We’ve all received emails promising us huge riches – as long as we give up some of our hard-earned cash first.

Online scamming is big business and regularly succeeds in conning innocent people out of huge chunks of their life savings and leaving their plans for the future in tatters.

When student Ross Walsh opened one such email from a ‘big business banker’ asking for £1,000 in exchange for half of his business, he not only replied with an intention to invest, but countered with an offer of £50,000 to really get the business off the ground.

In sweet revenge for all of us who hate the messages which drop into our inbox daily, it was all part of Ross’ plan to turn the situation for good – and it’s the third time he’s pulled it off.

It all started when 22-year-old Ross was contacted by ‘Solomon Gundi’ who was looking to get a ‘fellow enthusiastic business man’ on board for his stock-trading enterprise, as reported by the BBC.

He brags about his turnover of £35,000 last week but quickly dispels suspicions as to why he would need £1,000 by generously suggesting it would be used to teach young people his enviable business knowledge.

Ross replied to say £1,000 was an ‘insult’ and attached a fake proof of payment to Solomon for £50,000 to get the ball rolling.

Unsurprisingly, a swift response stated Solomon ‘hadn’t got the money in his account yet’ and Ross, from County Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland, told him that the bank had blocked the transaction as they thought it was a scam.

He took things even further by suggesting they talk in code to ‘avoid the taxman’ and replaced business speak with terminology from the sport of hurling.