Reading the Fine Print

 

Sometimes it seems that "everyone" is trying to coerce you into wrong decisions, scam you out of money, fool you into thinking you have no alternatives… It is TIRING!

 

Most of us really don't have any major problems with comprehension, and many of us are just looking to be treated fairly, the same way we prefer to treat those around us. (Okay, I admit, some do look to get away with whatever they can, but not most.)

 

I get calls daily, sometimes more than once a day, telling me that "your car warranty has expired…" Heck, I haven't owned a car in at least eight years! And oh my goodness, heaven help us if we dare to click on a Facebook ad, we'll get put on every possible email list and then some… and too often if you try to make a purchase you either never see the product or it winds up that your charge card is used multiple times WITHOUT your approval.

 

I realize that there have always been scammers and con artists, but lately it seems to be everywhere you turn. Even sitting at your own computers in your own home is risky — did you ever get one of those authentic looking popups saying your computer is infected and just click here to clean? DON'T! And I can pretty much guarantee that no one in Nigeria is going to offer you millions if you give them your bank account number.

 

There are so many DON'Ts these days. DON'T push any buttons to remove yourself from a call list! DON'T store your credit card numbers on your computer! DON'T correct the info someone allegedly has and has to verify before sending you that "surprise"! DON'T dial back that phone number from the most recent nuisance call – you'll either negate that Do Not Call rule or you won't even reach the scammer and find they have spoofed some innocent's phone number. And definitely DON'T run to buy that gift card to send so that your phone doesn't get shut off or some such nonsense.

 

Aren't times tough enough without having to dodge every scam thrown your way? Most people are just trying to survive, pay their bills, stay healthy, and spend time with family. It is downright annoying when you receive an onslaught of email messages from your "favorite" social media site saying that they received "your" request to change your password, and you click each email with "No that wasn't me", and yet they keep on coming. And it is highly unlikely that your local State Police Department is selling you raffle tickets over the phone.

 

One very, very cruel hoax that is commonly pulled on the elderly is a phone call about a "grandchild" in trouble… car accident, jail, stranded in a strange country. The caller will pull as much information together as possible to totally frighten the loving grandparent and manages to con them into giving financial info over the phone. Meanwhile the grandchild is safe and unaware that dear old Grannie is now shaken to the core and totally ripped off of her savings. How can people be so heartless?

 

Another popular scam is when you go to sell something online. The potential buyer, usually long distance (allegedly) offers to mail you a check, and they do, but somehow they have included extra so that you can afford the shipping and then you will reimburse the excess. So in good faith you deposit the check, give it a day or so to "clear" and then send the overpayment by Western Union while you wait for delivery instructions. But then, lo and behold, the original check is pulled out of your account! But you are still out of the money you "refunded". Note that your bank will hold a check for so many days before it is permanently deposited in your bank account, find out how long.

 

Do yourself a favor and learn about Common Scams and ways to protect yourself from sites such as https://www.usa.gov/common-scams-frauds and https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam. It can be a cold cruel world out there, arm yourself with knowledge.

 

And by the way, the IRS is NOT going to call you on the phone about your overdue payment!

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Taking Advantage

Why is it when people are vulnerable there always seems to be someone willing to take advantage of them?

The last few months many people have been out of work using home computers to keep up with school, family and, if they are the lucky few who could work from home, their office. Hackers are finding ways to download invasive software, sending fraudulent emails, answer phished phone numbers and make scammed phone calls. It’s dismaying at a time when people should be helping one another, some just take advantage.

Scammers will make you think they are authentic and really just being helpful — maybe they’re offering to help you lower your interest rates, what better time to wave that juicy tidbit in front of folks than when they are short on cash and many really do have the bills piling up. Seniors are especially vulnerable to scammers because they are used to getting contacted from insurance plans, Medicare and Social Security; but NONE of those entities will ask for personal information like social security numbers or passwords.

Then we have the hackers who know enough to download software and steal sensitive information from your computer or even use your own computer to make purchases. Sometimes they call from a “computer company” claiming that your machine is corrupted and they need to fix it; don’t accept a story like that, if there really is a problem you make the contact (in person if possible). If you believe a program is being downloaded, immediately disconnect your computer from the internet completely and DELETE any program that has been downloaded – use the remove/uninstall program feature.

Many financial institutions and some stores who offer credit cards have made provisions to help protect you in the case that someone is fraudulently using your credit to purchase things like e-gift cards or transfer bank funds. Ask about double verification when you sign in to your bank — after entering your log-in and password (never store sensitive passwords on your computer) they will send your mobile phone a text message with a code which you will need to enter before continuing (one method). Be sure to set “alerts” on every bank account or store credit account, this will cause a message to be sent to your phone and/or e-mail as soon as a transaction takes place; you can usually set the limit to be notified (make it LOW).

Don’t be embarrassed IF you do get scammed, almost everyone falls for something shady — report it to the authorities (police, FTC, banks, stores, etc.) immediately. Contact banking institutions to ask if you could STOP transactions from going through (may need to pay a fee). Be sure to keep any correspondence (emails, text messages and the like) and copy phone numbers (although they might not be authentic) related to the scam. Unfortunately if you do lose money, it is NO longer deductible on your tax forms.

Some helpful advice to avoid fraud and scams:

 BBB Tips: 10 Steps toAvoid Scams

 Avoiding Scams 101 | FTC ConsumerInformation

 Top 10 Scams and Frauds You Can Avoid –AARP

 Protect yourself from phishing scams

Pretty Little Liars - #MondayBlogs

It’s all lies — Pretense —Make believe. Why? Why do some people think they need to be someone or something else than who they are? Do they really feel such a lack of confidence in themselves, or is it distaste?

I’ve heard people telling “war stories” repeatedly and the more often they tell them, the more we have cause to question them because of how much they change each time. Sometimes the stories are about war, sometimes they aren’t. These stories could be as innocuous as exaggerating about the price of paint, each time the story was told the cans of paint became more and more expensive; most times these tales can be put up with because they really do no harm. Then there are the times the stories are indeed wanna-be glory-hounds pretending to be war veterans, those annoy me.

I used to know a man who pretended to have served in Viet Nam and told numerous stories about some of the “great battles” he fought… to be honest, he would have been 12-years old for one of these battles! He introduced himself in group situations as a vet, tried to join organizations designed for vets, and lied to his own family about his war service. He was finally confronted by an actual war veteran and the last I heard he is no longer announcing his service in public forums – and it’s obvious he is angry at being denied the chance to boast.

Why would someone continue to promulgate such lies, these are fraudulent and of course if there is any chance of benefits might even be illegal. Does such a person have emotional damage, feelings of insecurity, a desperate need for attention, or even feelings of powerlessness? How are we supposed to react when we know these people who are lying to our faces? How much should we care and how much time should we invest in trying to correct the behavior?

According to Bully OnLine, people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder will often “fraudulently claim to have qualifications or experience or affiliations or associations which they don't have or aren't entitled to. Belief in superiority, inflating their self-esteem to match that of senior or important people with whom they associate or identify, insisting on having the ‘top’ professionals or being affiliated with the ‘best’ institutions, but criticizing the same people who disappoint them are also common features of narcissistic personality disorder.” Narcissists have fragile self-esteem and anger issues, are envious of others, abuse special privileges, and are arrogant and haughty.

I’ve reached the point that unless the person’s lies are hurting someone, I just ignore them. Maybe that’s just the easy way… How many people do you know who fit this personality? How do you react around them and their lies? I’d love to hear your opinion.