Scammers Aren’t Just For Grannies Anymore

 I am not an expert, lawyer or in any way stating you should listen to me. I am a victim (that physically hurt to say btw) and I am relaying my story.

I remember hearing awful stories about nice young gentlemen showing up at Granny’s house and walking away with her life savings. Whether it was for charity, or an investment, the ‘scam’ artist was usually easy to spot, at least I thought they were. They are, if I am being honest. They know it too which is why they employ some nasty tricks to get them to do what they want. They use guilt, conscience, and fear to make you move forward with a given scenario.  
So as you have guessed by now, I have been scammed out of some money. Yes, I feel like a dunce. My particular scammer was successful for several reasons, and if I had been a little more educated their trick would not have worked so easily on me. First, there are rules to the collection game, yes I owe people money, who doesn’t? However, my lack of knowledge in regard to the rules has reared its head as the mistake #1. Mistake # 2 was letting emotion, fear and or guilt ‘convince’ you. Like Granny I want to do the right thing. I want to help the starving children in Africa, and or I want to invest in swamp area in Florida! I owe people money and thus I feel guilty and ashamed these people were contacting me. Scammer’s use fear language and the promise of a settlement to ‘make the debt right’. So my brain says – pay off the debt, no more guilt – WAHOO!  

NOT!

First, some definitions, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is the nation’s consumer protection agency. The FTC enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect from you. Under the FDCPA, a debt collector is someone who regularly collects debts owed to others. This includes collection agencies, lawyers who collect debts on a regular basis, and companies that buy delinquent debts and then try to collect them.

Mistake #1 – Rules of Engagement - there are a few big things to keep any eye out for as indicators of fraud.

Misspellings in communication

Grammatical errors in communication

Threatening or hostile language

Saying you will be Sued for Debt - If you are actually sued for a debt, you won’t get a call. Instead, you will be served with a legal notice (typically a complaint and summons) that contains instructions for responding. A variation on this scam is when someone calls and says that a lawsuit will be filed immediately if you don’t pay. That can also be a red flag: Under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, collectors can’t threaten to take action they can’t legally take or don’t intend to take. If you are sued, you must be given time to respond.

Stating they are Law Enforcement - The caller may even offer to give you his or her “badge number.” This is almost a certain sign of a scam: Local law enforcement is not going to call you to try to collect a personal debt, and the FBI certainly won’t. If they claim to work with the sheriff’s office or FBI, tell them you will call them back at the published number for that agency. No doubt you’ll find out they were lying.

Here are the Rules of Engagement from the FTC for debt collection in the United States:

Contact - Debt collectors can contact you by phone, letter, email, or text message to collect a debt, as long as they follow the rules and disclose that they are debt collectors. No matter how they communicate with you, it’s against the law for a debt collector to pretend to be someone else — like an attorney or government agency — or to harass, threaten or deceive you to act. A debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night, unless you agree to it. And collectors may not contact you at work if they’re told (orally or in writing) that you’re not allowed to get calls there.

Harassment. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse you or any third parties they contact. For example, they may not:

use threats of violence or harm;

publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies);

use obscene or profane language; or

repeatedly use the phone to annoy someone.

False statements. Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:

falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;

falsely claim that you have committed a crime;

falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;

misrepresent the amount you owe;

indicate that papers they send you are legal forms if they aren’t; or

indicate that papers they send to you aren’t legal forms if they are.

Debt collectors also are prohibited from saying that:

you will be arrested if you don’t pay your debt;

they’ll seize, garnish, attach, or sell your property or wages unless they are permitted by law to take the action and intend to do so; or

legal action will be taken against you, if doing so would be illegal or if they don’t intend to take the action.

Debt collectors may not:

give false credit information about you to anyone, including a credit reporting company;

send you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency if it isn’t; or

use a false company name.

Unfair practices. Debt collectors may not engage in unfair practices when they try to collect a debt. For example, they may not:

try to collect any interest, fee, or other charge on top of the amount you owe unless the contract that created your debt – or your state law – allows the charge;

deposit a post-dated check early;

take or threaten to take your property unless it can be done legally; or

contact you by postcard.

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Below is a copy of the letter I received, I have marked out any revealing information, but I also wanted to share it so if you see something like this you are aware. Actually pathetic I fell for it now that I am reading it again…ugh.

BEWARE and BE CAREFUL! I also found this notification in regards to these kinds of SCAMS Extortion Scam Related to Delinquent Payday Loans

I also filed a complaint here.

