Scamming An Internet Scam Artist

[HollowPoint]

It turns out that many of these Internet Scam-Artists may not be as smart as they've lead themselves to believe. I have in intersting story that will take several short paragraphs to tell. I hope you can follow along. It may help you out some day.

I recently received an email on the letter head of a well known corporate brand name. The email was soliciting positions as a "Secret Shopper" for this chain of associated stores. I won't name the name of the corporation in the letter head until it's legal to do so.

Anyway; I shop at some of the stores that this big corporation is associated with so I thought I'd give it a try. I clicked on the link that the email provided and filled out my contact information. A few days later I was contacted via text message.

Two things tipped me off to this being a poorly executed attempt at a scam. The first thing was that whomever was texting me had the grammar of a hood-rat. The second thing was that I got their text message at two-thirty in the morning.

If this scammer would have made an effort to appear as professional as their initial email contact and internet link appeared, I may have been none the wiser but, it was to late for them. I knew that not only was this an internet scam artist plying his craft but, he was a stupid scam artist too.

The text message he sent me was to inform me that I had been selected to participate as one of their "Secret Shoppers." The text message stated that they'd be sending me a check for $400.00 with which to shop. They said to expect a check in a couple of days.

The text message also said that they would contact me again the day they mailed the check in question so that I could be expecting it to be delivered by courier. Two days later, again at two-thirty in the morning, I get another text message. This next text message was to inform me that they had shipped the $400.00 check and that it should arrive in a couple more days.

OK; following are the funny parts of this story. (funny to me) They contacted me yet again, asking me to confirm my name and address.

By then I had done some research into this type of scam so I found the online contact information for the company who's letter head they had initially emailed me with. Also; this Idiot-Scammer was texting me using his home phone number. It was a land line number, not a cell phone number.

When they contacted me again requesting confirmation of my name and address, I replied by asking if they could send the check to my other address in Ohio; that way I'd be sure to get it. They replied, "No problem but you'll need to confirm your full name and new address."

I sent them the other address along with a made up name. The name I sent them was, C. Relations. The address I sent them in Ohio was the address of that companies' customer relations department. The scammer agreed to ship the $400.00 check to the name and address I sent them but, they texted me again asking for a full name. The text stated that they could not except the initialed name, C. Relations as a name to mail their check to. It had to be a full name.

I didn't want to use the department name (Customer Relations) because I was afraid it would tip them off and they'd know it was a sting.
In place of C. Relations, I made up the name, Cecil Relations. They fell for it. They agreed to mail their fake check directly to the company they were using as a cover for their internet scam. HA!!! I then contacted the company's customer relations department.

The customer relations guy I spoke to agreed to pass this information and the check that this internet scam artist was sending to their customer relations department, on to their company's security department. I wasn't sure if he'd really do it cause he sounded kind of patronizing when I spoke to him. He said he would so all I could do was take him at his word.

This morning I got a phone call from a gal representing the company in question. She stated that Fed-X had just delivered a check to their Customer Relations department and she wanted to know what they were supposed to do with it. I actually missed her call so she left me a phone message asking me to call her back to tell her what I wanted her to do with the check. I did my best to explain what it was all about.

Even after explaining it to the gal who phoned me she still sounded kind of clueless. I think I may have sounded like a prank-caller to her but, she agreed to forward the check and pertinent information to their corporate security department. So now I'm just waiting.

I'm waiting to see if they'll call me back with news that they've caught the person or persons who've been using their corporate letter head as cover for their internet scams. I'm really just waiting to see if they actually did forward this evidence to nail this guy or gal scammer.

In my initial conversation with one of their customer relations people I remember stating, (these calls were all recorded by them) "If there's a reward for these scammers, I call dibs on that reward." (LOL) As you might have guessed, their customer relations person said nothing in reply.

