Editors should be on the lookout for letter from Alabama inmate claiming to be from their area

The same letter keeps popping up in mostly small-town newspapers throughout the country. Each letter is identical to the others with one small alternation -- the author continually changes his birthplace to match the newspaper's readership. The letters, which caught the eye of Jim Romensko reader Lou Alexander, claim to be from an Alabama inmate who is searching for lost family members, or for anyone at all to contact him. Whether it's a scam, or just a lonely person looking for friends, editors should be on the lookout for the letter. A few examples of the letter can be read on Romensko's blog by clicking here.