Ok, gang, this is the end of the line. For anyone who doesn't want to read the end, hit backspace.
So a few weeks ago the dude in question reached out with a light email, and I weakened and responded, and fairly quickly it escalated into a request for cash because it is an "emergency," though it sounded like the rubber really wouldn't hit the road until July 1. I am traveling, but replied I was open to talking later this week. I marshaled talking points, assembled a list of helpful links, and prepared to say that at this time I was only willing to talk about his options, but I wasn't willing to offer financial assistance.
But then a few hours ago I received an email, stating that he had sent me a letter with a deposit slip, and he had discovered his bank had branches in my city, and he would need to access my funds quickly, and it really wasn't even clear why. But I needed to deposit funds soon. I realized at that point that I really wasn't going to be able to have the conversation with him that I had envisioned, so the only response I could give him was that he had misunderstood the contact I was willing to have, and then I shared a list of potentially helpful links.
And then, I initiated ZCP. Email and phone calls blocked on all accounts and phone numbers. Hopefully this is really the end of the road for this saga. Any postal correspondence will be immediately burned. Hopefully he will figure out how to manage his life a bit better.
But in the meantime, please resume normal posting, and give thanks for the people with good mental health who are out there.