Technological advances

I don't usually get mail at all on Fridays, and never get mail from South Africa what with not knowing anybody there or anything, but last week:


Now who, I wondered, could possibly be writing me from South Africa?


Oh, that's who.

I can't imagine that anybody stumbling across my blog has not had approximately 53 e-mails similar to this letter in the past few years, but just in case: it's a widespread scam in which somebody claims to have access to a ton of somebody else's cash that it won't hurt anybody to take because the somebody else and all his/her heirs is/are dead now, except for that little problem of needing somebody from another country altogether to help get it out of the bank. Somebody who's willing to pay expenses and/or supply all his/her banking information up front in exchange for a cut of the cash much later.

I guess this can sound attractive to some. But after all this time, and all the ink that's been spent on it? You'd think it would have run its course by now. Instead it's still working, and well enough to justify stamps and toner and paper and envelopes, to say nothing of all that folding and stuffing sticking things on.

Still a surprise though, the choice of regular postal service. Maybe it makes that whole 'Even though you're a complete stranger I'd like your help in a robbery' thing seem more legitimate.