By Esmerelda Van Cloofenhausen the III
Scammers
Scammers have gotten so good that you really have to watch out!
Not to mention Facebook Instant Messaging, but one thing at a time -
Scammers can suck it!
There are millions of scams going on, but the latest I got sucked into
was the Georgia Power one. I was toiling away at work one day when I
received a phone call with a recorded message telling me that the power
bill had not been paid and if I wanted to keep the power on, I was to call
this 800 number. It sounded legit. I called the number and was advised
by “Anthony” that the business owed $851.95 to Georgia Power. Men
were on their way now to cut off our power. I started to become skeptical,
but was really tipped off when I was told I had to immediately obtain a
gift card at the local Kroger for half the payment in order to keep the
building’s lights on.
Well, business was slow and I had nothing better to do, so I pretended
to be the owner and completely freaked out on this guy! Will this payment
be reimbursed to me? Why yes, it will show on my next statement that
they would give me credit. Where do I go to get this gift card? Well,
Anthony told me that Kroger was only 1.5 miles away from my current
location and I had to get there in 20 minutes or else! I told him that
16 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2020
Kroger was a bit further than all that and proceeded to argue with him
about exactly how far away the Kroger was. Anthony was beginning to
panic. He needed me to get there and back in 20 minutes because the
men were on their way. I had to go now! I strung him along for a bit more
and then got bored. There’s only so much time I’m willing to waste on
a cheap thrill. I told him I was leaving now and would call him back as
soon as I got the gift card. I never called him back, but he called me three
more times, wanting to know where the money was. Alas, the men never
showed up to cut off the power either, but the cops showed up to take
a report.
Then there is Instant Messaging and the hacking of your Facebook
account. I shudder every time I accept a new friend request. The second
my new friend sends me an IM that says ‘Hi. How are you today?’ I know
something is amiss in river city. Depending on how much time I have on
my hands, I will either string them along or just unfriend them instantly. It
can be entertaining, but it’s so irritating and I loathe these people trying
to take my hard-earned money.
I especially worry for older people that don’t understand the way of
the world these days and are unfamiliar with the techniques these awful
people use. They can make it sound so legit and you are just worried
about your power or social security or taxes that you don’t pay attention
to the fact that this is just a person that doesn’t want to go out and
make an honest living. So listen to this advice: DO NOT give anyone your
private information no matter who they say they are. This includes your
Social Security Number, any account number information, address, date
of birth, mother’s maiden name or just anything. Just don’t do it. If you
have any questions, call the police. They do take this seriously and will
make a report.
The moral of this rant is suspect everyone and everything. Everyone
really is out to get you. When in doubt, don’t do it. When you have no
doubt, but nothing else to do, play along and waste someone’s time. It
can be kinda fun.