419eater.com419eater.com is a scam baitingwebsite which focuses on advance-fee fraud. The name 419 comes from "419 fraud", another name for advance fee fraud, and itself derived from the relevant section of the Nigerian criminal code. The website founder, Michael Berry, goes by the alias "Shiver Metimbers". As of 2013, the 419 Eater forum had over 55,000 registered accounts.
ScamA scam, or a confidence trick (shortened to con), is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ...Bogus escrowThe bogus escrow scam is a straightforward confidence trick in which a scammer operates a bogus escrow service. Escrow services are intended to ensure security by acting as a middleman in transactions where the two parties do not trust each other.
Technical support scamA technical support scam, or tech support scam, is a type of scam in which a scammer claims to offer a legitimate technical support service for computing devices connected to the Internet. The scam may be intimated by a cold telephone call from the thief to the victim, or victims may contact scammers in response to a fake pop-up resembling an error message, or via fake "help lines" advertised on websites operated by the scammers.
Trojan horse (computing)In computing, a trojan horse or trojan is a kind of malware that misleads users as to its true intent by disguising itself as a normal program. Trojans are generally spread by some form of social engineering. Although their payload can be anything, many modern forms act as a backdoor, contacting a controller who can then have unauthorized access to the affected device. Ransomware attacks are often carried out using a trojan.IRS impersonation scamAn IRS impersonation scam is a class of telecommunications fraud and scam which targets American taxpayers by masquerading as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collection officers. The scammers operate by placing disturbing official-sounding calls to unsuspecting citizens, threatening them with arrest and frozen assets if thousands of dollars are not paid immediately, usually via gift cards or money orders.Internet vigilantismInternet vigilantism is the act of carrying out vigilante activities through the Internet. The term encompasses vigilantism against alleged scams, crimes, and non-Internet-related behavior.Something AwfulSomething Awful (SA) is an American comedy website hosting content including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so did its contributors and content. The website has helped to perpetuate various Internet phenomena, and it has been cited as a significant influence on Internet culture.
EmailElectronic mail (usually shortened to email; alternatively hyphenated e-mail) is a method of transmitting and receiving digital messages using electronic devices over a computer network. It was conceived in the late–20th century as the digital version of, or counterpart to, mail (hence e- + mail).
EBayeBay Inc. ( EE-bay, styled as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. Sales occur either via online auctions or "Buy It Now" instant sales, and the company charges commissions to sellers upon sale. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in September 1995.Disposable email addressDisposable email addresses (DEAs) are unique email addresses employed for specific contacts or uses. The term may refer both to alias- or forwarding-based addresses and to temporary email addresses or temporary inboxes created for short-term use, often with a planned lifespan measured in minutes, such as 10 to 60 minutes.
SchadenfreudeSchadenfreude (; German:; lit.Tooltip literal translation "harm-joy") is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of the troubles, failures, pain, suffering, or humiliation of another. Schadenfreude is a loanword from German. The closest word in English would be gloat. Schadenfreude has been detected in children as young as two years old and may be an important social emotion establishing "inequity aversion".*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.