Even smart people can get scammed

July 27, 2012 by 2 Comments

There seems to be a proliferation of scam calls, many of which we’ve been warned about before. The scammers have become so sophisticated, however, that even smart people can fall into their carefully laid-out traps. Here’s a story about what happened to a friend this week who, though embarrassed about having been the victim, wanted others to know the details and who hopefully will not fall prey to a similar situation.

My friend received a call from “his nephew” who asked if his “favorite” uncle would help him out. The story went like this: Said nephew was having marital troubles, stopped at a bar to have a drink, decided to spend the night with a friend, came across a road block, his alcohol level was a bit over the legal limit and he was now in jail…a horrible jail….where he did not want to spend another minute.

According to the nephew, bail was set at $1,800.50 and the court wouldn’t take a check or credit card to pay the fine. He didn’t want my friend to call his dad (my friend’s brother) because he didn’t want them to know about his marriage being somewhat rocky.

My friend was asked to have a Moneygram transfer to a local drug store where his attorney could pick up the check and pay his fine. And, oh yes, it had to be done before 2:00 p.m. Pacific time because the court closes at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. When he had completed the transaction, he was to call an 800 number, dial a certain extension, and give the Moneygram confirmation number to the “attorney.”

The number was an 800 number that answered via answering machine, “County Court’s Office.” When he dialed the extension, a woman who said she was the nephew’s attorney took the confirmation number and said, “He can make two calls and the second call will be to you to let you know he’s been bailed out.” Of course that never happened.

In retrospect, he says he could have done a few things differently, like think with his head, not his generous heart.

Any one of us can be emotionally triggered when a family member or dear friend is in trouble, and this is what these scammers prey upon. Unfortunately, it works a lot of the time, especially when something is as well planned out as this was.

Think about it. Anyone can get an 800 number and put whatever message they want on it.  Moneygrams require cash payments and you’re given a confirmation number so that it can be picked up anywhere there’s a Moneygram facility.

The scary part is that the scammers seemed to know something about my friend’s family; i.e., nephew’s name, that he was recently wed, that his father and my friend were brothers. Since he doesn’t take part in social media, they had to get the information somewhere and that part remains a mystery.

Speaking of scams, here’s one more that surprised me. I’ve recently received many calls, some political and many “out of area” calls. One number I looked up by area code was from Costa Rica. Another one was from Washington. Out of curiosity I called that number and the immediate answering machine said, “Please enter your ‘do not call’ numbers.” I didn’t but looked up the correct number for that service. What I found surprised me. Take a look here. https://www.donotcall.gov/

Some final word of caution:

  1. Don’t send money to anyone you don’t know. That includes calls that say your son, mother, daughter has been in an accident, is in jail, or anyone who promises you riches being held for you if you only send them money so it can be released.
  2. Be careful about giving personal information to strangers, to workers who are repairing your home, garden or car.
  3. Do not give your Social Security number to anyone who calls you to “verify” any of your accounts.
  4. Check everything out, including promises of mortgage loans at a low cost, quick loans of any kind and “out of area” calls.
  5. Always review your checking account, bank statements and especially credit card statements.
  6. Call your bank or credit card number immediately if you find charges you don’t understand.
  7. Report fraud to police department. Many scams are not reported because of embarrassed victims.

For more information, here’s the consumer affairs website for you to check out.

 

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Enough, Already!

November 4, 2010 by 3 Comments

Have you had enough mudslinging in the past few weeks? I certainly have.

I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad this election is over! Somehow the extremely derogatory comments about opposing parties, the digging up of as much dirt as possible, as well as the half-truths that go with them, really turned me off against the candidates slinging the mud. That left almost no one to vote for.

And what ever happened to the old adage, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all?”

As more seasoned citizens, I wonder if we could be influential in changing the current political campaigns to something where candidates actually present solutions to problems. It’s hard to tell what principles and integrity they bring to the table when their campaigns are mixed with accusations, lies and the constant plea for money so more ugly ads can invade the airwaves. I feel sad when I hear how much money was spent on elections campaigns and how that money was used.

Here’s what I find ironic. The candidates running for office all promise more jobs, better education, a thriving economy. They do this while they spend millions of dollars smearing someone else’s reputation. Is it really true that “Nice guys finish last?”

