Listen to me:

You have not won a sweepstakes that you can claim by mailing in a "processing fee."

Anybody who asks you to send in a processing fee to win a prize is lying to you.

They have your name on a "sucker" list. They sell your name and address to one another. They want to take your money. They do not care whether you are elderly, or poor, or naive, or can't buy your pills.

Let me tell you about Ruth.

Ruth is 85. She is the mother of a woman I know in St. Petersburg. I am not using her last name, mostly so as not to embarrass her, but also so no more crooks get it.

Sitting on my desk is a large cardboard box filled with sweepstakes solicitations taken from Ruth's home by her daughter. There are dozens of letters, hundreds of pages, representing only about an 18-day period.

In a single month's time, Ruth wrote about $4,000 in checks to these companies, as best as her daughter can figure. Most of the checks were for processing fees in amounts of $20 or less. A few asked for $29.99.

On Oct. 1, she wrote 16 checks. On Oct. 3, eight. The next day, four more. Five on Oct. 5, 10 on Oct. 7, three on Oct. 8, 14 on Oct. 9. Two on the 10th and the 11th.

Ruth's husband is still alive. But he cannot stop her.

Her daughter sent me photographs of Ruth's house. The furniture and kitchen counters were covered with envelopes. The overflow spilled onto the floor.

There are letters of every shape, color and variety. There is no limit to the ingenuine and shameless attempts to addle and confuse elderly readers.

"Ruth, I'm Really Surprised," one letter proclaims in large type. "Why Haven't You Requested the $6,500 Cash Prize?"

One letter has a large headline saying she has won the Florida Lottery. Another is titled "Notice of Intention to Transfer Funds."