONEY BRO

Hacker:
Then listen to me very carefully. Tell de maga there was a misunderstanding. Tell him your assistant did get it, you just found out. We do not need de popo involved. Then, you get de fund.

Scammer:
I dont understand explain better.

Hacker:
I said, tell de maga you gave de payment after all

Scammer:
Ok how will i get the money back?

Hacker:
We will do a money drop

Scammer:
HOW?

Hacker:
Do you know de Tornado steak house?

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Something I feel the need to mention here is that I already knew this guy would never agree to go somewhere for a pickup, and even if he had agreed, I would not have allowed it with all of this COVID-19 business going around. My point is to waste this guy's time and frustrate him, not get him or his family hurt.
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Scammer:
You knw i need this and right now the client email is blocked i can't even reach anyone fck.

Hacker:
It is ok bruh you will make de pickup in person. Is de steak house not good for you? I treat you wit dinner

Scammer:
Not in Lagos so make transfer to me.

Hacker:
My friend, where is convenient. We don have to meet face 2 face, you must just get de pick up

Hacker:
If he call de popo west union will be looking for de money, so we don do transfer. It safer dis way

Scammer:
What should the client tell the western union that they should release the money?

Hacker:
Just tell de client your secretary has de payment after all, there was miscommunication

Scammer:
Can't even reach the client email harked, how do you intend sending me my part of the funds bro?
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And there it was. The scammer now totally believed in the ability of this hacker character. I also told the scammer that I had been locked out of my email and was unable to get back in. This made it easy for me to simply send him a message from the hacker while using my victim character's email to further advance the Scammer's paranoia. The next thing on my agenda was to drive home the illusion of my victim and hacker characters being two separate individuals. While the hacker and the scammer continued to fire off messages back and forth, I got on the telephone with the scammer as the victim, and feigned surprise and even a little fear when I "realized" the money had been withdrawn, but that the scammer did not have it. During the phone call, I sent him another edited image of the Western Union transfer tracker, this time with the bar all the way at the complete position. This phone call is titled "Part 1 - Voice Acting Bait" on my soundcloud. The direct link is underneath the Western Union Track a Transfer image.



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After some hurried alterations to his plans, the scammer now informed me that his company would cover the $1,800 activation fee, since my money had been stolen. Now all I had to do was pay the first month's fee. The following message, alongside a phone call demonstrated this plan to me. The scammer also instructed me to try and get the money back from Western Union as soon as possible, an idea he already believed was doomed to fail anyways.
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Scammer:
Good news the Transfer Department has decided to take full responsibility for the $1800 so the transaction is steady but please ensure you get a private email apart from your work email for this transaction this is for the Loan security. Stay safe and have a good night rest Eric.
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Back to the conversation with the hacker, things were not going the way the scammer had wanted. He still insisted that the hacker send him his money, and then informed the hacker that he could not reach the mugu.
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Hacker:
No sending, we do money drop. Where is convenient my friend

Scammer:
If you really want to give me then you should but if not ok bro.

Hacker:
Enough of dis game my friend. I know you are in West Africa. Don make me contact Fiber Grid bruh. A word of advice from de pro, don use firefox, chrome, etc cause dey leak you personal info. I no all about you. Play my way, or lose de money, an lose your privilege to run de game on my turf. I won allow it.

Scammer:
Is there something you want me to do before you give me the money because ure acting i like i have wronged you before.

Hacker:
You no wronged me nobody wrongs me. Dere is just rules to follow bruh. Tell de mugu you have de fund after all, make some excuse up. I don care. Den you get de cut of your money

Scammer:
I dont have means to contact him anymore because the email isn't functioning.

Hacker:
Did you jus lie to me? I can see de emails bruh, he have given you de phone number. Use de telephone and don play de stupid games anymore

Scammer:
I said i can't reach him because he wouldn't reply anymore, why did you spoil the job. You wa dey hustle dey spoil another man own. Trust me when time reach for you to hit large funds u go lose guard for another guy man.

