Internet is great, e-mail and on-line chat help us to contact with our friends and family, but there are so many scams floating around in cyber space and seep into our email box.

Last month Terry got an e-mail from someone who claimed working at HSBC Hong Kong. Her story is that, a sum of (USD $23,200,000.00) Twenty three million, two hundred thousand dollars was deposited by their late customer who died without declaring any next of kin before his death in 2006. She was asking Terry to help her re-profile fund? She suggested Terry to stand as the next kin of their customer, then share in the ratio of 50% for her, 50% for Terry.

We don’t really care if her story is true or false. No matter how much money is there, it’s not our money and we have no interest and right to claim it, so does she. Claiming the money which is not belong to you is crime of theft. Most people in this world would like to have more money, but stealing is not a way to get it.

Two weeks later after that, Terry got another e-mail from Mark Lawson who claimed to be an attorney from London, United Kingdom. His story is even better, and he has his address and office phone number on his e-mail.

His client Mrs. Margaret suffering from cancer, she’s willing Terry the sum of £10.2 Million British Pounds for humanitarian and personal use. Terry has the right to decline the funds as much as he has the same right to accept it as well.

There are even directions from Mrs. Margaret, how to use the money. 60% of the total funds should be used to help/support the less privileged/needy around you in your community. Use 5% of the total funds as donation to any small Church/Mosque or any Organization you know there in your City. The remaining 35% is for your own personal use for standing as the beneficiary.

All of these sound good, and he just needs Terry’s full name, gender/age, occupation, address and phone number, it’s reasonable too. It’s just hard for me to believe, someone give you so much money who you don’t even know. I won’t say it’s impossible at all in this big world, anything is possible except the chances are very very small. If they ask you to keep it secrete, don’t tell a soul, they are probably up to some scams.

So I Google up Mrs. Margaret Crawford and the attorney’s name, found their name on www.scamdex.com, it’s a scam, end of the story.

I wonder why those people are not using their intelligence and energy to do some real work, making a honest living. What a waste of life.

This scam story was over, but it did span a fantasy in my mind that afternoon when I was cleaning green coffee bean. ( we always pick out black, brown ugly beans before we roast each batch of coffee )

If you have been to Asia, have been to any local market, you see more food and vegetables locals prefer. At my home town, there are several daily markets, they are always busy and crowded in the morning. People use fresh food more than frozen food, most families buy their food daily and prepare their three meals a day at home.

These daily markets usually own by government or institute of government, government build the market so it’s out of rain and sun. I think meat product retail have to rent a booth, pay the rent monthly. People sell vegetable or fruit just put their food on oil cloth or banana leave on floor, space of 2 or 3 feet width, anybody can do business there. A person could just have 5kg tomato from garden, or 10 bunches of vegetable, or 3kg mushroom from forest, or 5 dozens of egg. Tax man come to collect money from vendors and give them receipt, very small amount. They check several times a day, there might be even different fees for half a day or all day. Anybody can do small business there, no matter how small quantity you have, or how many times you want to be there. That is one reason keeping the daily market interesting, you never know what you can find in the market that day. These markets provide a platform for any farmers and villagers do small business there, reduce the waste of Ag-products.

My fantasy is that, if someone give me a big amount of money, I would build a daily market for the community. There will be plenty of build-in booth, vendors don’t need to bring their folding table and tent everyday. It going to be a non profit organization, vendors just need to pay very little to keep the market clean. I’m sure, more farmers would like to sell their product than let it rotten in the farm; and local farmers can contribute more food to local community.

With all of state regulation, it won’t be as easy as I thought, but it’s not impossible. Big organization or company with tons of money, if they want to do something and benefit the local community, daily market won’t be a bad idea. The community will be more alive with daily market, local products trade there, less food will be wasted.

That was my fantasy in that afternoon, and I drop it as soon as I walked out from our coffee room, when I quit cleaning green coffee bean.

Then another incident happened in that evening. A Japanese costumer ordered some coffee on line, gave us their rental house address in Honolulu, they were going to stay there 2 days then 2 days in hotel. We received an e-mail, they were leaving Honolulu and they didn’t get the coffee package, they opened a dispute in PayPal. This kind of case was first time happen to us.

I got the package tracking number and found out the package was delivered the day before they arrived. Whoever was there, took the package. Again, I can’t understand why someone takes the package which is not for them, they are stealing from other people. I felt sorry for our costumer, wished they had contacted us earlier, not at the last minute before they were leaving. I sent tracking information to them, proved that we mailed the package. My understandgin is that, we are responsible to mail the package to the address we were given, we are not responsible for lost package after it was delivered.

I can’t wish everyone is honest in this world, but I sure wish we have more honest people than dishonest people; wish those scam people quit their job, get a honest job and have a decent life. Living a honest life is a good life, it shapes the small world around you, builds a trust world around you, a world nice to live in.