Name: This is what happens when you reply to spam email
Uploaded: 2020-10-23T13:51:31Z
Duration: 9 min 38 s
Description: Suspicious emails: unclaimed insurance bonds, diamond-encrusted safe deposit boxes, close friends marooned in a foreign country. They pop up in our inboxes, and standard procedure is to delete on sight. But what happens when you reply? Follow along as writer and comedian James Veitch narrates a hilarious, weeks-long exchange with a spammer who offered to cut him in on a hot deal.

James Veitch: This is what happens when you reply to spam email

This is what happens when you reply to spam email

Suspicious emails: unclaimed insurance bonds, diamond-encrusted safe deposit boxes, close friends marooned in a foreign country. They pop up in our inboxes, and standard procedure is to delete on sight. But what happens when you reply? Follow along as writer and comedian James Veitch narrates a hilarious, weeks-long exchange with a spammer who offered to cut him in on a hot deal.

Replying to scam emails can flip the script, wasting scammers’ time and turning the usual victim narrative upside down. One elaborate, weeks-long email exchange spun an outlandish gold shipment scheme into absurdity, with fake charts, secret candy codes, and questions about hummus investments. Playful persistence yielded not only laughter but also a glimpse into how scammers operate. Redirecting their attention can mean less time spent targeting vulnerable people.