James Veich beats scammer at his own game in brilliant wind up

Like most of us, comedian James Veich gets tonnes of scam emails every week, but instead of falling for them, getting angry about them, or deleting them, he replies to them. His response to one scam wreaked brilliant revenge on the would-be scammer.

He received an email pretending to be from a Hong Kong bank employee. The email claimed a client had deposited $13.9 million in an account, and died without nominating a next of kin. The scammer said he would nominate Veich as his next of kin, so he could get his hands on the cash.

Veich didn't wait to hear the scammer's next instruction. He got in early, offering to go to Hong Kong, and despite numerous panicky protestations from the scammer, insisted he was coming (with his dogs) and intended to stay on the scammer's sofa. Veich then emailed announcing his arrival in Hong Kong.

A few stressed-out emails from the scammer later, he pushed Veich to open a bank account at a fake bank, with an opening fee of £650. Veich then pretended to be incapable of making a decision over the kind of account he wanted, and after a significant amount of time wasting, the scammer asked him to go away.

What should you do?

It's always a great day when a time-waster gets one over on the scammers. However, it's worth noting that it's not sensible to open a dialogue with these criminals, as there's always the risk they will persuade you to part with cash, reveal personal information, or click on a malicious link.

Instead, if you are sent a scam email Action Fraud recommends you don't click on any links in the scam email, don't reply or contact the senders in any way, don't open any attachments, and report the scam to Action Fraud (this link is only for those who have not lost any money to the scam).

If you have clicked on a link in the email, don't supply any information on any websites or forms that open. If you think you may have compromised your account or any details, contact your bank, and if you have been a victim of fraud, report it to action fraud.

Oh, and it's best not to travel to Hong Kong to track the scammer down in person either.