Sydney Avey

Dynamic Woman — Changing Times

Predation

Aug 3, 2012 | Family, Uncategorized | 1 comment

Gokhan Okur | www.dreamstime.com

My mother-in-law called us, in tears. “I’m scared,” she said. “D____ is in trouble.” As she described the phone call she had received from her grandson asking for money and pleading with her not to tell anyone about his desperate situation, we knew immediately that she was being scammed.

In a town several states away from us she walked from her apartment to her bank to check her balance, to see what she could afford to send to the man who kept phoning, asking her to send as much as she could. But before she took the next critical step, withdrawing funds from her bank, she did what she’d been instructed to do by her family. She called her son.

It took us awhile to calm her down. First, we listened as she poured out her story.  It took some time to convince her that her grandson was just fine; had not made that call; never would make such a call.

It’s difficult for elders unacquainted with communications technology to understand how someone in Jamaica (where the local police said these calls initiate) could get her phone number. Apparently predators can check random phone numbers against social security numbers to determine the age, and therefore the vulnerability, of a mark. Our call to her local police department turned up that information and a policewoman followed up with her to dispel her fright.

“She was laughing when I got off the phone with her,” the deputy reported back to my husband. Good to know that local police still perform these types of services in small rural towns across America.

This event led me to think about how vulnerable many people are when they don’t have a network of family, friends or neighbors watching out for them. There are a host of people who are hard pressed to take care of themselves: the young, the elderly, the mentally ill, and those who are disabled by physical illness or addiction. If their family structure is weak and no one is watching, they are prey.

My mother-in-law has all kinds of people who are watching out for her and happy to do so. She is a cheerful person who is easy to love. But let’s be honest, not everyone has an open, happy heart. What about susceptible individuals who are unlovely, unreasonable and unrelenting in their opposition to those who try to help?  The best line of defense seems to be a trusted relationship with a family member or close friend who will take responsibility when necessary.

If you have a person in your life with weak defenses, make sure they have caring people to call who will respond to their legitimate fears. As family structures unravel and more people are left to their own devices, our ability to help our neighbors will be more dependent than ever on the religious and social structures we choose to support with our time and money–church ministries, senior centers and volunteer organizations. Are you prepared for that phone call?

1 Comment

  1. possesshispromises

    Wow! What a wake-up call. I’m glad that your mother called you and you had discernment that this was a scam. Many blessings to you, your family, and your dear mother.

    Reply

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Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

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