Over time, the spam filter on my e-mail account has become smarter, shielding me from random Biblical quotes and letters from the many bankers of the victims of that 2000 Concorde crash. So I was pleased to see that the filter is so sensitive that it knew to let in an e-mail plea for help from jailed Russian tycoon and former Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky:

Firstly, this is not to cause you embarrassment, I am ALEXANDER SHANNIN and I represent Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky the C.E.O of Yukos Oil Company in Russia. I have a very sensitive and confidential brief from my boss to ask for your partnership in re-profiling funds. I will give the details, but in summary, the funds are coming via privatbank corresponding bank in europe. This is a legitimate transaction…. I will also suggest you visit these news sites on the internet to be better informed about this project.

One of the links provided leads to an entry in Sourcewatch that begins like this:

Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky (1963- ) is a former Communist Youth Leader leader turned Russian billionaire with ties to the Russian mafia. In August 2001, he hired the Public Affairs Firm, APCO Worldwide, to restore investors’ trust in his scandal-plagued company, Yukos Oil Company, where he is Chairman and CEO. APCO advised him to adopt “honesty, openness, responsibility” as his new motto — quite a turnaround for someone who has reportedly trafficked in women, laundered money and defrauded minority investors.

I’m guessing one of Putin’s henchmen got there first.