Beware of scams and scammers

 

A scam is a deceptive, dishonest scheme designed to trick individuals into handing over money, personal information, or access to accounts.

Most of us have mobile cell-phones or access to the Internet at home; or even a connection to enable us to see TV programs via the Internet.

These give scammers an opportunity to contact you and take control of your mobile phone or computer and steal your personal information like Bank Accounts details, or identity details or even your money. Here are some tips to help you avoid being a victim of scams and scammers.

If you receive a phone call, either on your mobile or your home phone, from someone you do not know saying they represent your bank, building society, TV provider, Amazon or any other organisation NEVER ever give them any personal details in your conversation. Just hang up on them. It is not rude to hang up; but it keeps you safe.

These people can be very persuasive and they'll say that your phone, or your Internet, or your Amazon (or other account) has been hacked and they want to help fix it. They are lying. Reputable firms do not contact customers like this at home.

All these people want is to gain access to your mobile or computer. They'll suggest they do a "link-up" with your equipment to sort things out for you. They'll ask you to do certain things on your phone or computer in order that they "link up" with you. DO NOT ALLOW THIS - DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY LINK UP. 

Once they have linked with your equipment they can see all your information - like Bank account details, Building Society, passwords to Amazon or other organisations you belong to and basically steal money from your accounts or hack your computer. NEVER EVER LINK YOUR CELL-PHONE OR COMPUTER WITH SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW.

We repeat: these people can be very persuasive. They may try to re-assure you by saying "If you don't believe who I am from your bank (or Amazon etc ...) why not ring me back on this number ...." NEVER FALL FOR THIS TRICK. DO NOT RING BACK THE NUMBER THEY GIVE YOU. 

The number they give you is to a colleague of theirs who will continue with the scam. If you wish to phone your bank, building society, credit card company, Amazon or whoever, to check what the scammer has told you then ring them on the number you already have on your bank statements, or on the back of your credit card etc... DO NOT RING THE NUMBER THE SCAMMER HAS GIVEN YOU. Just hang up.

Another trick the scammers do is to ask you to take a photo with your mobile of your credit card, or driving licence, or bus pass or other documents like a bank statement and text it to them in order to check your account or identity. NEVER EVER TAKE SUCH PHOTOS AND TEXT THEM BACK. 

Many people have fallen for this trick and have had their identity stolen as well as money from their accounts.

NEVER PUT YOUR CELL-PHONE ON CAMERA VIDEO MODE AND SHOW THE CALLER DOCUMENTS OR CARDS, OR EVEN GENERAL BACKGROUND VIDEOS OF YOUR HOUSE. Whilst they are watching the video they are recording it and gaining access to information without you realising it - like card details, or valuables you have at home. Basically, by putting your phone on video mode you have invited a stranger into your home.

Here's another new trick used lately. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) the scammers can replicate the voice of someone you know, like a friend or relative. The voice is so authentic you'd think it is really your friend or relative calling you. The scammers then phone you using this artificial voice. You would think it is your friend but it is a computer talking to you. It will say something like this: "Hi ... this is (name) I am at the supermarket (or other shop name) and my credit card has been declined. Could you please give me the details of your credit card so I can pay for this purchase? I'll pass you on to the shopkeeper to take your details!" NEVER EVER FALL FOR THIS TRICK. The voice is so authentic you'd really think it is them, your friends or relatives, speaking to you. AI is very clever these days. Just hang up. It is never rude to hang up.

Some people try to check if it is an AI computer phoning you by asking them an inane question, like: "How was you holiday in Paris last week?" or "Did you eventually buy that red dress you wanted?" And see what the AI answers. However; we suggest you just hang up instead. You can then phone your friend/relative on the number you have for them and check whether they phoned you. Let's face it, a real friend/relative would not phone and ask for you to pay for their purchase - would they?

Here's another very clever scam. You receive a short video on your mobile cell-phone of your favourite celebrity personality. The scammers have found out who you like in music/sports etc ... by following you on social media and reading what you wrote. The video addresses you personally. It is a fake. It is not the celebrity talking to you but a well made video using Artificial Intelligence (AI) computers. 

The celebrity addressing you will suggest you join a Fan Club of supporters. There are various entry levels - Ordinary Member, Silver or Gold level etc... They'll suggest you pay up to thousands of $. Potential (false) benefits could be signed autographed photos, reduced price tickets at concerts, or even meeting the celebrity for lunch. This is all fake - the video is fake, although it is very well made, and there are no benefits available. It's a trick to steal your money. A celebrity will not meet you for personal lunch if you pay them. 

