The Word "Gullible" is Written on the Ceiling

So I found myself blog surfing, and came across a comment on someone's blog post that starts like this:
_____

hi,I am a Nigerian, I live in Osun state.Don't think for a minute that my invitation is spam and I'm a spammer.
_____

I'll let you make your own conclusions.

On a separate note...

I was reading through the US Postal Service's handbook on mail fraud a few weeks ago. A little light reading for the AU shuttle ride, nonetheless. Inside, I came across a few interesting topics.

First was the concept of unsolicited packages. Say for example, a package of cheese and sausage arrives at your doorstep. You definitely didn't order it, but it's got your name and address on it, as well as a bill attached requesting payment. Well, perhaps you feel some obligation to pay for this package, thinking you may have forgotten about ordering it, or something. My take on the law, per the USPS's handbook there, is that unsolicited packages are yours to keep, and not return, if you so choose. If you want nothing to do with it, then simply write "return to sender" on the outside and leave it for the post man. However, should you actually open the package with your name on it, and inside it tells you that you must pay for the package you just opened... then you're actually not obligated to pay for it. You can keep it. Obviously there are some caveats and restrictions that apply, but that's the general gist of it.

Unsolicited packages addressed to you are yours.

Next I got to the part about letter scams requesting help in foreign countries for a small fee. I wrote several months ago in The Nine-Thirty about scams similar to this, but in an online context:

"It's just like e-mails from fraudulent people trying to convince people to input their bank information in an online form to confirm that they're still patrons of a certain institution. Hundreds of examples like this exist. Yet, still, high-faluting lawyers, and even congressmen (I believe he was from Florida) get conned, and have their identities stolen."

Well, if you get one of these things, it may constitute an act of mail fraud. So what do you do? Well, you can turn it into the authorities, but I think most [non-gullible] people choose to open and read them, have their laugh, and then throw them away.

Whatever floats your boat.