Yea; so now I'm waiting to see if this corporation actually gives a darn about their customers. It's their customers who are mainly being targeted by these scammers. These internet scammers know that the customers of this brand name associate their letter head with legitimacy. It kind of made me wonder if there had been a data breach of some sort that we weren't told about. The letter head that was initially sent to me as an email solicitation looked awfully legit. If there was a data breach, I'm sure I wasn't the only one targeted by these idiot scammers.

Two-Thirty A.M. on the same morning that the company's representative called, I got a text message again. It was the scammer. He wanted to notify me that the check he had sent me via Fed-X, had arrived. I guess he'd been tracking it on his end. He stated that once I open the envelope and had the check in hand to text him and he'd give me instructions on how to proceed with my "Shopping Assignment." It read like a poorly scripted spy drama.

I probably screwed the pooch with my reply to this scammers last text message but, I couldn't help myself. I'd become wrapped up in this cheezy internet scam texting drama. Besides, I didn't really believe that the corporation in question would ever really do anything about these idiot scammers.

In an odd way, it reminded me of what that great prophet and holy-man, John Wayne once said. "Life is hard; it's even harder when you're stupid." If these internet scam artist are really brought to justice for their crimes, whatever degree of "Hard" their lives held up to this point, there's a possibility that his life might have just gotten stupid-hard.

I still have all of the back and forth text messages this idiot scammer sent me. If knew how to do it, I would have just cut and pasted that whole conversation onto the pages of this thread. It would have saved me a lot of writing.

I'll tell you what my last reply to this internet scam artist was, tomorrow; and then I'll call this story done for now. If that Corporation contacts me at some point in the future I'll dredge up this story and post it for any and all who may be interested.

Also: a short synopsis of how this scam works. Generally, the scam artist will mail out a check stated to be of a certain sum. When the person being scammed receives the check, they find that it's in a much larger amount than was stated. The recipient of the check will then contact the scammer to inform them that the check was for more than they had originally expected.

The recipient will be instructed to go ahead and cash the check anyway and send all but the original $400.00 to a specified address or addresses. They are instructed to use the $400.00 dollars to carry out their "Secret Shopper" assignment. The check they sent out will inevitably bounce; leaving the recipient to cover the cost out of their bank account. They loose whatever the amount of the scam artist's check was; except perhaps for four-hundred-bucks worth of whatever they spent that $400.00 on.

I'm off to bed for now.

HollowPoint

[knifemaker]

I have serious doubts that the corporation will do anything to try and catch the scammer. Only time they will get interested is if someone is taking serious money from them. They will write it off and file 13 the check they got.
As a LEO I received information of a possible insurance fraud where a small company filed a false insurance claim on a expensive boat that was damaged in a storm on a lake and it received water damage.
The informant worked for the guy who filed the claim and advised me that the boat had been in dry dock for several years and never was on the water during that time and dry rot had damaged some of the interior wood work because it had been left open to the elements while in dry dock at the marina. The informant stated if he contacted the insurance company to inform them and his boss found out, he would be fired. He also stated that if the insurance company investigator contacted them and as ked questions, he and another employee would tell the truth.
After 3 days of searching I located the insurance claims adjuster and advised him of the information. He told me that the insurance company could care less as it would probably cost them more to fight the guy in court then just paying the claim. I then told him that then the insurance company would probably raise the rates of their clients to cover the costs of false claims so they would not be out any money. He stated, Yep! that is how they will do it and I hung up the phone.

[JBinMN]

Interesting stuff!

