Celebrations January 16, 2015

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Welcome to the January 16 edition of the Celebrating the Small Things blog hop, started by VikLit and now run by Lexa Cain, our fearless new leader and her two wonderful co-hosts L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom

Do stop by and visit!

Today I am celebrating being a smart-aleck.  Or…  Oh, dear, that's probably not something I should say.  Let's just say that I am celebrating being given the opportunity to figuratively nail one of those people who call and try to persuade unknowing folks to part with their money because they have been trapped by a scam. 

Hi, there!  Come closer!

There are far too many of such people in the world.  I, having a strong streak of commonsense and dealing, in my professional life, with cheats and sneaks and liars on a far too common basis, can identify them a mile away.  Usually.  Once I fell for a scam, but I recognized it for what it was and backed out. I think I scared them, rather like the emotion you feel when what you thought was a pretty, longhaired black and white cat turns out to be a skunk.  

Anyhow, today I received a phone call.  The caller ID screen said it was a Skype caller.  I picked up, said hello, and the conversation went from there...

--Hello?  This is Diana Wilder?

I admitted that it was.

--I need to speak to you about your computer—

I gasped.  M-my computer?  You mean like fixing a problem?

(Note:  There is absolutely no reason for anyone but The Geek Squad to phone me about my computer.  Perhaps others, but not me.  This was a known scam that nearly caught me last year until I realized that the people who said they were part of Trend Microsoft - an excellent virus control software - were not, and backed out.  I checked with Trend Micro, who got the giggles when I showed them my screen prints of the 'problems' the scammers had pointed out.  In my case, I had encountered a problem and phoned what I thought was the group.  It was a lookalike phone number. I realized my mistake.  Others were not so fortunate.)

But they were game and motivated.  Yes!  If you give us control of your computer we can see problems in your computer—

(Yeah, right.  Uh Huh...  And I have a bridge to sell you.)  --And y-you can fix them? (quavering voice) You could w-walk me through it?  Oh, could you?

--Yes, we do.  So if you—

I gave a cry of dismay.  Oh, if only you had phoned me last week!

--Yes, but we—

I began to sob.  If I had only known about you—  If I had only known you could have helped me.

--But Madam, we—

Alas, too late! (sob)

--No—no— I wept.  It is too late!   My computer blew up and I just…  I just…  No (wept I) it is too late. Too late!  I c-can't talk any more.  G-good-bye!








Well, I at least thought it was worth celebrating.

So what are you  celebrating today?