You know those spam-mails you get from Nigeria, promising riches if you help launder cheques or rescue frozen funds? Ever want to punish the sender? Me too.
The good folks at 419eater.com answer that email. Calling themselves "scam-baiters," they reply and compete to see who can tease the scam artists most. The more money and time they can con the con artist into investing—say, by flying somewhere and checking into an expensive hotel in anticipation of getting a big check that never materializes—the better the bragging rights on the web site. I love this.
And then there's the trophy room. Take a look. Here, scam artists are made to photograph themselves in humiliating positions (like holding up a sign that says "I have excess vaginal discharge") in order to prove their sincerity. I don't feel bad for them. They're crooks who are getting the least they deserve, and at first I was amused. But look at those photos and tell me how long it takes you to be made twitchy by the racial composition of the victim pool. I realize that these are merely the scammers who presented themselves, but still. It makes my white skin crawl.