[Thin Man]

Years ago we were over-run with notifications to "winners" of the Canadian Lottery. Wow, free money. All the winner has to do is pay (up front) the import taxes, duties, and the list goes on for financial output by the winner before they can receive their winnings. You would be amazed at the high number of sheeple who fell for this line. One lady really got into it. She was sending them ever increasing amounts of "tax" or "handling" payments. One day her bank refused to let her create a money order as they were aware of how she was going to use it. They were trying to protect her and communicated with her pastor. The pastor visited with her and tried to convince her this was all a scam. This "winner" would only say "but the caller is so nice to me on the phone." The pastor passed her off to the police department. We called and her husband brought her to us. We asked her when she was in Canada and where she had bought a lottery ticket in Canada. She replied she had never been to Canada and had never bought a Canadian lottery ticket. We asked how she could win their lottery if she never bought a ticket. She gazed up at the ceiling and answered "they called and told me me I won." Her husband acted unconcerned. His statement to us was that he had worked outside the US most of his career and had made some serious money that he shared with his wife. He spends his and she spends hers. If this is what she wants to do with hers that is OK by him. Yikes, TWO of them under the same roof! Guys, this lady had already sent the scammers close to $45K by the time she came to us. As long as there are gullible people among us there will always be scammers. Where's B. T. Barnum when we really need him !?!

[HollowPoint]

Three-thirty or so this morning; I got two more very short text messages from this internet scammer monkey. From the way they read, I get the sense that he or she or they may be concerned for their future. They seemed to be trying to figure out if my last reply, -the one I told you I'd post today sometime- was for real or if it was just a joke.

The first text read as follows: "Good morning and how was your night?" The second text message simply read, "Am still waiting for your response...thanks."

I will not be sending them any further responses but, as promised, the following is my "Screwed The Pooch" reply. It's the last one I'll be sending these scammers.


"I took the liberty of having you mail your letter directly to XXXXX's customer service center in Ohio.
They were put on notice to be expecting a letter from you addressed to Cecil Relations; which is actually a pre-arranged name changed from Customer Relations. They will be transferring all of this information to their corporate security department and their local law enforcement department.

All of this and your ongoing text messages you have sent will be used against you in a court of law. Enjoy the misery you have just brought on yourself and please be aware that any further text messages you send to this number will result in more nails in your coffin; legally speaking.

Badda Bing! We got you. You better get yourself a good lawyer."


That was the end of my text message reply.

HollowPoint

[The Governor]

http://www.419eater.com/

Scam baiting looks like fun.

[kayala]

I seriously doubt that corporation is going to do anything about it. So when the dust settled scammers know that user behind specific email account clicks on links in an email and that email account can be associated with a phone number with real person behind it.

[waksupi]

Not an internet scam, but a funny incident with one of my friends.
He'd sold an item, for around $1500. He went to the bank to cash the check, and it bounced. The teller told him there wasn't quite enough money in the account to cover the check.
He asked her how much was in the account, and she told him she wasn't at liberty to say.
So, he asked if he could make deposits in to the guy's account? She said she didn't see why not?
So, he would write a check for ten bucks, deposit it, and ask if it would clear yet. He ended up putting around $70 in the account before it cleared. Took his money and went home.
The check bouncer called him a couple days later mad as hell, because my friend had cleaned his account out, and he was bouncing more checks! Most likely cost him a lot of overdraft fees, and put him in arrears with his utilities and such.

[scattershot]

You have way too much time on your hands. I just ignore that ****.

[JBinMN]

Not an internet scam, but a funny incident with one of my friends.
He'd sold an item, for around $1500. He went to the bank to cash the check, and it bounced. The teller told him there wasn't quite enough money in the account to cover the check.
He asked her how much was in the account, and she told him she wasn't at liberty to say.
So, he asked if he could make deposits in to the guy's account? She said she didn't see why not?
So, he would write a check for ten bucks, deposit it, and ask if it would clear yet. He ended up putting around $70 in the account before it cleared. Took his money and went home.
The check bouncer called him a couple days later mad as hell, because my friend had cleaned his account out, and he was bouncing more checks! Most likely cost him a lot of overdraft fees, and put him in arrears with his utilities and such.

