OK, Why is Everything Johnson & Benson? (Scambaiting) + FAQ: Can You Scam an Honest Person?

Six different advance fee scammers - and I thought this would be an episode of 'The Scammers Who Dumped Me' - except I ran into a couple of scammers who had real problems letting go...
Intro and outro music was composed by Eric Castiglia: / supercast
Music for the No Time to West movie trailer is Western Spaghetti by Chris Haugen (from the KZbin Audio Library)
In case you have questions about my scambaiting videos or efforts, you might find the answer below:
'You cant scam an honest person' - true or false? - • OK, Why is Everything ...
Why do scammers promise such big rewards, and demand relatively small fees? - • Bringing Scammers Toge...
Is it just old people who get scammed? - • Just say 'WHAT?' to Sc...
Why are scammers frequently 'Reverend'? - • We Probably Mean Harm ...
Can you help me recover money from scammers? - • OK... There Is No Adva...
Has Atomic Shrimp been scammed before? Is this all about revenge? - • What the Heck is a Cle...
Why are the scams so badly written? (Also do stupid people deserve to be scammed?) - • I'm Just Mad About SAF...
Why do the scammers ask for personal details (that they don't seem to use)? - • A Little Nonsense Now ...
Why don't you scam the scammers? - • John Warosa: Redemptio...
Are you helping scammers to get better at scamming? - • John Barosa: Resurrect...
Why not tell the scammers to deduct the fee from the prize? - • The John Warosa Legacy...
Who is John Warosa/Barosa? - • The John Warosa Legacy...
Did you steal your script, or steal or the idea of scambaiting from someone else? • OK There Is An Imposto...
Why don't you make more/only scambaiting videos? • OK Let's Cross The Str...
If the scammers want Steam/Google Play/iTunes cards, are they kids/gamers? • Let's Create One Big U...
Can I send you scam emails for you to bait? • Let's Try Continual De...
How can I get started scambaiting? • John Barosa Rides Agai...
Why do you blur the scammers' email addresses? • Making A Nuisance Of M...
Why don't you read the scammer's emails in an Indian Accent? • Let's Get Wholesome Wi...
Why don't you report these scammers to the police? • Let's Try A Series Of ...
Are these stories real? • The Scammers Who Dumpe...
How do people even fall for scams? • The Scammers Who Dumpe...
How do people even fall for scams? (Revisited): • OK - Seems Legit (Scam...
How safe is scambaiting? • OK - Let's Try Speedru...
How do you Receive so many scam emails? • The Least Credible Sca...
Aren't you just wasting your time? • The Surprising Return ...

[@kvproductions2581]

"Once you send the needed fee then I will start coming immediately" Damn he sure loves his job

[@JacobPDeIiNoNi]

Doing something like that will definitely make god George you.

[@soupalex]

@@JacobPDeIiNoNi if god can hold off on georgeing me for a moment, i'm still in sean and he doesn't like it when i start coming immediately

[@triplex5540]

I find this so funny

[@bagelredd6649]

He was thinking of the gold.

[@Falaxuper]

I can't believe I laughed at your comment... I'm a twelve year old, it seems :D

[@Bisqwit]

”God will George you”. Now that is a scary thought.

[@limp_dickens]

Very true. Unlike Mr. Shrimp, I am definitely not ready to be Georged.

[@RocketCouch]

@@limp_dickens Speak for yourself

[@thedrugthatkilled]

I just hope he doesn't George me too harshly 😭

[@RocketCouch]

@@thedrugthatkilled George unto others as you would have them George unto you, that's my philosophy.

[@jakescott6426]

I wonder, is it in anyway related or similar to being Rogered?

[@MaxPower-zc8nf]

"you have to ignore the B-word and focus on the gold." Wise words for us all.

[@planescaped]

That whole B-word bit was a perfect parody in and of itself for people who get indignant over the most ridiculous of things. It just comes off as comical sometimes.

[@JessiContingenC]

@@planescaped you're right

[@KirbyMario12345_939]

Too right. Bronze isn't good enough. Or Brass. Or Burgundy. Or Bens-

[@Nyarlathoteplol]

@@planescaped Please don't make fun of people who have trouble with the B-word. Many people in my country still have PTSD flashbacks to the reign of the bad scientist villain.

[@gohtwm]

Idk i like baguettes with boullion cubes and birch smoked brisket Must stay strong though, eid is gold bruzza wallahi 🙏🙏🙏

[@filmnobelpreis]

"Sorry, I didn't read any of that." That's a hilarious response to any long unpleasant e-mail, I guess I'll use this from now on.

[@cannot-handle-handles]

Good idea! If you're feeling particularly lazy or want to convey how little time you have, shorten it to "TL;DR".

[@sofia.eris.bauhaus]

don't forget about "as soon as i care" 🤣.

[@noticeme6412]

that's the best way to annoy the scammer in a petty way.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

Especially as English is obviously not their first language, and thus takes more effort. When they have to go off-script, but still sound longwinded and "official", it must annoy the hell out of them.

[@natashanichole1027]

You can also jazz it up. “I’m sorry but neither my patience nor my eyesight will allow me to read the entirety of that message. Would you reword it?”

[@Oi-fo1wt]

I’d give so much money to see “No Time to West” made into a real movie. A lot of money. Probably around $1320 0000 USD dollars.

[@CelebrianUndomiel]

United State Dollars?

[@nonr2500]

*dollar

[@anidnmeno]

@@CelebrianUndomiel 13 200 000 dollars united state dollar dollars, actually.

[@jonnyc429]

When are you going to make that payment OK as that is the only thing holding up this film now ok?

