02/25/12: I'm used to spam e-mail, as we all are. I don't see it too much because the spam filters in place on my ISP and at my job do a pretty good job of catching it before it appears in my mailbox, but I know it's out there, because every once in a while something slips through. But for the most part, it's not as much of a day-to-day nuisance as it was in the early days of e-mail. You don't realize how many different spellings and mis-spellings of the work "penis" there are until you try to configure e-mail rules to block it.
I am also used to junk mail, as we all are. The filter for that is not automatic, but for us is a large garbage can in the foyer of our building, where we can simply toss any unwanted mail, to be put out with the recycling every couple weeks. It's amazing how fast that can gets filled up.
But this week, I got what might be my first junk mail spam, in the shape of the postcard shown here. It just so happens that there were a number of things I've recently ordered to be delivered here, so when I got a card offering to "schedule pickup", I briefly thought it might be one of those packages.
But only briefly. When I thought about it for a second, the suspicion that I typically use with unsolicited e-mail kicked in, and I suspected fraud. Sure enough, when I Googled some of the details on the card, I found that this is indeed a scam. The first link on Google was for a mention on the Better Business Bureau web site of a complaint about this from over a year ago, and the tone of that article made me think it went back well before that.
I've repeatedly used Google to verify the veracity of some e-mail messaged I've received, but I think this is the first time I've done that with a piece of physical mail. Just goes to show you can't be too careful.
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