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I'd thought I'd seen it all, every possible deceptive e-mail trick, fraud, and scam. Then today I was blown away from a source I didn't expect.

After carefully reviewing all my e-mail (and rejecting every new message) I was paranoid and sick of computers. I took a walk outside to relax, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the devious tricksters trying everything to get my money. On the way back I stopped at my mailbox and found an envelope.

When I opened the envelope I stared in disbelief-- someone had been watching me. They knew about every time I used my credit card the past month! Even worse, they were trying to extort money from me!

This wasn't a fly-by-night operation. The documents they included were well printed (albeit on cheap paper) and they had an 800 number for "customer service." I called to tell them I was on to them, but they were brazen and insulting. They insisted the scam was legal, treated me like a fool, and threatened to ruin my credit if I didn't pay. But while being rude, they were still professional. They offered me to let me pay "protection" each month until I could pay all they wanted. They offered to take the payments from my bank account for "simplicity" (but I was smart enough to know they would drain the account in minutes if I gave them my number).

Eventually I hung up in disgust, threw away the letter, and wrote this to warn other people: Don't trust the letters you receive! Double-check everything and don't send money to thieves, even if they have an 800 number!

It's almost enough to make usenet newsgroups seem a safe place to visit.

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