Hacker:
My friend it is early in his place, de people still be asleep bruh. Now I don allow threats, but I give you de pass jus dis ONCE. Now, take care of de task I gave you, den we get you de drop location for de cut
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This discussion carried on like this for maybe half a day before the Scammer eventually told the hacker that he should await his pain and misery. After a drawn-out conversation about how the Hacker had locked the maga out of his email, the communication between the hacker and the scammer ended. I tried repetitively to get him to respond throughout the entirety of the bait, to no avail. After the following excerpt, the bait continued only through my victim character. But the damage had already been done. The scammer began watching over his shoulder from here on out, displaying obvious paranoia about future transactions.
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Scammer:
I don't intend using that anymore bye and await your pain and regret soon.

Hacker:
Do you tink I am stupid? I allowed his email back open, and see already communication.

Hacker:
Now dat we understand each other, do de task, and you will get de funds you earn

Scammer:
Idiot. d mony go finish, as you spoil this job and the client mind towards me, Work go hard you.
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Moving forward now, the scammer would constantly remind me to be careful, and offer continued advice about keeping this situation from occurring again.
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Scammer:
You really have to be careful when sending the balance payment and your loan too.

Me:
Yeah, this is really freaking scary, all my banking stuff is in my email

Scammer:
Are you there?

Me:
Yes I'm here

Scammer:
Name: (Name Removed)
City: Pensacola
State: Florida
Zip code: 32503

Scammer:
The Transfer department as agreed to take care of the $1800 because we understand this wasn't your fault.

Me:
Thank you so much guys

Scammer:
$2896 is the balance payment and when sending split so it won't delay. $1450 and $1446
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As one can see above, after finding out that Western Union would not refund my money, the scammer had then given me the go-ahead to just make the first monthly payment, and I eagerly informed him that I would do that, so the scammer informed me that he would give me the banking information the following morning for making a bank to bank transfer, and that I should call him prior to making the deposit. I thought to myself, "how could I best anger the scammer without blowing my cover?" The inspiration must have came from God himself.

The next morning, I sent myself a small series of text messages from my baiting number to my real phone number, replying in turn with the real number. I was careful to make sure the thread was just long enough that I could capture the entire thing in one image, but also long enough to fill the entire screen to prevent the scammer from wondering where the previous messages were.

I timed this exchange to occur when I knew the scammer was still sleeping, that way I was able to capture the entire exchange without having to explain why the actual scammer's messages did not show up in the thread. When this exchange was finished, I texted my real number and the scammer the exact same message from my baiting number at the same time, which was approximately one hour after the message stating that I was leaving to make the transfer.

Knowing the scammer's sleep schedule here was once again extremely important, because I needed to plausibly be able to make a transfer in the time frame proceeding his waking-up so he didn't have time to message me and tell my character he had not sent those messages.

Also, this sequence of events needed to coincide with reasonable banking hours. Thankfully, his sleep schedule just barely overlaps with 6 AM in my character's location.

Another part of the plan here was to showcase to the scammer that I was using a real phone number, as in my experince, scammers become suspicious when their potential vicitms use VOIP numbers. Next, the exchanges immediately after the scammer finally woke up can be viewed below.
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Me:
Alright it's done! Let me know when my loan is processed please

Scammer:
Hello

Scammer:
What is done?

Me:
Hello, I can't pick up right now I'm back at work

Me:
The bank draft

Scammer:
I don't remember giving you a bank account details yet

Me:
You did this morning

Me:
Remember?
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I then took a screenshot of the exchange under my real phone number's message thread after changing my device's timezone to my character's corresponding zone, then swiftly edited the contact phone number at the top to show the scammer's number instead of my baiting number. Here is the previously mentioned screenshot. I sent it to the scammer.


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Scammer:
From this number?

Me:
Yes?

Scammer:
No that's not from us again

Me:
What?

