You can call them different names but they are all the same thing. You
could call it Spam, Junk Mail, or Telemarketing but I have had enough of them
all. Today in a simple day off here is my list of these home
invaders. On email I received a message from a man claiming to be a
barrister (not a lawyer but a barrister) in England wanting me to contact him
about an “Urgent Matter” involving a sizable sum and a relation of mine.
My last relatives in England came over on the Mayflower! I’m thinking the
chances of this being legitimate are the same as me winning the lottery and
being attacked by a lion on the same day. There was an email saying I had
a rich relative in Africa die in a terrible accident and they need to contact me
about the settlement…See the afore mentioned example for my response. It
is virtually identical. Add to those the countless messages about special
offers, newsletters and ads and you get an inbox with 1 (one) email worth
saving. Can you imagine if they charged us to receive email? Maybe
if people were charged for sending them we wouldn’t get so many? Not so
fast. Then there was the mail. I thought bombarding people with junk
mail was so last decade but I was, alas, mistaken. First we have the half
dozen “Pre-approved” credit card offers. Then there were ads for new
gutters, vinyl siding, garage door openers and repair, Christmas light rental (I
couldn’t believe it either), carpet cleaning, insurance ads claiming to save me
money for switching and Pizza coupons. Now those I might actually
use. Other than a couple of bills it was a pointless trip to the
mailbox. So that should be it, right? Just mail and email coming my
way. After all, I signed up for the “Do Not Call” list on line.
Well, it would seem there is a way around that because the calls kept
coming. The university my wife and I attended calls every day in search of
donations. They received enough money for our education at the time.
They aren’t getting any more. Every day we get a call saying it is our
“Last chance to take advantage of the financial stimulus package” and lower our
mortgage rate. If it’s the last chance then STOP CALLING! Then you
get the call about how window salesmen will be in my area next week and they
only have a few appointments left so I must act quickly if I am going to get new
windows on my two year old house. Add to that the numerous calls from
magical places like Wilmington, DE, Portland, OR, Hartwell, GA, Marysville, WA
as well as Unavailable and Out of Area. Sometimes they are just odd cell
numbers. If I answer, I don’t even get to say no to a real person
anymore. There is a recording of and advertising message. If it goes
to the answering machine, they just hang up. So I screen. I screen
so much that I miss calls from family. I see why everyone is going to
strictly cell phones. Even there, however, they still track me down.
I receive these stray text messages saying I have won something and I need to
call this number right away. I give up. You cannot run. You
cannot hide. Spammers will find you wherever you are and they won’t
stop. So Dad, if you call and I don’t reach the phone in time, you’ll know
why.
could call it Spam, Junk Mail, or Telemarketing but I have had enough of them
all. Today in a simple day off here is my list of these home
invaders. On email I received a message from a man claiming to be a
barrister (not a lawyer but a barrister) in England wanting me to contact him
about an “Urgent Matter” involving a sizable sum and a relation of mine.
My last relatives in England came over on the Mayflower! I’m thinking the
chances of this being legitimate are the same as me winning the lottery and
being attacked by a lion on the same day. There was an email saying I had
a rich relative in Africa die in a terrible accident and they need to contact me
about the settlement…See the afore mentioned example for my response. It
is virtually identical. Add to those the countless messages about special
offers, newsletters and ads and you get an inbox with 1 (one) email worth
saving. Can you imagine if they charged us to receive email? Maybe
if people were charged for sending them we wouldn’t get so many? Not so
fast. Then there was the mail. I thought bombarding people with junk
mail was so last decade but I was, alas, mistaken. First we have the half
dozen “Pre-approved” credit card offers. Then there were ads for new
gutters, vinyl siding, garage door openers and repair, Christmas light rental (I
couldn’t believe it either), carpet cleaning, insurance ads claiming to save me
money for switching and Pizza coupons. Now those I might actually
use. Other than a couple of bills it was a pointless trip to the
mailbox. So that should be it, right? Just mail and email coming my
way. After all, I signed up for the “Do Not Call” list on line.
Well, it would seem there is a way around that because the calls kept
coming. The university my wife and I attended calls every day in search of
donations. They received enough money for our education at the time.
They aren’t getting any more. Every day we get a call saying it is our
“Last chance to take advantage of the financial stimulus package” and lower our
mortgage rate. If it’s the last chance then STOP CALLING! Then you
get the call about how window salesmen will be in my area next week and they
only have a few appointments left so I must act quickly if I am going to get new
windows on my two year old house. Add to that the numerous calls from
magical places like Wilmington, DE, Portland, OR, Hartwell, GA, Marysville, WA
as well as Unavailable and Out of Area. Sometimes they are just odd cell
numbers. If I answer, I don’t even get to say no to a real person
anymore. There is a recording of and advertising message. If it goes
to the answering machine, they just hang up. So I screen. I screen
so much that I miss calls from family. I see why everyone is going to
strictly cell phones. Even there, however, they still track me down.
I receive these stray text messages saying I have won something and I need to
call this number right away. I give up. You cannot run. You
cannot hide. Spammers will find you wherever you are and they won’t
stop. So Dad, if you call and I don’t reach the phone in time, you’ll know
why.
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