Scam! The Full Story
For Those Who Think They Are Invulnerable56 total reviews
Comment from Debbie D'Arcy
I'm so sorry I can't give you a 6* for this because you've absolutely absorbed me here. Your memory of every detail of this horrendous scam and your emotional journey throughout are brilliantly captured here and I'm so, so sorry that you had to suffer in this way. If it's any consolation, these scams (although I haven't known one as complex as yours) are very common and most people I speak to have, at some point been conned. They're operating in huge numbers from call centres etc. I think I told you last time that I've been scammed through a texter purporting to be my daughter. There were so many hints along the way but I chose to ignore them. I felt so bad that I too posted an account of what happened. Doing this can certainly help in recovery because you distance yourself and assume a sort of third person role. Not to mention providing a public service. Well done for doing this. I think we have to think of it as only money and the love of your family far outweighs that. Take care Debbie
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
  |
I'm so sorry I can't give you a 6* for this because you've absolutely absorbed me here. Your memory of every detail of this horrendous scam and your emotional journey throughout are brilliantly captured here and I'm so, so sorry that you had to suffer in this way. If it's any consolation, these scams (although I haven't known one as complex as yours) are very common and most people I speak to have, at some point been conned. They're operating in huge numbers from call centres etc. I think I told you last time that I've been scammed through a texter purporting to be my daughter. There were so many hints along the way but I chose to ignore them. I felt so bad that I too posted an account of what happened. Doing this can certainly help in recovery because you distance yourself and assume a sort of third person role. Not to mention providing a public service. Well done for doing this. I think we have to think of it as only money and the love of your family far outweighs that. Take care Debbie
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Yes, Debbie, the money is recoverable. Love we need to embrace whenever it's available. And outside my personal family, the family at Fanstory has been extraordinarily generous in their support, especially their prayers and encouragement. I'm so happy to have you among my family.
Love ya,
Jay
Comment from Dolly'sPoems
This sounds like such an elaborate scam and these people have no conscience whatsoever, they just want your money, plain and simple. I fell for a scammer with an email that was sent to me once and I gave all my bank details. It was only when I received the same email again that I realised I have been scammed. Fortunately I was able to contact my bank to cancel my card in time and I did not lose any money.
These fraudsters get away with your money and who can we report it to? The Police are powerless in these situations.
I feel for you Jay and your post may help others who may fall for this terrible scam.
Love Dolly x
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
This sounds like such an elaborate scam and these people have no conscience whatsoever, they just want your money, plain and simple. I fell for a scammer with an email that was sent to me once and I gave all my bank details. It was only when I received the same email again that I realised I have been scammed. Fortunately I was able to contact my bank to cancel my card in time and I did not lose any money.
These fraudsters get away with your money and who can we report it to? The Police are powerless in these situations.
I feel for you Jay and your post may help others who may fall for this terrible scam.
Love Dolly x
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Thank you so much, Dolly. We have such a supportive family here. I'm happy you are among them.
Jay.
Comment from Wendyanne
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! Scammers are disgusting people with no morals and no conscience!!! We can all be taken in by these evil people. Your story makes me want to be extra careful in case I get scammed. Thank you and I am very sorry this has happened to you!
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! Scammers are disgusting people with no morals and no conscience!!! We can all be taken in by these evil people. Your story makes me want to be extra careful in case I get scammed. Thank you and I am very sorry this has happened to you!
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Thank you for reading this, Wendyanne. That means a lot to me. I hope my posts keeps people alert.
Jay
-
I don't know what happened, but my former response to your kindness didn't "take" for some reason. I hope my post helped you be more alert.
Jay
Comment from w.j.debi
Scammers are such heartless creatures. They don't care how they devastate lives. I'm sorry you fell victim to them.
Having worked for credit card companies, I know there are few things you can do since you purchased the gift cards yourself and willingly gave the scammers your information. Some gift card companies will freeze the funds and refund your money, but it has to be done before the scammers cash in the cards so you have to contact them immediately. Of course, the scammers know this and will usually cash the cards within a few hours of getting the information. If purchased with a credit card, the fraud department might be able to give you some directions on how to contact the gift cards or which ones might refund your money. At this point, I'm sure it is too late.
