Have you ever been scammed? Well, I was a short time ago, and it wasn’t pretty. Like a dope, I tried to go on the Internet and order a coat. The bill came but the coat didn’t, so I called PayPal. I’ve been using that so as not to put my credit card numbers in too many places. Somehow the scammer inserted his number into the file I found and led me down the primrose path.

With my daughter’s help, we were able to limit the damage and get back to semi-normal. But it makes you feel stupid — I probably was — and vulnerable.

How many older people are getting victimized by these scum — I mean scammers — or both?

They tell me it’s very hard to catch them and then when they are caught the punishment is often less than a misdemeanor. I still believe in the death penalty for some things — and this may be one. How many old people do they torture, terrify and end up killing from the loss and shame?

That’s a major felony to me — even if they don’t manage to get away with anything. There must be some better way of allowing us (elders) to participate in the modern world without becoming a victim of them.

Yes, it was stupid and ignorant (different meanings) of me to get caught up in this, but I doubt if I’m alone. We didn’t grow up with computers and we are vulnerable. I thought I was talking to PayPal and they had my best interests at heart. I wasn’t and they didn’t.

Max (what he called himself), the Monster, created problems I still haven’t gotten rid of, but thankfully got little else. However, a good friend of mine told me she was recently scammed out of $20,000. People are being badly hurt by these scum, and they are darn near impossible to catch. Seriously, with the reach they have, and how widespread this is becoming. I can think of little worse than these predators.

The Scamming Scum

So, you make your living by way of the scam,

And you end up hurting — but you don’t give a damn.

You lie and you hustle and you cheat your way,

And you’re proud that that’s how you earn your pay.

You prey on the Net on the weak and infirm,

And those who don’t understand all the terms.

You create more havoc than most of the whelp,*

And betray the trusting who are looking for help.

I don’t think the penalty you get if you’re caught,

Is enough for the kind of damage you’ve wrought.

If I was the judge and I had my way

I’d put you in jail for the rest of your days.

You slip and slide — always on the take,

The venom you spread is worse than a snake.

I don’t watch soccer, but to see you fall,

I’d watch a whole game if you were the ball. JDF

*whelp--defined as impudent or despised one.

Cute item: A while back I came across this item in a paper. A teacher asked second graders to answer questions about their moms. These were some of the answers:

Q: What ingredients are moms made of? A: God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

Q: Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? A: God knew mom liked me a lot better than some other moms.

Q: What kind of little girl was your mom? A: My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy. They say she used to be nice.

Q: Why did your mom marry your dad? A: My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world and my mom eats a lot. She’s too old to do anything else with him. My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.”

That’s it, folks. Be nice to your mom if you have one. JDF