People who prey upon the fear, anxiety, desperation, naivety or just kindhearted, trusting nature of others are among the lowest of lowlifes floating in the dregs of society.
They turn my stomach and sicken me to my core. If they do not repent, I firmly believe there is a special place reserved for them in hell.
No, my railing does not stem from any singular incidence of fraudulent activity, but rather my utter disgust for the very fact that such rascals and scoundrels live and breathe and daily profit from unsuspecting victims, some of whom are at the end of their rope, despondent and simply grasping at straws, or else so trusting that they cannot conceive of such trickery.
A few recent emails have reminded me, yet again, that there seemingly is nothing that some of these despicable and slimy scumbags will not do to profit themselves.
For instance, one email to my inbox railed about a certain substance’s remarkable prospects for reversing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease when, in fact, it is a well-known fact that there is no known cure and no way to turn back the clock on damage already done. (Naturally, the aforementioned email featured a link to click on and, I am sure, personal information that needed to be shared with the proverbial snake oil salesman to acquire the remedy.)
This one hits close to home.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive, irreversible neurological disorder, the most common form of dementia. It literally destroys brain cells. In the early stages, memory, thought processes and sometimes personalities are altered.
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is a death sentence, because as the disease progresses, it attacks regions of the brain that control essential bodily functions. Self-regulating and involuntary acts like breathing, the heartbeat and the work of the immune system are disrupted.
My dad, John Robert Clayton McFerrin, suffered from Alzheimer’s for the last few years of his life. It was devastating for his family to watch the toll it took on him, and he was at the time taking the very latest FDA-approved prescription medications hailed for their potential to possibly slow the progression of the disease and to improve his quality of life.
If there had been any hope, then someway, somehow we would have come up with the money to pay or do anything to change the course of that situation, but there was nothing that could be done then, in the early to mid-2000s, and, sadly, the situation has not changed.
Fortunately, back then, there was not this steady flood of email, social media, text messages, robocalls and other vehicles of communication that now carry so much fake news about remarkable medical breakthroughs and miracle cures for everything from Alzheimer’s to tinnitus, the ever-present ringing in the ear from which I suffer.
Hopefully, most levelheaded people can recognize those solicitations for what they truly are, but we have heard too many stories about local residents falling for one scam or another that floated in from cyberspace, arrived in their mail or came via a telephone call. Sadly, some of the victims have been the elderly — those often least able to absorb the loss of a cent to fraud.
Not long ago, scammers began calling local residents saying that they owed for traffic tickets or delinquent fines and would be prosecuted if they did not pay. One such ploy invoked the name of the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office, bringing a swift public warning from Sheriff Jimmy Fly, who said his office would never request payment over the phone.
Then there are the emails claiming someone wants to share a treasure if you will be kind enough to help them get it out of some foreign country through investment or allowing it to be sent to your bank account.
Or, perhaps, you are notified about having won some obnoxiously large payout in a lottery or other contest — never mind that you did not even enter — and all you have to do to claim the loot is to send a processing fee in some form, or share personal bank or credit card information so they can debit your account or charge you. (Older readers will remember the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes and spokesperson Ed McMahon, whose TV ads included the phrase, "Remember, you can't win if you don't enter.") That's a good thing to remember about any contest under the sun.
For several years now, some crooks have been spoofing telephone numbers so that your caller ID might suggest you’re getting a call from the local sheriff’s office, the IRS or another agency, which makes you think that the call must be legit. Sadly, most of these calls are difficult or impossible for the authorities to trace. These calls could be coming from Nigeria, Russia or anywhere.
Beware of clicking on anything in an unsolicited email from someone you don't know. Worse still is that you may get an email that appears to have been sent by someone you do know — you recognize the email address — but it was sent by some thugs somewhere who want you to trust them so you will click on it a link within the email to download a virus or something else that might damage your computer or even allow the attacker to take partial control of your system.
It's insane what these bad actors can do these days, and the lies and scams and gimmicks continue to evolve. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), who knows what the future opportunities await those with criminal intentions.
Best to trust the Better Business Bureau, which offers some good advice to help you avoid scams:
» Never send money by gift card or wire transfer to someone you have not met face-to-face.
» Avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in unsolicited emails.
» Don’t believe everything you see (and, I might add, especially in this modern age of artificial intelligence). Remember those caller ID spoofs? Official-looking seals, graphics and other believable details are often used in email and mail correspondence.
The sage advice to “believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see” has never been more relevant. (Or, given the incredible possibilities of AI, perhaps believing only 10% should be the new standard.)
» Double-check that your online presence is secure before checking out.
» Use extreme caution when dealing with anyone you’ve met online.
» Never share personally identifiable information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited, whether by phone, email, social media or even your front door. Keep your birthdate, Social Security or banking and credit card information to yourself.
» Resist the pressure to act immediately. If someone shows up at your door with the offer of an unbelievable limited-time deal on something because they just happen to be in the area and have some extra time or leftover materials, be extremely careful before agreeing to anything. More often than not, they are scams.
» Use secure and traceable transactions. Don’t pay by wire transfer, prepaid money card, gift card or cash.
» Be cautious about what you share on social media. Check your privacy settings and regularly update your passwords. Beware fake social media accounts in which someone passes himself off as someone he is not.
The bottom line is, don’t be that nice, gullible pushover that the maggot criminals need you to be. Stay vigilant, be skeptical and err on the side of caution.
There is no fountain of youth, no easy way to get rich quick, no cure for the common cold, and you can’t really get much of anything for nothing.
Honestly, who doesn’t wish for some or all of these things ... which helps to make the job of the flimflam artist all the more easy.
