You know its surprising what you plan to accomplish for yourself and for other's when you take a day off work. This weekend was of no surprise or at least I thought not. I had arranged my work schedule to take Friday off because I had a whole laundry list of tasks that I have been wanting to get accomplished. I was planning so many things to get done. First and foremost was to rebuild a block wall in the front of my Mother's house. I spent considerable time last season attempting to complete out-of-doors an entire reconstruction of a stairway wall made of concrete blocks. I was presented with many roadblocks last year and it appears I am to faced with many more to come. The weather dealt me an untimely blow when attempting my latest foray into the world of DIY but the greatest hindrance to my task was a blow struck by my own Mother. Since my Step-father's death I have been a keeper of sorts to anything and everything she needs assistance with...as it should be. However, and unfortunately, I was stopped cold in my tracks in my attempt to fulfill my laundry list this weekend. It seems that my Mother got herself caught up in an identity-theft scheme. That simple act trumped any plans I had laid of mice and men. She wittingly gave some serious identifying information to a caller on the phone. To her credit she believed the man was with the Medicare Administration and to her discredit she should have known better. She worked a career for the Division of Family Services, for heaven's sake. This person, He convinced her to give him her Social Security number (which she claims he already had) and the numbers to her checking accounts as well as some other identifying information. When she told me what had happened, I was dumbfounded and understandably angry that she could have been so foolish. She jeopardized her financial future believing in this voice on the telephone and lost some money to boot, though the bank happily refunded the money she had lost and put barriers in place in case it happened again...which they told us, it would. In fact, to the toon (or is that tune) of thousands of dollars or at least they would try for it and sure enough they did and are. The bank is in the process of tracing the theft...Thank goodness!
To continue...My Mom is not stupid...she is educated, raised a family, survived two husbands nearly suffering a mental breakdown from the divorce of the 1st husband. (Its a long story probably a topic for a future post)...and if it were not for her creative accounting through the years, her sense for business, I remember the early years when should decorate and dress to the nines, and the way she can cook a gourmet meal from a can of tuna, mac & cheese, peas and carrots...my sister and I would not be the successes we are today. Unfortunately, my Mom is a trusting sort and she unwittingly trusted the wrong person. It was this event that derailed any plans I had for my weekend off. I spent an entire work day on the phone with creditors, at the bank, talking to the FTC and the police. I recommend everyone who reads this post goes to the FTC website to read about Identity Theft. You can go directly there if you click here. It has been a frustrating and thankless weekend wasted, well wasted in the sense of my laundry list.
I type this post as a warning to all...please keep an eye and and ear to those you care about whether, friend or relative. Age makes no difference but the aged seem to be victimized in greater numbers. Make it your business to know a little of a friends or relatives business (just in case something like this happens) and warn them of the dangers of people soliciting good tiding at the door or over the phone. Most of all, please make it crystal clear that any personal information that can identify them should remain solely in their head and locked away or put away safely. Reveal it only to those who are the most trusted of individuals. We are still reeling from this debaucle and will for months, if not years to come. Your identifying information should be given to no one unless it is through communication that you initiate and to anyone you have thoroughly checked out. I kid you not, when I mean it can be life shattering...as we have experienced but a momentary glimpse of it.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
To continue...My Mom is not stupid...she is educated, raised a family, survived two husbands nearly suffering a mental breakdown from the divorce of the 1st husband. (Its a long story probably a topic for a future post)...and if it were not for her creative accounting through the years, her sense for business, I remember the early years when should decorate and dress to the nines, and the way she can cook a gourmet meal from a can of tuna, mac & cheese, peas and carrots...my sister and I would not be the successes we are today. Unfortunately, my Mom is a trusting sort and she unwittingly trusted the wrong person. It was this event that derailed any plans I had for my weekend off. I spent an entire work day on the phone with creditors, at the bank, talking to the FTC and the police. I recommend everyone who reads this post goes to the FTC website to read about Identity Theft. You can go directly there if you click here. It has been a frustrating and thankless weekend wasted, well wasted in the sense of my laundry list.
I type this post as a warning to all...please keep an eye and and ear to those you care about whether, friend or relative. Age makes no difference but the aged seem to be victimized in greater numbers. Make it your business to know a little of a friends or relatives business (just in case something like this happens) and warn them of the dangers of people soliciting good tiding at the door or over the phone. Most of all, please make it crystal clear that any personal information that can identify them should remain solely in their head and locked away or put away safely. Reveal it only to those who are the most trusted of individuals. We are still reeling from this debaucle and will for months, if not years to come. Your identifying information should be given to no one unless it is through communication that you initiate and to anyone you have thoroughly checked out. I kid you not, when I mean it can be life shattering...as we have experienced but a momentary glimpse of it.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Use some common sense.
- If someone is calling you, ask for a # to call them back. If possible, investigate further before calling back, just to be sure.
- If someone is at the door, listen but don't commit to anything without checking it out later. Get numbers to call, addresses, names, ask for literature they should have.
- If you get something in the mail and don't understand it, show it to someone you trust, get their opinion.
- Don't arbitrarily throw any identifying information in the trash. Shred it, or cut it in tiny pieces.
There are so many do's and don't to remember like I said earlier go to the FTC Identity Theft Website for more information then I can recall here. AND REMEMBER THIS ONE THING, MOST OF ALL...UNLESS ED MCMAHON IS AT YOUR DOOR WITH A BIG FAKE CHECK IN HIS HAND...THE OLD ADAGE IS TRUTH: IF IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS PROBABLY NOT TRUE. Please take the PROBABLY out of the saying... In all my 40 something years when something was too good to be true, in the end it was too good and not true. These old sayings like this keep ringing in my ears and more people should learn from the wisdom of others. I hope you learn something from this post most of all....
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