As far as the writing, I found it riveting. I kept saying to the screen, "No, stop! Don't do that!" Your blow-by-blow descriptions put the reader right there with you, feeling your urgency and desperation. That is exactly what the scammers were counting on so they could keep you off balance and not question what they were doing.
We can all fall victim to scams and it looks like they put in just enough details to gain your trust in this one. Rotten people.
Thanks for sharing this tale or warning to remind us to beware. It's so sad that we've gone from not locking our doors to questioning everyone in just a generation.
Best of luck. I hope your next writing assignment pays well so you can start rebuilding. Thankfully, you have a loving family to support you in your efforts.
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
 |
Scammers are such heartless creatures. They don't care how they devastate lives. I'm sorry you fell victim to them.
Having worked for credit card companies, I know there are few things you can do since you purchased the gift cards yourself and willingly gave the scammers your information. Some gift card companies will freeze the funds and refund your money, but it has to be done before the scammers cash in the cards so you have to contact them immediately. Of course, the scammers know this and will usually cash the cards within a few hours of getting the information. If purchased with a credit card, the fraud department might be able to give you some directions on how to contact the gift cards or which ones might refund your money. At this point, I'm sure it is too late.
As far as the writing, I found it riveting. I kept saying to the screen, "No, stop! Don't do that!" Your blow-by-blow descriptions put the reader right there with you, feeling your urgency and desperation. That is exactly what the scammers were counting on so they could keep you off balance and not question what they were doing.
We can all fall victim to scams and it looks like they put in just enough details to gain your trust in this one. Rotten people.
Thanks for sharing this tale or warning to remind us to beware. It's so sad that we've gone from not locking our doors to questioning everyone in just a generation.
Best of luck. I hope your next writing assignment pays well so you can start rebuilding. Thankfully, you have a loving family to support you in your efforts.
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
My family has been so supportive, my wife especially since she could have used this as another nail in the coffin of our relationship. She didn't, and she even re-affirmed that she loved me and reminded me that the rest of our family loved me. And my family here at Fanstory have been beyond belief in their support. I feel buoyed up by their prayers. I am indeed blessed! Thank you for adding to it!
Jay
Comment from Gloria ....
You wrote this true story very well Jay. The minute by minute description is a valuable resource to people who have, or may in future, encounter the same or a similar scam. You are right that every single one of us is susceptible if the scam comes in a form that engages our psychological makeup. This group are clearly professionals and they are extremely difficult to ferret out.
It reminded me of a book I read decades ago about hostages that I cannot remember the title of but it referred to the shock of capture. The "shock of capture" is an extreme condition in which disorientation, shame, grief and fear reduce the ability of combat soldiers to resist interrogation. In this situation I think the definition applies.
Should you decide to write part two/three/four and dive deeper into the impact of such scams you could consider this terrorism against seniors as a focal point.
You might also contact the Credit Union and other banks and see if they will include your story for a reasonable payment to you in their newsletters. I would also contact the Dr. Phil show and see if they would be interested in doing a segment on this as it is only going to become a more prevalent problem with an increased senior demographic.
Congratulations on getting this published in the Narrative Arc. It's always a pleasure to read your impeccable, well-crafted, and deeply-considered work.
Thank you for sharing.
Gloria
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
You wrote this true story very well Jay. The minute by minute description is a valuable resource to people who have, or may in future, encounter the same or a similar scam. You are right that every single one of us is susceptible if the scam comes in a form that engages our psychological makeup. This group are clearly professionals and they are extremely difficult to ferret out.
It reminded me of a book I read decades ago about hostages that I cannot remember the title of but it referred to the shock of capture. The "shock of capture" is an extreme condition in which disorientation, shame, grief and fear reduce the ability of combat soldiers to resist interrogation. In this situation I think the definition applies.
Should you decide to write part two/three/four and dive deeper into the impact of such scams you could consider this terrorism against seniors as a focal point.
