Phantom Dreams
Linda Leatherdale of the Toronto Sun writes about a grandmother burned by lotto fever.
The story is familiar advance fee scam: you have won money, send us a little and we will send you a big cheque. Or not - but please keep sending money. Maybe we will get around to paying you, for a lottery that doesn't exist.
Apparently, this line worked over and over again with this woman. For a full 5 years.
And her rationale? "More than anything, she wanted to pay for a university education for her three grandchildren. So she entered the sweepstakes."
As readers of this blog know, I am not a hard man on victims of fraud. Quite the contrary: I believe that if you have been robbed by a contract wielding maniac, you deserve the same protection as if you had been robbed by club wielding maniac.
But in this instance, I am unmoved. Why not simply give each grandchildren a $10 dollar lottery ticket every month, sit around the telly, and enjoy the thrill of the dancing lotto balls -even in defeat?
No, granny's story doesn't add up. (Even Ed Dickson's usual thoughtfulness fails him here, as he sees nothing queer about this story.)
Sometimes individuals are both greedy and stupid, and pay a heavy price for it. Something is never for nothing, unless I suppose you have a receipt for it.
