Scam Warning

 

The bad guys and girls are finding more ways to scam people out of money.

One of the earliest targeting me was when I received a text from my friend Mary. The text said she was in Wales and her purse had been stolen with all her credit cards, money and passport. 

Could I send money? She'd pay me back when she got home.

I turned my chair around. "So Mary, how are things in Wales?" She looked confused until I explained. The scammer's timing was bad.

Another friend, a professor in economics, was taken in by a Russian girl who "fell in love" with him. He sent money for her to join to him in the U.S. Needless to say, she never arrived. Because of his intelligence, that he fell for it, amazed me. Probably hormones won out. Her photo was stunning.

And different celebrities allegedly want to be my friend including my favorite Divo singer. Also John Irving was so happy I did my master's degree thesis on repeated symbolism in his books. Donna Leon and I exchanged several emails until I asked her some questions that the real Donna Leon would have had no trouble answering. 

I kinda wish Leon and Irving were real, but I was 99.9999999% sure they weren't. I probably shouldn't have played along, but I see nothing wrong in scamming the scammer.

Lately, I've been barraged by people who will publicize my novels. https://dlnelsonwriter.com and do wonderful things to promote my books. Some will even make a movie. 

The Author's Guild, of which I am a member, is really good at notifying members of the latest attempt to fleece them. 

Today was a new one. A person claiming to know me, had a video of things I wouldn't want anyone to see and for only $2,000 they would destroy it. I had 48 hours to send the money. 

Hmmm, I think I won't. Even on the tiny, tiny, tiny chance I did something so bad, I would remember it. My life is too boring. 

I do wonder about the scammers. It is part of a group where they must get X number of victims or they lose their jobs? Is it a solo person, who can earn enough that s/he doesn't need any cohorts?

I get tired of robbers from those on the street to those at the top levels of business and government. 

It's naive to hope people will be honest, help each other out, care. I want to be naive, but being realistic is self-protective