I crave your distinguished indulgence (and all your cash). When I got one of these hilarious “419” fraud scheme letters a few months ago, I posted it here in its entirety for its entertainment value. Some gullible Americans are not entertained; ‘the

U.S. State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for African affairs claimed that

“Americans lose $2 billion annually to white collar crime syndicates based in Nigeria.” ‘ And some people, like Salon essayist Douglas Cruikshank, get several of these missives per week, he says. Here he analyzes their literary merits.