You might also contact the Credit Union and other banks and see if they will include your story for a reasonable payment to you in their newsletters. I would also contact the Dr. Phil show and see if they would be interested in doing a segment on this as it is only going to become a more prevalent problem with an increased senior demographic.
Congratulations on getting this published in the Narrative Arc. It's always a pleasure to read your impeccable, well-crafted, and deeply-considered work.
Thank you for sharing.
Gloria
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
I appreciate your encouragement, Gloria. That means a lot. I don't think I can extend this insanity further. It's enough for the time being to hang on and wait for the healing. My poor wife has it worse than me. She is suffering serious PTSD and has a hard time simply functioning. Prayer from so many here is helping to buoy us up. Again, thank you for being you.
Jay
Comment from Wendy G
Oh Jay. I am so sorry. It happens so easily and they are so professional. It's impossible to feel that one knows the depths of their trickery. As your family says, you are loved and cared for, and that's the most important thing. Hope they catch the villains, but it's unlikely. The six stars are for your writing skill, as well as for your clarity of development of the details, plus your honesty and courage. Take care.
Wendy
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
Oh Jay. I am so sorry. It happens so easily and they are so professional. It's impossible to feel that one knows the depths of their trickery. As your family says, you are loved and cared for, and that's the most important thing. Hope they catch the villains, but it's unlikely. The six stars are for your writing skill, as well as for your clarity of development of the details, plus your honesty and courage. Take care.
Wendy
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Thank you, Wendy. Thank you for the six lovely stars and for your encouragement. We will survive this. You are so kind!
Jay
Comment from Jasmine Girl
Wow. I'm so sorry about this. You did a great job writing it and I could see you in action. You do have a very loving family, even your estranged wife.
These Scammers are getting trickier everyday. I do use VPN on top of my WIFI. It seems to help a little. I did see the black screen once on my work computer once 20 years ago. I could hear the shaking voice with Eastern European accent. Then I realized they were thieves. Anyway, nothing happened to me. I was lucky.
Excellent. Thanks for educating us.
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
Wow. I'm so sorry about this. You did a great job writing it and I could see you in action. You do have a very loving family, even your estranged wife.
These Scammers are getting trickier everyday. I do use VPN on top of my WIFI. It seems to help a little. I did see the black screen once on my work computer once 20 years ago. I could hear the shaking voice with Eastern European accent. Then I realized they were thieves. Anyway, nothing happened to me. I was lucky.
Excellent. Thanks for educating us.
Comment Written 17-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Thank you, Lisa. And for the six stars. We have quite a family here. I don't know what I'd have done without their constant support.
Jay
Comment from Carol Hillebrenner
The story was different but also very much the same. I was to transfer $90,000 in savings into a secure bank account in California. They also kept me from eating lunch and I'm diabetic, so I was in bad shape when my husband tried to convince me I was out of my mind. Fortunately, he won. I know the feeling of being taken in, and it is horrible. I'm so sorry they did this to you. There must be thousands of elderly people with this same scam working on them. This article is a great service to all of us at Fanstory.
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
The story was different but also very much the same. I was to transfer $90,000 in savings into a secure bank account in California. They also kept me from eating lunch and I'm diabetic, so I was in bad shape when my husband tried to convince me I was out of my mind. Fortunately, he won. I know the feeling of being taken in, and it is horrible. I'm so sorry they did this to you. There must be thousands of elderly people with this same scam working on them. This article is a great service to all of us at Fanstory.
Comment Written 16-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
And thanks to your hubby, you overcame it. You are sane today. And you didn't lose those savings. If you've read any of the reviews for this and my other related story, you'd see that just about everyone has either had been a victim of a scam, or attempt. It's amazing. Also, our family's generosity here has been amazing. We are so fortunate.
