I love as I’m typing this Jim Browning has released a brand new video. xD
I’ve been on this website a lot since 2017 or 2018. This has always been my go to website. Even if I always used to use it as a guest, I decided to make my account after what? 6 or 5 years? Anyways, I used to love calling them and wasting their time, and I still do it at times. However, times have changed since then and everyone is doing an amazing job for getting these scammer scumbags shut down.
However, as I re-enter the scene of Scambaiting, I need some tips again. I’m a user of Skype (still in 2024) I love Skype and I don’t think I’ll ever move away from it… Back then, I used to LOVE calling scammers on Skype with my friends in a Scambaiting Group. I wish I still had it and everyone was on Skype still. If you have Skype you can message me for it. Or comment.
First of all, yes I can use Skype for calling, but I would like to know if there’s any free alternatives which offer a desktop app like Bria and X-Lite. I haven’t really looked into them as much but most likely they’re paid. Most likely these are paid and right now my budget is pretty much £0. However I would like to use X-Lite but I’m not sure how it works, if it is free, etc. I would like to host my own phone on my own network and have it because able to make outbound calls and receive inbound calls (if possible) with my own caller ID.
Now then, I’m great at Virtual Machines, but you know with scammers how they can get when they find out that they’re in one. They’ll destroy it, or try to grab your IP address various ways. I would want a good method of them not pulling my IP address as well as them seeing VMware Virtual Platform or something in System Information.
If you have tips and guides (especially with the X-Lite stuff if that still works.) Do let me know and I will respond in the comments!
Hi and welcome (back). I recently summarized the topics you addressed (I’m not in the US so some things are different on my end), maybe helpful for you get get an overview:
1. General scambaiting tutorials
These 2 are the most useful tutorials (covering all kinda topics)
To get the Windows 10 ISO download the “Create Windows 10 installation media” tool, run it and it will create the ISO file (previously you could just download the ISO from their homepage).
Alternatively you can use a pre-made scambaiting ISO (I had some issues customizing it, but it’s cool):
Set a wallpaper (for those like me that didn’t know: even if your Windows is not activated you can right click on any image and hit “Set as desktop background”… right-clicking on the desktop to “Personalize” doesn’t work)
Create a scambaiting identity: Fauxid is the most extensive I found
3. Setting up a phone
To dip a toe in the scambaiting water I tried to start with free phone services from various posts but I also looked into some paid versions (Remark: Most of issues I experienced are because I’m not in the US)
Free phones
textnow (the most referred tool by scambaiters)
It’s close to impossible to create a working textnow account from outside the US. You CAN trick the Microsoft Store (with a VPN + setting your “Region” in Windows to US) BUT in order to create an account you need to download the app on your phone and you need a google account that is set to the US (same with google voice below). I also read that you need a US telecom provider like AT&T, … but I can’t confirm that.
Google Voice
The problem with using google voice from outside the US is not solved in just switching your VPN location. The bigger problem is that the google account itself is set to a different country. You CAN switch your location in the google account (only once per year a hidden in the depths of the settings) BUT as this might affect other apps that I’m using on my phone I did not risk going down that road. Creating new google accounts w/o having a new physical phone is close to impossible nowadays (and unfortunately everyone forces us to to sign in via google… one might think that this is on purpose ).
Skype
The free part of Skype is pretty easy to gain some experience in scambaiting, after registering you can directly call toll-free US numbers (800/888/877…) for free (just make sure to NOT link your private number to Skype).
The downside of the free approach is that you don’t have a number, so scammers might not pick up and they can’t call you back (which is a tactic sometimes with the toll-free numbers).
talkatone
Does not have a desktop version and I don’t want to get my mobile involved (and using an Emulator in parallel to the VM might slow down my PC).
I tried to install it on my phone anyway for testing and I was able to install it from the playstore, but it looks like you can’t sign up for new accounts anymore.
