We’ve been living in our current house for 5 1/2 years. It was empty for over a year before that. So, nearly 7 years since Tim’s dad died.
Despite that I’d guess we still get a call a week for him, usually related to his shareholdings.
The most recent one was the most plausible yet. Generally when you explain that he’s dead, the caller hangs up without so much as a goodbye. This one was very different. He was polite, apologetic, and although I knew it was probably a scam there was a tiny bit of me that wondered.
Wondered if there was a possibility some shares had been missed. If there was a possibility of an unexpected amount of money. If we might be able to have the loft conversion we so desperately need.
There wasn’t, of course. And we wasted time and energy on checking it out, just in case. And so the dream was dusted off and popped back into storage, until we’ve saved the money up. When these people scam others over the phone or over the Internet, it isn’t just cash they’re stealing. When they con an elderly person out of their retirement funds, that’s a lifetime of dreams tattered and gone.
I wonder if they ever feel guilty about the dreams they’re stealing.
MIch says
I loathe them. All scam people ringing for PPI/Microsoft virus/accident or sales people trying to get phone upgrade business. All unsolicited phone calls and yes we are on telephone preference service but only the reputable companies abide by that. The rest have no scruples or morals or anything decent about them. Chloe was talking for a long time with one who when she said she hadn’t had an accident in the last 3 years she said she was only 13, he told her children can have accidents too. Lovely. Thanks for that Mister.
Susan Mann says
It’s awful isn’t it. I hate that people do this to others and I don’t understand it. This post is so true, when it happened to me I was the same. What if.
Sally says
People doing the cold calling don’t take time to consider the receiver. They have a quota they want to get through everyday. That is all they care.