[This story is fictional].
The saying 'no honor among thieves' has a long history in the criminal world. The phrase was most likely thought up by some sneaky thief who then had it stolen by an even sneakier one. The sentiment holds true time and time again.
This particular proverb was one of the last things on the mind of Big Bad Romance Bob, a romance scammer with the moral aptitude of an inanimate pebble. Big Bad Romance Bob had been working a long-term sweetheart scam with Veronica Pelfrey.
Veronica was a prime target. Looking to rekindle love through a dating app after her husband's tragic passing due to a freak explosion at a popcorn plant, Veronica had fallen for 'Bobby's' charm. Bob seemed to have a lot going for him. He worked on an oil rig in Kansas. When he wasn't stationed on the rig, he volunteered to teach children how to write cursive or spend time with his ailing aunt.
"She is not doing well Ver," Bob stated with concern. She liked being called Ver. "The doctor says she needs an operation. $5,000. I don't know what to do. I have the money but they only take cash. All I have are checks from my retirement account and I can't get off this rig."
"Is there anything I can do?" This was what Bob was waiting for. Bingo, he thought.
"Can I send you a check to cash? I need the money sent through the mail." It was as simple as that. She agreed, hoping to help Bob's sick aunt.
Bob sent a fraudulent check to Veronica, who was quick to deposit the item. Once the funds were available, she made a large withdrawal. Placing the cash in a small box, she attached stamps and addressed it to Kansas. Bobby's aunt will get that operation, she thought.
Normally in a scam like this the money would go to the scammer and the victim would be overdrawn when the fraudulent check returned. Bob believed this to be the outcome, but never saw a dollar. Big Bad Romance Bob never found out what happened, but it annoyed him that a box full of cash never came from Veronica.
Instead, another fraudster working a different type of scheme obtained the money. The day after Veronica made the drop, a mail thief opened it using a hot key he had bought on the dark web. Looking for checks and other documents of value, he came across the box.
The problem for the mail thief was that he broke into the blue receptacle directly behind a cop. Turning on the flashing lights resulted in the suspect jumping in his car and driving away. A high-speed chase ensued.
Meanwhile, Veronica was contacted by her bank about the check, which had returned. This outed Bob as a scammer and crushed her emotionally. Her negative account balance was devastating financially. This was not a good day for her; she didn't know what to do.
The car chase was not especially long; the criminal hadn't planned for a run in with the law and struggled make a gap between the police cruiser and his Kia Forte. Even so, he was able to get ahead just enough on the back roads out of the city to be able to begin to dispose of the evidence. Mailed checks flew through the air. He picked the cash box up and chucked it out the window.
A few minutes later the criminal crashed into a slow-moving trailer with a faulty door carrying manure. The door broke, spilling the contents. The police, while happy to apprehend the mailbox pillager, weren't thrilled to transport him.
Hearing the hubbub outside, Veronica walked down her drive. Eyes red from crying, she shrieked with relief when, by divine circumstance, the box of money was at the end of her driveway. Now happy, she went to the bank to cover the overdraft.
While both scammers were oblivious to this, neither one had a good day, which is the equivalent of 'Happily Ever After' in fictional fraud stories. Veronica had learned a valuable lesson and eventually fell in love again and got remarried (and they actually lived happily ever after).