Scammer:
Please you have to call the bank again

Scammer:
Pick your call?

Scammer:
That's not out number

Me:
I can't I'm at work, not even supposed to have my phone. What do you mean not from you

Scammer:
Call the bank

Me:
Yes it is, I'm replying to the same message thread now

Scammer:
Company Number: (Number removed)

Scammer:
Call the bank now not to post the funds you have to

Scammer:
Something is wrong we got a new information from you again

Scammer:
And we didn't respond because this wasn't your number

Me:
Thats the number i got the messages from look and see

Me:
(Here I sent the scammer the same image of my message thread.)

Scammer:
Ok just call the bank to terminate the transfer now

Me:
What why? What is going on??

Scammer:
Just call the bank someone sent us a new bank details for the loan. Can the bank and ask them told the deposit you made

Scammer:
Just do as i say now or your loan will be transfer to another bank account. After you said you where on a date yesterday we never spoke again

Scammer:
Just fine a way lets talk now you recognize my voice.

Me:
Okay I'll call them

Scammer:
ok

Me:
Yeah I was up late and figured you were sleeping. Then you messaged me this morning as I showed you
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As one can see, my elaborate ruse to exacerbate the scammer and at the same time "prove" once again that I was a separate entity from the hacker had worked without even a hitch. He was now texting me back with panicked and even demanding messages, telling me to get ahold of the bank and cancel the transfer, or at least switch it to his account. Ultimately, I told the scammer that he would need to send me a document giving the bank written consent to switch the transfer account. That document can be viewed here.


At this point, I told the scammer that I had called the police because my bank account had been drained, and that the money could not be switched to his account because it had already been withdrawn. I told the scammer that the police had names, and I gave him the supposed names, hoping that maybe he would believe there to be a network of these people, and not just one hacker. It worked. The scammer was also fed the hacker's real name: Patrick Adobe. Furthermore, the scammer and I drew the conclusion that the hacker had gotten my banking information from my hacked email, as that is where I had originally sent them. I had also sent a blank template of the color black, saying it was my ID that the scammer had accepted, so I now ascertained that the hacker had used my ID to get into my bank account.

In the end, I informed the scammer that the police could not do anything. If this man had been in Nigeria, we could have had him arrested, but since he had fled into Cameroon, there was nothing that could be done because Cameroon does not have the legal authority to extradite to Nigeria, and that because the crime had happened in Nigeria, the United States could not extradite from Cameroon. That information is actually true, in case anybody is wondering.

So now, I had essentially been robbed blind of $4,700 dollars that I had tried to send directly to the scammer, on top of my now depleted bank account. Now, it was necessary to give the scammer hope that I could still come up with the money that I needed for the loan.
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Scammer:
How are you friend?

Me:
I am well! Hey I can finally show you some of my work, I'm emailing a video to you, just dont show anyone, I could get in trouble

Scammer:
Trust me I wont I had to get you that private email

Me:
Excellent, okay I'm sending it now! I may actually have a business deal for you if you're interested. You'd get a cut of total profits. You're a good man, and you deserve it

Scammer:
Wow really? I would appreciate that.

Me:
We can speak more tonight, but all you would need to do is a bit of voice acting, we are shorthanded. You interested?

Me:
I personally recommended you to HR. I'm the team leader so I can request anyone's file

Scammer:
Ok let's talk a about it tonight when you arrive home.

Me:
Sure! Let me know what you think of the game, this is what you would be voice acting for

Scammer:
So how is this done?

Me:
I'd have to turn your application in, then just get some recordings of you doing the quotes. My team then puts it in the game as zombie sounds after some enhancing

Scammer:
Wow, I will think about it but I think this is good

Me:
You should do it, you'll make a pretty decent paycheck, they offered 3% of all total profits on the first 10,000 sales for 1st timers

Me:
You'll never get another opportunity like this

Scammer:
Ok my friend let's talk more about this tonight

Me:
Yes, I'll text you shortly before my call
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Previously, I had informed the scammer that I work for the team that creates Call of Duty: Zombies. That seems like a pretty ludicrous claim at first glance, but the truth of the matter is I actually do design custom zombie levels on my computer. Basically, I am able to pose as a game designer and even "leak" footage of future releases to convince scammers of authenticity.