So I asked myself, “What can we about this?” I believe we can change the way elections are run but it won’t be easy and may take a long time.

Here are some suggestions…some mine and some are from others. See if they make sense for you.

  • Set an example and ignore anything that tastes of a smear against a candidate.
  • Let go of the idea that you MUST vote for for a party. We have the freedom and the right to choose and choose well. Both parties have good and lousy candidates.
  • Do your own research rather than relying on what the media tells  us.
  • Exercise your critical thinking skills. Half-truths, gossip, and party lines do not uphold integrity and truth.
  • Beware of slogans, the mainstay of most platforms. When they’re repeated often enough, we actually believe them.
  • Once candidates are in office, give them a chance to do what they said they would do. Constant opposition based on party loyalty and lobbyist support do more to set back progress than does choosing poor leadership.

National messes aren’t created overnight and neither are solutions. Today’s economic and national situation was started over ten years ago and it seems that we want instant turnarounds. It can’t and won’t happen. It’s impossible.

So I ask my senior friends, can we start to change attitudes and politics so that the next election campaigns aren’t so ugly and costly? I think we can. Real change starts with heart, wisdom and integrity. I believe that those of us of a mature age have those qualities and that we can lead the way.

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Reaching the Senior Market

March 31, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Recently, I was privileged to be a presenter at “Free Webinar Wednesdays” on the topic of why reaching the senior market is so important. The Webinar, created on a blog platform, provides weekly learning opportunities for community banks, service professionals and small businesses and is run by Jeff Simpkins and Eric Cook. The blog itself is full of information on many topics such as marketing, writing, promotions, and building successful blogs.

Each Wednesday Jeff and Eric conduct a free Webinar open to anyone who would like to sign up for the broadcast. Hearing them live is inspiring and their genuine interest in helping businesses grow is clearly motivating. The presentations are then recorded and posted in the blog.

For each of the presentations in their archives, you will see a black screen. When you click on that, the presentation will start.

The link to their blog is here.

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Live, Love and Be Healthy

February 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Love is in the air! Why? It’s ‘s Valentine’s Day, of course, and we hear, “Send cards, send flowers, buy diamonds, send candy, etc.” Is love really a commodity we can buy once a year? I don’t think it has anything to do with what we buy. It has  to do with our intention to give something as a symbol of our caring for another.

Love is the one thing that’s guaranteed to come back to us multiplied. All we need to do is to give it away, keeping in mind that it starts with ourselves. We can’t give away something we don’t have.

In his book, How to Live 365 Days a Year, John Schindler, M.D., talks about the effects of our emotional state on our health. He lists the number one thing everyone needs to thrive is LOVE.

If this is what we need to thrive and survive, perhaps we need to start by loving ourselves. When you think about it, we are truly miracles of creation. There is no limit to what we can create, to what we can accomplish and what kind of legacy we can leave behind.

Can we really create a circle of love that will last through future generations? If so, how can we do this? This is even more important for seniors because part of aging gracefully is making every day count as a delightful memory, and with our many years of loving and being loved, we have a lot to give.

What if we were to put aside that part of our nature that likes to criticize, and replace criticism with appreciation. I have often found myself ready to find fault with poor service, a sullen waiter, or (horrors!) the way young children are being raised today. Then I remember that my Dad thought my children were extremely spoiled, and my grandmother and mother went to the mat on the way my mother was raising us. This attitude is not uncommon for senior women who have been there, done that, even if not as spectacularly as we would like to believe.

In celebration of St. Valentine’s Day, how about giving away Valentine gifts everywhere in the following ways:

  • Start with a Valentine for yourself. Look in the mirror and say, “I love you. Thank you for being me.”
  • Tell the grocery or store clerk that you appreciate the efficient way your order was or is being  handled.
  • If you’re at a restaurant, make eye contact with the waiter, smile and compliment something you like about him or her.
  • Tell your partner, spouse, friend how important they are to you.
  • For grandchildren? I find that compliments are always overshadowed by cookies.

You will find that you have not only made everyone feel good, you’ll get lots of smiles in return, and you will feel wonderful.

Happy Valentine‘s Day!

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