Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Activities Suspicious

Throughout time, lazy, but creative people have been bilking their fellow man out of their hard-earned coins.
With each new ‘modern’ invention came new and creative ways to deceive.
Then came the phone, and an ever-increasing series of scams.
And these deceptions  must be working, because the scammers are still calling.
Case in point...

It was becoming quite familiar.

The ringing phone.

The incomprehensible number, which had a second number under it corresponding to someplace local.

Husby reached for it. “Ugh,” he said.

Tax season seems to encourage these types of calls.

Much like spring inviting flowers.

Although I have to admit, I much prefer flowers to 'scammy' phone calls.

Just sayin’…

Husby pressed the button. “Hello?” he said tentatively.

“This is Service Canada.” A robotic voice.

Husby rolled his eyes. You have to know that, had it really been an official call, he would have been accommodating and polite.

Or at least polite.

“Your social insurance number has been canceled due to suspicious activity…”

Husby pressed the ‘end’ button and dropped the phone to the table.

I looked up from my breakfast. “How many is that this morning?”

“Three,” he said wearily. “They started early.”

I went back to my porridge.

But the whole thing makes me think. I mean, just what has my social insurance number been up to that is so suspicious. Did it steal a car? Rob a bank? Can’t you just picture my tidy little number running down the street packing heat? Obviously, it's good at what it does because it has only raised suspicions. I know! Train robbery!

We should make a movie…

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for these pictures of suspicious numbers - and for teaching me a new word: "bilk".

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, not you in Canada, too. We have the same one, tailored to our "Social Security" and "IRS" (tax collection). Our IRS never calls people (they only write you) and we don't answer these calls.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I HATE those calls, but now they hit the cell phones which is ridiculous. One time hubby and I had one call where we won all of this money. The guy was in our area trying to find me but first I had to send them $499 in taxes and administration fees. We literally kept it going for an hour! I told him I was walking to the post off to send it and if the van say me pick me and give me a ride so I could take care of it! hahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have them here too. Sigh. And I assume that some people fall for them. Bigger sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I now take the phone off the hook from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 each night. I find it much more restful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. If all of these people would put their intelligence to work trying to solve the world's problems, a lot of our problems would be solved by now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unfortunately, consumer protection agencies don't have enough resources to stop these people. In addition, when some of the larger ones are shut down, they move to another country.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The best think I ever did was cut the landline back in 2004. I only use cell and the great thing is that the cell company now recognizes spam numbers and blocks them for me. I also send an unrecognizable number to voicemail. So between the two of us, I've got spam calls to almost nonexistent. But working for bank, I see the sad result of people believing these phone calls. It breaks my heart.

    ReplyDelete
  9. There are so many scammers when it comes to those things. We have to be careful.

    ReplyDelete

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