Jay
Comment from Liz O'Neill
The introduction will draw the reader in immediately. I went to a conference on scams. I, a week later saved my partner from losing over $10000. But fell for a similar microsoft scam that risked my savings account. They were criticizing my techs I've had for over 8 years. I opened my mouth up about my techs. They said they were repaying me for the money I paid to hire my regular techs. All they needed was a second of a glimpse of my online bank account. I stopped it in time. I was using my chrome book. When they found out I was checking on my chrome book to see if their $ came in yet. I noticed they had moned $ from my savings to my checking account. I immediately closed stuff down, call my bank & my trustworthy techs. They could have had all my $. I had to change all my account numbers, but they didn't get any of my money. I angry they played you the same. When I was at that workshop, the speaker said she'd lost over $100,ooo. I heard this is the new international maffia. Maureen's, my partner at the time, was very tempting. I'm sending you a wells fargo check for 50ooo al you have to do is deposit this, keeping 10ooo. And write me a check for 40ooo. She would have thought she had 10ooo free when she would have found out she was out 40ooo which she didn't have to cover anything...what a mess that would have been. Did you contact your bank? Were they able to help you at all.
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
The introduction will draw the reader in immediately. I went to a conference on scams. I, a week later saved my partner from losing over $10000. But fell for a similar microsoft scam that risked my savings account. They were criticizing my techs I've had for over 8 years. I opened my mouth up about my techs. They said they were repaying me for the money I paid to hire my regular techs. All they needed was a second of a glimpse of my online bank account. I stopped it in time. I was using my chrome book. When they found out I was checking on my chrome book to see if their $ came in yet. I noticed they had moned $ from my savings to my checking account. I immediately closed stuff down, call my bank & my trustworthy techs. They could have had all my $. I had to change all my account numbers, but they didn't get any of my money. I angry they played you the same. When I was at that workshop, the speaker said she'd lost over $100,ooo. I heard this is the new international maffia. Maureen's, my partner at the time, was very tempting. I'm sending you a wells fargo check for 50ooo al you have to do is deposit this, keeping 10ooo. And write me a check for 40ooo. She would have thought she had 10ooo free when she would have found out she was out 40ooo which she didn't have to cover anything...what a mess that would have been. Did you contact your bank? Were they able to help you at all.
Comment Written 16-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Yes, we've been working with the bank. We ended up closing their accounts entirely, and we're starting from zero with another bank. Thank you for your encouragement and for your personal examples that make me feel not so bad about my own naivete. Bless you!
Jay
-
Senbding hugs
Comment from T B Botts
Hello Jay,
thanks so much for having the courage to share this most important message with your readers. I hope that The Narrative Arc will provide you with at least the funds that you've lost, and hopefully more. You've done a public service here, and it needs to be re-posted in as many places as possible to get the message out. While you may be cursing yourself right now, all that you're guilty of is wanting to believe that people are basically good. We're living in a world full of deceit and wickedness, and there seems to be no bottom to some folks morals. Give yourself a break. We've all made mistakes and learned from them. I wish it hadn't happened to you, but it did. I'll certainly join others in praying for a good outcome for you and your wife.
God bless and keep you.
Tom
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
|
Hello Jay,
thanks so much for having the courage to share this most important message with your readers. I hope that The Narrative Arc will provide you with at least the funds that you've lost, and hopefully more. You've done a public service here, and it needs to be re-posted in as many places as possible to get the message out. While you may be cursing yourself right now, all that you're guilty of is wanting to believe that people are basically good. We're living in a world full of deceit and wickedness, and there seems to be no bottom to some folks morals. Give yourself a break. We've all made mistakes and learned from them. I wish it hadn't happened to you, but it did. I'll certainly join others in praying for a good outcome for you and your wife.
God bless and keep you.
Tom
Comment Written 16-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 17-Oct-2023
-
Tom, you don't know how important your encouragement and prayers mean to me. They have buoyed me up during this ordeal. Especially my poor wife who is suffering severe PTSD as a result, and can't seem to get a handle on the simplest of daily activities. Your words that have been most uplifting to me are that "all that you're guilty of is wanting to believe that people are basically good." And I refuse to give up that belief. I must learn to be "wise as the serpent and innocent as the dove." Again, thank you, Tom!
Jay