I had also requested the scammer to fill out a job application which I created by editing an application from an existing business, but the scammer was being lazy, so we moved on for the time being. The time was set for later that evening.
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Me:
I have a list of quotes, I'll guide you through them, and you'll need to make some monster sounds, etc. This is a zombie game after all!

Scammer:
Send me the quotes for rehearsals lol

Me:
Alright, your quotes are mostly voodoo related things, I'll send you the list

Scammer:
Ok send it

Scammer:
Hahaha

Me:
1. I cast you! (Use a guttural, grinding voice)
2. Hell fire (loud, deep voice)
3. madichon pou ou (curse to you)
4. ou pral peri nan glas la (you will perish in the mirror)
5. Lespri a nan Evaris (the spirit of death!)

Me:
Almost done, I'll be calling you shortly. Take a few minutes to practice
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Now it was time for the recording session. Unfortunately, the preliminary discussion did not get captured, as my recording software had stopped inexplicably, but I got the entirety of the voice recording experience of this guy making monster sounds and saying curses, and even making machine gun and explosion noises with his mouth. I also got written and verbal consent to record this guy. For the record, I plan to actually use this audio at a later date for a zombie level I'm designing to raise awareness for advance-fee fraud. Why not try to make something positive of this hilarity? Below the links to part 1 and 2 of this approximately 20 minute long recording session can be viewed. After the session was over, I told the scammer I needed to hurry up and get the audio prepared for the game release, which was supposed to be that night.





I'm sure this guy felt pretty accomplished. I couldn't wait to put this gold to use. The next morning however, I had something other than joy prepared for the scammer.
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The next morning, I informed the scammer that although his audio was very good and usable, my boss would not allow for me to use it without the scammer being an employee of Triple-Arch Studios. So he finally agreed to fill out the job application. Now here I made one of the few mistakes of this bait: I sent the scammer the unedited job application, but it didn't matter in the end, the scammer took a trip to a library or cyber-cafe and printed the document, filled it out, then came back and sent a picture of the application to me.




Imagine the scammer's frustration when I informed him that he'd filled out the incorrect application. But even if he had been frustrated, he still kept his cool. I explained that we had bought the patent for the application off of this company, and that the HR guy hadn't edited it yet. I then sent him the correct application, and he actually took the time to go back to wherever it was that he had went, repeated the process, then came back and sent me the new form.




A bit later on, I tried to rub some extra salt in the wound by expressing my extreme disdain towards my boss, as the company had gotten shut down by the CDC prior to the game premier, preventing me from collecting the fee I needed to pay the scammer. Even still, this guy still kept his cool!
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Scammer:
Were you able to make the sales as planned?

Me:
No, the CDC shut us down, we were literally submitting it

Scammer:
Oh sorry about that.

Me:
If my idiot boss hadn't been putzing around with pieces of paper job applications we could have had it released before being shut down

Scammer:
Yeah that's true.

Me:
I could strangle this idiot right now

Scammer:
Not to worry soon you will be your own boss and do things your way.

Me:
Not to worry soon you will be your own boss and do things your way.
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Then a bit later on, these gems were exchanged.
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Scammer:
You have to figure out something, your boss loves delay I guess haha

Me:
I swear his sole purpose for existing is to ruin my life

Scammer:
So we have to act differently in getting your own studio ready.

Me:
We could have had it done BUT NOOOO he was whining about paper and demanding you waste your time time filling out not one, but two job applications, which are literally the same application, just with a different logo slap pasted on it. So pointless and redundant

Scammer:
I was surprised but I had to do it for my friend.

