Sept. 24 — He contacted me to brag, this e-mailer named Kenneth. Said he had seen a story I’d done called “True confessions of an eBay criminal,” about a 15-year old who managed to steal a few thousand dollars online. And Kenneth was offended. “He’s an insult to each and every one of us scam artists,” Kenneth wrote. “I could tell you stories.” And so he did. Kenneth claims he’s spent the past two years as one of eBay’s most notorious scammers. Here’s how he does it.

This is kinda scary, and it hits upon a couple of thoughts I've been mulling about the online age. How the hell do you actually know anything about anyone? Seriously, how much of a personal contact do you need before there's some level of useful trust in a relationship?

Old thought. Moving on.