[@rin_etoware_2989]

i can actually read this number properly, since this system of grouping by four digits - by _myriads,_ the ancient Greeks would say - is still customary in East Asia. 13 200 000 (thirteen billion, two hundred thousand) in this other system would therefore be _one thousand three hundred twenty myriads,_ or as helpfully notated above, 1320 0000.

[@mariek.474]

"I'm a good christian and an honest man... please commit fraud with me"

[@Qrtuop]

Typical Christian tbh

[@thomasm123]

"I was quite a tall baby" heckin ENDED me

[@ForbiddenChocolate]

Me too! 🤣🤣🤣 It's hidden gems like that that get me when I'm using headphones and the house is super quiet!

[@TobeyFairre7861]

Long babby

[@pcwexhaustmods]

Caught me off guard that one 😆

[@PoptartParasol]

Same I died

[@EahabIbrahim]

its insane the scammers still think its serious after he says stuff like that.

[@MuchWhittering]

That's not Big Willy, it's Wig Billy. They work in the same office/department. One of them deals with remittance of overdue funds, while the other is in the costume department.

[@DemstarAus]

Costumer Service Representative?

[@egemenozan5641]

Costume department put a big smile on my face :))

[@kazooduck]

costume department?? I thought it was wig willy, from the adult entertainment puppet show. or big Billy maybe, from the remittance of LARGE overdue funds.

[@egemenozan5641]

@@kazooduck yes the I do

[@TheHortoman]

curved a bit to the right

[@Emergency_Confetti]

"The date I started being born, I was quite a tall baby you see..." I was absolutely losing it laughing, thank you!

[@clispybeace]

This one had me wheezing too

[@Sakkeru96]

As a midwife's daughter, I especially don't think I will ever really stop laughing at this. It's so close to sounding plausible while still being utterly ridiculous and I love it.

[@YukoValis]

Many people fall for scams not because they are greedy, but out of desperation. I was very close to falling for a scam once and it was due to the fact I had lost my job and was drowning in debt. Scammers prey upon false hope just as much if not more than greed.

[@BoneGoddess]

Yup. They pray on false hope and desperate people, then turn around and call us americans stupid and greedy for falling for it.

[@oMuStiiA]

Also many people are simply inexperienced and don't know how internet scamming works or what warning signs to look out for. My mother tried selling stuff on Kijiji for the first time, and I asked for her to consult me because I knew she wouldn't recognize a lot of the signs of someone being a scammer, nor would she know what sorts of things could be used to scam her. And she did indeed get a lot of messages from people trying to scam her, so eventually I had to tell her not to accept offers from anyone unless they were willing to meet her in person and pay in cash, and if any seemed even a little bit sketchy to just refuse or ignore them. My mom isn't used to dealing with scams, internet or otherwise, and my dad generally knows how to spot scams in person, but doesn't know enough about the internet to do as well with internet based ones. They're not stupid or dishonest, just inexperienced.

[@Jenna2k]

Yep they hurt the injured. It's so messed up.

[@garyz2043]

No it;s because they are greedy, stupid and want free money.

[@FroggerbobT]

Mostly they prey on utter stupidity and inability to read normal sentences in English.

[@Adiodevil]

Came for the scambaiting years ago when John Warosa/Barosa first turned up. Then also quite liked your other content, especially 'weird stuff in a can'. Love your sense of humour most of all. It's the little things like when u read out the bad grammar exactly how they wrote it.

[@DemstarAus]

Please tell me you've seen his shorts? Gold

[@khunagnes1364]

The soul of john barosa/warosa 💀

[@KatieM786]

@@khunagnes1364 Do not speak to me of the soul known as Barista John Warosa Barosa. 🤣

[@mitchellbonds766]

Came for the scambaiting, stayed for weird stuff in a can.

[@SpyroTek]

@@mitchellbonds766 this is exactly me. I don’t watch his other stuff but he expects that seeing as his content is so varied.

[@filmnobelpreis]

"Once you send the needed fee then I will start coming immediately" Well I don't know if I want the Johnson to start coming immediately.

[@LavenderJJ_]

You are the tease

[@thetvexplorer]

If he started to come, I would definitely send the fee

[@foragingadventures]

One thing I've noticed over the years of watching your scam videos is telling them they are a small boy really seems to get them riled up.

[@egemenozan5641]

Big thanks to mr Karim

[@KatieM786]

It's my favourite one "are you a small boy?!" 🤣

[@thighmeat6034]

Unfortunately the “small boy” trump card isn’t used in this episode, we will wait till it happens again. And until then, goodbye to us.

[@soupalex]

@@thighmeat6034 thankings. goodbye to us.

[@dadlessgamerGND]

@@soupalex in outsider words. “Goodbye to you”

[@igorszamaszow171]

Johnson & Benson sounds like a perfect name for a tobacco soap or something

[@Beau-Bo]

soap

[@WOKEBOGAN-bv7mx]

Tobacco soap…..idea stolen!!!! Haha!! Gonna make millions

[@kingjohnny9548]

Stop using the B word. It’s incredibly offensive

[@Howlrunner82]

I thought Rating Agency but your ideas are better^^

[@SunBunz]

Why did I read that as "tobacco soup"? LMAO

[@u8f7]

I love the inherent contradiction in “give to someone more intelligent than you” and “make this message confidential”

[@ryanoconnor3867]

I love the concept of the scammers essentially bartering with you. They claim you *need* to send 220 dollars, but when you seemingly can't afford it, suddenly 75 will do. I would really be pushy about why 75 wasn't the price they asked for originally

[@yastreb.]

