Photo by Al Fenn.
Playgrounds
“A Safe Place to Play,” says the caption. That’s what the playgrounds I remember used to look like.
Awesome rope swing
Don’t forget the merry-go-round, that could fling you off with great force.
‘
Look at this beautiful old slide from the NYU playground project.
And, of course, the swings.
Wow. We never had anything like this. And still, somehow, we survived. There was the occasional bump and bruise. Someone would show up at school with a broken arm, and everyone would ooh and aah over the cast, as happened to my own son after he fell off a jungle gym. It happens. We didn’t even think of calling a lawyer.
Even as late as the 1980’s, playgrounds could be awesome:
Sadly, even looking at pictures like this is enough to give tort attorneys an orgasm thinking about all the billable hours they could earn, which is why modern playgrounds look like this:
Safe and boring.
Thanks, legal profession.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
How the Search Engine Scammers Get Your Money
Earlier I posted a warning about the “Search Engine Registration” scam. As a follow-up, here’s an illustration of what happens if you happen to fall for this camel ejecta.
Of course, the email you received includes a coupon code. Wow. Such deal.
Not only are they offering you a worthless service, something that happens automatically with the largest and most-used search engines, they’re asking you to pay $97.00 to make “nothing” happen even faster.
Good, you’ve taken the bait. Let’s see how far they can push you. For $197.00, they’ll keep offering you “nothing” forever.
Not content to scam you out of $300.00 thus far, they now want you to shell out more money to “register” your website. Bang goes another $97.00.
But wait! There’s more! Not only will we charge you $97.00 to make “nothing” happen to your website, we’ll also charge you $49.95¹ to do “nothing” every month. Thanks for being such a fine sucker!
Now that we’ve squeezed your cojones so hard that you’re singing soprano, we’ll finish off by kicking them through the top of your skull. For another $297.00, we’ll send 10,000 “visitors” to your website. These, if they even happen, will likely convert into zero additional sales.
So let’s sum up: If you’re a big sucker, you’ve spent $737.95 (plus another $49.95 monthly) to do something that would have happened automatically for exactly 0¢. Probably not the best expenditure of your hard-earned money.
Stay away from scams and cons like this, run by people who have the morals of a honey badger.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
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¹ If you’re really old, like me, you’ll recognize this as the price of that charcoal-grey suit you keep getting icky-sticky gook all over.
Those dratted robocalls
Got one today from 906-209-8746, and as usual, no one was there.
I have written about this scam before at “The FTC vs. The Hydra,” but an excellent description of these calls was left at 800notes.com by user NAS about one of those never-sufficiently-to-be-damned “credit card services” calls. It was valuable enough I thought I’d repost it here to give it wider exposure.
Unsolicited/Nuisance/Fraud/SCAM/Prank telephone calls are here to stay. Robotic calling technology is readily available and unscrupulous people will exploit it. Get a life and deal with it.
Being on the National Do Not Call Registry will NOT stop these calls. Most of them come from overseas operations that are spoofing numbers in the United States. They are outside of US laws and jurisdiction. Your government is NOT the least bit motivated to protect you from this kind of harassment, either on your land line or cell phone. The Registry only blocks a very tiny percentage of potential callers. The legislation was written to protect political interests, not your privacy. It is basically worthless.
Do not be surprised (or upset) if/when the caller hangs up as soon as you answer. When your phone rings, they have completed their job. These callers are NOT interested in talking to you. They get paid for each phone connection made. Any engagement of you in conversation takes away from their time to call other numbers. What they are doing is compiling a list of “live” numbers so they can sell it to other scammers. They are also looking for “dead” numbers to spoof for their future calls.
A hang-up call can also be an overseas “one ring scam” to get you to call back and sock you with exorbitant international or premium service call fees. Typically those scams target cell phones, and originate form area codes 242, 246, 264, 268, 284, 345, 441, 473, 649, 664, 758, 767, 784, 809, 829, 849, 868, 876, and 869. (You don’t have to dial a country code to call these international numbers.) If you don’t recognize who is calling, forget about it. Don’t answer. DO NOT call back, unless you’ve got $20.00 per minute to burn! If it’s important they’ll leave a message and/or call again.
