Be careful out there

[NNN0LHI]

If this recession is anything like some of the ones I have lived through before you pretty much won't be able to trust anybody.

I worked with a fellow who I thought was about the greatest guy in the world. Straight up guy I thought. His wife was wonderful too. My wife and I used to go out for dinner with them occasionally. I would have trusted this guy not to ever try and screw me and my family over for money. I had two little kids at the time. He would have been the last guy I would have thought that about.

But we both got laid off during the Reagan administration and this guy was not prepared for it. Him and his wife got involved in a pyramid scheme. They came over one day to sell us on the idea of kicking in $500 dollars cash (and this was back when $500 dollars cash was really something) into some pyramid scheme (he didn't call it that) that just couldn't lose they said. Said they had been going to house parties set up for this scheme and that the cash was just flying around the room signing up new suckers ... er, members. All you had to do was grab your share they said.

Yea, sure. They got his $500 bucks. Needless to say they didn't get mine.

And I never talked to those two flim flam artists again.

Stay on top of things and never forget if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. And that goes double in tough times.

Don

[Sherman A1]

1. A good point!

It's also time to do the very, very simple things like keep an eye on credit ratings, charge account charges and ladies keep and eye on the purse when you are shopping, at the office or loading the groceries into the back of the car.

Situational Awareness is increasingly important!

[NNN0LHI]

5. My wife had her wallet stolen out of her purse at a second hand store last winter

I check my credit card statement regularly on line and happened to check it while she was out that day. I noticed a gas purchase that day in a town I knew she hadn't been in on my statement. Called my wife and let her know that her wallet had been stolen and then called the credit card companies and reported the theft and canceled her cards.

First time that has happened.

You are right. This stuff will increase too.

Don

[Sherman A1]

9. You were lucky that day for sure!

I know of two purse snatchings at the store where I work recently and over the last couple of years a few of the ladies who work there have had their wallets stolen from their purses (they did get the thief, who was a co-worker on something else and got rid of him), but I am always amazed by the purses left in the kiddie seat when they are shopping or loading groceries. This is also a time of year when it seems the customer base somewhat unplugs their brains (more like overload I think) and goes off to la-la land, unable to find things they have bought in the same spot for years. So if they can't find the milk & eggs, how much attention are they paying to their immediate surroundings and the guy eyeing that open purse with the wallet in plain view.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. One thing I have always been able to smell, Donald...

Is the rich aroma of well-aged bullshit. I am planning a big web project right now. I know their budget and before we push the first pixel, you can bet that there is gonna be a good chunk of that money transferred into our account as a display of commitment and honesty.

This homie don't play that "I trust you because you have an honest face" shit no mo'. The proctologist bills were putting me in the poor house.

[NNN0LHI]

7. I knew this guy for over ten years though. Wasn't like I just met him

Wouldn't have thought he would try and feck me over.

He must have been really hurting?

Don

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. Each of us...

Have that weakness in our core, the weakness that can allow us, in desperate times, to engage in such unethical behavior. It is how we deal with it, tamp it down that is called "character".

I ran into a woman, an old friend I have knows since she was 11 and I went out with her sister. She was married for years to a guy who was involved in Amway and a lot of other MLM scams. A born true believer. She didn't go into detail, but alluded to the fact that they had gotten divorced because of his addiction to such schemes and what he was doing to make them work.

[NNN0LHI]

11. After reading what you wrote and thinking about it for a while I can't disagree

I think we do all have it in us. Its all how we handle it that makes the difference.

Don

[Callalily]

3. Just because times are tough

is no excuse to fleece friends. I'd rather be poor than to take advantage of friends and/or family.

[Mari333]

4. Ive had a lot more people coming to my door

asking for donations for what seem to be odd causes. I just yell, "I have NO money" and they usually leave. Last week a lady came to my door asking me if I would cash a check for her. I didnt even know her. I have no idea who she was. I said NO, and she left. I hope the word spreads that I have NO money. My home looks pretty poor so none of it makes sense.

[onager]

6. Always good advice. And beware amateur financial advisors.

My co-worker story happened in the Roaring Nineties, when Internet investments were HOT-HOT-HOT.

I worked with a real wonder of a guy. He was in Marketing, which should have set off BS Detectors right away. One day I heard him giving a spiel to some co-workers about a "can't miss" investment opportunity he had found on the Internet. (By now, the BS Detectors should have been pegging the needles and smoking...)

It was a start-up company with a new, simple, infallible (!!!) home test for breast cancer. Just needed some capital to get started. Etc.

As it happened, I had just been reading some internet warnings about this kind of approach: investment scams that not only appealed to the usual greed, but altruism as well.

I was stupid enough to mention this. Suddenly I was not only an idiot for not grabbing this once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity. But I was in favor of breast cancer! Because of cold-hearted skeptics like me, moms, wives and daughters were going to DIE!

So I gave up. And sure enough, the big start-up soon collapsed and took everybody's money with it. I suspect Mr. Marketing was getting kickbacks for signing up suckers, but I have no proof of that.

In the following months, incredibly, my co-workers continued to listen to this clown.

If you need a financial advisor, please do some research and find a qualified one with a verifiable track record. I don't think you'll find him in the Break Room of your company (unless you work for Deloitte & Touche, maybe...)

[The_Warmth]

8. Yup.

Just had my car busted in to last night. Bye CD collection! Good thing I fixed my PC and my linux now streams music online =)! (They didn't get my fav cd in the player though!)

Which brings me to another point. This happened while I was at work, in Uptown Minneapolis. This block has a lot of smash and grab from cars. I've heard enough complaints from patrons and locals, I'm fairly sure it's the same individual/group every time, on this block. I'm going to stake him out, follow the thief to their HQ. Anybody have any moral reasonings to my actions from there?

[NashVegas]

12. The Reason They Are Called Confidence Men

Is because they get their hooks into their victims not by convincing that the perp is trustworthy, but by convincing the mark that the perp thinks he, the mark, is worthy of the perp's confidence.

Convince people that you think they're "special," and "elite," and they'll do pretty much anything you want.