Scammed

I want to tell you about a scam that happened to one of Phil's relatives. I told this man that I wanted to write about it. Uncle P. got a phone call. The man on the line said that he was his grandson,(I'll call him 'Ryan') and that he was in jail in Bolivia, for getting into a car accident. He needed $2500 wired to him right away so he could post bail. He made it sound like he wasn't safe. Uncle P' said, jokingly, 'So you're doing the jail house rock,' and 'Ryan' said, "Grandpa, it's not funny." He also had told him not to let his parents know about this because he didn't want them to worry. So, the rest of the day, Uncle P. spent at two different places trying to send money to 'Ryan's' lawyer in Bolivia. Western Union refused to do it. They said that Uncle P. was being scammed. When the lawyer called back to see if the money had been sent, Uncle P. asked him lots of questions. After awhile, the 'lawyer' hung up. Then Uncle P. made some phone calls. He called his daughter and then his grandson, who was alive and well an hour away. 'How could I have been so foolish?' Uncle P. asked. I think it was because of two things. He was harmless as a dove and trustworthy. And he loved his grandson and was scared for him. Trust and Love-based-Fear. Some conniving person used those two human qualities and emotions to try to scam Phil's uncle. I wonder how many people they've scammed. I forgot to say that somehow, they got a recording of 'Ryan's' voice, and using a computer program, were able to sound just like him. So, be careful. It's a jungle out there. Be as wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove, and if someone calls you with a wild story, call them on their cell to see if it's really them.