This is not a story about crooks in Colombo, it's about SRI LANKAN crooks.
Some time in 1980s there was an advertisement on SUNDAY OBSERVER and inviting amateur photographers to earn some money through an advertising agency in the USA.
First, you should register with this agency, by paying 15 USD, and provide any photograph, which they pay a little more than the cost. If they found any photograph useful for them, you should provide them with the film, and the authority to use that photo. They may pay up to 50 USD for that photo. It sounds too good to be true. (35 mm 36 photo film was Rs 50-60 , and a 6x4 print was Rs 5 at that time) If you don't have a camera, you may pay 55 USD and get a camera from them as well.
I send them a letter, and told them that, I am interested, and give me further instructions. I got the reply from USA (in an airmail envelope, which contains a letter explaining how to pay that registration fee/or purchasing the camera)
First thing caught my eye was that envelope was made by WEERODHARA CAMBRIC in dam street. I was little suspicious, and send them another letter with my ancestral home address. It got a reply too . That airmail envelope from USA, was manufactured by "DIYAGALA BOYSTOWN" (I want to tell you that, these things are printed in microscopic letters, and any ordinary person may not pick up. But I study PRINTING in junior school between 1972 and 75, and interested about who print, or manufacture these things.)
I was even in a process of organizing a 15 usd bank draft through a cousin who works for B of C, but gave up whole thing when I realise these letters are not coming from USA.
About a year later, I was studying TV technology in an institute called ITVT in fort, and find out the story behind this scam.
At least 10 of my fellow students send 55 USD payment to USA. All of them lost their money. Later CID was involved in this case and reveal that some corrupt postal workers in international mail exchange, remove our letters from US bound mail bags, and reply to the sender. That US address was a fake. All bank drafts also taken out and send to USA and get the money. At that time some Tamils with connection to LTTE was involved in this case.