I have tried that, usually they make up something about a new bank policy which was passed just now and makes the fees smaller or some such. Not a line you can pursue very far. But I have done a thing where I was communicating with several scammers in parallel and when they stated their fees I announced to the whole group I would pay to the one with the lowest fee, and then kept them updated on each other's latest offers. It was pretty funny to watch as they tried to outbid each other. First it was hundreds of dollars, then just $50, $45, $40, $35, $25...

[@nivekakninblarg8076]

A legitimate reverse auction.

[@alexwang982]

@@yastreb. I bargained with a scammer down to two dollars in BTC once. Just gave him the two bucks for the hell of it, and then called him a scammer. I wonder how confused he was on that day. Worth two bucks

[@geoffroi-le-Hook]

only dollar sign 220 dollars only

[@worldcomicsreview354]

Please sir send US$220 (SEVENTY-FIVE UNITED STATES DOLLAR$)

[@henrysymes]

“Once you send me the needed fee I will start coming immediately” was poor phrasing after all that discussion of packages and Johnsons.

[@sootysootysooty]

the whole "richard member" western segment is killer. absolutely hilarious stuff

[@jaegrant6441]

It was a really great editing and storytelling technique, hey.? :)

[@Odin314]

just wall to wall dick jokes. incredible, I had to pause to catch my breath and explain to my girlfriend what I was losing my mind over

[@jozsefhor]

incredible stuff through and through!!!!

[@hawkeye5955]

It would be hilarious if a scammer used the name Richard Johnson. 😂

[@anidnmeno]

​​@@hawkeye5955ater on in time he gets an email from a "Dick Head"😂😂

[@maestrogeicho]

"You have to ignore the B-word and focus on the gold" -Richard Paolo Santiago, 2022

[@YouW00t]

I love every instance of "Do not betray me, dear brother".

[@ali_m_]

Darn it Father Gregori, I thought you were a priest, god will george you for this.

[@avery581]

@@ali_m_George not, lest ye be georged

[@ali_m_]

@@avery581I am not georging, for that is god's task.

[@rodneysmith873]

Dude thinks he's a metal gear villain

[@DemstarAus]

Your delicate misdirections have the perfect mix of mischief, innocence, sarcasm, plausable deniability, and shit-eating. You don't explicitly give up the game, and your questions are so left field that they have no choice but to assume you're just not that good with computers, maybe, and before we know it, it's been weeks.

[@grbadalamenti]

Mange tout email user was definetly NON chosen randomly

[@kordami28]

@@grbadalamenti took me a second haha

[@Tazzie1312]

It sounds like Paddington Bear.

[@Grygong555]

The „I am not ready” routine and then finally saying you’re ready and simply not replying was wonderful, they must have been fuming! All the time wasted on you while they could’ve been out there scamming people… great job!

[@gram.]

Imagine the slimy greedy lazy obnoxious _good brother_ was jittering in his Internet cafe chair, one hand refreshing keenly awaiting the reply, the other hand on his 'muscle, now a bone' 🍌🍆

[@theinitiate110]

God that routine was funny. I couldn’t stop laughing.

[@bogdanvasut8915]

I'll have to add "as soon as I care" and "god will George you" in my vocabulary, right next to "goodbye to us".

[@notthatcreativewithnames]

Imagine Mange Tout being upset for being called "brother" and telling the scammer "stop calling me brother. It offends me because you are still a stranger, and this is the invasion of my personal space."

[@filmnobelpreis]

"That wasn't the only question I asked you and your answer didn't answer my question." Hilarious stuff, this guy just summed up your scambaiting style.

[@cursedcancersurvivor]

Legend goes, that if you say "Benson" three times. The Benson Hawking rises from the grave to bring you great misfortune.

[@bradlauk1419]

Who the heck is Benson Hawking?!

[@jonathanrichards593]

@@bradlauk1419 Hey, knock it off with the offensive language, you two.

[@heartache5742]

@@bradlauk1419 little known fact, benson hawking place at the blackpool was named after him

[@CadetGriffin]

"Bruno, Bruno, Bruno. You are no easier to listen to than before." "Spanish is fine. I just wish you could explain it more clearly, without all the Bruno this and Bruno that. It's quite rude." "And please stop with the Bruno. It's so very rude that it sickens me to even have to write it in explanation to you. Since the overthrow of the bad scientist villain Bruno Madrigal, we do not use the word in polite company any longer. Choose a different word or name, or use the term 'B-Word' instead." "Please do not use the word 'Bruno' in conversation with me. It is offensive." I had originally posted this in a separate comment 3 weeks ago, but it didn't get any attention whatsoever.

[@Femaiden]

you have to say it 5 times, while looking in the mirror. . .

[@adamparsonsonline]

I work retail. I'm a member of my store's management team in charge of the customer and money services desk. I've encountered scams and have had to break the news a handful of times and more often than not, the victim was just confused and offered nothing that came off as illegal. We get training and frequent refreshers but through videos like this, I can comprehensively tell the victim how the scam works beat for beat. My customers don't deserve to be stolen from just because they didn't understand the process. The truth matters. Information matters. Thank you for doing these.

[@LinuxVeteran]

I did that for two years, but as the service desk rep before moving up to management in a different department. Sometimes people caught on immediately when faced with the slightest skepticism, like a younger woman who was in a romance scam with a "soldier" that was going to send her gold bars via DHL. Another woman, elderly this time, was actively being scammed by a federal grant scammer, and had given them I think roughly $2,000 to $3,000, possibly more. She actually demanded a manager to report me and tried lying about how I treated her for the crime of refusing to perform her transaction. She eventually admitted to me that "... she knew it was a scam..." but fully intended to give them the money anyway. She was so deep in sunk cost fallacy that she was actively willing herself to stay in the scam and hope all the doubts were wrong. Fortunately, I stopped seeing her after that point; so I think she did actually give up. Unfortunately, while my coworkers were okay at spotting scams, they were far less proficient than I was at it. There were times when I would silently try to warn them that the person was being scammed, even pressing the "Report Scam" button on their screen for them while they look at me confused. I couldn't out the scam as early as I'd liked because often times, the victim hadn't given over the scammer's information yet, and we need that to be able to report it effectively and damage the scammer's operation. I fear that since I've transferred departments, the number of successful scams has likely gone up.

