Category Archives: anger

Scams, Scams Everywhere Scams

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A Gila Woodpecker in our backyard. This photo has nothing to do with my story today, but I thought you might enjoy it.

I received a strange envelope in the mail with a black and white flyer inside. It said, “Thank you! Thank you so much for your purchase! We truly appreciate your support and hope you enjoy your product.” Then there was a logo and the company name, which I didn’t recognize.

I looked through my Amazon orders to see if I purchased anything from them. I did not.

I went to their website and didn’t recognize it. It had a variety of tabs across the top for products, shopping, etc. I wanted to know what products they sold, so I clicked a tab and nothing happened. Then I clicked on another. A scary thought dawned on me. Maybe they sent me the strange envelope and flyer to get me to visit their website and click! I used my map app to look at their address. It didn’t exist.

I called my brilliant son and thankfully he answered in the middle of his work day. I explained, while freaking out, what I had done. He googled the company and said it came up as a known hacker site.

I told my son I had purchased Malwarebytes to scan for malware. He said I also needed to use a password manager, which he has been telling me for years. He did set one up for me years ago but I must have made a typo in the master password and I was never able to use it.

By using Facetime, my son accessed my computer and took over. We spent the next three hours on my computer updating passwords. He had me practice the last hour and I’ve spent the better part of the weekend working on this tedious but well-needed project. Next, he’s going to take over hubby’s computer and help him through the same project.

I read a page on USPS.com about scams. Usually the scammer mails merchandise to the unsuspecting victim. The person who receives the package knows they didn’t order whatever is in the package and wants to return it to the sender. The scammer uses the recipient’s name and address to create a fake “verified buyer” account, posting glowing reviews to boost their product ratings. USPS says to throw the stuff away or keep it. Buy do not engage with the sender. They call this scam “brushing.”

My husband said he’s so thankful he’s not the one to click on a potential dangerous site, but that it was me. That’s because we’ve always been wary that he would click on an email or link that he shouldn’t. It’s been a running joke in the family.

My son says AI is going to bring scams to a new level and that as boomers we are targets.

Needless to say, I’m behind in my reading and commenting on blogs. But as this project winds down, I’ll catch up!

Have you heard of my scam or been scammed yourself? If so, what did you do?

The Curve-Billed Thrasher at the bird bath.

I thought of this song when I wrote my title for today.

Not So Good Memories…

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This was the entrance to our Palm Springs home of 28 years — inside our courtyard.

The courtyard photo above is inside this big gate.

We do have wonderful memories living there. When we moved in, I was pregnant with our first child. We raised our kids here and it was the only home they had growing up. We had swim banquets in the backyard. Plus, lots of kids over to play hide and seek and a game called sardines. We had several prom dinners and get togethers, too. So much good stuff.

But the last two years, 2019 and 2020, things changed. I was reminded of this with the creepy videos from Nancy Guthries Nest camera.

We had our own creepy guy. This is him. We called the police when we found him asleep in our courtyard on the steps to the backyard. For the first time in 26 years, we had to close our wooden gates daily and at night. They had metal rods that fell into the ground and could only be opened from the inside — or so we thought.

The police said his name was Marco and that he was harmless. But he thought he bought our house and left us notes that he’d physically remove us. My thoughts were that he was harmless until he wasn’t!

The pounding you hear is Marco breaking through the gates. Then he’d move to the steps and archway and pound on that lock.

He was relentless. Once he moved a barbecue into our courtyard. Every time we’d travel, I’d check the Nest feed and there he was. I’d go for walks to the park and when I’d return, Marco was in our yard. We had a friend’s daughter house and cat-sit for us while we were on vacation. She found a pile of blankets and called to ask if they were ours. No. She was terrified and her dad took over.

A neighbor helped us install padlocks on the gate. This is Marco checking out the gate in the daytime.