Sometimes, they ask you to go to the shop and buy gift cards instead of giving them money. You then phone them and read out the gift card number. This is the scammers preferred method; because once you read out the gift card number on the phone it can be easily cashed in by the scammer and very difficult to trace or stop.

NEVER EVER BUY A GIFT CARD AND READ ITS NUMBER TO A COMPLETE STRANGER

Other scams involve receiving emails offering goods at reduced price, investments opportunities, and various other benefits in exchange for money or by clicking certain links on the email. Delete any emails you receive from someone you do not know - do NOT click on any links offered. 

Other emails would suggest you have been hacked and they can see all your Internet activity. Delete these as well and do not click on any links or respond to questions asked. 

On my business website - holyvisions.co.uk - I receive at least a dozen such emails a day offering all sorts of benefits like increased sales of my books, contacts with publishers, literary agents etc ... 

BEWARE OF SCAMS - UNLESS YOU HAVE INITIATED THE CALL OR THE EMAIL DO NOT RESPOND TO CONTACTS FROM STRANGERS - Just hang up.  

We are not sorry to repeat our advice:

NEVER EVER ALLOW ANYONE WHO PHONES YOU TO LINK-UP OR ACCESS YOUR MOBILE PHONE OR COMPUTER

NEVER EVER GIVE THEM YOUR PASSWORDS OR PIN NUMBER TO ANY ORGANISATION YOU BELONG TO - LIKE A BANK ETC...
 
NEVER EVER PHONE THEM BACK ON THE NUMBER THEY GIVE YOU

NEVER EVER TAKE PHOTOS OF CREDIT CARDS, DRIVING LICENCES AND DOCUMENTS AND TEXT THEM BACK TO THE CALLER

NEVER PUT YOUR CELL-PHONE ON CAMERA VIDEO MODE AND SHOW THE CALLER DOCUMENTS OR CARDS, OR EVEN GENERAL BACKGROUND VIDEOS OF YOUR HOUSE

NEVER EVER GIVE ANY FINANCIAL DETAILS TO SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE YOUR FRIEND OR RELATIVE

NEVER EVER BUY A GIFT CARD AND READ ITS NUMBER TO A COMPLETE STRANGER

BEWARE OF SCAMS - UNLESS YOU HAVE INITIATED THE CALL OR THE EMAIL DO NOT RESPOND TO CONTACTS FROM STRANGERS - Just hang up.  

NEVER EVER GET FOOLED - JUST HANG UP - JUST HANG UP - JUST HANG UP

Please share this post/information with your friends and relatives to protect them from scammers and identity thieves.

Not a member

 

Once upon a time there was a Senior Citizens Care Home which was well run and had over one hundred clients from various backgrounds. They generally got on well with each other and with the various doctors, nurses and staff who ran the place.

In the big lounge, just by the large window overlooking the back gardens, an elderly gentleman always sat there just after lunch and well into the afternoon. He liked to look at the different flowers and trees and all the various birds which visited the gardens. It was mostly seagulls because they were near the sea, although there were also starlings, blackbirds, robins and sometimes pigeons. He even saw a fox pass by once or twice.

It was better than watching TV in the other lounge, or playing cards, or board games or with jigsaw puzzles as the other guests tended to do. Here he was all alone watching the gardens at all weathers for a couple of hours or so, and sometimes dozing off after a good lunch.

One day, a group of the seniors, about a dozen or so, decided to set up a Bible Study group twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. They agreed to meet up in the big lounge just after lunch.

At their first meeting they gathered there and found the old man by the large window. They ignored him and they sat at the opposite end of the lounge round a table and started with a short prayer. They then read a passage from the Bible and discussed it amongst themselves to discover what it meant to each of them and how relevant it was in their life. The old man remained at his seat looking out of the window. When they finished their session which was about an hour or so they all left.

This went on for two or three weeks. They got there after lunch and the old man was already at his seat by the window looking out.

Then some of them said they were uncomfortable speaking about the Bible and their beliefs and their life experiences with this old man, whom they knew as a guest in the Care Home, always sitting there and perhaps listening to the conversation. In truth, he was not listening but most probably dozing off most of the time. But they were not to know. They talked about it and decided to confront him at their next meeting.

One of them approached him and said, "Hello Gerard, we normally meet here twice a week for our Bible Study and you're always here!"

"Yes I am," replied the frail old man, "I like to watch the wildlife out the window!"

"But you're not one of us," said the spokesman for the group as the others gathered round, some of them nodding in silence, "you see, we feel a bit inhibited speaking about Christianity and what it means to us with a stranger in the room!"

"What we say is personal to us," added one of them, "Christianity is a personal thing ..."

