OT nother scam

Two guys in an unmarked van with Michigan plates going around in my little town in Texas accessing storm damage so "O" can send them a check. They need SS numbers and bank account numbers of course, to deposit the check in their account.

If you get a chance use a little sugar in their gas tank. Hal

Gotta be SO careful these days. Since I have a business, I'm used to getting the charity solicitation calls- I give to the Shriners circus and a couple others every year.

Got a call from the State Troopers Assn.- raising money for some kind of worthy cause, don't remember exactly what. They had a whole heirarchy for donations- so much and you get name in program, more and you get an ad, etc. Guy sounded fine, so I said I'd donate $50.

Asked where to send the check- he said most just do it by credit card. I said not me- I never give credit card no. unless I initiated the call. Wise policy, says he, what's your fax no. and I'll send the brochure. Gave it to him, and have heard nothing.

Sure sounded legit to me. Didn't just hang up when I wouldn't give my number; He had my name and address, etc., but then, with the internet, every lawyer is on a zillion sites (google my name, and you get over 5,000 hits now, mostly "find a lawyer" websites).

I'd suggest sending a check with your bank account number on it would be far scarier than using a credit card.

You raise a good point- but it would be much harder for somebody to loot my bank account than to make a bunch of purchases on the internet with my credit card. At least they try to verify at the bank, and mine is a small local bank, "where everybody knows your name." Another argument for getting away from the mega banks, I guess.

I was thinking the other day, though- the standard question when you try to do something by phone on your bank account is mother's maiden name. It would take some time to establish a "database", but you can harvest a lot of mother's maiden names from the obituaries- "Hazel (Poindexter) Cadwallader, daughter of Ezekial Poindexter and Hortense (Ingmarsen) Poindexter, died Tuesday, survived by sons A, B, C and daughter D, brothers E and F, and sisters G, H and I." Bingo, you've got mother's maiden names of her 4 kids and her 5 siblings.

Ditto the relatives of the bride and groom in wedding announcements, and listing of kin in birth announcements. And a bonanza in last night's paper- "2012 Cutest Baby contest- 8 pages of local baby pics, with parents, grandparents and great grandparents listed.

I used to kid my wife about being a conspiracy theorist, but I'm coming over to her side, I think.

There was a story on TV some time back about fireman and policeman fund raising. The fund raisers keep over 90% of the take, very little goes to the charity.

Sugar and gas won't mix, that worked years ago before fuel filters. put a little gas in a jar with a little sugar, put a led on it so it won't evaporate and see what happens. For the next month or so when you think about it shake it up and try to get that dang sugar to mix with the gas.

right on there Red . But ,,if gas tank has any water in it , suger finds it . But ,,don't hardly see any water in gas at all these days .

When you are asked questions for security verification you don't have to give the correct answer. You can use whatever name you want for your mothers maiden name. As long as you remember the answers you give there will be no problem and it makes it much harder for anyone else to guess the right answer.

every time some one calls to ask for money, i tell them I'm employed, call the state for my money i didn't get awarded for unemployment... just thought of something else to tell them,,I'll ask them for their name and address and tell them i will go to wally-world and get green-credit card for them and send tomorrow...lol

Texas Troopers Assn. tried the same thing. Looked into it and same result......ad co gets 90% and troopers get 10. Why bother.

Mark