On 7/15/2016 2:04 PM, Mort wrote:
PeterN wrote:
Just got a telephone call. I was selected by the US Government to
receive a grant of $9,000. Sending me a check is impossible. The only
way I can receive this money is by them making a direct deposit in my
bank account. To do this they also need my age, Social Security number,
and banking information. I said I would have to look up that
information. They are now on hold for over ten minutes. I wish I had a
way of playing a message telling this scammer how important this call
was to me, and thanking them for their patience in waiting. The perfect
music on hold for calls like this is Scheherazade.




A friend of mine, an 80 year old widow of modest means, was scammed out
of $18,000.- by means of the grandmother scheme regarding her nephew
allegedly being arrested in Mexico City for drunk driving. When she told
me about it, months later, I asked her why she didn't call her daughter
to see if her grandson was actually in Mexico City. She replied that the
(fake) grandson's voice told her not to tell his mother. Some weeks
later, the grandmother scheme was written up with a warning in
Consumers' Reports Magazine.

Nigerian schemes, Irish Sweepstakes, etc. have been fairly successful in
stealing money from trusting people, especially the elderly.

Mort Linder

Yep. I can never understand how dumb some people can be. Perhaps they
are blinded by greed.

--
PeterN