Crime and Punishment

Tue, Feb 10, 2009, by Rumixa

Security

As a Libra, I am all about fairness and justice. How do does society allocate a befitting punishment for a crime? I want to discuss this from different angles but today I am starting with the ever popular crime du jour – 419.

The other night on W-Five there was a segment on 419ers ,who are Nigerian fraudsters duping people into cashing cheques for them. Now, I have empathy for any kind of victim especially children, the old and defenceless BUT when you are a “victim” due to your own greed the shona word “toko” seems appropriate. “Toko” means serves you right by the way. I am not advocating fraud or any  other kind of crime I am just saying people also need to take responsibilty for their own decision making. If someone sends me an email or snail mail telling me I’ve won a lottery I neither purchased a ticket for nor can remember entering and then says for me to claim it I have to PAY some processing fees, my active , latent and dormant brain cells will be a-buzzing. If someone offers me a job and tells me all they require from me is my receiving a cheque in the mail, depositing and cashing said cheque in my account and then sending the money back and thats my job something is a-foot! If someone tells me they have a bag full of tainted money, yes tainted money and offer to sell me a special ink that “cleans” said money for an exorbitant amount I would have to be a fool or blinded by greed to fall for such a scheme. Blaming spammers (for the first scenario) , banks for allowing cheque to go through (in the second) or I guess no one in the third is just shifting and refusing to take responsibilty for your own BAD decisions. Stop responding to those get rich quick schemes especially now they have been exposed as such time and time again! In these scenarios are the “victims” victims of their own greed and stupidity? Now I am not even delving into the ethics of financial institutions who cash these fraudulent bad cheques yet  hold the victims liable for the bounced cheques ..but hey any comments on this would be greatly appreciated.

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