Main Highlights
Veitch recounts an extended exchange with “Solomon Odonker,” a supposed gold dealer, pushing the scam to comically exaggerated levels and then introducing a playful “security code” that the scammer hilariously adopts. He broadens the lens to describe three years of replying to various scams, arguing the ethical value of consuming scammers’ time while advising on practical safety.
- Gold scam storyline: 25 kg → 50 kg → “at least a metric ton,” complete with a spoof “chart” to persuade the scammer’s “board.”
- Human hooks: Scammer’s commission and plans for real estate; Veitch’s deadpan “hummus” response to spending plans.
- Candy code words: “lawyer = gummy bear,” “legal = fizzy cola bottle,” “bank = Cream Egg,” “documents = jelly beans,” “Western Union = giant gummy lizard,” and he requests to be called “Kit Kat.”
- Result: Scammer parrots the code—“raise the balance for the gummy bear… submit fizzy cola bottle jelly beans to the Cream Egg… for the peanut M&Ms process”—revealing compliance patterns.
- Practice and ethics: He has replied to scams for years, aiming to waste scammers’ time rather than humiliate them, thus reducing exposure for vulnerable targets.
- Safety note: Use a pseudonymous email; his early attempts with a personal inbox led to floods of spam.
- Another example: A “Winnie Mandela” scam seeking to transfer $45M, with a blank-looking “letter of authorization” and a $3,000 upfront fee—underscoring classic advance-fee tactics and implausible claims.
Key Takeaways
The talk blends comedy with practical cyber-safety lessons: recognize typical scam patterns, protect your identity if you choose to engage, and remember that consuming a scammer’s time can be a quiet form of defense. Official-looking documents, big promises, and urgent fees are telltale red flags.
- Red flags: Outlandish offers (tons of gold), upfront “processing” fees, celebrity/official impersonation, and vague or nonsensical documentation.
- If you engage, do it safely: Use an alias email, never share personal data or money, and avoid clicking links/attachments.
- Strategic engagement can waste scammers’ time, indirectly protecting others.
- Humor and controlled framing (e.g., code words) expose scammer behaviors and scripts.
- Actionable: Report phishing, educate friends/family on common signs, and maintain boundaries if experimenting with replies.
Audience Insights & Q&A
No formal Q&A is included in the transcript. However, Veitch preemptively addresses common concerns about ethics and safety, emphasizing that his goal is not cruelty but time-wasting, and advising the use of pseudonymous email addresses to avoid personal exposure.
- Ethics: Focus on diverting scammers, not doxxing or harassment.
- Safety: Keep identity separate; expect blowback if using a personal inbox.
- Effectiveness: Scammers can be steered into absurdity, revealing their reliance on scripts and compliance cues.