A comedy of email errors

“I needed a password eight characters long so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” 

This was the winning joke from comedian Nick Helm at 2011’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and possibly the closest that cybersec has ever come to being funny in mainstream comedy. So with the largest arts festival closing its doors for another year, we started to question the whimsy of our industry given the serious nature of threats we’re defending against.

Well, it turns out that if you do want to exercise your sense of humor, phishing scams are probably the way to go… we’ve all guffawed when a particularly haphazardly-written email has found its way through to our inboxes, and comedians Joe Lycett and James Veitch have taken things to the next level by replying to these phishing emails, entertaining audiences with the hilarity that ensued. 

So given it’s early September, and the entire office is in a post-holiday coma, we thought we’d break the monotony of the perpetual cyber doom media cycle and distract you with a few of our favorite ludicrous scams and subsequent responses. Enjoy. Do send us any we’ve missed. But watch out for real scams. And stay safe online! 

The ‘stuck in space’ scam

The ‘I can put this assassination on hold’ scam

The ‘Mark Zuckerberg is a philanthropist’ scam

And what follows is another Zuckerberg scam this time on behalf of special agent Willy Nicolas, with a response from comedian, Joe Lycett:

https://joelycettcomedy.tumblr.com/post/118285164968/i-replied-to-a-facebook-scam-so-you-dont-have-to?is_related_post=1

The ‘I’m dying in hospital and want to send you my life savings’ scam (Courtesy of Joe Lycett)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxavC4kju7w

The ‘lucrative business deal’ scam (Courtesy of James Veitch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QdPW8JrYzQ

We can all have a laugh about email scams but only if we’re confident that our email domains are fully secured. If you need help implementing DMARC, the only definitive way to protect your email domain, please get in touch with a member of the team!

PUBLISHED BY

Clare Holmes

3 Sep. 2019

SHARE ARTICLE:

Categories

Recent Posts

VIEW ALL
Thought Leadership

How the EU can mandate for stronger email security

Antony Seedhouse

Executive summary: The article examines how the EU can proactively close email security gaps by leveraging the NIS2 Directive to mandate robust, harmonized standards like DMARC, DKIM, and SPF across all member states. By acting now, the EU not only protects its digital ecosystem but also sets a global benchmark for cybersecurity best practices.…

Read more
News

Europe’s #1 for DMARC: Red Sift OnDMARC does it again

Francesca Rünger-Field

G2’s Summer 2025 Report has landed, and we’re proud to share that Red Sift OnDMARC remains the #1-rated DMARC solution in Europe. This marks another strong season for OnDMARC, with continued recognition across G2’s category reports. We were featured in 18 reports this quarter, taking top spots in the Mid-Market Results Index and Mid-Market…

Read more
Cybersecurity

Healthcare and cybersecurity: 73% of breaches lack DMARC enforcement

Faisal Misle

The healthcare sector has become a target for both low-level and occasionally spectacularly successful cyberattacks. Hospitals, insurers, medical supply chains, service and medical providers are prime targets for threat actors, with email phishing attacks, ransomware, and data breaches on the rise. In 2024, 94% of U.S. healthcare organizations experienced a cyberattack, with the average…

Read more
BIMI

VMC and CMC: What are the new requirements?

Jack Lilley

Executive Summary: Staying updated on Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) and Certified Mark Certificates (CMCs) is crucial for organizations aiming to authenticate their logos and enhance brand trust in email communications. Discover the key changes in the latest security requirements and compare the differences between VMCs and CMCs.​ This article: Introduction Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs) and…

Read more