[@gram.]

You keep on keeping on big guy, good on yourself. Look at it with positivity... they sell/share customers details to other scammers; both those merely answering the call and those who fall for the scam... so then they'll be susceptible to take their rational n reasoning away, get them caught up in that same scam again... So, I'd be proud if I were you! Good on yerself mate, be good to yourself, and all the best to you

[@smackednoodle]

"stand up tall and straight... well, maybe with a little curve to the left" annihilated me

[@michaelkobylko2969]

God will George you.

[@cindyspear86]

So many puns! It was hilarious!

[@smackednoodle]

@@michaelkobylko2969 please michael what does this mean. i am very afraid

[@davidmurphy563]

0:49 _5,500.000.00_ Now that's what we call in the business double decimal precision; sometimes money needs to be so exact one decimal point just isn't enough.

[@obsessivecorvid]

Yes

[@obsessivecorvid]

Me with my $1.000.000.000.009.000.001.2 Agree

[@HexagonThatReallyLikesVinegar]

5000

[@LightningWing11]

“Since the overthrow of the bad scientist villain Benson Hawking, we do not use the word in polite company any longer. Choose a different word or name, or us the term ‘B-Word’ instead.” This absolutely obliterated me 🤣

[@SmokeyEdits]

If you need some perspective on how little scammers actually give a shit about the other person, I once got wrapped up in an email exchange with a scammer, as a child. I recall telling them I was a kid, and they insisted I get my mom's bank details. They don't care. They just don't.

[@Nakia11798]

No joke. My company's CEO died recently. RIP. A scammer called the business 3 days later and said they wanted to speak to him. The whole city knows he died; he was like a local celebrity. Clearly, this scammer wasn't from our area. I almost laughed at him through the line before sending him to an employee who deals with these morons all the time.

[@PoptartParasol]

@@Nakia11798 my condolences. Even if you aren't a family member it must still be quite a shock.

[@Eli-mn5cq]

once when i was a kid, i opened one of those links that pretends to give your pc a virus. y'know, the "your computer has been infected, call this number, pay up, and we'll fix it". my dad walked over, pressed alt + f4, and said if it happens again we could have me (a 7 year old at the time) call them to mess with them.

[@hannahlindner1198]

My mom almost fell for a scam last year, the whole suspicious activity on your Amazon account bit. That plays on fear, not greed, since the supposed false charge is rarely less than $1000, which most people don’t have just lying around these days. The ultimate lesson, never blame a scam victim. For any reason! It’s the scammers that are the subhuman pieces of crap, and they deserve everything that every single person making these videos has to offer.

[@patrickchubey3127]

They try that same scam on me periodically, they call first thing in the morning and it's always about suspicious charges to my Amazon Prime account and I don't have an Amazon Prime account but I do wonder why these people don't get real jobs.

[@DanCooper404]

I received a text from "Amaz0n" (with a zero for the O), addressed to "dear customer". If you don't know your "customer's" name, you're not the real company.

[@planescaped]

My father frequently calls up clamoring about "Whats this charge on Amazon! What'd you buy this time! RABBLERABBLERABBLE" And every time I have to shut him down with it's a scam. He's in his mid 70's and grew up utterly destitute, and thanks to very complicated IRS troubles(suffice to say, fuck 'em) doesn't have much money in his retirement, though he gets massive SS due to working so much his whole life, But between fears of poverty and his subsistence old age living he sees red on stuff like this all the time and reacts before thinking. Fortunately he hasn't fallen for one, yet. Real nice of him to give me free access to his account even into my 30's. Most people I know, their parent's practically disown them the moment they turn 18, treating them like some kind of burden they're finally rid of. I only use it to buy tools though, as he will just quietly nod in approval, anything else gets an interrogation. XD

[@hannahlindner1198]

@@planescaped LOL that sounds like my dad every time he saw practically any charge he wasn't directly involved in on an account he was linked to. He's passed away now, but I remember the "what's this charge for, and that one, and that one" every time he would look at the statement all too well. Glad your dad hasn't fallen for a scam yet and hope he never does.

[@thomasm123]

I've never been a "I want that on a t-shirt" kind of person but I definitely want "God will George you" on a t-shirt.

[@HO-bndk]

Or you could get an "Only God can George me" tattoo.

[@-psilo-9071]

never say never

[@Dinki-Di]

I George this to be one of your all-time best scam-baiting efforts.

[@uiopisreal9966]

I George you to go to 69 likes!

[@George83_Thomas]

We're working on it. I will message you when ready

[@drownsinkoolaid4203]

@@George83_Thomas Are you ready yet Okay?

[@atomicdancer]

Dear brother, I approve of the sound George meant in your comments.

[@LordZarano]

If arranged isometrically, 12.5 million cubic dollars would be 232.08 dollars on a side. If it were in the form of dollar bills then due to their non-isomorphic nature it would be approximately 36.2m x 15.4m x 25.3mm

[@eebeebee_inc]

Thank you for this lovely bit of mathematical absurdity

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

What would be the cubic euro conversion

[@vanessaburridge2779]

I think you should be my maths teacher 👩‍🏫 😆

[@vanessaburridge2779]

I think you need to be my maths teacher 👩‍🏫😆

[@gram.]

