Banj-handling

We have panhandlers on Carrolton Avenue in New Orleans.  It is the source of contention for a lot of us, and it makes us mad, because it is the same group, panhandling every day.  I have written before about homelessness and panhandling and about how I am conflicted by it.

But I think I may have happened upon a solution.

I was driving down Carrolton yesterday, and saw something that made me reach wildly, and mostly unsuccessfully, for my camera.  The picture I took was a blurry shot taken out the back window, and it is not even anything that is terribly out of the ordinary here in New Orleans. It was a guy with a tuba (OK, it was a Sousaphone), and he wasn't playing it, just walking down the street.

Nigerian Prince

So I got the brief email, complete with misspellings.  The essence is that Ira Curry wants me to get in touch with her to claim my $600,000. 

 

I have wanted to do this for so long.

 

I responded, saying that I would be very pleased to accept the money, please make out a cashier's check to James Lawton, and send the check to my workplace.  Did I mention that it is a military installation?

 

Over the past week, I have carefully answered each of the emails, and finally requested that my contact at the courier services call me, that the $320 he wanted me to pay for courier services seemed really high, and I did not have a lot of money to pay him for something that was a 'pig in a poke'.  And yes, I used the expression.

 

When 'James Collins' called (happened during my lunch break), I told him I wanted someone here to verify that he was legit.  He said he would send me the website and a point of contact.

 

This was the response:

 

Hello,

Here is our site and one of our customer in Usa

http://elitecourier.com‍

(657) 549-0581

 

 

 

The Elite Courier website is not a real website.  And when I called him on it, and suggested that he might be trying to scam me for $320, he gave me an indignant email.

 

Complete with a 'LETTER OF GAUANTEE' from the high court of India:

 





Now I am no expert, but this reminds me of the 'Eric the Half a Bee' sketch:

"That's not a Cat License, that's a Dog License with the word Dog crossed out and the word Cat written in in crayon!"

 

Accompanying the image of the Letter of Gauantee was a picture of the parcel that they are sending, along with the following text:

Official greetings to you respected . I am in receipt of your last mail which is well noted. I will like to make it clear to you that due to your last message that this is %100 legit and also you need to make the payment before your parcel can be dispatch from our office here in India to your given destination and also there is no way we can be able to take money from you without carrying out our duty because we don't want to jeopardize the name of our company.

 

Why are you so skeptical about this we have sent you the letter of guarantee document that was given to us by the high court of India in regard to Ira Curry donation that is be given to you, because you have to know that this money is going to make a lot of changes in your life and the life of the people around you , so am going to attach a copy of the letter of guarantee to you and if you insist not to make the payment kindly inform us to enable us disclaim your parcel,all you have to do is just to revert back and fill in the copy of the disclaimers form that will be sent to you for us to cancel your parcel and that will allow you to give it to any charity of your choice and right now you have known our conditions if you wish to make the payment please do inform us.looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Regards/Thanks

James Collins

 

I don't know.  What do you think?  Legit?