I apply for a tutoring gig on craigslist, and this is what shows up in my inbox:
How you doing? I m Sorry getting in-touch late. I hereby inform you that qualified and efficient tutor is needed to
lecture my son because i dont want him by any chance be too playful and by so doing might not be doing well with his studies and that is why i am getting a tutor for him Asap that will devote quality time with him for the time beenHe is apparently on holidays, I am willing to pay the sum of $400 plus every other charges involved. I hope to read back from you soon
Regards,
Smith
I’m sorry, but is it unreasonable for me to want a higher caliber of confidence man than this? This guy is specifically aiming at “marks” who have enough education to apply to tutoring jobs… and this is the copy he sends to fool us into trusting him? “I hope to read back from you soon?” “i don’t want him by any chance be too playful”? I don’t even really understand what too-good-to-be-true fantasy job the guy thinks he’s dangling in front of us simple rubes. And we’re supposed to believe that his name is Smith?! AND that’s apparently his entire name?!
Woe, woe, woe unto any person simple enough to be taken in by this e-mail and move on to the next stage of the con! One worries for this con man’s family and anyone else he’s providing for.
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Bravo, Will.
And the lesson you leave us with is, “One worries for this con man’s family and anyone else he’s providing for.” I know, it is all too much to take – oh the sadness of it, the pity. Maybe we could tutor these people so that they could at least provide for their families with an occasional successful con. The ones that with to inform me in broken English, for example, that I have won 8 million pounds in the UK loterie. For example. Just breaks your heart, doesn’t it? Knowing that they are likely to return home after a day’s diligent effort at failing to sucker anyone, to hungry family looking expectantly and hopefully to them for at least some meager sustenance. Yep, that’s usually my first thought too.