This was not top of mind until the Nancy Guthrie videos were shown. It’s scary to think there are so many people wandering around people’s houses at night. The police felt sorry for me because I was so frightened. They’d take Marco to jail and he’d be right back within two days. There wasn’t anything the police could do.

I prefer visitors like the bobcat above entering my yard, compared to Marco. I’m happy to be out in the wilds of Arizona with wildlife and not living downtown in Palm Springs.

Have you had strangers in your yard like Marco? If so, what did you do?

What are your thoughts about the Nancy Guthrie story?

I almost fell for it!

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harris hawk on a fence
A visit by a Harris Hawk.

What did I almost fall for? A phishing scam.

They almost had me. I was on Facebook for the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak’s page. That’s the charity I volunteer for to help victims of sex trafficking. I’ve written about the group and our focus HERE and HERE.

I’m in charge of communications and publicity for our group. I’m promoting our annual fundraiser on Facebook as well as other places. I logged into FB and saw a notification that our page was going to be taken down due to copyright infringement. It was a message that looked legit from Meta. I panicked.

How could it be that a group of less than 30 women, who have been around for 30 years could violate FB rules? We are helping the community for pete’s sake! They provided a link to file a complaint and have our account reviewed. I clicked on the link.

Up came a box asking for my name, birthdate and password. I filled out my name and birthdate. I didn’t have the password, because I was given access to the page, but didn’t set it up. Then I thought about it. Why would they need that info?

I erased the info and began looking at help pages on FB to find out if this was legit or not. The first notification that our page would be deleted was from a person named Wojtek Brawo. I clicked on this person’s account and there was no info and no posts. Only a few friends. Then I googled the name to find out what country or nationality the person was from. I found this:

Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear adopted by soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps during World War II. As a young cub, his mother was shot by hunters, and he was found in the mountains of Iran by a young boy. The boy then sold him to a group of Polish soldiers who were in the country after being evacuated from the Soviet Union. Wikipedia

I did report this person as a scammer. Then a second notification came under a different name with the same message. I reported that one to Facebook, too.

My husband has been close to falling for phishing scams. He gets texts that a package is arriving but he needs to click to update information. I tell him it’s a scam and tease him about not realizing it’s phishing.

Now I almost fell for one! In defense of myself, the scammers are getting better and better. Be careful and if something doesn’t feel right, don’t click. Don’t provide any personal information online!

What phishing scams have you seen in your inbox, texts or online?

FYI, if you missed my post Friday, please take a look HERE. I posted new hawk photos. I accidentally scheduled it for the wrong day. Corrected my mistake, but it didn’t appear in Reader.

Worrisome news

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Cloudy sky during our walk
We took a long walk, bundled up, between rainy days.

We were supposed to get together with our friends this weekend. I’m talking about the couple who moved from our old hometown to one mile away from us in Arizona. We were out for our walk when I got a phone call from them.

It turns out my friend was headed to UCSF — the same hospital where my DIL is receiving treatment for cancer. One of her daughters was mugged by a gang of teens to 20-year-olds during her lunch hour. They punched her so hard she has a torn esophagus. This was a gang from Oakland. She was mugged in San Francisco.

Less than two weeks ago, my DIL’s sister was mugged in Oakland. They stole her iPhone. Because it has tracking on it, the police were able to arrest the mob of teens to 20-year-olds and return her phone. She was punched in the face, but didn’t need hospitalization. The police told her that this is an ongoing problem and they were thankful for her help to catch the thugs.

I wonder if it’s the same gang that attacked my friend’s daughter and if they were released to mug more people within two weeks?

If I know two people mugged in a short amount of time, this must be happening frequently. My kids, my DIL and siblings and my friend’s kids are the only people I know who live in the Bay Area — besides a few bloggers I follow.

In my neck of the desert, there is an outbreak of burglaries. So far none in my neighborhood, but in the surrounding area. According to the Sheriff, it’s a crime ring from South America who hide in the washes behind houses and break in once the lights go out.