Dear good brother, mistakenly with misfortune, you are not understand what me saying... You are failing to addition up to three more numbers. Why do you have to not fellow instructor? God will george you...

[@Nelson_C_KNOWS]

This mans voice is smooth and calming. If I was seeing a counselor, therapist. With his voice any angry person facing problems with just calm down. This man is gifted. I enjoy your content.

[@Mark-qb8fq]

Reminds me a bit of Richard Herring

[@sergeysmirnov1062]

I really liked your bit about the "You can't scam honest people" and would like to add my own thoughts to this as well: Even if the scam appeals *purely* to greed, I find it rather self-righeous to condemn a person solely for that. Some people may well have *legitimate* and entirely moral reasons to want that money. Can be as simple as them having to care for a family and already not being able to make ends meet.

[@apokalypthoapokalypsys9573]

It's entirely justified to >want< money in any single scenario, because it's the currency to obtain everything else with. I want money and so do you. The question is what boundaries an individal is willing to break to obtain that money.

[@mica8701]

​@@apokalypthoapokalypsys9573imo the most important question is to ask "how our society is failing when decent people are pushed to extreme desperation that makes them vulnerable to violating their own values for survival".

[@snakewithapen5489]

​@apokalypthoapokalypsys9573 This is very true. For something like the intestate account scams shown in the video, a potential victim may think that supposedly this dead person has no friends or family since the bank hasn't been able to locate them for years, and thus it's not actually causing any harm to someone else if they were to claim the money. Although still technically theft, I really don't think that is the most terrible thing in the world. Unlike the scammers themselves however, who actively harm hundreds if not thousands of potentially desperate people to steal their money.

[@adambooth7755]

The ballsiness of the scammer to say you're the inheritor of Mr. Benson because you have the same surname, when he hasn't even checked what your surname is (or assumes it's 'Tout').😄

[@FluxMarsh333]

George not, lest ye be Georged! I love the condescension from a non-native English speaker about your choice of language. I get that it's mirroring, and these mistakes help keep the scammer interested as it shows some unprofessionalism on the "victims" part, but it's funny as hell.

[@KirbyMario12345_939]

The fact that this "FAQ" is essentially a part 2 to a previous FAQ (from The Scammers Who Dumped Me Part 1) is rather upsetting and indicative of the victim blaming culture rampant in society. Why is "Some people come upon hard times and are emotionally vulnerable" not a good enough explanation for them? I get that the askers of the question are aware of scams, but that’s hindsight. Not everyone is going to have hindsight, and you don’t have to antagonise victims to push your point of how you most definitely will not ever get scammed. Nobody *deserves* to get scammed. On a more positive note, I enjoy these new tactics that you’re employing in your emails, and hope to see them more in the future! I can tell that some of these are also refinements of previous tactics (such as the continual delay of providing information you should never share with a stranger on the internet,) which is impressive!

[@AtomicShrimp]

Honestly, I think most of the time when people make sweeping statements like 'scam victims are stupid/dishonest/deserve what they get', they're not even thinking about scam victims, they're thinking about how highly they rate themselves.

[@Jenna2k]

Yep. Unless they did something horrible like killed people or something they don't deserve it.

[@malcolmdarke5299]

...I'd argue that it's *because* people are by-and-large, basically honest that a lot of scams work, even the ones that prey upon greed or dishonesty. The phrase "honour among thieves" comes to mind, and honest people are going to be less willing to harm their honest reputations by explaining that they were scammed because someone offered them a chance to pass themselves off as the heir to a fortune they had no right to/take a portion of a fund dedicated to building wells in Africa/engage in whatever less-than-savoury endeavour, which means that those scams keep working - after all, a scam you don't know is a scam is more likely to work than a scam you do know is a scam.

[@Nakia11798]

@Malcolm Darke Exactly, and in that case, the victims duped themselves for not thinking twice. No such thing as easy money.

[@SeppelSquirrel]

People with a high RWA score tend to categorize people into two groups: an "in group" of people they care about and an "out group" of everyone else. When tragedy befalls someone of the "out group," the high-RWA individual perceives this as a win for their group, and finds comedy in the suffering of anyone in the "out group." They also tend to believe that everyone else has this same belief system, and thus they usually believe that nobody will ever do anything nice for another person unless they're a fool or a scammer. Typically, the high-RWA individual thinks people in the "out group" aren't considered worthy of having any human rights, and see anyone challenging their viewpoint as an enemy to be destroyed. It's a vicious cycle derived from the enjoyment of human suffering.

[@igorszamaszow171]

I love it when they have their first and last names swapped. It reminds me of Trinidad and Tobago football team from 2006, several of their players had names that also seemed swapped: Stern John, Cornell Glen, Kelvin Jack, Densill Theobald, they had some "two first names" guys too. Whenever I see a similarly structured name, Trinidad vs England game comes to mind and it instantly gives me a chuckle - because England was hilariously poor for the first 85 minutes or so.

[@Mogamishu]

Indian telephone scammers usually also use double Anglo names, apparently in an attempt to seem more authentic. They will usually introduce themselves as Stephen Jordan, Kevin James, Michael Charles or some similar combo name.

[@SalfordMatt]

Someone else, those are actual legit English names, the dumb ones are like David William, Terry Derek or Tom Ben.

[@thighmeat6034]

@@SalfordMatt as a non native, i can’t tell if those (except Tom Ben) are odd anyways. All i can do in regards to names is chuckle slightly when Johnson or Richard is used (and Dick, of course)

[@omikronweapon]

The entire thing reminded me of this interview with Elton John kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ2TeaSil71qmsU

[@Mogamishu]

@@SalfordMatt no they are not. And they still sound ridiculous.

