LETTER: A cautionary tale
I am relating the experience my wife and I had, hoping that someone else out there will not waste the same time and energy that we did. My wife was recently notified that her email had been hacked and we spent the next day-and-a-half before we discovered that it was all a scam.
Here are a few warning signs to determine if you are being preyed upon:
1. If they tell you it is all a secret and that nobody should be told, it is a scam; hang up.
2. If there is any mention of money changing hands, it is a scam; hang up.
3. If you are threatened with fines or prison, it is a scam; hang up.
4. If they try to wear you down with repeated calls over several days, it is a scam; hang up.
5. If you are routed to another person who has the same number as the original caller, it is a scam; hang up.
6. If they ask for personal information of any sort, it is a scam; hang up.
The ones who called us did all of these things and did indeed frighten us. After we figured it out, they called again, posing as a Washington police officer who was coming to arrest us. We said to send him along.
These scammers are persuasive. If any of the above happens to you, hang up and call the police.
Stanley Myers
Washington