Me:
I'd be ready to murder somebody if I was you

Me:
I hate this prick I wish he would lose his job

Scammer:
Hahaha
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Moving on now from the closure of the studio, I had to yet again come up with some more funds to initiate the loan. So what did I do? I decided it was time for my character to take a trip up north to see Mom and Dad, and Grandma of course! I told the scammer that I could get half the money, and we discussed whether or not we could do half of the loan for half price, since my parents could only lend me $900.

The scammer was hapless, and more than willing to fleece my family members blind, but then I encountered a moment where I actually thought to myself that maybe, just maybe, this guy had a heart, because as I explained to him that I'd get the money, he mentioned that he remembered me saying I was broke, and that I should use the money to take care of my own needs.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Me:
Yeah, I'm heading to my parent's house, they're gonna lend me some money

Scammer:
Ok, you already talked to them about it?

Scammer:
Hope they're doing great today?

Scammer:
You let me know when all is set so I can inform the transfer department immediately.

Me:
Yes, I think they're gonna lend me 900 dollars

Me:
They are well, I haven't seen them since all thos COVID-19 stuff

Scammer:
Ok, you should manage the $900 for your up keep i remember you saying you didn't have funds.

Me:
What do you mean my friend

Scammer:
I mean you should manage the funds and take good care of yourself because I know you don't have funds

Me:
I mean you should manage the funds and take good care of yourself because I know you don't have funds

Scammer:
Well once I have the loan I'll be fine though

Scammer:
That's true. So what are you plans regarding the loan?

Me:
Well, I could send this money tomorrow, if you could initiate the first half of the loan, 150 thousand. I know I only have half of the money, but I really need this

Scammer:
I understand how important this is but not sure if half loan can be released because the approved amount was $300k
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And there I had been thinking maybe this guy at least had a small sense of guilt, or at least care towards his victim in the sense that he didn't want me to go hungry. But no, you can always count on the greed of these people. All he had actually been concerned with was that I could send him the full amount, as showcased in that last text message.

That conversation can be heard at the link below. Also in the second link, on the very next call, I attempted to form a bit of an emotional connection with this guy, sharing and experience I'd had on a mission's trip. I've discovered that playing on emotional connections forms an almost unbreakable bait, as they then think you view them as a friend.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


After a long drive back that included me getting lost, pooping my pants, and a knee injury, I finally "arrived" back home in Santa Monica on Sunday evening. I then called the scammer to confirm his bitcoin wallet details.


From there, I set out to send the payment through a BTC ATM. I used the time that I was supposed to be using the machine to create a fake image of a printed receipt, and of the display on the BTC machine after sending the funds.

Next, I called and informed the scammer that the payment had been made, and made sure that he understood that the payment could take up to 24 hours to deposit into his wallet, as the blockchains were overloaded due to panic related to COVID-19 mass hysteria.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Me:
I just got the email! Time to celebrate with some wine!

Me:
(This is a photo I took of the confirmation email that I sent to the scammer. It can be viewed below.)




Scammer:
Don't response to any email not until i have confirmed ok.

Scammer:
Don't response to any email not until i have confirmed ok.

Scammer:
This is the only email you have received since yesterday?

Me:
Yes

Me:
Well at least related to this

Scammer:
OK.

Me:
I get tons of spam on a day to day basis, but this was the only legit one

Scammer:
Just making sure everything is done fast though we're still expecting the BTC payment to be confirmed.

Me:
I just had Jan trace the IP of the email, same device IP as all the emails you sent me from the beginning, so it definitely came from the same device

Me:
So there is no way its a hacker

Scammer:
No problem at all.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After an entire day of waiting for the payment to deposit into his wallet, the scammer was in for a rather rude surprise. I promptly sent the scammer an email, informing him that I had just gotten the confirmation email from his company. I hadn't of course, but I just wanted to see his reaction when he saw evidence that someone had once again been using his email address. To my surprise, he didn't immediately go off the handle! Instead, over a phone call, he told me he had to check back with the "Transfer Department." What this tells me is that this guy actually doesn't work alone! I immediately set about trying to turn them against each other.