[@MrKristas]

Best channel on KZbin. Cubic dollars, swearing on "God, Blood, a grave, a man, a plan and a canal" Oh dear, this is wonderful!

[@averagewhiteguy2]

Oh gosh, the scammer at the end constantly emailing you nonstop is like an ex who cannot let go. Sweet at first, messaging you constantly, and then getting pissed and insulting you in horrible ways.

[@KevinMac96]

27:30 -- "Mr Jayton swore on God, Blood, a grave, a man, a plan, and a canal". He didn't swear on Panama too. I don't think Mr Clayton is a serious person ...

[@louisng114]

He is probably a small boy.

[@jedigrandmaster6471]

*Clayton

[@jedigrandmaster6471]

*Jayton

[@africa_everyday]

I'm thinking the great awareness received by 419 scam shoukd be enough to render it ineffective. But, I guess I'm naive.

[@egemenozan5641]

Love to hear your takes on the videos!

[@JmooMison]

Babatunde!

[@colin3387]

These are always fantastic. The fillipino scammer always saying brother when addressing you is how they speak. My wife says that anyone that is similar in age is brother (kuya) or sister (ate pronounced at-eh )anyone older is tito(uncle) or tita(aunt) when I adress them as a sign of respect. Thoroughly enjoy your work. Looking forward for another two can Tuesday

[@oz_jones]

I suspected something like that.

[@Mark-nh2hs]

I always have Hulk Hogan's voice every time he says Brother 🤣🤣🤣

[@RipOffProductionsLLC]

I mean, almost every culture has some custom where non-siblings call someone brother or sister, it could just be a bad attempt at appealing to Christian 'brother in Christ' saying or similar.

[@NopeNaw]

It's curious how scammers never seem to bother to try to understand the cultural differences between themselves and the people they're trying to steal from. If I was approached by a bank (let's just assume it's a real bank for the sake of argument) and they start with "Dear Brother", I'd regard that bank as extremely unprofessional. Then again, if they were smart, they wouldn't be scammers.

[@BusterBeachside]

Wow, how inconsiderate can a person be?? I can't believe that scammer kept using the B-Word at you. And multiple times AFTER you had already asked him to stop, too! I certainly wouldn't be ready either after that experience.

[@userx-inactive8]

I am really disgusted at the amount of B-Words' said.

[@DyingSlow]

so without going into details , a friend of my wife is an immigration lawyer and she got a client from overseas who sent her a cheque for her work which she cached (because it's her salary for that work) ..and before the 30 days period bank is required to verify if a cheque is valid, that so called client told her he doesn't want to come "here" anymore and asked for his money back...so she being very honest and thinking his cheque was ok, sent him his money back via bank transfer..and after few days her bank contacted her saying that client's cheque bounced and she is in the hole for a lot of money with ZERO recourse!!! so she got scammed for being too honest! ,if she was less she would have told him she is keeping that money...

[@fredericapanon207]

ouch!

[@ericvulgate]

'You can't scam an honest person' is what scammers tel themselves when they feel a tinge of a conscious.

[@louisng114]

Eating breakfast while watching this proves to be a mistake as my monitor was almost covered in muffin.

[@ianc4901]

😆🤣😆

[@shelby8101]

Been there! 😂

[@HO-bndk]

...and you weren't even eating a muffin!

[@tommymurphy459]

Is that a euphemism?

[@nonna_sof5889]

Best thing to remember about scams. You ARE vulnerable. Someone somewhere is coming up with a scam right now that will hit your particular weakness. Always be vigilant.

[@markfergerson2145]

That was the most comprehensive, high-production-quality compilation of Dick jokes I've ever seen assembled in one time and place. Bravo sir. Bravo. The capper was when the scammer said he would be coming.

[@---_---_---_---___---]

That last line got to me. I got Georged a while back, nasty bit of business it was.

[@ianc4901]

You were warned about that Careless Whispering !

[@dmw282]

"I was quite a tall baby" had me in tears, GOD bless you.

[@JohnCooper-gm6mn]

Shrimpy-boy, my man! You've outdone yourself this time. I had to rewatch the "No Time to West" segment half a dozen times just to catch all the puns. Less than 4 minutes in and I already need a change of underwear. You are a God amongst mortals. 🙌

[@Thunderbender18830]

Ummm…

[@userx-inactive8]

God will George you if you aren't careful

[@treehousegames7903]

🤨

[@singerofsongs468]

I have a funny story. I came to this channel for the scambaiting, because I was really into lots of scambaiting youtubers at the time. Watching the other stuff on your channel made me really want the kind of life you publish - peaceful, connected to nature, living with loved ones, free to pursue hobbies, etc etc. And suddenly, a lot of the scambaiters I was watching started to remind me of what I didn’t want to be - mean-spirited, uncharitable, and constantly pumping out content for views. I really love how you approach these videos with empathy towards scam victims instead of cruelty towards scammers, and indeed, you approach a lot of your videos with care and empathy. Cheers!

[@velnoa]

Always look forward to a new upload, not just these scambaiting videos. It’s amazing you have such variety, and can make them all so good Edit: That entire Big Willy section had me literally rolling.

[@zoewells3160]

Yeah the scambaiting is still my favourite but I also love all the other series too.

[@Invalidaustralian]

I think "you can't scam an honest person" is often the shortened form of "it's best to scam a dishonest person because they can't pursue honest channels of recompense or justice without exposing themselves."

