A COMPUTER expert is waging war against Internet con artists by baiting them with a sport he calls "scambaiting".

The 41-year-old Atherton computer engineer is turning the tables on the Nigerian sob story fraudsters who try to obtain money by promising untold wealth to e-mail recipients naive enough to disclose their bank details.

Mike, who does not want to reveal his full name because he is dealing with computer criminals, started needling the e-mail fraud writers three months ago.

He now runs one of the Internet's largest and busiest websites: www.419eater.com

"It doesn't matter if people are new to this 'sport' or are hardened veterans," said Mike. "If they're wasting the time of a scammer or frustrating them in any way that's good enough.

"Scambaiting is entering into a dialogue with these people, simply to waste their time and resources."

Mike has been interviewed on BBC radio, has appeared on one of America's largest independent radio entertainment shows and has had an article published in this month's Readers Digest.

Mike said: "It started because I used to get a few emails and, although I knew it was a scam, I never knew how it worked. I did some research, found out about scambaiting and decided to have a go. It's now almost a full-time hobby for me.

"Much fun can be had and the site tells what scambaiting is all about as well as giving tips on getting started in the sport."