These guys came up with a nice idea to getting one:

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This is really old but I had never seen it before, if it's well spread around these forums simply delete this thread I guess.

 

This is fucking epic. I've read one of these things before... but it was nowhere near this level of awesome. Getting a whole HP book handwritten by the scammers... <3

 

Ah, trolling the trolls in real life. Is there a greater calling?

 

Well, that was entertaining. Although they should have chosen HBP or DH...much more torturous to the scammers.

 

Coming back after thinking this over some more, I've come to the conclusion that these scammers either have no idea how much US currency is actually worth in the world market, or that they're completely retarded. Either one would explain some things, but still. Notice how the counter-scam was only slightly more convincing then the original? Handwriting database? I fail to see the purpose of such a thing. One hundred US dollars a page? There's 309 pages in my paperback copy of HP&SS, so let's say a little over thirty thousand, since I don't know which version the counter-scam used. Despite this, it was the mentioned four thousand bonus for copying the entire book that they jumped at? And this is without going into the ridiculous set-up or the fact that the scammers (from Nigeria if I remember correctly) offered more money then Nigeria actually HAS....

Either these guys are closer to monkeys then even Uncle Rukus (no relation) suspects, or something doesn't add up.

 

I could see someone actually using handwriting samples in that way - it would help OCR research a lot. But nobody would ever pay 100 dollars a page. You can write what, 3 or 4 pages a minute? 18000 dollars an hour is a bit of an absurd cost. Maybe a few pennies a page, at most.

 

........what? Am I a ridiculously slow writer, or does that seem like a page or 2 too many?

 

This. You also have to take into account hand/arm cramping after five or so pages.

Scam-baiting sounds like it would be a very enjoyable pastime, and something quite a few people here at DLP would excel at.

 

Not to mention constantly checking the book that your copying and making sure that your following the formatting rules.... My guess would be ten pages for two to three hours work, taking into account the fact that you'll probably screw up at LEAST once, and you're writing in ink.

 

I don't want to rain on the parade because this was lulzy, but surely you've seen this one.

Handwritten Harry Potter Book: Well played, to be sure.

Getting a guy to send his nephew to smuggle himself illegally into Darfur... sorry, but absolutely nothing outdoes that.