Written for https://lindaghill.com/2024/02/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-24-2024
‘It rhymes with ale,’ Maurice said, his grip tight on his mobile.
‘Could you speak up, I still cannot hear you.’
With a heavy sigh, he spelt it out. ‘G-A-I-L Robertson. I spoke to her yesterday.’
‘Can you hold on the line?’
‘Alright.’
Humming along with the music, he wondered why they always chose a title with red in it. Especially when he was using his overdraft. The call came out of the blue. He was busy watching football and annoyed at first. Until she informed him there was an issue.
‘Maybe I could help.’
‘Well, you rang me about a virus on my banking app. Only I checked today and seven hundred pounds is missing.’
‘By any chance, did she ask you to download something?’
‘Yea, a remote access, so she could fix the error.’
‘It seems you have been a victim of a scam.’
Annoyed with himself, he tried to find the number. It was private, and he couldn’t get back in touch. ‘Shit! Sorry, but I did not know. Is there any chance I can get the money back?’
‘If the customer is at fault we cannot refund.’
His money stolen, and he wasn’t sure how he could explain this to his son.
Lesson to learn, don’t give any details on the phone.
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The trouble is they are getting more sophisticated.
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Yes, recently I’ve heard 2 stories of such scams where the victim were not dumb.
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They are getting more sophisticated.
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Yes they are and people are falling into their traps despite repeated warnings from the banks.
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A modern fable 💜💜
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This is very sad. My father was a victim of a clever scam with involved a very authentic seeming series of steps. Luckily he didn’t lose much, but it is very upsetting.
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It is, and happens more often than we think. My son was nearly convinced to download something but thankfully asked me first.
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I know, these criminals are very smart and it is easy to become a victim.
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Anyone can be scammed.
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I hate scams! I got a call yesterday saying my revolute account will be shut down, lol, I don’t even have a revolute account! I hung up and was pissed off at them for phoning!
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Sometimes wonder whether it is worth telling the police.
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More and more common. I wish people would get real jobs instead of finding ways to steal from each other.
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True, use their brains for good.
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