Personally, I don't think it's very convincing. You're offering a LOT of money, which instantly sends a red flag. Your fake bait shop can't even afford a web site or directory listing, but it can afford to spend that much money on a picture? It doesn't add up. And the way you explain how you want everything done and then say "I will give no money in advance", it sounds like a set-up. Especially since you are giving a stipulation for the donation. What you need to do is explain that you can't simply give the money away, but if he is willing to take some promo pictures, you can offer to pay him a reasonable amount. If you manage to trick someone with that e-mail, they must be very gullible.
And like I said, this sort of talk is better off at the 419 forum. Although entertaining, I'm not certain that this sort of discussion is necessarily appropriate. Even if I feel that this reverse scamming is justified, it is considered illegal because you are technically trying to pull scams on people. In fact, you are even seeking them out, which is exactly what they do. I'm not sure what country you live in and what the laws are like there, but this forum is maintained in USA and abides by US laws. And in this country, we typically don't rationalize eye-for-an-eye crimes, unless it is a special case.
I could be wrong, but I believe if proof were provided, you could possibly be charged and arrested for this. Don't me get me wrong; I think these scammers totally deserve it...I just don't think this is the right place to discuss scamming methods, regardless of the reason. I mean, we don't tell people how to retrieve passwords because of how the information can be misused, right? This isn't any different. So, from now on, I think it's best to stick to the 419 Eater FAQ. And if you have any questions or want comments, you should probably post it on their forum. Unless, of course, Nathan disagrees with me on this.