Excellent story! Thanks for sharing that! Made me laff out loud...
:)

[Omega]

I had reported a similar incident to my bank, and they stated that unless they were successful in taking my money there was little they could do about it. I have never fallen for any of these tricks, but have answered a few just for S&G. Many get irate when they find out they have been wasting there time. Lately it's the whole Microsoft Help Desk guys telling me I have a problem and they can fix it remotely. I tell them that I'm working for DOD and that my IT Security section will be in contact with them to help sort out this "problem"... they hang up.

[CraigOK]

I wish people would just get a job instead of screwing others over. But there will always be those special people that will steal with no remorse. Sad

[Omega]

I wish people would just get a job instead of screwing others over. But there will always be those special people that will steal with no remorse. SadPhft, I bet in India this is considered a job!

[HollowPoint]

I'm going to give it a month or two. If I don't hear any more about it I'll contact one of our local new stations to see if they run with it. Internet scams are old news so I'm not holding my breath on that either. As I stated before, I never really expected for the company in question to do anything about it either. I just thought it was worth a shot. If we don't try to do something about all of this corruption, then we passively become complicit in it.

Tracing the calls and contacting the company took all of a half-hour stretched over two or three days. I base my pessimism on the state of corruption in our nation as whole. Even with irrefutable evidence against these people, it seems that fewer and fewer of them are being brought to justice.

The thing that gets my blood boiling if I let it is, since this idiot internet scammer used his home phone, I could easily subscribe to one of the many online phone tracing services and get this person's exact name and address. I think it costs all of nine-bucks to do so.

If it's that easy for me to find out exactly who this scam artist is, (I use the word, "Artist" reluctantly) I have to believe that for law enforcement or corporate security departments a simple click of a computer mouse might bring up the same information.

HollowPoint

[Hardcast416taylor]

The latest scam going on around here is with a `Detroit Edison` rep calling you about your over due account. He says all service will be cut unless you get pre-paid cards at Wally World and call these reps back and read the card numbers to them over the phone! Edison doesn`t ever call you about your account, nor would they insist on that type of payment. Seems to be the elderly that are being hit with these calls late in the evening.Robert

[StolzerandSons]

After my youngest son rolled my truck(years ago), I listed it for scrap/parts on craigslist. I was contacted by an obvious scammer, said he would send the money plus shipping costs and he would arrange for a shipper to come load it up and I should just cash his check and then pay the shipper when he showed up and keep the rest. Figuring it was a scam when the check arrived I took it to my back nad ask them to ru nit through the clearing house to see if it was fake. The manager cam back and told me it was a convincing forgery but the routing number for the bank listed on the check was wrong. I asked her to pas it off to her fraud department and left it at that. I did have the pleasure of stringing on the scammer for a couple days, he even went so far as to threaten to sick a lawyer on me and call my local cops and report me. I dared him to do exactly that and told him I would gladly show up in court to watch him get arrested. I never heard from him after that.

I like it when they send me fake checks, I know it's not much but it still costs them a few dollars to fed-ex or ups the check to me. Anytime I can get them to waste their money seems like a good thing to me.

[RPRNY]

The corporation in question has a legal and fiduciary responsibility to do something about this. First, they have been informed that their name and trademark are being pirated and used in the commission of fraud. Failure to report that could make them an accomplice. Second, they have received material evidence in a reported fraud case (that was particularly smart!!!), and failure to report that to a law enforcement agency is itself a crime. Third, they have been made aware of the fraudulent use of their name and trademark(s) in crimes committed by wire and mail which makes the crimes federal in nature. Finally, the corporation has a responsibility to its owners/shareholders to act to limit the damage to its intellectual and reputational property/value. Failure to do so constitutes the inappropriate management of these assets and could open management to owner/shareholder litigation.

None of which means they will tell you what they have done.

Great job of stitching up the scammer. Cecil Relations is fantastic!

[fatelk]

Scammers have been ripping people off for as far back as you want to go. Over 20 years ago my folks became aware that an elderly friend of the family was being systematically ripped off.

This gentleman was a WWII veteran who had left a leg on an island fighting the Japanese. He's long gone now, but he would come over at least once a week, just to visit with my folks and have a cup of coffee.

