[woofa.express]

Gullible Gary. (Chapter 3).

I believed my computer was troublesome and I responded to an internet site with the name Microsoft in their address. They also mentioned that name in their splurge. Over three days at random times we communicated by telephone and I began to suspect their authenticity because of the telephone link changed several times and the connection quality declined each time. I also found the people I spoke to had different speech accents each time we spoke. I took my computer to a specialist repair shop and was advised there was nothing wrong and advised these Microsoft people likewise. They continued to call but now demanding payment for their services. In time they went away but were substituted by a debt collection agency who became quite troublesome. I then contacted a government scam agency and put the two names forward. When I advised the debt collectors I had done this they declared they would quit pursuing me if I withdrew their name. End of story.

The second instance was when I responded to an advertisement for an expensive tractor at a give a way price. The old adage should have applied; when it’s too good to be true it’s probably not. By email I was told it belonged to a brother-in-law who was now in old age care and everything was to be sold. Whilst it wasn’t on eBay, they the sellers advised, eBay would conduct the transaction. I received an invoice with the tractor serial number and other pertinent information . The invoice head and all looked totally correct in every respect so I just couldn’t get the money to them fast enough: through western union. An additional email arrived claiming the brother-in-law said the money was insufficient and demanded more. I knew at that instant I had been conned and subsequently figured the document had been constructed by a clever artist. I am quite a gullible person and accept people at face value. And it would have taken only 5 hours to drive to the location. Bugger.

The pictures were authentically Australian but it became clear the transaction was conducted from Nigeria. I have a friend who worked there tells me the millennials are well educated but have little job opportunities. It is lucrative for them to work in internet fraud. Many have now immigrated to south east Asia.

The third story is a face to face deal. To add it to this would make this story too long. I’ll write it and post it next.