First bait - diplomatic agent holds the keys to my fortune

A quick response was soon received from the scammer with a template email of course:

Dear Sir
I have a consignment registered on your name and am ready to deliver it to you. I am U.S diplomatic agent Howard Davies, am in charge of delivering your consignment box to your doorstep as instructed. I will immediately begin the final arrangements for the onward delivering of your funds to you without any further delay and the consignment will be dispatched to you.

Please kindly note that all the delivering expenses have already been paid but you will be required to pay only 350usd for "Narcotic permit sticker" over there at the airport upon my arrival. I will begin the delivery and I will call you as soon as i arrive because the authority will not allow me to proceed or meet with you without being legally cleared. Please call or sms me on +1 405-237-6001 for any question.
Thank You.
Herbert S.

But this wasn't quite clear enough for Humphrey who needn't a little clarification.

Hey Smith,

So what's in the package? Is it narcotics, because this is sounding a lot like narcotics?

I can't get locked up at my age.


Humphrey

And a bank account:

Here is the account details to wire 550$ payment. Please have it sent today to enable me move right away. I am on charge of this delivery and I promise a good job, you don't have anything to worry about just follow my instructions and directions.

Bank Details Below:

Bank name : reported
Bank address : reported .
Account number :reported
Account name : reported
Routing number :reported

Send me the payment slip or wire transfer write up as soon as you send it to enable me claim payment.
Thanks and I await.

Herbert Smith

Here is my id



Seems legit, so no reason not to pay the fella. 


Thank you.

Let me look into the transfer

Humphrey

Then a flurry of not a lot:

Herbert,
Awfully quiet from your end.
You pick up the monies okay? They told me they would be open until 9pm tonight, so I thought I would have had an update from you by now

Humphrey
I have been trying to reach [mule] you know is a holiday and I will get back to you soon.
Thank you
Herbert

Good man
Look forward to getting this done

Thank for your message.

[mule] email me yesterday saying his secretary will get me that payment you sent on his name, this way I can proceed with my delivery because his is out of town and will not be back till Friday that is when he will pick up the money you sent via MoneyGram.
Finally, Kindly reconfirm the address where you want me to make the delivery and also your direct phone number.
I await the delivery address.
Thanks
Herbert

Great news Herbert,
Please send to 63 /made up address/. I don't have a phone at the moment as I dropped it and smashed the screen. Hopefully it will be repairable, I am going into Timpsons tomorrow for an update.
Humphrey

Sir

[mule] said I should tell you to pick back the cash from moneygram and buy steam wallet gift card £100 each for that amount you send. Buy from 100 each. Then buy three cards I think so.
He said by the time he will get back the transaction will be expired. If you had told me before sending it via MoneyGram I would have stop you from buying it.
The good news is that [mule] secretary have given me the amount you sent. So please buy the gift card as requested let me send it to him.
I will be on my way to your address tomorrow and will inform you once am good to go.
Please let me know asap.
Thanks
Herbert

Howard
I don't think [mule] knows his onions from his apples. They told me that he has 14 days to collect the money, after which it automatically gets refunded to my account should he fail to do so. He can call the number #MG to arrange a direct transfer. All this was on the slip. Was he too lazy to read it, or do you think he is taking you for a ride?
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow
Humphrey

Very nice bait, congrats! 

You don't have to have very high expectations from the beginning. Scambaiting is an art that is learned over time.
The fact that your scammer believed your story and spent some money with MoneyGram HotLine is a great achievement and you can be proud of it.

The second stage:
- he will come to you and ask YOU to get that transaction control number. Of course, this is not possible, because the security system recognizes the country code and accepts only calls made from the scammer's country.
- your character is of course outraged by this embarrassing situation, so he goes to the MoneyGram office to ask for explanations.
- we will find out with pleasant (for us) surprise that the money is locked in the electronic payment security system for 21 days (3 weeks)... only after that you will be able to withdraw it.
- of course, if you will want the money to be withdrawn immediately (so that you can make another payment to him, through the bank or Western Union), then there is the possibility to make a special request. There are certain documents that must be completed by the scammer. Have him write a (hand) request in which he explains in detail why he failed to get the money. How many times he called the MoneyGram line, on what days, at what hours, what answer did he receive... make him remember everything and be frustrated. 


At the end, you can send him a document stating that the money has been withdrawn from the system, so you will accuse him of fraud and lying.
The Receipt attesting that the money was delivered can also be obtained from the same topic with the MoneyGram hotline (Supporting tools).
In the meantime, you can ask him to call you and explain everything to you... you give him Lenny's phone number and say he's your father and he has Alzheimer's. The scammer must be polite and patient with the old man.

Stage #3:
- you tell him that you want to make the payment by electronic transfer and you ask for an bank account... of course, you will have questions about the real beneficiary of that account.
- then you tell him that you went to the bank and that you made the payment... he will obviously ask for the "receipt", and you will laugh at him and you will say that in 2021 the bank transfers are made electronically... he must check that bank account, because the money will get there in 24-48 hours.
- after 2 days, because the money did not reach the scammer's account, of course you can go back to your bank and talk to the cashier. The cashier is a very kind young Nigerian who will ask you for the scammer's email address... you will be able to play also the role of the cashier and tell the scammer that the money was stolen and that you know he is an idiot. Eventually, the nigerian cashier proposes to the scammer to work together and steal the client's money (yours).

bobilili,

1. For an easier viewing of the story, you can use the quote function and / or different colors for the messages of the different characters.
2. Don't forget that YOU control the game and that YOU make the rules. It doesn't matter what the scammer wants, as long as "the money is in your pocket".

- If he's very busy and doesn't have time to call MoneyGram, fine... that means he has other more important business and your character feels neglected.
- Of course you will say that you will look for another partner who will be able to take the problem seriously and appropriately.
- All the scammers suddenly become very docile if they feel the danger of someone else stealing their "client".

Nice bait, dandelion! Congrats on the bank account and you can put a in your signature line for reporting it. I better get a pair of glasses as this one passed by my detection until today. 

I look forward to your next one.

Thanks for sharing this, you have him thoroughly frustrated by now.



On the top of the page you see "Profile", go there. Then on the right side you see a button "edit profile". Go to the tab "personal". In the field "signature" you write:

:bank:

Hit the save button at the bottom and you'll have the icon (description for desktop browser)
I helped you out a bit and it's there already.

Enter 'The Director'. I'll be amazed if this is not the same scammer, so I will make sure that I insult Herbert quite frequently. 
Of course, the mule was not too lazy to get the payment last time. He spent over an hour with the moneygram bot before giving up. 

Suddenly, I picked up a Knighthood from somewhere
As we approach the weekend, Marston will become more and more disappointed at the lack of an additional $1650 going through his mule. 

Birlic Certainly a good idea! I was looking for a way to change things up at the weekend, when payment was mysteriously missing in the banking system. He is too comfortable at the moment, so I certainly want to raise his blood pressure again. Appreciate your input and experience always. 

Fake nasty Abayomrunkoje strikes 
My phone called straight away. I didn't answer, because it is late and my wife is asleep in the room . Would have been fun, he can wait until tomorrow. 
My sister is +LILY. 

This is followed by a slightly delayed email from the original diplomat