Now, I introduced another character, Jan, who is the secretary at the company I work for, and she is a tech-support genius. The scammer and I then carried on an extremely long conversation via text message that involved Jan basically interrogating him through me. Some of the issues discussed were that Jan was able to discover that the hacker was using a Galaxy S8 device (note that I know that is also the model of phone that the scammer uses.) I then tried to induce more paranoia by strongly suggesting that his device wasn't hacked, but rather someone was using his phone while he slept, since Jan had "detected" that their was only one device imprint on my bank account that had been hacked previously. After letting the scammer simmer for awhile, I then suggested that Jan and I suspected that the scammer was being framed for all of this thievery, a method that ultimately worked.

Later, I called the scammer and acted extremely annoyed with this whole situation, and yelled at him. This went on for nearly half an hour


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


After this failed attempt to get the payment to the scammer with Bitcoin, it was once again my duty to find more money to send. This time, Jan agreed to send 500 dollars with BTC since she shouldn't be hacked. Little did he know.

The next morning, the scammer messaged me asking when Jan woke up, and I eventually informed him that she was awake. Before too long, the scammer was emailing Jan about the instructions to send the Bitcoin payment.

When this payment was hacked as well, I had to come up with a way to get the money. It was time for the scammer to learn a shady secret about my character: I used to do adult movies. I informed this greedy thief that I could come up with the funds this way, even though I sincerely dislike doing it. The idea was to give the scammer yet another opportunity to show a bit of sympathy. But no, after a few minutes of frustrated talking, he enthusiastically encouraged me to do the shoot. You can hear part of that conversation here.


The next afternoon when the scammer called me, I gave him a verbal spanking, rebuking him for interrupting the shoot right at the climax, as is showcased here.




The next afternoon when the scammer called me, I gave him a verbal spanking, rebuking him for interrupting the shoot right at the climax, as is showcased here.

After supposedly completing the filming, I told the scammer I would have his money very soon, and we eventually agreed upon sending the $1,800 via Fedex overnight in the DVD case. I created a cheesy looking porno cover titled "Horsing Around," and burnt a DVD of a clip from a film where the main protagonist goes to a stud farm and rubs a horse off. I then drafted a note in broken English informing the scammer that the money had been taken while en-route to the receiver, and that instructions for how he could get his cut of the money were on the DVD.

Before sending the package, I figured I could harass the scammer as the hacker a bit more. Here is some rather hilarious messages. These are by no means a complete record, but I have included the best parts. Now, After threatening to sneak a change to the receiver address, I can't say I blame the scammer for being paranoid.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________






Scammer:
You want to change the receiver address idiot

Me:
Don tak to me dat way I spank dat ass

Scammer:
You're fool after all the money you took you still text me you must be stupid thinking you're smart my receiver already have the money you text Eric you want the address changed you're fooling yourself

Scammer:
Because the deed has been done

Hacker:
I don be fooled, you don no de way of de devil

Scammer:
He knows you're fool cool because I already received the money so what address do you want to change fool

Scammer:
Devil kill you




Scammer:
Good day smart ass. You can rot in hell and carry Eric alone fool. Make I go flex this funds bye Oga hacker

Scammer:
Mumu way turn work to quarrel cos of greed block you and Eric right away

Hacker:
You don have de bawls go dig ditches boi

Scammer:
Since you're richer go buy the world. This one pain you say I carry am abi?

Hacker:
I richer den you boi

Scammer:
Just for now fool. The future hold alot rich greedy goat

Scammer:
I swear dis one sweet me.

Hacker:
Don talk about de goat sex boi your fada teach de horse job

Scammer:
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Scammer:
E pain you even when you know say no be your money. GOAT

Hacker:

Scammer:
Make u and the mugu go die.

