I seem to have become a favorite of all those scammers who like to tell people like me that we're the beneficiaries of a large sum of money, anywhere from $1.5 million to $11.5 million, which seem to be favorite sums. I wonder if this is because they believe these sums are believable enough to snag a fish. Their information comes in all sorts of guises. I'm the winner of a European lottery, or my credit card has been selected at random by an official in some office in Benin, or some wealthy winner of the lottery - usually a legitimate one - wants to give part of his winnings away, or a wealthy widow is dying of cancer and wishes to be sure her legacy goes to someone who will use the money for a charitable cause. Some of these notifications come with instructions to email someone further, who will provide details of how to claim my prize. These details are usually very long-winded but somewhere there is always the catch: I have to send some money, varying from $75 (the lowest I've seen) to as much as $750 (the highest) which will assure that my ATM card loaded with my inheritance will be transported to me safely. I've even had calls, sometimes in the middle of the night, informing me that the courier who is carrying my legacy is at an airport - JFK and DFW seem to be favorites - and needs to clear customs for a sum before flying on to BWI to bring me my legacy in person.
All of this is very alluring and although I know they're scams, I've become fascinated by the gyrations of the come-ons and the instructions for collecting. I've even had calls, one right after the other (when I've hung up on the first) from two different numbers - I can see this on my iphone records - but with the same caller. The scammers must catch a lot of people for them to be so prevalent, and so insistent. Lately, I've emailed back with strident instructions of my own - "send me my money immediate, without further delay," or "where are the funds you promised me" - ignoring, and without responding, to the things, especially the money, they've asked of me.
It's become a kind of game. But I grow weary (just as I've grown weary of Candy Crush Saga and Words With Friends on Facebook - and even maybe Facebook itself, but that's for another topic) and the game has become a bore, even though I'm still attracted to the possibility that I've actually won something. (All I ever won was a cookbook, which I surely didn't need.) So enough, already! Scammers beware. I'm not playing anymore.
There must be some new game I can play, that might give me more satisfaction.
Stay tuned.
All of this is very alluring and although I know they're scams, I've become fascinated by the gyrations of the come-ons and the instructions for collecting. I've even had calls, one right after the other (when I've hung up on the first) from two different numbers - I can see this on my iphone records - but with the same caller. The scammers must catch a lot of people for them to be so prevalent, and so insistent. Lately, I've emailed back with strident instructions of my own - "send me my money immediate, without further delay," or "where are the funds you promised me" - ignoring, and without responding, to the things, especially the money, they've asked of me.
It's become a kind of game. But I grow weary (just as I've grown weary of Candy Crush Saga and Words With Friends on Facebook - and even maybe Facebook itself, but that's for another topic) and the game has become a bore, even though I'm still attracted to the possibility that I've actually won something. (All I ever won was a cookbook, which I surely didn't need.) So enough, already! Scammers beware. I'm not playing anymore.
There must be some new game I can play, that might give me more satisfaction.
Stay tuned.