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FINAL AND LAST CHANCE TO GET SETTLE THE CASE #SD5-987485
 
NAME XXX-XX-XXX
Case file #SD5-987485
Settlement amount offered $
   Your case file #SD5-987485 are handling by LEGAL DEPARTMENT OF , So now you may cooperate them in order to resolve the case file #SD5-987485. You can reach on for further more information.
  We had sent you the so many notification regarding this matter, but still you didn’t responded us, if you failed to reply us with positive intention after this email then we will have to download your case file in the court house on Sept 3 2015.
  We are talking about the loan that you took with the company due to penalty charges, interest charges and attorney charges the amount rises up to $1050.50 , and  they do have a signed copy of the contract which is signed under your e-mail address --also would like to mention your computer's IP address was also traced. When you were signing the contract with the company. The company have more than 14 technical evidence in order to prove the money was successfully deposited into your bank account.
    NOTE: IF YOU IGNORED THIS EMAIL AND FAILED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS DEBT THEN ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS INCLUDING WILL BE SEIZED THRU MAJOR CREDIT BUREAUS WITHIN NEXT SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS THAT’S WHY YOUR CO-OPERATION WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED.
    Do reply us ASAP with option so we can update at legal department in order to stop all this legal consequences against your Name and SSN .
    BEFORE YOUR CASE FILE #SD5-987485 WILL BE DOWNLOADED.
  NOTE : KINDLY LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE WILLING TO RESOLVE THIS CASE SO THAT WE CAN OFFER YOU THE SETTLE  AMOUNT OF $ AND IF DON’T THEN WE HAVE TO DOWNLOAD THIS CASE FORCEFULLY AGAINST INTO THE COURT HOUSE. INFORMED TO YOUR EMPLOYER PLACE WHERE DID YOU WORKED BEFORE Ricoh  
    This is in reference to your Case File #SD5-987485 with in order to notify you that after sending several emails and we were not able to get hold of you. So the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) has decided to mark this case as a flat refusal and press charges against you.
  Once your case file forwarded by us legal department, you account will be considered as not paid anything because you have never did any reply from a long time. After taking action against your name and SSN your case file will be forwarded to the courthouse.
  And once you found guilty into the court house than you have to bear the entire cost for this law suit $4518.15 which is excluding loan amount, attorney's fees, and the interest charges.
 if you failed to update us with cooperate us then be ready for going into jail under FDCA for 3 Years, and We will seize your all bank account and hold on SSN,
    Your account with is in Final Collections. According to our records, your outstanding balance was $.
  So, we are just giving you a last chance that if you just make a payment by today or tomorrow then we will close this account as paid in full with zero balance.
We do hope that you will work with one of the best option in order to settle this matter or else we won't be able to hold your case file #SD5-987485.
  Do revert back if you want to get rid of these legal consequences and want to make payments within the next 48 hours or else the case will be downloaded against you.
  The opportunity to take care of this voluntary is quickly coming to an end. We would hate for you to lose the option of resolving this before it goes to the next step which is a Lawsuit against you, but to do so you must take immediate action.
  You can avoid this by taking care of this now.
  It is quick and easy:
Do reply us right now and provide us the date on which you can make the payment.
  If you do not take immediate action we will be forced to download this case against you and once it is downloaded the creditor has entire rights to inform your employer regarding this and if you are found guilty under the bench of jury then you have to bear a law suit which will be amounting to $4515.85 and will be totally levied upon you and that would be excluding your bail charges, your attorney charges and the due amount pending on your name $1050.50
  Thanks for being our customer,
  Best Wishes,
Settlement Department
Sept 1 2015

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Recipe of the Week : Best Tuna Casserole

Crunchy potato chips make this one!  

Dinner

Contributed by : allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package egg noodles

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup frozen green peas

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms

1 cup crushed potato chips

Preparation

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix noodles, onion, 1 cup cheese, peas, tuna, soup and mushrooms.
Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and top with potato chip crumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is bubbly.

