Stranger Danger

Tonight I am not in the comfort of my own home.. my own bed.. my own tasks gleaming as a reminder of things i should prob be doing. Instead, I am elsewhere. With nothing to do.

So, I turn on the TV and end up watching this program, which although they would like to claim they are "newsworthy" I feel its a glorified National Enquirer type of program. Except that they usually don't have the person on the program who thinks they have been abducted by aliens, much like the National Enquirer seems to have at least on page 4. In fact, I become so bored with the show that i channel swap, to the other "newsworthy" program also on at the same time. I am stuck in a warp of horrible programs. One is "educating" me on Roberta Williams (The Gangland Wars; well shes no model citizen, but other than giving birth to one of the members of the "gang" she really isn't shit of anything). Tonight she is on to tell us that her sister is telling lies and that another TV channel keeps trying to rope Roberta in to doing some sort of TV show (such as "So You Think You Can Dance?"). Does anyone care?

Is anyone besides me watching this crap?

I turn to the "competition" and they are alerting me of a new scam which is taken HUNDREDS of Australians hard earned dollars. Considering the fact that a great group of people don't work or do anything 'work related' to earn those dollars, I become sucked in to the headline. What on earth could be going on now to suck people in to giving strangers their "hard earned" money? For a moment I think I am holding my breath in anticipation.. but no, rest assured, I think I was trying to suffocate myself and relieve the pain of this awful show.

Apparently, people (or as the show calls them, hard working Australians) are receiving phone calls telling them they have won a trip. Usually a 13 day trip to the Bahamas or some other getaway spot in the USA... and once they 'verify' the name and details, along with a credit card for what they call admin fees, they will receive this FREE trip.

I am not kidding.

There were 4 people who were telling us their gripping story. I can not be sure on the exact count because I was baffled on how I didn't believe it to be true. How was I not one of those people who received that phone call to tell me the news? How was I not the lucky one that they hand selected to give me a trip? How can one be so damn stupid to believe this shit?

Especially when the person on the other end tells you they need your name, address, age, birth date, etc AND your credit card number? How could that NOT be a scam?

Disclaimer: For anyone reading this that has fallen to this little trap.. apologies, but go away. Your dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

If one seriously believes that someone who doesn't know a damn thing about you is going to give you a trip, well, then let's have you on your way with your bags packed. Shit, I will help you pack. I certainly want to be there on your return flight home from NO WHERE.

One lady tells us that her life savings was taken by this scam. See, these people keep you on the phone, and at $3 a minute, that's a lot of money apparently to get your free 13 day holiday to NO WHERE. Life savings? Even I have more than $20 shoved in various spots (yes, that's where i keep my life savings... the couch cushions, the glass dish in the corner, the ashtray in my car, etc). One poor sap tells us that people work so hard to have a holiday that when someone offered her a free trip she was thrilled to go somewhere. HA! that's laugh in your face funny. I can sort of understand if the people on this show were in the age group of 70 and up... they believe the world is still nice and what not. No, these people ranged from 20-50 years of age. DUMB DUMB DUMB. Looking for sympathy? Not here my stupid person.

To top it off, the Australian Law cant do anything about it. See, because its a company not based in Australia, it is out of jurisdiction and therefore, unless the company is tied to an Australian company, there really is no grounds for any of these people. And my heart aches for the stupid lady who lost her life savings on the phone bill. At what point in the conversation do you think you might have been on the phone long enough to know that the beach, cabana boy, free drinks, and the free airfare to the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD is non-existent?

The "newsworthy" program did not say that the credit cards were charged. So, I don't see how the life savings got depleted. The only loss of money was thru the phone call costs. Now, if you sit on the damn phone long enough to a stranger to rack up enough change to wipe your life savings away.. well, you obviously needed someone to talk to for the evening, or the day, or the week because apparently your counsellor has booked every available slot and just simply doesn't want to see you, much less talk to you, either.

I cant believe I sat thru the show.

Each day I surprise myself with how many stupid people there are in the world. That being said, its a full moon tonight, so the airing of that particular news story brought a chuckle and shake of the head to the world around us.

Got to run... the phone is ringing.. maybe i made "you have won a free holiday to Greece" call list finally. Don't worry, I will be sure to spell my name after I tell them who I am so that they get my plane ticket correct. After all, I don't want THAT embarrassment at the check-in desk.