What can you do?
1) Block the calling number. Most cell phone service providers (and some cell phones themselves) have blocking services. Many land line phone providers also have blocking services. Contact your service provider (cell or land-line) to find out how to do it. For a nominal one-time investment you can purchase a simple plug-in add-on device that allows you to manually block numbers to your land-line (Google “call blocker”). Note that these callers don’t use a number very long before they switch to another and hit you again. Get used to it. It’s an unadvertised perk of having phone service.
2) If you do answer a call and get a real person talking to you, you have established a “business relationship” which takes you out of any Do Not Call Registry restrictions with them….as if they were abiding by those regulations anyway. Engage them in non-committal conversation as long as you possibly can. Act VERY interested. Mess with their minds. Give them phony credit card numbers. Give them fictitious addresses. Make up names. Consume as much of their time as you can. While you are taking up their time they cannot harass someone else, so you are performing a vital civic service. When they do finally hang up, block their number on your phone.
3) DO NOT call them back! DO NOT select the button that is supposed to remove you from their database. These actions only registers your phone number as valid so they can add it to their list to sell to other scammers. Such action also establishes that you have “done business with them before” which takes you off of the Do Not Call Registry for them….as if they would even consider abiding by the law anyway.
4) Telephone communications are regulated by state and federal governments. Carry a card with the phone number of your State Attorney General (who has the responsibility of enforcing telecommunications laws). When you get an unsolicited call tell them that they have caught you on a phone that can’t be used for personal use (or they’ve caught you on your cell) and ask them to call back on a different number. Give them the Attorney General’s number, hang up, and immediately block their number on your phone.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
No, this is NOT the Ambassador to the Benin Republic
It should go without saying. It’s so blatantly obvious. But sadly, people still do fall for this. I post these in the hope that even a single soul, somewhere, who has received this same message will do a search online and find this post.
These ignorant criminals, sitting in rat-infested internet cafes in various places in Africa, don’t give up because people continue to fall for their lies. These people have no morals. Please protect yourselves and your loved ones from the activities of these scum-sucking bottom-feeders.
NEVER RESPOND TO SCAM EMAILS LIKE THIS ONE.
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ATTENTION DEAR
US Ambassador to Benin Republic
Without mincing words, I am convinced 100% that you have had bitter experience with various ‘scammers’ claiming to be high government officials and thereby defrauding you of your ‘hard-earned money’. The activities of these scammers has changed your perspective about conducting business on the internet, and you now believed there is no genuine business that can be conducted on the internet anymore. Well, I am an American and the internet was created by Americans for the purpose of creating awareness for your products/services and conducting genuine business with easy. I am fully committed to deliver the “diplomatic consignment” to you in the United States in order to differentiate myself from the many Benin Republic you have dealt with. I am a full citizen of the United States , but I was on a Foreign Mission here in Benin as an US Ambassador. Hence, I am making every efforts to ensure that no citizen of the United States is cheated by Benin Republic .
Therefore, I need your utmost support and understanding to actualize this dream. I also want you to understand that I do trust you and I expect you to show me the same trust and respect in return since trust is a 2-ways street, On the other hand, trust is a relationship of reliance, Trust also means being able to predict what other people will do and what situations will occur.
Trust is both an emotional and logical act. Emotionally, it is where you expose your vulnerabilities to people, but believing they will not take advantage of your openness. Logically, it is where you have assessed the probabilities of gain and loss, calculating expected utility based on hard performance data, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In practice, trust is a bit of both. I trust you because I have experienced your trustworthiness by merely believing in what I have said, even when you have not seen me, and because I have faith in human nature.
Frankly speaking, I understand that anyone in your shoes will feel betrayed, but I still want you to show me your trust by giving me the benefit of doubt on this delivery arrangement. My identity and personality is verifiable, and I promise to deliver the consignment to you in the United States without any hitch. Please do not allow this mission to die off because of US$145.00 TO REGISTER YOUR PACKAGE AS AN AMBASSADORIAL PACKAGE, I meant so well for you and I believe you will appreciate me more when you have finally received your partial payment of US$2,5Million upon my arrival with the package in United States . I will use my position and personality to deposit the US$2,5Million into your bank account in the United States without questioning from the financial monitoring authorities, since all documentations proving the legitimacy of the funds has been processed.