Amazingly Evil - Nutella Puppy Chow

Looks can be deceiving...I ended up making so much I froze a second bag. Also keeping mine in the fridge as it is still way HOTT in Texas :0)

Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup Nutella
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (use semi-sweet or dark, milk would be far too sweet and you’d lose the chocolate flavor)
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup hazelnuts
• 13 cups (more or less) or one 12oz box of hearty wheat/corn/rice cereal like Crispix or Chex – try to find a hearty version so it doesn’t break down when stirring (try to find one without preservatives, just read the ingredients on the side of the box)
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Method:

• In a 350 degree preheated oven, roast hazelnuts until fragrant and light brown, about 8 minutes
• Allow to cool and remove as much of the skin as you can with a towel
• Grind finely in a food processor, if you don’t have one, a coffee grinder should work
• Put the cereal in a large bowl
• On a pan over medium-low heat, melt butter, chocolate, and white chocolate, stirring constantly
• When all is melted, remove from heat and add Nutella and stir until mixed in, then add hazelnuts and stir well.
• Slowly pour over cereal, wash your hands, and stir with your hands! It’s much easier than with a spoon. This may take some time since the batter is thick, but if you’re patient, you’ll get the lovely thickly coated ones. The cereal that breaks clumps together with the topping and there’s no harm done in that!
• Wash those hands and add the cereal to a gallon sized plastic baggie, add the powdered sugar and shake shake shake! I like to start with less powdered sugar and slowly add it – too much powdered sugar and that’s all you taste! You just want that white coating right after the light brown stage – not to over-do the sweetness.

2015 Mother's Day Gift Idea's!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries – This is a simple one you can have your children contribute to. 

It is quick, easy, and fairly mess free.

Needed, strawberries and hardening chocolate, I always use Dolci-Frutta. Fairly reasonably priced and always yummy. Clean the strawberries and dry. Put down some wax or parchment paper to lay out your strawberries to dry after dipping.  Dip your berries in as much or as little chocolate as you want. Let them harden and you are finished. Put them in a Tupperware container or run to your local craft store and find a wooden or paper box you can decorate.

This is the basics, if you want to be an overachiever, you can create a strawberry bouquet using wooden skewers and a vase.  I would love to see your final products, so send them to me!!

Mom's Spa Day – A little more expensive but if you shop smart you can pull this off without wrecking your budget.  The idea is to create a 'spa day' experience for your Mom at home. Now there is the quick and easy version of this and then there is the over achiever version.

Quick and Easy –

A soft cozy large body towel

Scented bubble bath

A smutty romance

Two candles (unscented)

Small box of chocolates

Gift Bag

Load everything into the gift bag

Throw in your mother's day card and some tissue paper.

Finished!

Mother's Day Overachievers –

A soft cozy large body towel

Loofa

Favorite scented bubble bath, body wash, and body lotion

A smutty romance

Small box of chocolates

Green Apple (this is totally optional, all I know is when I have gone the real spa a Green apple tastes decadent after a long soak.)

Two scented candles that compliment the favorite fragrances

An inflatable tub pillow

Purchase a decorative hat box from the local craft store or a nice study basket

(I prefer the hatbox because after opened Mom can put the lid on and use for future bath fun or something else.)

Purchase a roll of clear cellophane

Pretty colored ribbon to match your towel

Load everything into the hatbox. Use your talents to make it pretty and all display like.

Wrap the whole thing in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

Viola!

Then you can go super easy with the whole gift card inside a card. Is it a cop out? Probably, but it is the ONLY way to ensure your Mom gets exactly what she wants / needs. You cannot lose with any of these on Mother's Day:

Bath and Body Works

Starbucks

Kindle (yes, you can purchase a gift card for your Mom's Kindle!)

A local spa or masseur

Manicure / Pedicure

Any Maid Service (Merry Maid, Molly Maid and the Maids all have gift certificate options and are all over the country)

Last but certainly not least, a good old fashioned love letter is always an excellent call on Mother's Day!. If you are not a person who writes, here are some cheats for you.

Love Letters.com – whole list of love letters for Mom's. Read some and take what fits you best for

your Mother's Day note.

Hallmark.com -  Read the cards for inspiration. Why not just buy the card? It means more if it is handwritten. With everything printed and digitized in today's world a handwritten note is appreciated and treasured, especially on Mother's Day.

Quotes About Mothers – Again you can peruse for inspiration or jot a few down on some nice stationary.

Brainy Quote

Curated Quotes

However you decide to celebrate your Mom always be sure it comes from the heart! After all she is your Mom!

Question Box : Creating Characters

When creating a main character, is it better to start with a good girl/guy with a drop of "bad", or a bad girl/guy with a drop of "good"?

I have been pondering this question for three days now. First, that is way too much energy for my little brain to expend. Second, I have been so stuck I actually asked my husband for his opinion.

Seriously?

I am going to tackle this to the best of my ability. If the answer is convoluted I apologize :0)

I am guessing my struggle with this question comes from none of my characters being all good or all bad. Each individual has the potential for both extremes. Therein come the fun in playing with them. Pushing their limits and watching what happens. Personally, it is more fun to push a good character over the edge than making an evil character good.

