I received an email from an acquaintance, telling me all about how they were robbed at gunpoint and needed some money for a hotel room and replacement passport. It was obviously a scam and it got me to thinking how many people it hooked. I wagered 1 returned the email honestly, if any did at all. Then, I doubted that one person followed through with the bank account or wire transfer. Of course, if they did, they totally deserve whatever they spend on the lesson. A fool and his money are soon parted. Whether it’s a Nigerian Prince, door to door driveway sealing, bad investments, or stories from your family. Anyway, after realizing how ridiculous the scam attempt was, I started improving the racket in my brain.
Do a little research. You have access to the marks history of sent e-mails. Why not check out a little precedence and compose your e-mail to form. Why is this elitist redneck who was fired from Target before going to work for her Dad in a laundromat telling me about her hard scrabble times in Spain on a “culture tour with a little business mixed in”? Why is the girl who sends tweets with abbreviations, numbers for letters and raNDoM CaMElcAsE using words like “inadvertently” and “irrevocable” in a well crafted email? Did her last Facebook status update of “GoIn 2 C MaH bOYeEs n CrUNk a BuNCh” really mean “I’m headed to Europe to expand my scope of understanding”? A little understanding can expand the mark pool, is what I’m saying.
Time for a new game. Everyone’s onto your ruse. Flip a script. Why not take advantage of seasonal religious guilt and cook up a phony donation email. You know, “Hey everyone, My sister/work friend is trying to raise money for a poor family she knows with a son in Afghanistan and a daughter in a wheelchair. Click this link to help!” The particularly awesome thing about this sham, is that it’s likely legal in whatever country is housing your servers, provided you pay the disingenuous warlord in charge of them his $40 in gold teeth and two women per month to keep the Serengeti rebelistas from mortaring your meal ticket. People can donate their money to whatever they want. As long as you call it a donation, it’s just a gift, an offering with no need of compensation. Of course, if there is even law where you live to begin with.
Look, I’m just saying people expect a little more out of their grifters these days. It’s been a continuing trend of the past millennium or so to raid your continent of anything remotely resembling a resource, INCLUDING PEOPLE. Here’s your opportunity to gaffle back from the Evil Empire, lets give it some hustle here. I’m talking to you. Liberians with a Tandy and a Juno account, clean that shit up.
The Whimsical MetaCognitionist Chronicles 