He would chat about the amazing things he'd read in the "newspaper" (the ones in the racks at the checkout aisle): about 1000 year old aliens living under the White House, about the Loch Ness Monster being captured, about Elvis being alive and living on Mars, and other amazing news like that. My folks would just nod and say "That's interesting Gene". He started talking about repeatedly winning the lottery and such, and they shrugged it off as fantasy, for a while.

I don't remember why, but eventually they became really concerned and visited him at his house. His house was full of his "winnings"; junk like a fake fur coat and all kinds of cheap knick-knacks. It turned out that scammers had been preying on him for a while, and had taken him for his entire life savings!

My dad contacted the state attorney general and they did go after the thieves. They move around so fast they're almost impossible to catch. As I recall they were able to recover a small percentage of his money. We tried to help him as we could but he eventually had to go into a VA home, and passed away alone.

I despise thieves and scammers.

[brassrat]

Speaking of scams, just now I am reading FB posts of peoples utility bills doubling and tripling after recent cold spell. Our leaders who want to become your leaders let delivery charges skyrocket, as if actual use isn't enough. They are also planning on taxing things like you wouldn't believe. They also stopped all energy production,in state

[RogerDat]

This too large check by accident scam isn't just for the internet. It has been used in buying used cars or other expensive goods but cars are popular. You are selling a car for say $3,200 they show up but only have a cashiers check or money order for a higher amount say $5,500 and say they were going to buy a car for that amount but the deal fell through. They offer to endorse it to you and go with you to the bank to deposit it and you can just refund the difference. So they leave with your car, its title, and $2,300 of your cash.

People naturally assume that since their bank took the check, money order or cashiers check for deposit that it's legitimate and so they go ahead and refund the difference. Only to find out in a couple of days the deposit is invalid.

Another one involves camper or recreational vehicles such as motorcycles, ATV's or jet ski's etc. Essentially they download pictures from real advertisements and then offer the item for a deep discount. They get their scam payoff through your deposit to hold it until you come to complete the sale. Or sometimes as fees to bring the vehicle or camper to you on a trailer or flatbed. I don't think there are more crooks but with the internet you can bait a million hooks and if even 1/2 of 1% pay off the scammers rake in a pile of loot.

Have a friend that noted the camper was the exact same one for sale in other states on prior weeks, and did a little stringing them along for fun. But the police advise against it. Still the OP's revenge is classic as is this little gem.
http://www.scamorama.com/darth-danga.html You have to read it and just weep with laughter.

[MT Gianni]

Speaking of scams, just now I am reading FB posts of peoples utility bills doubling and tripling after recent cold spell. Our leaders who want to become your leaders let delivery charges skyrocket, as if actual use isn't enough. They are also planning on taxing things like you wouldn't believe. They also stopped all energy production,in state
You need to relocate to America.

[JimB..]

I'm going to give it a month or two. If I don't hear any more about it I'll contact one of our local new stations to see if they run with it. Internet scams are old news so I'm not holding my breath on that either. As I stated before, I never really expected for the company in question to do anything about it either. I just thought it was worth a shot. If we don't try to do something about all of this corruption, then we passively become complicit in it.

Tracing the calls and contacting the company took all of a half-hour stretched over two or three days. I base my pessimism on the state of corruption in our nation as whole. Even with irrefutable evidence against these people, it seems that fewer and fewer of them are being brought to justice.

The thing that gets my blood boiling if I let it is, since this idiot internet scammer used his home phone, I could easily subscribe to one of the many online phone tracing services and get this person's exact name and address. I think it costs all of nine-bucks to do so.

If it's that easy for me to find out exactly who this scam artist is, (I use the word, "Artist" reluctantly) I have to believe that for law enforcement or corporate security departments a simple click of a computer mouse might bring up the same information.

HollowPoint

I’m curious, how did you conclude that he used his home phone number?