There more free phone services mentioned in different posts but most of them triggered my security programs so I did not test them any further (Globofone, freetring, poptox, citrustel, …).
In the end having your own scambaiting number(s) is the goal, so I looked at commercial alternatives:
Paid phones
Skype
You can rent a US number from outside the US, which costs around $7/month (I tried it but due to some payment issues with my credit card I have to start over again).
You can either buy Skype credits and pay per minute or use a subscription plan for around $3…10/month (just to get a feeling for the costs).
For a newbie like me this is the best way to start scambaiting (I don’t need several numbers in this stage)
I guess there are alternatives to Skype but I haven’t tried them yet.
Most posts advice to get a Softphone and a VoIP/SIP provider.
THIS IS WORK IN PROGRESS I WASN’T ABLE TO GET IT RUNNING YET
Softphone (free, I found 3 mentioned a couple of times)
ZoiPer free = 2 numbers / paid ($65) = unlimited numbers?
Without having a VoIP/SIP provider I can’t really say much about them.
VoIP/SIP providers (this is the paid part)
voip.ms
price indication: calls $0.01/min, per phone number $0.85/month
Drivers licence or passport needed (scanned)
Zadarma
price indication: calls $0.012/min, per phone number $2…4/month
Passport needed (scanned)
For the registration they need a working phone number for OTP + email (funny: they didn’t accept proton or Hotmail but 10minutemail worked )
Telnyx
price indication: calls $0.002/min, per phone number $1/month
Passport needed (via onfido)
I do understand the verification by scanning a document but this is a no-go for me in this stage:
I don’t know these companies
A scanned document might end up in someone else’s hands and (surprise) I might be scammed
I assume if I stop sh**ing my pants this is a good way to go…
Some posts I got the alternatives from (so thanks to the ones that posted em)
on more thing regarding the IP topic:
you should not bait without a VPN, that can be dangerous!
If you use a VPN it doesn’t matter if they see the VPN’s IP (the only thing that might happen: if they look it up they see you use a vpn… but you can make something up)
I use NordVPN and have my VMware set to NAT so the IP I set on my host is the same on my VM (and I can make it match to my identity).
Enable killswitch if your VPN has it (so it cuts off your internet connection if the VPN looses the server).
NordVPN is not free but I assume there’s a few free ones around as well.
I do have a Skype, but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to give that out here since scammers sometimes go on this website. I’ve used Skype for years and I still do use it. That was the first ever thing I began my Scambaiting on as well. Originally I used Skype before that. I do have Skype Credit but I use that only for emergencies if my phone goes out of service.
I do like the look of Counterpath X-Lite, apologies for not making the brand clearer earlier, it’s been ages since I’ve seen the software in use by scambaiters so I had to go rediscovering videos. xD I know some have had it for free somehow, and some have somehow set it up locally to call numbers with a caller ID but I’m not sure of how to do that. However, I’m from England so TextNow, Google Voice, etc aren’t readily available here sadly.
I took care of the Virtual Machine business since I know a lot about that stuff! It’s just the IP that I worry about because you know how scammers get when you prove them wrong in some situations.
You don’t really see the tech support scans going on that much but they are still there but it’s really hard to find some phone numbers.
I hope more people see this post as not a lot of people know how to begin again, especially me after so many years. If you have any solutions, guides or more let me know here and I can try them out, especially with the software for the phone!
I didn’t know that app but it looks like a paid softphone option (in my post there’s a couple of free alternatives like MicroSIP).
In addition to a softphone you need a VOIP provider (to get numbers and be able to call, those services are not free and you have to register using IRL information afaik).
If you already have Skype I’d recommend you rent a US phone number and a flatrate and use it for baiting (10 bucks a month), that’s what I did.
Regarding the IP
Please read what I wrote above, don’t bait without a VPN (and if you have one it doesn’t matter if they get your VPN-IP as you can change it)
Or comment.
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