Hijacking Greta

The other day I read in the Providence Journal about an old lady who received a phone call from her grandson. The grandson lived in Florida, and she hadn’t talked to him in awhile. He calls her up and said “Grandma, I’m in Canada and I got arrested. I need $2,000 to post bail.” The grandma told him that she’d call his parents, and he was all like “NO! They can’t ever find out, they’ll be so mad at me. Can we please keep this between us?” She wired the grandson some money to some location in Canada and then called him back on his cell to tell him that she’d wired the money.

Then her worst nightmare came true. The grandson said “What are you talking about? I’m not in Canada. I’m having lunch with my co-workers in Florida…” She’d been taken for a $2,000 ride, and of course that money’s gone.

Then just yesterday I got an email from my friend Greta. Apparently she was in the UK, been mugged at gunpoint, and needed some money so she could settle up with the hotel and fly home that night. She promised to pay me back when she got home.

The problem? Greta was not in the UK. Greta lives in Florida. Even though I don’t talk to Greta every day, I knew that she was not on a “last minute vacation to London.” Luckily I knew enough not to wire Greta the $2,500 she’d asked for. (Where the hell did she stay that she needs $2,500 to “settle the hotel bill” and how much caviar did she get from room service??)

Greta’s email account had been hacked. Her facebook page had been hacked too. The hacker posed as her and chatted to her friends online trying to get them to send money. Her friends knew that Greta was not in the UK. One even said “I am texting with Greta right now. You are not Greta. I just saw her this morning.” The hacker then disconnected from the chat and retreated. Greta’s friends know better, and have not given the hacker a dime.

Internet, if you get an email or a phone call about a friend of yours that is in trouble please verify it before you act. One little phone call to the grandson’s cell phone would have saved the grandma $2,000.

A Little Help for a Friend

Summer's here, do you need something to read as you lounge on the beach? (I write this from a cafe in East Greenwich, RI where it is currently raining cats and dogs. Pardon the ironic opening sentence.)

Anyway, I ask again, do you need some really great fiction to read? My pal Crisitunity is now selling her short stories for a few bucks a pop. You can learn more here.

Crisitunity is not only a terrific writer, but also an aspiring yoga instructor. Your purchase of a story will help send her to yoga instructor training school.

Go check her out, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Now, I need to pack up and head back to the office in this downpour. And I have no idea where my umbrella is.

Two Gallons and a Quart

I am getting an urge to go to the supermarket, march over to the very back of the store and hold a gallon of milk in each hand and then propping up a quart against my hip and the inside of my arm. I am also fighting the urge to walk around while holding all that milk for a little while.

It’s not that I have some immense craving for a very precise quantity of milk. I am only using milk as a comparison. Last night Todd and I stopped in at the Rhode Island Blood Center and we each donated a pint. It just occurred to me that over the years I’ve donated 2 gallons and a quart of blood in this state. I don’t remember how much I’ve ever donated while I lived in Connecticut or in Massachusetts. But I do recall two occasions on which I donated while I was living in Australia. If I had to guess, the total amount of blood I’ve ever donated, in gallons, is likely somewhere near four gallons. Four. Imagine four gallons of milk in your grocery cart. That’s how much of my blood is out there probably in somebody else’s body right now.

So, here’s my little public service announcement for today, because it is the season of giving. If you donate a pint of blood you can save a life. With so many people on the roads right now getting to and from holiday celebrations and out shopping, the likelihood of car accidents has increased dramatically. With increased accidents comes increased demand for blood.

Just think, by spending a half hour with a needle in your arm you could very well salvage somebody’s Christmas.

http://www.redcross.org/donate/give/