James Veitch: This is what happens when you reply to spam email
James Veitch: Co się dzieje, kiedy odpowiesz na spam
For James Veitch, a British writer and comedian with a mischievous side, spam emails proved the perfect opening to have some fun, playing the scammers at their own game. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
to get through my spam filter.
but it turned up in my inbox,
called Solomon Odonkoh.
I want to share with you, Solomon."
propozycją biznesową. Solomon".
on the delete button, right?
I thought, I could just delete this.
Mogłem to po prostu skasować.
we've all always wanted to do.
na co każdy miewa ochotę.
Your email intrigues me."
"Solomon, zaintrygowałeś mnie".
We shall be shipping Gold to you."
wyślemy ci Złoto.
of any gold you distributes."
with a professional.
z zawodowcem.
with smaller quantity," --
lepiej chodźmy na całość.
going to do it, let's go big.
How much gold do you have?"
of how much gold I have,
your capability of handling.
as trial shipment."
at least a metric ton."
hedgingowymi w banku.
executive bank manager."
złoty kruszec, Przyjacielu,
I've shipped bullion, my friend,
via the postal service,
to convince my company
namówić moją firmę
with you on this one.
całkowicie cię rozumiem.
to take into the board meeting.
any statisticians in the house,
you'll find a helpful chart.
pomocny wykres.
run the numbers.
as much gold as possible."
na każdą ilość złota".
to tug your heartstrings,
gdy próbują poruszyć twoje czułe struny,
if the deal goes well,
jeżeli interes się uda,
a very good commission as well."
Na co wydasz swoją działkę?"
What are you going to spend your cut on?"
what about you?"
30 different varieties.
and you can dip them.
pokrojoną marchewkę.
my golden nugget, bonsoir."
mój złoty samorodku, bonsoir".
this had been going for, like, weeks,
że to ciągnęło się już kilka tygodni,
weeks of my life,
do you want to come for a drink?"
w sprawie złota".
an email about some gold."
to knock it on the head.
to a ridiculous conclusion.
I'm concerned about security.
coming up with this code
in all further correspondence:
Claim: Peanut M&Ms.
Roszczenie - M&M's.
they use, right?
in all further correspondence."
nazywaj mnie proszę Kitkatem".
I thought, I've gone too far.
Chyba posunąłem się za daleko.
So I had to backpedal a little.
Trzeba się ciut wycofać.
czy nasza umowa stoi?
and I am trying to blah blah blah ..."
próbuję bla bla bla...".
musisz użyć szyfru!"
I've ever received.
najlepszy mail w swoim życiu.
turned up in my inbox.
for the Gummy Bear --
Fizzy Cola Bottle Jelly Beans
żelki Cola Jelly Beans
as much time as could
jeszcze więcej czasu,
scam emails as I could?
replying to scam emails.
kiedy odpisujesz na spam.
who do mean things to scammers.
they're spending with me
scamming vulnerable adults
and I highly recommend you do --
a szczerze namawiam,
and it was a nightmare.
and have a thousand emails
was a legitimate response --
any day is a good day
that begins like this:
THE FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT."
BYŁEGO PREZYDENTA RPA.
OUT OF THE COUNTRY
45 MILIONÓW DOLARÓW
NELSON MANDELA'S HEALTH CONDITION."
MOJEGO MĘŻA NELSONA MANDELI".
this is a letter of authorization.
to list uwierzytelniający.
written on it, it's just a shape!
to tylko kształt !
I'm really sorry to hear of this.
trzy miesiące temu,
as fairly serious."
za dość poważny.
you can have, not being alive.
WITH MY BANKERS INSTRUCTIONS.
DO INSTRUKCJI MOJEGO BANKIERA.
NO WOMAN, NO CRY".
TRANSFER OF 3000 DOLLARS. ONE LOVE."
PRZEKAZ NA 3000 DOLARÓW. ONE LOVE".
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
James Veitch - Comedian and writerFor James Veitch, a British writer and comedian with a mischievous side, spam emails proved the perfect opening to have some fun, playing the scammers at their own game.
Why you should listen
Packed full of Nigerian princes, can't miss investment opportunities and eligible Russian brides, James Veitch's correspondence with email spammers leads to surprising, bizarre and usually hilarious results. Out of this experiment came his first book, Dot Con. In 2014, his first solo comedy show The Fundamental Interconnectedness of Everyone with an Internet Connection, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe to wide acclaim. His second show, Genius Bar, focussed on his time working for Apple, chronicles his attempts to fix his relationship using the same troubleshooting techniques he’d been using to fix iMacs, iPhones and iPods. He is currently writing his third show and preparing to tour the UK.
He lives in London with his full body pillow.
James Veitch | Speaker | TED.com