Scam for Gram

Someone called Mummy P. yesterday and tried to convince her her nephew was in jail in Mexico and needed to be sent a lot of cash right away to get him out. The suggested means of cash conveyance was Western Union. Mummy P. was surprised, confused and only a little bit suspicious, especially after her "nephew" got on the phone, told her he was fine but that he needed that money to be sent immediately. She thought it was him for sure.

In the end it all got resolved and no harm was done nor funds wired. But it's not just the money. Older people get confused so easily and that confusion does not go away. They are frightened, because they don't understand what has happened. We, the younger, are familiar with an endless menu of email scams and identity theft, but older folks tend to reside in a simpler world.

This phone version is a new wrinkle. And it's not right. The Great Plotnik hereby puts a curse on the head of whoever tried to pull this one off: May you be older, confused and frightened some day. May your jail cell be drafty and cold.