October was my lucky month. Five phone messages informed me I was the grand prize winner of two major sweepstakes. Not only did I place first with Readers’ Digest, I was also atop the leaderboard at Clearer’s Publishing House. Twin wins in one month with prizes worth millions had never happened to me before. I was ecstatic.

Congratulatory voicemails stressed the importance of keeping my good fortune confidential until finalized. They provided a callback number and the name of their agent who would ensure the funds were safely deposited in my bank. 

Jane and I don’t answer unknown numbers unless there’s a compelling reason. If a voicemail is left, we listen then decide. Quite often it’s a scam, sham, or flimflam. The difference in those three terms is unclear to me. I just like the sound of that column title.

At this stage in life, it’s unlikely I’ll get taken in by such blatant trickery, but no one is immune. The bad guys excel at deception and persistence. They play the numbers game, knowing if they place enough calls someone will fall.

Sunday’s edition of The Macon Telegraph on October 29th carried a front page story about a retired Houston County couple who were almost conned out of $186,000. Through an elaborate scheme, they thought their bank accounts were in jeopardy.

The couple invested in gold, from a legitimate seller, as instructed. Thankfully, they became suspicious before the valuable bars arrived. They contacted authorities and were able to return the gold for a full return. By cooperating with law enforcement on a sting operation, one man was jailed after showing up at their house. A zillion more, however, are still on the loose.

Their story reminded me of a lady coming to Bank of Dooly years ago, convinced she had won a large sum of money. She had agreed for a courier to deliver the certified check to her home. The only thing required of her was to give him $2500 cash for federal taxes. There was no doubt it was a scam, but she believed otherwise. 

Officer Robert Jones with the Vienna Police Department came to the bank and also explained it wasn’t legitimate. She didn’t believe him either, but reluctantly left without the money. Vienna P.D. monitored her neighborhood around the appointed time. The courier didn’t come, or perhaps saw law enforcement was nearby and kept driving.

Two other bank customers were victims of scams of a different nature. Sadly, the crooks were operating within the law at the time. The scams weren’t illegal, just immoral, unethical, misleading, and reprehensible. Both ladies fell for the same ploy, believing that by purchasing magazines and other assorted items, they were certain to win a small fortune.

By the time their families intervened, each had spent tens of thousands of dollars on goods they had no use for. The purchase that best demonstrated the culprits’ heartless strategy was a motorized boat. It was inflatable with a tiny trolling motor. Battery not included.

Merchandise had been stored in each of the women’s homes. That which was still in the original packaging could be returned for a partial refund. I guess that helped keep the perpetrators out of jail. With the assistance of authorities, part of their expended funds were recovered. The grossly overpriced items which had been discarded, however, or lacked the original packaging, resulted in substantial losses.

Both of those elderly ladies were susceptible to scams, and we all are to some extent. New schemes, increasingly more sophisticated, are introduced with regularity. I’m no expert on such matters, but here are some suggestions.

First, don’t answer unknown numbers. Second, don’t trust your caller ID to reflect who is on the other end. Third, always remember that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. And fourth, if a situation seems the least bit odd, discuss it with someone you have confidence in.

The fifth point, and perhaps most important, is never rely on Joiner’s Corner for advice on scams, shams, and flimflams. I don’t even know if that’s one thing or three. I just like the sound of that column title.