I have felt so safe here that we rarely lock our doors. I do now.

Do you feel safe where you live or have you noticed an increase in crime?

How odd do you think it is for me to know two people mugged in the same city within two weeks?

Where Hope Lives

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Sunset view

Where Hope Lives is the new branding of The Dream Center of Phoenix, that I wrote about HERE and HERE.

I belong to the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak which fundraises and supports Where
Hope Lives and hosted the event.

What country is number one in buying sex and human trafficking?

The United States of America.

What is the number one desirable target of sex trafficking?

11-year-old boys who can earn $250,000 a year for their trafficker.

I learned these facts at a meeting last night with guest speaker Joanna Shipe who is a long-time volunteer with The Dream Center (for woman ages 18 and older) and StreetLightUSA (ages 13 to 17.) I belong to the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak which fundraises and supports Where Hope Lives and hosted the event.

Here is more info from the Where Hope Lives website:

Where Hope Lives
Where Hope Lives is home to the largest human trafficking rescue and recovery operation in North America. We are located at the Phoenix Dream Center (ages 18+), StreetLightUSA (ages 13-17), and Colorado City Dream Center (familial trafficking survivors). Our quality assurance report boasts a 94% success rate, one year after graduating from our program.

Why Give To Where Hope Lives?
Where Hope Lives Provides

  • Onsite medical center to address survivor needs
  • Onsite chapel is offered for spiritual nurture
  • Onsite behavioral health care healing services
  • Onsite trauma informed high school
  • Onsite physical wellness and wholeness center
  • Onsite eye care and dental care clinics
  • Onsite career training and job placement program
  • 30,000 square feet of space for healing care
  • 12 safe beds for boys and young men
  • 41 safe beds for girls and young women
  • 200 sex trafficking survivors served each year
  • $46K per year per survivor in healing costs
  • 10 Years passing legislation to help victims

But even with all this…Only 1 out of every 100 individuals trafficked will be rescued.

https://stoptrafficwalk.org/where-hope-lives/

The facility needs 2,000 beds. Shipe said the former administration came to observe The Dream Center for six weeks. They decided it was a premier program for helping victims of human trafficking and allotted $13 million to the program after going through everything with a fine-tooth comb. That would have provided funds for a new 2,000-bed facility on land that has already been purchased. The current administration cancelled the funds because the center won’t allow men or transgenders into the residential facility with women or children — who were raped up to 15 to 20 times per day and are traumatized.

A question was asked on how long victims stay in the residential facility. Shipe said it’s all individual on what each woman or child needs. She said they have one resident who has been there seven or eight years and may never leave. She was from Ukraine and bought by Epstein at age 10. She’s now in her late 20s and is so damaged she may never be able to lead a normal life. Others are able to continue on with their education or begin careers in a year or two.

Another fact I learned was human trafficking is organized crime. It’s not a one-off kidnapping with a child being thrown into a van. Kids are targeted who are vulnerable. The groomers are not covered in tattoos and don’t look like thugs. They are extremely good looking and clean cut. If your daughter were to bring one of these groomers home, you’d be pleased. Shipe said to not let your children or grandchildren alone with their phones at night. Grooming often starts on apps.

Do these facts change how you view human trafficking? What organizations in your area provide services for human trafficking?

Service? What Service?

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House finch
House finch postcard from Bird Buddy. This is a frequent visitor, but has nothing to do with my post.

I drove to the grocery store and noticed the oil light was on. That was weird because I had an oil change and service two months before. I called my husband and he told me to check the oil and add a quart if needed.

I called the dealership to get an oil change and have them check the oil light. Why would I get the car serviced at the dealership? When we moved to Arizona, the car was still under warranty and service was free. Not so anymore, but that’s where I’m used to going.

The appointment was 10 days out.

