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Thread: Tracking an Nigerian Email

  1. #1
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    Tracking an Nigerian Email

    Like all of you, I have received my fair (if not more) share of Nigerian email scams. My question is: I'm trying to trace some of these hoax emails and have heard terms such as traceroute or whois and others but am not quite sure what they are or what to do with them. What I'm looking for is something to tell if these emails are really originating from Nigeria. How do you do this?

  2. #2
    Mod w/ an attitude Sterling_Aug's Avatar
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    You don't need any fancy stuff, simple look at "view souce" in your email options. The route, all email servers, etc will be visible in the email header.

    Unfortunately, all of these scams are spoofed thru another email server, so it is a fruitless task trying to trace them.

  3. #3
    Hail to the Victors dajogejr's Avatar
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    Yeah, Wangel... it's an utter waste of time.
    Unless you have too much money to waste tracking this down and involve the FBI..

    I get those at home all the time (2nd spam email account) and once in a while at work.

    Spammers hard at work...

  4. #4
    Administrator Steve R Jones's Avatar
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    If you really want to have fun, email them back and string em along like you want to help out;-)
    "Vegetarians live up to nine years longer than the rest of us...Nine horrible, worthless, baconless years."

  5. #5
    Hail to the Victors dajogejr's Avatar
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    Yeah...good point. That's almost as good as stuffing a junk mail (postal mail) envelope full of junk mail, and sending it back to them....good stuff.
    Just use a spare or junk email address....

  6. #6
    Mod w/ an attitude Sterling_Aug's Avatar
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    They are looking for valid email accounts. I prefer NOT to string them along.

  7. #7
    Registered User mireland's Avatar
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    I don't think even our GOVERNMENT can figure this out!

  8. #8
    Mod w/ an attitude Sterling_Aug's Avatar
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    They usually are NOT even from Nigeria. That is part of the story.

  9. #9
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    Personally, I think that everyone who receives one of these letters should 'string them along'. What do you think would happen if they started getting 1000 more emails that they have to personally keep track of and respond to? I feel sorry for the many grandma's and grandpa's who just got into computers and are receiving these email and do not know what to do. Some allow their greed to get the best of them and others believe they are really helping someone in need. I feel is actually part of my duty as a computer user to waste these scammers time and money by jerking them around as much as possible. I would rather they waste their time on me than bothering my grandma and her web TV.

  10. #10
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    Just delete the spam and forget about it. It’s probably spoofed to high heavens and back again anyway and frankly I couldn't give a toss where it originates form it all ends up in the same place. The BIN. Don't even give them the courtesy of reading it.
    Get yourself a good Bayesian Spam Filter and most of this spam will never bother you again. Anyone who responds to these blatant underhanded attempts to separate you from your cash deserves exactly what they get IMO.
    Last edited by Kandar; 12-29-2005 at 07:23 AM.

  11. #11
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    Like people have suggested you could try a bit of spambaiting - see http://www.419eater.com/

  12. #12
    Member Kandar's Avatar
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    Don't bother. Just bin it. Wasting their time involves wasting yours and I for one have better things to do.

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