hopefully some people have learned a lesson from all of this.

business owners: assume that every person who walks through your door will not pay. make sure there is some kind of recompense, or at least some way to recoup part of your outlay. while you may want to vilify a person for not paying, are you really sure you want to do it on the internet? then not only the non-payor, but your business, as well, goes under the microscope.

scammers: it doesn't matter what elaborate way you come up to make money. that money is short-lived and you will have to hit the street shortly to make some more. all the while, you are leaving a trail for the police to follow. just go get a job at burger king and call it a day, huh? there is no such thing as a free lunch. at some point you are going to have to pay.

everyone else: while it's entertaining, even fun, to watch a drama like this play out, these are real people with real lives and feelings just like all of you. how would you feel if you were some douche-bag's brother, innocent in this particular scam, and your name was being dragged all over the internet. would you like it? don't think so.

in the end, the business will survive, the guilty will go to prison, the guilty's family will have to live with their actions and maybe the internet wasn't the best place for this to unfold. thanks, good night.