No, I didn't miss that detail. We've been debating that quite a bit. Please read earlier posts.

I'm also pretty positive all the emails do not come from one single computer. That's ridiculous.

Okay, to clarify (and please correct me if I'm wrong):

It's okay to convince somebody to write an entire novel by hand (something you've admitted you wouldn't want to do yourself, but is in no way harmful to them) because you suspect they may have done something illegal and immoral (but doing this to them is not illegal or immoral).

Is that your argument?

Despite the fact that you don't actually know me, let's say I'm everything you claim. And let's ignore the fact that devolving this thread with personal attacks is only counterproductive and does nothing to strengthen your argument.

I'm still waiting for an objective argument as to why it's okay to treat people this way. Anybody?

A pickle in my ass? Very mature. I'll assume then you don't have a valid argument for why treating somebody this way isn't wrong.

Does anybody who doesn't need to resort to personal attacks have anything to offer?

@Alex: I'm not debating any of what you're saying. What I'm saying is that doing this to somebody is wrong.

@ted: It's okay to harm somebody if it possibly teaches them a lesson? And what do you mean by "the pain they have caused many innocent people?" You don't know a single thing about the individual who's been scammed. This could have been the first time they tried to do it for all you know. Or maybe they've tried a thousand times and never been successful.

Nobody here has provided a single reason for why this isn't wrong. Is it karma? Sure. Is it funny? It can be, although I think it can cross a line into being sad very easily.

To say tricking somebody into copying an entire book by hand isn't harmful, I would ask you if you would mind having to do that. Is it only wrong if something tangible is taken? Labor has a value, too.

And it doesn't matter how wrong the scammers are (I think they're horrible for what they do). The actions one does to another are not made right or wrong by the actions of the other.

Is turnabout fairplay? Regardless, this isn't an example of turnabout. Somebody receives an email that they know is fake. It has caused them no harm. They could ignore it, but instead they take advantage of the person who had not actually done anything to them. What is that called?

Let's say a guy on the street offers me a fake watch at an inflated price. Hip to his con, I distract him, grab his wallet and run off. Am I a hero or just an asshole like him?

How are Nigerian scammers clever? Because they can trick idiots and be duped themselves? That doesn't sound clever to me.

Regardless of what you think of them – if they're the most brilliant and evil people in the world – how is scamming one of them morally acceptable for the other person?

It looks like a Lunchball: http://lunchballz.com
But slightly tastier.

I'll never understand how people scamming the scammers think doing so is any less wrong. The only difference I can see is that the Nigerian scammers are mostly uneducated and desperate (not to excuse their actions). Those scamming them appear to just be assholes.