Hacker:
Don take dis out on de mugu you put him tru enough

Scammer:
Type in good English fool.

Scammer:
Having this number blocked bye. You're greedy I swear. If you want us to share funds next time stop look for greetings or big name. Foolish daddy





Scammer:
U don tire to jam the contact oga jammer.

Hacker:
Inwant peanut butter jammed in ur booty boi

Scammer:
Goat

Hacker:
Can you shave de goat pube down dere while you are in de ditch boi?

Scammer:
Rich fool. Atleast I collect this funds well. No let am pain you foolish boy what say he b daddy

Hacker:
I be de daddy horse boi

Scammer:
So feel free to contact him and be fooling yourself

Scammer:
I don't have interest again. Thank God for this man

Hacker:
Tank god you shave me goat pube wool
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alas, I ended up having to send the package via USPS ground, a process which took 3 days. When the receiver finally did receive the package, I was in for a treat. The scammer sent a series of text messages to me, obviously not too thrilled. Some of those messages can be viewed here.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Scammer:
Hello

Scammer:
You deceived me.

Me:
What are you talking about

Me:
What is going on???

Scammer:
Don't act like you don't know.

Scammer
(Here the scammer sent me 3 images, one of the note, and the other two of the DVD and it's case.)


Scammer:
You made me believe you were real bro. You're smart

Scammer:
(Here the scammer sent me a screenshot of part of the conversation he had been having with his receiver. She was apparently very upset. This image can be seen below.)


Scammer:
Have a nice day bro.

Me:
That isnt my DVD, the case is mine but the DVD is different!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At this point the scammer was call-bombing me, so I sensed yet another opportunity to harvest some frustration by pretending the calls weren't working, and then accusing him of doing to me the very same thing he was mad about me doing: wasting time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Me:
Answer your phone!

Scammer:
No call is coming through

Me:
I've called 3 times what is going on

Scammer:
Don't know

Scammer:
Stop the joke I know you're not real. Why will you even waste you time to send trash who does that.

Me:
What does that note say?? I didnt write a note. Where is the money

Me:
What about my loan?

Scammer:
What money?

Scammer:
Why did you send such a package?

Scammer:
And lied you sent money.

Me:
I told you the cash was in the DVD case, someone must have gotten it before you

Scammer:
Please stop saying trash. This was exactly what was delivered.

Scammer:
Have a nice day.

Me:
Let me guess you were getting the money all along, you stole from me and now I'm broke

Scammer:
How can you ignore what am saying and you're saying this.

Scammer:
You gave the delivery agent this...

Me:
Ignore what?? What are you talking about

Me:
Please you have to believe me this isn't my fault

Me:
Answer your damn phone

Scammer:
I cant see any call

Me:
Whatever, I'm gonna call you at lunch then, but you have to believe me, I dont recognize that DvD

Scammer:
Please I'm no longer In this because you all seems to be talking about horsing. I think you all work at same place.

Me:
What?? I told you I didnt even want to do it. It was to come up with YOUR fee. Now when will loan deposit

Scammer:
On the DVD is a horsing photo how did that get there?

Me:
The cover for my film, remember I did an adult video with a horse, I degraded myself to get the money for my loan, but the DVD itself is different. It says something about instructions?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At this point it was pretty obvious to me that I had some work to do in order to convince this guy that I was legitimate. I now began sending the scammer a series of messages as the hacker from a different number at the same approximate time I called the scammer as myself, but I didn't really get a reaction as the hacker like before. Here is that call.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Now I obviously had some acting to do to win the scammer back over, so I called him later that same evening, and eventually convinced the scammer that the hacker was blackmailing me, threatening me with exposing my secret career as an adult film actor. I faked a panic attack with lots of crying, and he seemed to buy into it. But, having previously mentioned the dissatisfaction of his partners, he cut all ties with me for a while afterwards, but he did ultimately come back for more for a short time. Below you can hear the call where I faked a panic attack.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________