My logic-- simple human nature leans toward good. No one is pure good, or angelic, there is always a sliver of bad in the foreground, that keeps them human.

Pure evil, all bad is much more accepted. Think about it, if someone is too good we automatically assume a screw is loose. No one is without darkness.

However, there are characters that are truly embraced because they are the essence of evil. Is this because in the bad we want to find the good or the other way around?

Some of the most romantic tales are those portraying true love conquering pure evil. A strength of emotion between two people blurring all lines and erasing all fear and doubt.

Now, so I can say I honestly answered the question. Is it better to start with one or the other? I say neither is preferred. It is all gray to me.  

Question Box : What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Remaining sane as a writer-- Wow, I am considered sane? Ummm…okay let me think about this. First you must have a sense of humor in regards to yourself and others. You cannot take yourself too seriously or you will crack before you even start to get any momentum.  Writing is as much about heartache and pain as it is about fulfillment and joy. You need to roll with the punches to get from one to the other, or you will burn out quickly.

You must have confidence in yourself and what you are doing.  If you do not have confidence in what you are writing, why would expect anyone else? Now there is a difference between confidence and arrogance. It is imperative that you know the difference. Confidence is pride in your work. You have done your best and want to share it with others because it is your heart and your love. Arrogance is sharing something because you believe it to be the best, and you are of the opinion that people will want to read it simply because it is superior in some regard.

Resilience is an absolute necessity. An artist’s life, whether you are a musician, writer, or painter, is a life filled with self doubt and rejection. It is the reality of a choice each of us makes.  Due to this you must be able to bounce back, rebound from disappointment, and start again. Not because you can, but because you must.

Another important attribute is the ability to be flexible, in your work, your choices and in your life in general. Life is not a straight line from beginning to end, and neither is writing. Things, ideas, and routes change, and you need to be able to change with them. This is imperative.  Being rigid has its rewards. However, rigid walls quickly turn into a box, closing off your muse and muting a plethora of possibilities. Flexibility is an asset, and should be used as such. The more flexible you are, the broader your horizons.

The Boy Scout motto is always be prepared. The muse will strike when least expected, and if you are not prepared brilliance can pass you by. Don’t think you can remember it all because you can’t.  So plan, prepare, and always be ready to hit the ground running.

Procrastination or Inspiration?

As a writer the easiest thing in the universe to do is procrastinate. 
You can find a billion reasons to not write.
Too tired, laundry is piling up, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, you need to go to the store, weeds need to be pulled, the fly buzzing around the room is too distracting, kids need me, too loud, too quiet, no inspiration. I have used them all.
Fortunately, I have broken out of the sticky web of procrastination. Not saying that I don’t fall back every now and again. However, I have realized that my procrastination will actually stall my creative flow. I am in essence putting my muse on mute. I have learned that if you keep it silent for too long, when you do turn the volume back up you will find nothing but silence.
I love people that tell you they are ‘working up to’ something. I have learned it is code for ‘I have no freaking idea what I am going to do’. But that’s okay. We have all been there, when the ideas and the flow seem just out of reach, so why waste time staring a blank screen? Why spend precious hours writing useless prattle? If the inspiration isn’t there, it just isn’t there…right?
See, here’s the thing… Staring at the blank screen, believe it or not, is not a waste of time. Writing gibberish does more than give you sore shoulders. These seemingly useless exercises can in fact amount to brilliance. How? Because you are doing it! You are focused on your task. You are allowing your mind to wander to all of those wonderful places where the kernels of inspiration collect. Given enough time and patience they will pop and you were soar!
I have said it a million times and I cannot stress it enough. The reason I do is because I don’t want anyone to miss out on the chance of brilliance! If you are going to write, than write! If you are going to write a song, write it! If you are going to conquer the world, get to work!
Someone once said that ‘Procrastination is the ruin of the brilliant man’. And while I am not going to go to that degree I will say that it is a slippery slope. So mind your balance and open the door for brilliance, it is waiting!

Ode to My BFF on Her Birthday

My BFF for the past eight years, and the rest of my mortal life’s name is Brenda. We met through work, which was odd in itself as I do not have the best track record with women in the workplace.  

That particular day, I was assisting my boss with some job interviews. Out of all the candidates, I was the most impressed with Brenda.  We thought alike and I saw something in her that told me she was different…special. That fateful meeting was the beginning of a wonderful and cherished friendship.

