It has long puzzled me why low-lives go to such great lengths to figure out creative methods of stealing from others. On a recent newscast, there was a real pip. A woman asked a man if she could cool off by taking a swim in his pool. She proceeded to strip down to her birthday suit and entertain him. All the while, her partner was ripping off the lascivious gentleman.
There are many scams designed to part others, especially senior citizens, from their cash and belongings. I want to ask all of the above, "Why don't you use that creativity and focus that effort on becoming the next George Washington Carver, Beyoncé, Jimmy Carter or Dr. Dre? Why not use your gifts for the good of mankind and go down in the annals of history as a great American, Greek, Englishman, African, Scot or Russian? Why do you put yourselves on the downward slope toward infamy and prison, or even a violent death?
I read somewhere that a hacker was asked why he spent his time in illegal activity instead of developing hardware or software like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Do you know the hacker's answer? "Because I can." That's no news. A lot of people can hack. Some of them use that ability to the benefit of their fellow man as well as their own bank accounts. Why do you suppose that these people choose evil intent? They would make more money working in Silicon Valley, where they actually have job openings, than they can scam out of old people. Old people, with rare exceptions, don't have anything. I don't know where some of these columnists get the figures saying they do. Most seniors receive around $1050 per month or less. If a man has a wife, they don't get the whole amount for both of them. The collective amount is figured downward as close to the poverty level as they can get it.
I don't know if these criminals are just immature pranksters or if they are full-blown sociopaths. Perhaps there are some of both involved.
I wrote an earlier draft of this article a week or so ago. Before that day was over, I had received a computerized phone call telling me my debit card was no longer authorized for use on the internet, but I could fix the problem by calling a certain number. Since I've never used a debit card on the internet, I cut the call off. I called my bank, described the situation and told about hanging up. She told me that was good because it's a scam that is prevalent right now. Another one.
How wonderful this world would be if the scam artists and thieves would use their wonderful creativity for inventions and innovations. Instead, person after person, male and female, young and old, choose to use their creative gifts to scam the old, rob the rich, relieve the poor of their few precious belongings. And then they head for church on Sunday and sing the praises of the good Lord as if they, themselves, have spent the previous week honoring God, their parents and a beloved grandmother.
There is one woman I've encountered in Aldi's stores. When she gets parallel to me in another aisle, a buzzer goes off. I'm talking different Aldi's here. The first time, the buzzer was so loud it startled everyone in the vicinity. The last time, she had quieted it about fifty per cent. I'd think it was some store buzzer, except the woman's appearance is quite distinctive -- tall, attractive, black, fifties or early sixties. When the buzzer goes off, she is there. I've heard there is a way to get someone's credit card number, but I don't know how it is done. Is that what's happening? The local news told a story that this is occurring a lot right now.
This kind of scammer is not alone. Every time there is a major storm, dishonest tree trimmers and roofers come out. People mail letters telling others they have won a prize they can collect by sending in money. Messages are received that a loved one is in trouble in a foreign country, so please send dollars.
Identities are stolen. On-line banking is sabotaged. One Asian man called and told me I had used my credit card to order pizza. Wrong, Mister. They won't deliver pizza to my neighborhood. I get my pizzas out of the freezer section at the grocery store.
If these people wrote a mystery instead of being a mystery, do you suppose they might win a Pulitzer? We've barely scratched the surface of how important they can become. Why would they prefer a prison jumpsuit over the tuxedo they could wear to an awards ceremony if their rap song hit number one?
Wouldn't it be nice if all individuals used their God-given gifts for something other than trying to outwit the vulnerable among us? It can't bring much self-satisfaction to prey on easy targets. A hit song or best-selling book would be much more fulfilling.
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