Money for worthy causes.

Because I have contributed to political campaigns, because I sign petitions for progressive causes, I am on the list for donations and I get 100 e mails a day. Typically, they ask a provocative question: Do you support (fill in the blank). Then they have a questionnaire, a prelude to the ask for money. The questions are phrased so as to push your buttons. Are you willing to do everything possible to stop (whatever it is). Well, sometimes we want to do everything but can’t, but that is never an option. So I just click out of the money part.

Many say that one’s contribution will be double or triple-matched. Some say, just contribute $1.00. I’m on Nancy Pelosi’s short list. “I don’t want money, I want information” she says. Then at the end she asks for money. I don’t think Pelosi is monitoring these efforts, but has lent her name. If I gave $1.00 for every worthy cause, I would be shelling out $100 a day. So my solution is everybody gets stiffed. And I have gotten rather good at deflecting telephone solicitations from well-spoken and enthusiastic Democratic volunteers. I don’t blame them for trying, but the purse strings are not unlimited. I had one rep who kept countering my refusals with “I understand” until I finally got rude and said, “If you understood, you’d stop bugging me.”

Solutions for whatever ails you.

I get teaser e mails “Do THIS and banish (name your afflicton) forever. Watch the video: The three super foods that cure cancer. The six things you can do to save your marriage. There is always a video that goes on for a minimum of 40 minutes, is full of repetition, endless testimonials from satisfied users of whatever they are selling. And sometimes they never answer the question they sucked you in with. I am not unwilling to buy something that works, but when I am faced with a hard sell and a deadline (buy now or forever lose this opportunity) I withdraw. Sales people call this technique “hot boxing”. Also who has time to listen to endless b.s.? What they are pushing could be described in less than a paragraph. If they did that, I might even consider buying whatever it is.

Fraudulent e mails

Your check is in the mail!! Your bank account has been compromised. Click on the link for information about your account. It is so tempting to answer these with some well chosen bad language but I don’t want my response to give them information. Instead I forward them to spam@uce.gov. Some pretend to be from legitimate vendors that you use, like Amazon. But a practiced eye can always tell when they are bogus. Also, just look at the e mail address.

Or I’ll get an e mail from a friend with a link. “I thought you’d be interested in this”. A friend with whom I am not at all close, or one I know really well who would never send me something without a personal note. And, of course, the link is probably a virus. Those also get forwarded. And, of course, when you look at the return address, it is “off”. I don’t memorize the e mail addresses of friends, but I know when they aren’t “right”.


Redirect virus

I Google a question, get 12 sites, click on something that looks promising, get another 12 – 15 sites, click on one of those, get more sites. There is no end to it. It’s called a redirect virus and you never get to what you need. There is a way to get rid of this sequence but I’ve forgotten how so I have to Google that again (and get 12 sites, etc.)

xx, Teal