In the meantime, I decided to drive our other car. First time I drove it, the oil light went on. I called for an appointment at a local small mechanic, not a dealership. I had an appointment the next day at 8 a.m. I sat and waited until 12:30 p.m. for an oil change! They tried to upsell me and told me I needed a new battery and tire alignment.

While I sat and waited, I noticed every single customer was told they needed something more. One woman came in with low tire pressure. After she left, her husband called and asked why she was charged more than $100 for air in her tires. It turns out they upsold her, plus found a nail in her tire. They charged $50 to plug the tire.

I remember when that used to be free or up to $10.

Ten days later I went to my appointment at the dealership.

I also needed new tires. I could have gone to Costco and saved some money, but I was already going to be sitting at the dealership, so I opted to get it all done at once.

I chose to wait for my car that Tuesday because we live 30 minutes away. I brought my laptop and a book. They said they’d drive me home in their shuttle because it was going to be a long wait.

I got a call at 5 p.m. Tuesday that my car hadn’t been serviced. I got a call Wednesday evening that my car hadn’t been looked at. I asked how that was possible when I had an appointment 10 days out. I was told that it was because I asked for alignment of my new tires.

Thursday, my car was ready in the afternoon. As I drove home, I noticed the tire pressure was off. Two tires were at 40 psi, the other two at 29. They were supposed to be at 35. I called the dealership and they told me to bring the car back and they’d fix it.

Oh yes, the oil light? They said it was a bad sensor and it would cost $2,700 to fix it!

No thanks.

Hubby got the tire air pressure where it was supposed to be after driving to three gas stations to find working air.

Saturday we were driving to Costco and a warning light came on the dashboard. One tire was at 17 psi. We stopped for air and drove to the dealership. I think I was hyperventilating watching the dashboard and the tire pressure dropping as we drove there. My husband asked for a loaner car.

The snippy customer service rep said, “I can’t give you a loaner, sir.”

My husband blew up and said “You had our car for three days. We will go to Costco while you fix our tire pressure.”

The manager came out and gave us a loaner. We did our Costco run and came back for our car. It turns out that not only did they not check the tire pressure, a valve was loose and air was leaking.

I asked the manager what was going on, because I have had decent service before.

He said, “We don’t have technicians. Nobody wants this job.”

I guess that was the problem at the local mechanic I went to also.

Where do you notice a lack of service? What jobs do people no longer want to do?

How does that affect our future?

The phone call

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Sunrise view from my back yard.

It was my senior year of college at the University of Washington. I worked as a cocktail waitress at the Tally Ho, which were restaurant lounges in three hotels in Seattle. I had worked my way up from hostess to breakfast waitress to cocktails during my years in school.

One night at work, I got a phone call from a suicide hotline. (I need give a shout out to LA from Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 for her post about her burn and reminding me of a scar I still carry.)

The person on the line said they received a call from a family member of mine who attempted to end their life. She refused to give me any more information and quickly hung up. I called back and learned the phone call was an error. They were not allowed to give out confidential information of any kind. They weren’t supposed to call me in the first place and could give me no further information.

My parents were going through a messy divorce. I remember feeling like gravity had disappeared and at any moment I would fall off the Earth.

I left work and drove home to Snohomish to our family home, which was 45 minutes away from Seattle. I remember commuting to school and staying home with Mom as much as possible. She was the person who called the suicide hotline and gave them my work number after slitting her wrist.

Weeks later, we were at Nordstrom downtown Seattle and Mom wanted make up for her scar on her wrist. I was mortified when she approached a woman at a counter and asked for help. She showed her scar on her wrist and the woman behind the counter after an initial shocked look, was gracious and found something for my mom to cover up the scar.

Unfortunately, my internal scar never went away.

I was taking a class at the UW in radio broadcast and I had to splice together a recording. I chose the Beatles song “Help” and wrote a piece about the suicide hotline. My professor was very concerned and wondered why I had chosen that specific topic.

I am amazed I made it through the quarter and graduated.

Speaking of scars, which ones do you carry with you physically or internally?