Brenda and work at the same company, but we are separated by job functions. We both have families and very busy lives. We can go for weeks without a word to each other but, eventually an ache appears, and we need a BFF fix. We pick up the phone schedule a long lunch and talk like we saw each other yesterday.

Every relationship requires attention, but sometimes you connect with someone on a deeper level. Brenda and I know each other better than we know ourselves. We keep each other focused, support the other no matter what, and love the other unconditionally.  We talk each other down, lift each other up and laugh until we cry as often as possible.

Recently, I sent her an email that began like this... “I am not sure if this is for me or for you. I feel like one or both of us need this so here goes…”

Any other friend would read that email and think I was losing it. My BFF knew what I was saying, doing, and accepted it. No questions, and no doubts.

We traded journal like emails everyday over two months.  It turns out that those two months were hell on both of us. We got through it together, as friends and I thank the heavens everyday that I have been so blessed to have her in my life.

The Almighty Crush (Hooray For Eye Candy) !!

One of my favorite things in the editing phase is character analysis. Most people do this before they start writing and then forget about it once complete. I started it before, add to it during and review it in the editing stages to ensure the character I see in my mind is that character coming out on the page. One of those items that is so important for reader connecting and general depth are the silly inane things that make us unique as individuals. One of these is, of course, the crush.

Crushes are something teenage girls have on movie stars, the local football jock, or the boy she sits next to in history with the dreamy smile.  The almighty crush is something of legend and by the time we age and become adults the crush shouldn’t be a word in our vocab right? When we think of a crush, it is defined as unrequited feelings for another.   In the world of adults it takes on a different tone, I believe Ross Geller from Friends called it his top five. It is perfectly normal for all of us, single or committed to be attracted in one form or another to other people. We are in fact human. It is also healthy to share these ‘crushes’ with your partner as they probably have them as well.

So here is my question, who does my character have a crush on. Who makes her giggle or him smile wide and bright. It is not necessarily a sexual crush, there are all kinds of crushes. Personally I have several.

Physical – Their body makes your body…uh huh… you are happy to have the movie on mute is just to see the rippling abs.

Romantic -  Not necessarily hot bodies but definitely dreamy, these crushes are more romantic fantasy than physical hotness.

Intellectual – Their brains get you riled up and you are just in love with their brilliance!

Same Sex – Someone of the same gender that we just drool over because they are so amazing.

As we all have these types of admiration for people so should our characters. I

discovered that my heroine has an intellectual crush on Anderson Cooper. I have an intellectual crush on Seth McFarlane, Physical crush on Bruce Willis and Romantic crushes on Daniel Craig, and George Clooney. My Female crush is on Ellen DeGeneres, I am just so enamored by her spirit. If you look at my choices and think about them you can probably discover a lot about me.

So who are your crushes? Too many to name? Spread them around a bit, share with your characters and weave it into what makes them unique! This is also another way to make your characters relatable, grounded and more real. You think this might be a wasted detail but you never know how something so buried could pop up in the end.

*And yes, I did this topic just so I could look up fabulous pictures of hot guys!! LOL!

The Rules of a Romance Novel

I am half way through the final book of The Curse Keepers Series by Denise Grover Swank and I am digging it. It is good so far. Action packed just like I like em. I love it when the characters have to work for their happy ending. 

Did you know, if a book does not have a happy ending is cannot be considered a romance? This is somewhat logical in form, but not all great romances have a happy ending. Look at Casablanca, if it is not a romance how else would you classify it? Or the story of Cleopatra, even Romeo and Juliet, neither of these have a happy ending but are still considered romantic in nature. One of my favorites, Camelot, one of the most romantic stories of all time is not considered a romance because Guinevere winds up in a convent, while Lancelot and Arthur go off to war.

Now if we really want to analyze the structure of modern day romance, let’s talk about LGTB romance. Many times these titles are not even categorized as romance. They are subjugated and broken off into their own little genres, happy ending or not.

Another rule is the “only have eyes for you” scenario, there cannot be another love interest in the story so that eliminates the love triangle.

Another apparent rule, that I was surprised about, is POV, apparently we shouldn’t care what the hero thinks as the POV of the heroine is the focus. Personally I am going to snark at this rule, as I am a reader who likes to know what is going on in the hero’s head. I want to know that he is holding back and why or that he is pining for her. That to me is one of the best parts of a romance novel. What is not said between the two characters and that only the reader knows.

I know, I know, how I dare snub my nose to the romance gods! Well, sorry, I am a reader and a writer. I write what I want to read. Sometimes it includes the “rules” and sometimes it doesn’t.

True love doesn’t always play by the rules, why should I?