[HollowPoint]

I’m curious, how did you conclude that he used his home phone number?

On my cell phone, when someone sends me a text it lists the number that the text message originates from. That number includes the area code. I simply entered that phone number onto my internet browser and it brought up multiple phone tracing websites. As part of the tactics these phone tracking sites use to get you to subscribe to their services, they'll give out just enough information on that particular phone number to get you to pay a little more for further information.

Part of the free information that several of these online phone tracing websites offered up front is that this was an area-code and phone number from Hattiesburg, MS. It also listed it as a "land line"; not a cell phone number. If I'd gone ahead and paid for a one month subscription to their services I could have also gotten the name of the phone number's account holder.

It's not that hard. Try entering your own phone number or the phone number of someone you know that has a land line in their home. Include the area code and enter it into your internet browser. I think it may even work if you have a cell phone too but I'm not sure. A "Land Line" generally means that it's a telephone number like the ones we used before the advent of cell phones. The phone line connects directly to the line coming from a telephone pole outside your house.

If you go as far as subscribing to one of these phone tracing websites and happen to get a name out of it. You can then cross reference that name by entering that name, along with the city and state they are from into your web browser as well. If everything checks out it should bring up online resources that trace names to addresses. A lot of times you'll get a link to the FaceBook website and you'll not only get their name to come up but, you will get a photo of the person as well.

For idiot scam artists, social media can be a social and legal disaster but, idiot-types like this never seem to think of stuff like that. It never seems to occur to them that connections can be made directly to them simply by using their phone number.

HollowPoint

[StolzerandSons]

You most likely got a spoofed number not the actual name and number of the scammer.
Caller ID spoofing is what almost all the telemarketers and scammers are using now. They can even make it look like they are calling from a local number in your area.

[MaryB]

I got a call from "Publishers clearing house" from some dude with a Caribbean accent. You won! We need a $400 check to pay fees and taxes to release the prize. My representative is waiting to hand you the check!

PCH doesn't charge fees but I played the game, town cop lived 2 blocks from me and I knew he was available because I had just talked to him on the phone to fix some wiring on the car. I had him run over in uniform, PCH guy called and I said yes, I have the cashiers check(anyone wants a cashiers check they are scamming!) go ahead and send your rep over. Guy shows up at my door, I answer and invite him in, he does the exchange(I made a fake check on my computer) and the town cop stepped in from the kitchen and arrested him. Never heard how far up the food chain they got. The hood rat they sent to my house had a record a mile long and went back to prison for a parole violation. I don't know if he squealed on the guy on the phone but at least one scumbag went to jail!

[HollowPoint]

I got a call from "Publishers clearing house" from some dude with a Caribbean accent. You won! We need a $400 check to pay fees and taxes to release the prize. My representative is waiting to hand you the check!

PCH doesn't charge fees but I played the game, town cop lived 2 blocks from me and I knew he was available because I had just talked to him on the phone to fix some wiring on the car. I had him run over in uniform, PCH guy called and I said yes, I have the cashiers check(anyone wants a cashiers check they are scamming!) go ahead and send your rep over. Guy shows up at my door, I answer and invite him in, he does the exchange(I made a fake check on my computer) and the town cop stepped in from the kitchen and arrested him. Never heard how far up the food chain they got. The hood rat they sent to my house had a record a mile long and went back to prison for a parole violation. I don't know if he squealed on the guy on the phone but at least one scumbag went to jail!

With any luck, the internet scammer I just dealt with will meet the same fate. I'm not really an expert in human psychology but I've been reading and writing since I learned how to read and write in elementary school. The wording and the punctuations of this guys text messages just seemed to indicate that he or she was not to bright. I'm sure that if they were caught, they too would have their share of previous legal violations.

HollowPoint

[JimB..]

On my cell phone, when someone sends me a text it lists the number that the text message originates from.

