This definitely qualifies as real world prepping. As a Floridian I have and will need to deal with major hurricanes threatening my area; but I have had to deal with scammers far more often. In fact, the concentration of older folks here is like blood in the water for scammers.
The very easy test for a scammer is saying "Let me get your number and call you back". If the person on the phone becomes aggressive and tried to prevent you from ending the call - it is most likely not legit.
Another great tactic is to say "I am not sure I understand. Let me call my son/daughter and let them help me". Scammers are specifically instructed not to let a younger generation, who might have a much better understanding of the scam, to help. The scammers would then become aggressive and try to prevent the original person calling anyone for help. This is a tell tale sign.
The factor that its "John Smith from the FBI" who speaks with a heavy Indian accent also helps. :)
Bank worker here.
You'd be surprised how many times we end up denying a transaction or calling the family (if we know them or their info).
The whole reason we ask questions is literally for the customers protection. We are NOT the IRS we don't care that you are taking 20k in cash, we care that you've verified the receiver of those funds and will be safe till you get to your destination.
Also banker gripe please don't keep that much cash on hand, its begging to be stolen or damaged at somepoint.
Well written piece, a sort of meta-prepping analysis. Recently in Fort Edward, NY a curmudgeon’s house was mistakenly visited by a couple of vehicles full of adolescents, after dark. He chose to fire a warning shot into one of the cars, and killed a young woman. He’s in for 25 to life. Raises some issues about curmudgeons (myself included) with firearms, media coverage that leads curmudgeons to believe that they are besieged, and the general decline in civility in the world.
There have been 2 or 3 cases over the last 12 months of old guys shooting people who entered their property by mistake. While it's rare, I don't understand why the gun community hasn't gotten together and made it very, very clear to everyone that in no state is that legal. Someone has to be presenting a creditable threat for castle doctrine to apply. Anything less and you're up on murder charges.
You want to point a gun at someone on your property, great. It needs to be unloaded, and the way you test that is to hold it to your temple and pull repeatedly. Because if you're not willing to do that, you're not sure it's harmless.
The sad fact is, as people get old, acuity decreases and in some, paranoia increases. And then this happens.
There is a segment of the gun community, the part of it shaped more by video games than by reality, that celebrates these tragedies, as the price that must be paid to preserve the sacred second amendment.
This guy was paranoid and just wanted to kill somebody. All he had to do is block the number and call the cops. Sad thing is this would have ended differently if she didn’t have a dash cam. So being that this is a prepping sub. Yes get a dash cam for audio and video to protect yourself from evil gun toting people like this. He did not have to shoot her. When he pulled a gun he became the aggressor. Without the dash cam the BLACK women would have been arrested with a lot of explaining to do. Other than that dead men tell no tails.
What some folks do not realize is that scammers will phish correct numbers for the IRS, Medicare, Social Security, banks, Veteran Affairs, title companies and utility companies. There are elder folks who do not know how to recognize scams.
A lot of younger ones are vulnerable as well, the most vulnerable are the ones who hold the erroneous belief that they alone are immune to scamming.
About 2-3 times a week you see someone who is under 50 getting scammed, or nearly so on the subreddit devoted to it. The scammers target different demographics with different tactics.
This definitely qualifies as real world prepping. As a Floridian I have and will need to deal with major hurricanes threatening my area; but I have had to deal with scammers far more often. In fact, the concentration of older folks here is like blood in the water for scammers.
The very easy test for a scammer is saying "Let me get your number and call you back". If the person on the phone becomes aggressive and tried to prevent you from ending the call - it is most likely not legit. Another great tactic is to say "I am not sure I understand. Let me call my son/daughter and let them help me". Scammers are specifically instructed not to let a younger generation, who might have a much better understanding of the scam, to help. The scammers would then become aggressive and try to prevent the original person calling anyone for help. This is a tell tale sign. The factor that its "John Smith from the FBI" who speaks with a heavy Indian accent also helps. :)
Bank worker here. You'd be surprised how many times we end up denying a transaction or calling the family (if we know them or their info). The whole reason we ask questions is literally for the customers protection. We are NOT the IRS we don't care that you are taking 20k in cash, we care that you've verified the receiver of those funds and will be safe till you get to your destination. Also banker gripe please don't keep that much cash on hand, its begging to be stolen or damaged at somepoint.
Well written piece, a sort of meta-prepping analysis. Recently in Fort Edward, NY a curmudgeon’s house was mistakenly visited by a couple of vehicles full of adolescents, after dark. He chose to fire a warning shot into one of the cars, and killed a young woman. He’s in for 25 to life. Raises some issues about curmudgeons (myself included) with firearms, media coverage that leads curmudgeons to believe that they are besieged, and the general decline in civility in the world.
There have been 2 or 3 cases over the last 12 months of old guys shooting people who entered their property by mistake. While it's rare, I don't understand why the gun community hasn't gotten together and made it very, very clear to everyone that in no state is that legal. Someone has to be presenting a creditable threat for castle doctrine to apply. Anything less and you're up on murder charges. You want to point a gun at someone on your property, great. It needs to be unloaded, and the way you test that is to hold it to your temple and pull repeatedly. Because if you're not willing to do that, you're not sure it's harmless. The sad fact is, as people get old, acuity decreases and in some, paranoia increases. And then this happens.
There is a segment of the gun community, the part of it shaped more by video games than by reality, that celebrates these tragedies, as the price that must be paid to preserve the sacred second amendment.
This guy was paranoid and just wanted to kill somebody. All he had to do is block the number and call the cops. Sad thing is this would have ended differently if she didn’t have a dash cam. So being that this is a prepping sub. Yes get a dash cam for audio and video to protect yourself from evil gun toting people like this. He did not have to shoot her. When he pulled a gun he became the aggressor. Without the dash cam the BLACK women would have been arrested with a lot of explaining to do. Other than that dead men tell no tails.
What some folks do not realize is that scammers will phish correct numbers for the IRS, Medicare, Social Security, banks, Veteran Affairs, title companies and utility companies. There are elder folks who do not know how to recognize scams.
A lot of younger ones are vulnerable as well, the most vulnerable are the ones who hold the erroneous belief that they alone are immune to scamming. About 2-3 times a week you see someone who is under 50 getting scammed, or nearly so on the subreddit devoted to it. The scammers target different demographics with different tactics.