Lee got a very...interesting e-mail this week. I share it with you, in all it's unedited glory, for entertainment purposes. It was from our former landlord, a person we haven't had reason to communicate with for close to a year now. Knowing that should help you appreciate it all the more. Here it is:
Hi,
Just writing to let you know our trip to Manila Philippines has been a
mess. I was having a great time until last night when we got mugged and
lost all my cash,credit card cellphone It has been a scary experience, I
was hit at the back of my neck with a Gun Anyway..I'm still alive and
that's whats important. I'm financially strapped right now and need your
help. I need you to loan me the sum of $1,950 I'll refund it to you as
soon as i arrive home.Email me back so i can tell you how to get it to
me.
Best Regards,
[Name respectfully redacted]
As an astute reader, I hope you noticed a few things. First off, lots of odd typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes. Second, I love that it starts off "just writing you let you know our trip..." as if we had a) known they were on a trip and b) kept up a regular correspondence. Thirdly, I love the oddly specific amount of money. Why not make it an even 2 grand? Fourth, maybe this is nit picking, but if I were going to tell a mugging story, the first part I would mention is the "I was hit at the back of my neck with a Gun Anyway.." That wouldn't be an after thought. That would be the whole story. And finally, why would you be e-mailing about this? What is the first thing you would do if you had been mugged? I would get in touch with some police, then get to a phone and start canceling credit cards just as fast as I could. I would not, for any reason, send a polite e-mail to a distant acquaintance to ask them for money.
Given all this information, as well as a big red warning label from Google, I hope you have come to the same conclusion we did: someone has hacked our old landlords e-mail.
I tell ya, those Nigerian princes are getting crafty! But they'll have to try a little harder to get to $1,950 out of me!