Please don’t see me as one of the numerous dubious Benin Republic you have dealt with in the past. I am a different person entirely and I came from a different continent. I have the American spirit in me and I hate cheaters. I promise to always uphold the national unity of the United States . Please reply back ASAP and let me know your possibility of sending the US$145.00 today.
You can send it via western union Or Money Gram with below name.
Reciever’s name………Simeon Ekwe
Country……….Benin Republic,
City………..Cotonou,
Text Question…….God?
Answer……….Bless,
Amount ……..US$145.00 Only
MTCN…….
Sender’s name…..Note that you are expected to send the fee right immediately to enable me register your package as an AMBASSADORIAL PACKAGE because once i package that it will give me ability to pass through every Custom offices without interception of the package.
Respectfully yours,
Mr.James Knight
US Ambassador to Benin Republic
+229-982-767-81.
“Ambassador to Benin Republic”. Right. You can spot the bad English of these filthy criminals a mile away if you are in the least familiar with their scams.
Be careful out there and protect yourselves and your loved ones.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
A shameless plug: FingerInk Creations
My wife is a crafty lady – in the best possible sense of the word. And she makes the cutest stitch markers.
Please check out these and many more at her store: FingerInk Creations. She thanks you.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
An Open Letter to Western Union, Moneygram and Moneypak
I am beyond furious.
A loved one of mine was just scammed out of $2,000 that she can ill afford, being a recent college graduate struggling to find work and make her own way in the world.
She was stung by the “we’ll send you a check, please forward part of it to XXX for [insert reason here]” scam. She thought she was being offered a sweet job, and instead handed two grand to some scum-sucking, bottom-feeding, camel-raping lowlifes somewhere in the world.
And you are all complicit. You are confederate. You are equally guilty.
Oh, yes – I know your websites make all the right noises about never sending money to strangers, list all the scams, and provide all the required legal disclaimers. I’m here to tell you:
Watch this for the full hour. Perhaps it will sink in.
Your services are used by criminals worldwide to promote their nefarious schemes and take advantage of the gullible and the trusting with almost total impunity. And it needs to stop.
You need to be regulated in the same way as pawn shops. You need to take photographs and fingerprints of everyone who receives money from a transaction, and make this data available to law enforcement agencies, just like pawn shops.
Look at a summary of rules and regulations that the pawn industry (still thriving, in case you complain that this will put you out of business) must adhere to:
Federal rules:
- USA Patriot Act, designed to stifle terrorism-related activities. For you, it means you can’t do any business with a pawnbroker unless you have a government-issued picture ID, like a driver’s license, and you may have to give a fingerprint
- Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The pawnbroker has to explain to you clearly and in writing all of the terms of your loan, such as interest rate, fees, etc.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Safeguard and Privacy Rules to protect your personal information – including your name, address, phone number, and bank and credit card account numbers, etc.
- Federal firearm laws, including record-keeping and background check requirements for buyers/sellers
IRS rules on reporting cash transactions over $10,000
State rules:
- Licensing and registration. In most states, pawnbrokers must apply for a license or register with a state agency – like the state consumer protection agency or state tax department. In some states, brokers need a license from the city or town where they do business
- Interest rates and fees on loans are capped or limited in practically every state. Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere from 3 to 25 percent in interest on your loan. On top of that, most states let pawnbrokers charge a service fee in money (like $10) or interest (20 percent), each month
- Records. Usually, pawnshops have to keep detailed records of everything they buy or take as collateral – serial and model numbers, brand name; precious metal type, gemstone description, etc.
- Reporting. In some states, pawnshops have to give reports of their purchases to local police to help identify stolen goods. In other states, a shop has to honor your request to check their inventory for stolen goods if you give it a police report on your stolen property
- Pawn tickets. If you take out a loan, the pawnbroker must give you a ticket showing what item you pawned, how long you have to repay, how much you have to repay, etc.
- Grace periods. In some states, you’re automatically granted a grace period – usually 15 to 30 days – after your loan period expires. You have that additional amount of time to pay your loan and reclaim your property before the shop can sell your item.
