My friend (and talented author) Helene Boudreau recently posited that spammers might be more successful if they mastered proper grammar and spelling. I immediately thought, “Now there’s a business opportunity!” I imagined myself selling my editorial services to spammers, for my usual hourly rate plus a small cut of whatever profits their new and improved scams brought in. Unethical? Perhaps. But hey, a writer’s gotta make a living, right?
Thankfully, I hadn’t yet crafted my pitch letter when another friend posted this article: Scammers Intentionally Write Lousy Emails. That’s right–those emails are hilariously illiterate on purpose. Why? Because if you’re not the type of person who sees lots of spelling and grammar errors as a red flag, you’re more likely to fall for the scam. (“Wow, I can’t believe this person from Nigeria is really going to trust me with $20 million! Sucker!”)
Oh well. I suppose I’ll just have to keep my day job. And continue writing on the side. (At least I’m churning out around 10,000 words each month by sticking to my Don’t Break the Chain pledge, which I started in March. Go, me!)