[@patrickehrenreich494]

never in my human existence did I anticipate atomic shrimp dropping a "left curve gang" joke in a video

[@lifeinthevoid1595]

Good on you for being a decent person who recognises that perpetrators of scams are the ones in the wrong

[@peteragurkis3590]

I died laughing at "hello Peter Johnson I am Richard member" glad you were quick on the draw with that one

[@MuchWhittering]

"When you send me the needed fee I will start coming immediately." Blimey, I know you're excited about the fee, but too much information there, Mr Scammer.

[@godslittlestidiot2984]

RE: the "honest" victim. I dislike the fact that some people seem to think that getting money in some of these scams we see are dishonest; if the money seems like it would go to no one and the victim has a chance to grab at it, they're probably desperate or maybe not thinking clearly due to the aforementioned desperation, or just live in our current world and feel like they need a little pick me up. I can see why someone could fall for a lot of these scams. I don't really find email ones easy for me to fall to and a lot of younger people may feel the same, but remember: more modern apps and social media other than email are rife with scams and while the emails seem archaic (at least to this 25 year old), the template or type of scams are still relevant on more modern social medias.

[@jewelxiat]

31:07 this one got me to audibly say “oh shit” out loud 😂 the scambaiter explicitly asking the scammer to stop talking to them is such a chad move because they’re usually so insistent in wanting to cut off contact with people who waste their time… and yet, here we are, with ten more minutes to spare! Absolutely brilliant!!

[@Ghost_Of_SAS]

Something that happened to me recently and which gave me pause was that the official number of the national postal service sent me an obvious scam SMS. This is a confirmed legit number I have used many times before over the years for security codes and so on. What happened is that cammers are able to send text messages with such a signature son that "smartphones" (inverted commas a necessity here) are fooled into thinking they are the legitimate service. At this point I don't know whether I should still trust that number in the future, since it's that easy to disguise as.

[@Cowtymsmiesznego]

Yes, it's called spoofing, and it can technically be done with emails, domains (in certain circumstances), and other types of informal (non-cryptographic) signatures. I'm not sure of the exact circumstances, in most cases there should be some kind of extra prevention - but as a rule of thumb, incoming messages or calls are not necessarily legit, even if they seem to be from a legit source.

[@Ghost_Of_SAS]

@@Cowtymsmiesznego That is a massive security hole. Shameful that this is possible.

[@YoBGS]

I was expecting Johnson & Benson to be Cockney rhyming slang. Ya know, like when someone is trying to separate an innocent person from their money you say like "Oh that bloke's all Johnson & Benson".

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

Careful making assumptions like that or God will George you.

[@skybuprofen9834]

The Revival of the Benson Hawking joke from the Saffron episode was genius

[@abbey5899]

After ghosting for a year, I feel like the funniest move would be to email him as a person settling affairs accessing the late Mr B-word's account after his tragic plane crash, and offer him the inheritance as the most recent person to contact him.

[@Toonfish_]

Oh boy I completely forgot I subbed because of the scambating videos back in the day. Come for the scambaiting, stay for the food videos! (Don't get me wrong, very excited for this one as well :D)

[@amberforsyth7209]

Also advance fee scams like 'your email won the lottery' or even 'I'm dying and want to leave my inheritance to you' are not appealing to dishonest, greedy people. Those types are appealing to people's vulnerabilities.

[@albertjones4985]

You have such a talent for wasting scammer's time. Whenever I think "There's no way he keeps this going." You come up with something else that so perfectly draws them back in and makes it worse. This is great quality content and valuable community service

[@indecision6326]

I remember that time that God Georged me in order to discourage me from visiting my family in Hurdle Slaughter while they were working on the sky. I recovered from it, but I'll never be the same after that.

[@charcolor]

over 40 minutes! what a treat! thanks for all the work you do with the scambaiting + the video editing

[@roccaflocca4312]

The time I got scammed, it was through eBay. I was told that during an auction I'd lost, the winner couldn't pay, so I could pay as the next highest bidder. It was a good 15+ years ago, so I don't recall all the details, but the email looked completely legitimate, no spelling errors, it had proper eBay looking graphics all over it... The only thing I can't remember at the moment was whether I'd ever checked was whether the email address was sketchy. I don't remember it, and it might have also looked legitimate. I didn't realize at the time how Western Union was such a forum for financial abuse; the money had to go to Italy and Italy in particular doesn't prosecute Western Union fraud. When I found that out, that's the way I knew I was scammed. I just wanted to buy a microphone. I was out about $50-60. Not the end of the world. But I was definitely not trying to be greedy, I just wanted a good price on a microphone that wasn't sold in stores all that often. It was normally like $70-80 or something like that, so it wasn't even out of the question to only need to spend $60.

[@irtehmrepic]

I've been hunting for jobs for months, and today I got an interview finally. It went very well, and it's for an investment firm. Needless to say seeing fraud scams like this will be even funnier if I get the job.

[@jewelxiat]

Good luck on getting the job! :D

[@oz_jones]

Congrats on the job!

[@irtehmrepic]

Update, it hasn't been good. A few interviews but no solid answers yet. Still holding out, though!

[@violetfox2444]

I'm cheering for you to get the job soon as possible ♥️

[@irtehmrepic]

Update: it may not have been the investment firm, but I have finally landed a job that I'll be starting in a week! It's been a long time coming but it's finally over, thanks for the support random commenters!

[@jcxtra]

With all the 'blue humour' in this one, I had to laugh at the unintended scammer reply at 35:44 - "Once you send the needed fee. I will start coming immediately." that totally fit. Yes. I am 12.

[@206hxcx]

"once you send the needed fee then I will start coming immediately" oh boy what a sentence

[@rolfs2165]

Hehehe, the Donald, Bonald, Benald in your mails to the first scammer. :D

[@bbear2695]

the "benson is an offensive word" angle was GOLD. didnt see that coming.