You may think your army of industry lawyers and lobbyists will be enough to shield you from greater regulation designed to protect your clients, but don’t be fooled. The river of ill-gotten gains must be stopped, and you are direct participants in countless felonies.
You have been put on notice.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
How to attract more spam
Got this in my mailbox today, from the spammer or spamming group which has been very active in the last couple of months:
From: Ford Fall Clearance <fordmakesthebest@host1.everyonehugecarclearance.net>
Subject: Re: Ford Dealers are Slashing-Prices. All Models Must Go..
To: <redacted>FORD SEPTEMBER AUTO CLEARANCE
——————————————————————
<redacted>Don’t miss out on the “Ford End-of-Summer Saving Event”
Limited-time special pricing on select Ford models
Compare offers to find the lowest price here:
http://xxx.everyonehugecarclearance.net
(Use the link above to view this message in your browser)
————————————–
message id 4335021
Click that link (which I have obfuscated so it goes nowhere) and you will be taken to the website of iMotors.com:
The spam email was from “Ford,” so this particular page focuses on Ford vehicles, but you can select any make and model, and I’m sure the “affiliate marketer” has pages for every brand which they blast out on a daily basis.
So, let’s put in some bogus information here – notice that the phone number and the email are both for the Federal Trade Commission. Enver Hoxha was the communist dictator of Albania for decades.
That should generate some interesting emails and phone calls at FTC headquarters. Notice that by submitting your information, you agree to be called, robo-called, emailed, texted, etc. by anyone and everyone in the universe.
So what did I get for submitting my information?
That’s right: Nothing. Even if I select my make and model on this page, and click “Search,” I still get the same result. Nothing.
But wait, there’s more.
Now you get to give them a mailing address, so that your junk mail will increase by a factor of 100.
But don’t stop now! There are more deals ahead!
Look at all this information they want you to hand them, including your birth date and social security number.
NEVER GIVE OUT THIS INFORMATION TO RANDOM WEBSITES!
That’s not just advice, that’s a command. Just don’t ever do it. You’re inviting identity thieves like a porch lamp invites moths.
I run an online business (several, actually) and part of our privacy policy reads like this:
We don’t know how it would be possible for anyone to hate spam more than we do. In the same breath, we are aware of the challenges and inconveniences associated with identity theft. As a result:
- Your information will never be sold, traded, given away or otherwise divulged to anyone, and we do not purchase names from other companies.
- We do not keep any financial data (i.e. credit card numbers) on file.
- We do not buy information or names from others.
- We do not advertise by spamming. Ever.
Unfortunately many businesses do not subscribe to such policies, and you can be guaranteed that anything you respond to in your email that was unsolicited or from a company you have never done business with will result in an even greater flood of spam, or possibly criminal misuse of your information.
Be careful out there.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Another mail-forwarding scam
This scam is very well-crafted. It looks legitimate. It’s not. Mail re-shipping, as I indicated in my previous post, is a crime.
Dear Old Wolf,
According to your recent email inquiry, you are interested in more details concerning the vacancy of Mail Clerk. You can find further information about the position in this email. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email them or you can call us (904) 239-3968.
Global Logistics Plus Inc is an online mail service with a physical location in Florida. We offer our clients a US postal address where they can receive parcels and correspondence. Foreign business people selling and buying goods in the USA find this service to be invaluable, since a lot of US retailers do not ship internationally. Global Logistics Plus is also very popular with Americans who need to receive their mail on the move. Our customers can easily manage their mail online, consolidate packages in bulk and forward it anywhere in the world with considerable discounts.
We strive to improve our management of personnel and warehousing with innovative approaches that help to keep our company ahead of competitors by maintaining low costs. For example, our remote employment approach allow us to massively increase the number of addresses we offer, as well as drastically reduce costs involved with storage. You have a chance to become one of our remote employees. Our business processes are entirely automated, no elaborate training is necessary and there are no start-up costs. You can work from any location in the United States. We encourage you to submit your application and resume, so that we can consider your candidacy more thoroughly.
