Is there a safe way to email money scammers?

[Blue Collar Guy]

So after relating my story of my friend being conned out of money to rid him of a "Hex"(no im still out the 1k). Then reading the unwanted text messages people get, i check my email. As usual i won 15 million British pounds, or a recently deceased relative left me 4,9 million U Dollors (their spelling not mine). I deleted them put them into the junk folder. But id like to have a prolonged email waste their time chat. Im worried if i email them back with "So what color is this Jaguar i won?", or "I dont want my wife to find out i won 15 Million British pounds." I know enough to not open any links, but if i just email them can i get a virus, Trojan, worm, rook, malware ,FBI warnings that im going to jail if i dont pay etc, or have my computer taken over? Thanks. I need some one with tech know how, not the I get this too stuff. Thanks hahah. My goal is too waste their time and let them think im a fish,

[Music Lover]

Check out this site:

419 Eater - The largest scambaiting community on the planet!

[jonat]

I wouldn't do this. Some malware can be activate just by opening the email.

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonat I wouldn't do this. Some malware can be activate just by opening the email.

Thanks

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover Check out this site: 419 Eater - The largest scambaiting community on the planet!

I'm too scared to click on that link!!!

[UnrealizedPotential]

I know it's tempting to pay them back for wasting your time in a scam email, but I think the bottom line is to just not answer them. No one, not even scammers will pay attention to someone who ignores them.

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 I'm too scared to click on that link!!!

It's just a forum dedicated to wasting the time of people who send email scams.

[sengsational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonat I wouldn't do this. Some malware can be activate just by opening the email.

Although anything is possible, it's unlikely. If you interact with the scammer in a web-based email client, very unlikely. And primarily, one would have to presume that not only was the scammer trying to run the swindle scheme, but was concurrently running a scheme to install malware....two different things. Not impossible, but, like I said, not very likely.

EDIT: But I agree with all of OldShooter's comments in the post below. Especially, if you interact, you obviously disclosed that you're a live person reading email at that address, making it more likely you'll get more spam.

[OldShooter]

If you reply to a scammer's email, he is a happy guy. He has just verified an email address, which means that he can sell the address profitably to other scammers. Remain silent.

The other thing to watch is to make sure your email reader does not automatically download images when you open an email. A very common thing is for a scammer to include an invisible one pixel image in the email with a url that enables him to verify that your email address is a good one when your email reader downloads the image. The image URL will be something like "codedemailaddress.image.scammer.com" You do not want to verify your email address for him. If you have images disabled, your email reader will ask for each email whether you want to download images. You can give permission for emails where you know the sender, but for others (including normal advertising emails) you probably do not want confirm to the sender that you have opened the email. This just encourages them or, worse, allows them to sell it.

Another thing that is useful sometimes is to use "burner" email addresses. This is a one-time address that you use, for example, when you want to register at a site where they won't register without confirming your address but you don't want them to have or to sell your "real" address. I use Slippery Email - One-click, read-only burner mailboxes You just go there anonymously and they give you a burner address and a mailbox that only takes incoming mail and then only for a short time. The site sends to that address, you respond to the link they send, and you're gone.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover It's just a forum dedicated to wasting the time of people who send email scams.

OK - now that I have that info I might be brave enough to click on that link. Thanks!

[bjorn2bwild]

To answer the question posed in the OP, yes. (Talking about the mechanics here).
Download (may take several tries, after all it is DOD.MIL) a Trusted End Node Security ISO and burn to a CD. Boot from this and do whatever. It is designed to protect from any corruption to the hard drive. In fact it can be booted without the hard drive installed.

https://spi.dod.mil/download.htm

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild To answer the question posed in the OP, yes. (Talking about the mechanics here). Download (may take several tries, after all it is DOD.MIL) a Trusted End Node Security ISO and burn to a CD. Boot from this and do whatever. It is designed to protect from any corruption to the hard drive. In fact it can be booted without the hard drive installed. https://spi.dod.mil/download.htm

Wow thanks. Im positive ill need help doing that from my son, but when he visits ill ask him to do this for me.

[Jerry1]

Here. Watch this and don't do this at home.

https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veit...aign=tedspread

[Blue Collar Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry1 Here. Watch this and don't do this at home. https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veit...aign=tedspread

OMG i read this to my wife, we were hysterical

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry1 Here. Watch this and don't do this at home. https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veit...aign=tedspread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Collar Guy OMG i read this to my wife, we were hysterical

That's great. Love the part of KitKat.

I wouldn't do that myself, takes up too much time and energy.

But Blue Collar Guy,

If you decide to give a try, as the speaker said, definitely use a throwaway type email. Also, as others mentioned use something to keep away from your hard drive. For example, use a LiveCD and browse from that for each correspondence. Or better yet, if you have a spare PC that you don't mind restoring from a clean copy when the "adventure" is over, only use that to be extra safe.