The topic of frequent flyer miles comes up in some unusual settings. Take for example, this following email exchange:

– Keep me posted as to how many frequent flyer miles you’ve got this far and how many you plan to get by Friday. Will be in Boston tomorrow. Plans for a trip look fine so far. Worst case we can get a refund by Monday, hopefully we do not.

– As I mentioned, I just got into this frequent flyer program. I got five thousand of sign-in bonus miles but thinking maybe if I fly often, I will get additional three to five K miles.

– On the frequent flyer program topic you mentioned, I think you should sign up for another flight, if you can, since they are providing bonus mileage soon.

One might think they are talking about frequent flyer miles, but one would be mistaken. This exchange was uncovered during a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation that resulted in the agency charging a Wall Street investment banker and others in a clandestine insider trading ring that netted approximately $1 million in illicit profits by trading ahead of at least 11 mergers, acquisitions and other corporate deals. The SEC disclosed that those involved used coded email messages that referred to securities and money as “frequent flyer miles” and “potatoes.”