Responsibilities:
• Monitor the list of incoming shipments, receive paperwork and instructions from your online account
• Accept parcels and letters delivered by the major carriers to your home address
• Process them according the instructions
• Deliver the items to your local post office and ship them to our clients using prepaid shipping labels provided by our company
• Inspect all packages, photograph the contents and upload the photographs
• Submit reports via email and your online accountThis is a relatively independent position that relies on the individual’s ability to take their responsibilities seriously. This job requires constant presence at home and strong commitment and discipline. However, the work is financially rewarding. A full-time employee of Global Logistics Plus receives a monthly salary of $2,000 plus $500 bonus for processing more than 50 orders per month. It requires you to be available at your home address during business hours (9am-5pm) from Monday to Friday, and occasionally in the evenings or on the weekends. You must have a computer, a digital camera or a cell phone with built-in camera, a printer, a stable internet connection and reliable transportation.
We place a very high priority on the security of our employees. One of our most important policies is to investigate all potential customers in order to verify that their business is genuine. This allows us to avoid the potential for criminal activity. We require all of our clients to provide two forms of ID as well as Form 1583 that has been certified by a notary. They must also complete an interview and verification process. The primary items for shipment include electronics, clothing, auto parts and sporting goods. (In other words, easily-stolen and easily re-sold items)
To apply, please complete and send us back the application, which is attached to this email. Please also review and to get acquainted with the draft employment contract. In the application form you will find the link to our company’s website.
—
Sincerely,
Ann Harper,
HR assistant,
Recruitment department,
Global Logistics Plus, Inc.
212 Industrial Loop South, Ste 139
Orange Park, FL 32073-2964
800-291-2076.
Attached were an employment application and “contract.” They both look entirely legitimate, and unfortunately they are likely to fool many people.
8 pages of this, all looking very legitimate. Very legal.
Long, detailed, multi-page employment app. It looks very real. You will be giving up all sorts of information about yourself to people you know nothing about.
Be careful out there. Lowlifes are becoming more and more creative in order to steal your money and your identity.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Lost and Found
I love old science fiction. I recall stories that I’ve read and loved, and enjoy going back to them again on occasion to refresh my memory. Now and then, however, one of them gets lost.
A recent example was “The Coppersmith,” by Lester Del Rey, published in “Unknown” in 1939. I first read it in 1968, if I’m not mistaken, in the collection of a housemaster during my senior year in prep school. Then I moved on and time moved on; until the advent of the Internet, I had no way of tracking this lovely story down again, but a few years ago I was able to find it in a collection of Del Rey stories and rejoiced to renew my acquaintance with an old friend.
Another story was more elusive. I have no idea when I first read it, but all I remembered was that it was about aliens who came to earth looking for refuge, and they needed salt to reproduce. The word for salt was “shreeprill,” and the ones who broke the communication barriers down were the wives (and children) of the negotiators. I hunted high and low, wide and deep, without result – for decades, until yesterday.
Finally a hit. The story was called “Subcommittee” by Zenna Henderson, and was collected in an anthology called “The Everything Box.” I looked online, and found a number of copies, but they are fairly rare: most of them are selling for around $25.00.
Zenna Henderson in 1953
I had told my wife about my hunt for this story, and she also remembered having read it. When I reported to her the results of my successful find, she replied, “Oh, Zenna! I love her writing.” She asked me what book it was in. I told her. She dug into her collection and in 10 seconds pulled out the very edition that I was looking for. And I sat down astonied… for years, the story was sitting on our bookshelves, right under my nose.
How pleasant it was to re-read this delightful tale, along with the other ones in the collection. I must have had it at one point in my life, because all of them seemed mightiliy familiar.
Only one or two left that I can think of which I still need to locate. I’m not sure if I ever will, because I think they were in French, in a collection I found at a flea market in Austria in 1975¹. But even if I can never find those, I’m well content. The Internet has triumphed again.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
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¹ One of the stories I’m still hunting for is similar to “The Conqueror” by Mark Clifton. It deals with a peculiar strain of coffee which had the odd result of making people think rationally. When some of it gets introduced into congress or parliament or somewhere, the first “victim” stands up and shouts “It’s all balls!”, whereupon in short order the entire body proceeds to stop bickering and pass a raft of laws designed to raise the living conditions of everyone. Wish I could find that one again.
Playing in the World Game 