[@FoxtrotMouse]

I'm surprised the scammer respected his wishes and tried to stop saying the B word.

[@jakehyams8659]

You would have seen it coming if you knew how evil Benson Hawking was

[@marquisoflabyrinths]

The William P. P. Rodger bit got me so good because I stopped paying attention to message a friend, and when I started paying attention to the video again you were saying "a real stiff welcome" and I kind of chuckled thinking "Haha, stiff?" then you just whipped out his name and I cried from laughter rewatching it

[@g4mmalotus937]

A fun, small detail you could add: You pretend that you've made an account with whatever bank they ask, give them a fake username and password, and when they obviously inform you that the login info didn't work, you try to convince them that they must use the number pad keys, and go further by asking if they have num-lock on. It wouldn't do all that much in the larger scheme, but it could further frustrate them

[@beep3242]

Brilliant, especially given that not every keyboard HAS numlock (neither my personal PC or my work laptop do)

[@g4mmalotus937]

@@beep3242 exactly my point! It's such a stupidly specific detail that makes practically no sense

[@lauranicholson8516]

Love these scambating videos, always guaranteed a laugh. "God will George you" seems like good merch material 😂

[@theonelincoln]

“As soon as I care” is a great reply

[@tribalbabymum]

Ahh, I love another Atomic Shrimp video, thanks for doing these. The repetition is always important in every video for those for whom this is the first time they are searching for such things. Your FAQ Sponsor Stories are just as educational - this one in particular was excellent.

[@chrisphillips2401]

Have you ever thought about sending these scammers a trackable link created through Grabify? You could tell them that the link contains your information that they so desperately want all the time. Its pretty much guaranteed they would click on the link. Doing this will enable you to see their location, country, IP address, what phone they are using, etc.

[@user255]

Yes, I would like to see more methods enabling him to report the scammers to police.

[@eastmeetswestpresents6923]

That's what Pleasant Green does. Please understand that different scambaiting channels have different methods - Atomic Shrimp has his own way, the grabify methods works better for someone else

[@user255]

@@eastmeetswestpresents6923 No need to lock yourself in one method. Just do what is fun and/or useful.

[@eastmeetswestpresents6923]

@@user255 let's see what he has to say about using grabify. I'm predicting he will say that he is fine with his methods just the way they are.

[@chrisphillips2401]

@@eastmeetswestpresents6923 Thats fine. I don't believe Pleasant Green owns any rights to that method. Besides, I'm betting that the Grabify method would work little better with the email based scammers. They always ask for information and I'm sure they would not hesitate to click a link with the header "here is my info you asked for". I'm also quite sure that Grabify has more than one user.

[@ShinyaKyo]

I love that you include these FAQs in your videos, well placed too, trying to broaden people's perspectives away from generalizing and towards understanding and empathy

[@maiyannah]

You can tell he had way too much fun (if there even is such a thing) with the fake western bit. I adore it.

[@saschamayer4050]

There is another common scam tactic: The *grandparent* *scam* Where someone (usually elder people) is scammed by impersonating a grandchild or other relative to defraud them. I know that this scam usually works via phone and not via e-mails, but it's still very common where I live, so please be aware of this one, too. 😉

[@saschamayer4050]

42:00

[@WhenTheManComesAround]

I'm 7 minutes in and can easily tell you spent many many hours editing this video together (in addition to the bating of course). It's very appreciated, you always make the best vids. 👍

[@gorose9899]

lol the bating

[@WhenTheManComesAround]

@@gorose9899 lol 🤣 Looks like spell check did me dirty on that one haha

[@chinaski7263]

Was that Atomic Shrimp doing an american/southern accent for the Big Willy vignette? Pretty good voice acting!

[@LavenderJJ_]

I actually leave your videos on in the background when I'm going to bed, this 40 minute long scambating session gets me out like a light, love your content

[@b.c.9358]

Dear Mr. Mike, How does it feel to be the funniest man on the internet? Sincerely, A viewer

[@bassemb]

These interludes sprinkled about in your scambaiting videos are a real treat. To me they feel like a hidden reward for those who sit through and don't skim.

[@Serenity23582]

"I swear with the almighty God and with the last drop of my blood and my father's grave" Wow that escalated quickly😂

[@Captain.AmericaV1]

*Whoever that George is, he's one busy guy!!* His list of people to *"George"* must be significant!!

[@eiriseven]

Ok, I actually laughed out loud at the Benson Hawking reveal, I was not expecting that return.

[@KatieM786]

"The date where I started being born or finished being born?!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@melissaburris7606]

“God will George you”. Definitely a line to use in future scams! :’D

[@friendly_cat_spirit]

At my job, we occasionally get 2 or 3 people every few months asking about releasing a family member from custody. The victims say they already sent half of the fee/bail money by Western Union or something like it and were ordered to go to pay the rest in person. We have to break it to the victims that the person on the phone is a scammer and we don't keep anyone in custody. I've seen older and younger folks fall for this scam. It's very depressing and sad that somebody out there impersonated a family member and took advantage of a victim's fear, concern, and love. We also rarely get the romance scam victims too. Usually it's older men with bouquets of flowers. I can only imagine the feelings of sadness, loneliness, and taken advantage of while driving home.

[@brooms4460]

Can you share what do you do for work, that people think you’re holding their family members in custody?

[@gorose9899]

wait no yeah cause what is your job 😭😭

[@rbrown6476]

Thanks for the warning in the middle, Mike. I think it’s dangerous if someone tells others that an honest person can’t get scammed - for all the reasons you have just said. This should be a public health warning. I shall get onto Johnson immediately!!! : ) Stay safe and stay serving us up this wonderful mixed platter of delights - it’s just what we all need.