NOT AS GREEN AS I AM CABBAGE LOOKING.

It was reading 'A' Simple Blogger's  WINDOWS ALERT POST that reminded me of the two 'computer' scams doing the rounds here in England (and, more likely than not, elsewhere).

The first involved a telephone call in which I was informed a virus was, as we spoke, attacking Pooter (for those of you not in the know this is my name for our computer). Hmm, really? None too concerned, I knew we had good protection, this woman then went onto explain that, even worse than a virus (no, surely not!!!!!), someone, somewhere, was, at that precise moment, hacking into our online banking account with the intent of not only stealing our identities but emptying the said account. Now I was getting a tad concerned. But not to worry, help was at hand, all I had to do was take out extra protection and, surprise, surprise, this woman could do this for me now, all I had to do was hand over all our banking details. Now, to use one of my late nana's expressions, 'I'm not as green as I am cabbage looking' and, of course, I didn't give out any details (why was I even momentarily worried? For a start we don't do any banking online) but to be honest this woman was so plausible that I could quite understand how someone might be tempted to.

Anyway,

The second scam happened some weeks later when I was informed via email that a long-lost relative of Husband dearest's had died kindly leaving us quarter of a million pounds in their will BUT in order to get this we had to send the firm of solicitors involved a few thousand pound in order for them to make an international monetary transfer and to 'finalise the deceased last wishes' - all very emotive stuff even if no such relative existed.

But, alas this wasn't the last we heard of it. Now, contacting us via our home telephone, this 'solicitor' did his very best to convince us that this was indeed a genuine relative who, if we were unable to be contacted, had left instructions that this money was to go to a local donkey sanctuary - good, I love donkeys.

Once again, all very plausible, it was amazing (not to mention frightening) how much information this individual had dug up about Hd.

What then the coincidence of having watched a report the night before reading A's post in which one of these 'Scammers' (I'm being polite here) tried to justify their actions.

Was it his fault that people were so greedy that they were taken in by 'these things'?

No matter that they were more likely vulnerable than greedy.

Wasn't it wrong that people presumed such awful things about him? After all he wasn't a rich man but a poor one who had a family, including a disabled child, to provide for.

OK, so it could be argued that we should never presume BUT wasn't he just as guilty for presuming that the individual he was targeting was greedy as opposed to vulnerable? That the person he was harassing was rich and without dependents, perhaps one of them a disabled child.

It makes you think, doesn't it?