The technology has moved beyond that, in fact if you want to send me your cell phone number I’ll send you a text that looks like it originated from the whitehouse switchboard.

My brother had to get the police involved one time because someone thought that they’d identified a scammer and were making death threats, he of course had no idea what the guy was screaming about and that just made the guy madder.

For me the most interesting bit of evidence is how the fedex service was paid for. Likely a stolen credit card, but if not then at least it is something that could be followed.

[Geezer in NH]

Phone calls I hang up nothing said.

Emails I delete and block sender.

Life' s to short to play games with criminals. I got paid to do that before retiring. Now I make nothing and ignore the idiots. Nice to do.

[nvbirdman]

I was working at the post office when a guy came in complaining that the postal inspectors were holding the mail of a company he was dealing with. I explained to him that the inspectors do that when the company is scamming people. He said he wanted his mail delivered because he could be making $500 a day. Some people are just asking to be ripped off.

[rr2241tx]

Since my dad died it has been almost a fulltime job keeping the scammers off my elderly mother. About twice a year we just have to cancel her credit cards and get a new one. I've lost count how many bogus extended warranties she's bought for her NEW Navigator that has 5 years of factory warranty remaining. If you know anyone who needs several thousand dollars worth of wrinkle cream, I can spare a few Large Flat Rate Boxes of unopened jars. It's a constant barrage of phone calls, emails, and letters all day, every day at her house.

[MaryB]

Time to step in and manage her finances totally. We did that with my grandparents. They had a debit card with a $100 a month limit that could only be raised if one of my sisters or myself approved it. Ended the buying TV junk from ads that was total scam garbage. If they needed something major one of us went with and paid for it and the trust reimbursed us. And we were very lenient, they bought tons of toys and stuff for the great grand kids etc. just no extended warranties on new appliances, no TV scam junk...


Since my dad died it has been almost a fulltime job keeping the scammers off my elderly mother. About twice a year we just have to cancel her credit cards and get a new one. I've lost count how many bogus extended warranties she's bought for her NEW Navigator that has 5 years of factory warranty remaining. If you know anyone who needs several thousand dollars worth of wrinkle cream, I can spare a few Large Flat Rate Boxes of unopened jars. It's a constant barrage of phone calls, emails, and letters all day, every day at her house.

[john.k]

There is another type of scam where the cheques are good,and land the naive recipient into money laundering schemes,and jail time........my aged mother was a sucker for any kind of sad story with kids,and after she wasnt able to pay actual money,she started giving away good stuff to con artists on the talkback radio....anything antique was a particular target.....

[Rufus Krile]

HollowPoint, you have my admiration. Being retired, I take great joy in filibustering some of these yahoos. I have the time and the disposition to engage them. My personal record is only 45minutes of phone time and I thought that was good. I bow to the master.

[fatelk]

My grandfather worked hard all his life, and my grandmother was smart with money. In their later years they were very comfortable financially, with several rentals and such. Then she passed away and he spent the last decade of his life letting it all get away from him.

At one point he pretty much flushed $60K down the toilet. It wasn't an outright scam, just an incredibly unwise real estate purchase that ended up worth nothing. Actually less than nothing, with the massive back taxes and leaky underground tanks. Fortunately the transaction was done so poorly that it was never actually in his name, so it went to the county for back taxes and they paid to clean it up.

Anyone would have told him not to write that check, had we only known. He wanted what he wanted, and he was really stubborn. When you think of all the years of nights and weekends of overtime and moonlighting that he worked to accumulate that money, it's pretty sad.

[mold maker]

My Dad passed in 97, and I still get solicitations from "charitable organizations" seeking to live off his generosity. Those that include a free return mail envelope get as much of the Tuesday circular junk as I can tape in it. I never thought of taping it to a brick.
I answer the phone with "Who is calling", and let them talk to the couch with an occasional check to see if their smart enough to hang up.
It's a cotton picking shame that we older folks can't live in peace even 20 years after the death of our parents.