"You're not even a member of the Bible Study group," said another member.

"Actually," the old man said with a smile, "I don't listen much to what you say with my hearing aids turned down low. I just watch the birds out of the window; I've been doing so for a while. If I were a member of the group would that be OK with you? I could sit here and listen to you at the same time."

They looked at each other in silence and most of them nodded.   

"Yes," said the spokesman, "it would be OK for you to join us and sit here if you wish. We could pull the table nearer to you. Tell us about yourself." 

"I am an old retired priest," he replied with a smile, "my church was in another town far away and when I retired they offered to put me up in a monastery nearby. I asked if it were possible to come here in my old home town where my family can visit me from time to time!" 

Now check Mark 9:38  

What will we do in Heaven?

 

.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED 

 

WHAT WE WILL DO IN HEAVEN?

 

FIND OUT HERE 

An invitation ...

 

 First of all, may I thank all my loyal readers and friends for their continued support and their comments on this Blog. I truly appreciate your visits and I pray for all who comment here.

 

When I first started this Blog in 2009 the original intention was to advertise my first book "VISIONS". I knew nothing about Blogging then and someone advised me to start here in order to publicise my writings. 

 

Several books and many posts later, this Blog has developed into essentially a Christian website with a little bit of humour every now and then.

 

Last December I started another website "The Christian Lounge" where Christians of all denominations are invited to share their faith and beliefs and to encourage others to seek the love of God in their lives.

 

The aim is to publish something on each website every two days or so to keep both sites fresh and free flowing with new material. Quite frankly, it is becoming quite a task; especially since I also aim to visit each Blogger who comments on each site. But I will continue as best I can ... for the time being.

 

We can all play a part in spreading God's Word throughout the wide web which is the Internet as Jesus commanded us to do. 

 

(Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19).

 

One way of doing so is to invite your friends and relatives to visit here at Time for Reflections and on The Christian Lounge. The more people visit here the wider we spread our Christian net.

 

Another way is by submitting short articles (about 500 words or so) to The Christian Lounge at enquiries@holyvisions.co.uk - and when your articles are published to promote them on social media and on your Blogs. 

 

And a third way is to write something about your Christian faith every now and then on your Blogs, and encouraging others to seek God in their lives..  

 

By working together and encouraging each other we can all do our bit in spreading God's Word and giving some hope and love to a world that needs it. 

 

Will you join me? 

 

Let our Blogs be the ones Jesus would like to read.

Is it you? Are you sure?

 

There are over 8 billion people on earth. Obviously, they will not all go to Heaven.

If you were to die today, are you sure, very sure, that you will go to Heaven? Why do you think so? Let's consider this:

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do." Matthew 7:21.

What does God want us to do?

^"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40

And how about this?

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12

You see, those two conditions alone, that of love and of forgiveness, will be a yardstick by which we will be judged for entry to Heaven. And there's yet another:

"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." Matthew 25:31 onwards.

It is not enough for people to say they'll get to Heaven because they believe in God and Jesus. Satan believes in God and tried to tempt Jesus; so that's hardly a measure for us to compare with.

It is also not correct to say you'll get to Heaven because Jesus died for us. He redeemed us, and once saved always saved. True, He did this for us; but He also expects a response from us. His sacrifice is not just a passive entry to Paradise for us.

There's a story I heard about a news reporter in the First World War. The reporter was in a field hospital watching the wounded and how they were cared for. He saw a nun tending a badly injured soldier. She was carefully cleaning a gangrenous wound. The reporter said, "I would not do that for a million pounds!" The nun replied, "Neither would I." 

Have we as much love as that nun showed the soldier? 

Do we truly forgive with all our heart those who wronged us?

Do we care for those worse off than us in deeds and not just words?

Are you and I sure that we will go to Heaven? Why?

How to resolve matrimonial disharmony

 

First of all, an update on our marriage difficulties. For this weekend I have arranged something special for my wife. A luxury dinner at her favourite restaurant followed by a trip to the theatre to watch a ballet of some sort. (I confess I don't like ballet but I made the sacrifice in the name of love). The marriage counsellor we saw recently will pick her up tomorrow evening by luxury car and bring her back later. I won't be able to go because I'll be watching the Football World cup on TV. 

Now I know that every marriage has its difficult periods when disagreements come to the fore. Most are resolved amicably whilst others can lead to entrenched positions and total family breakdowns.

It's important to know which arguments are vital on principle and which ones are really not worth fighting to the bitter end. 

For example, in our marriage I decide how to run the economy and how the country should trade with other nations and my wife decides that I should stop talking and take the trash out because it will be collected tomorrow. 

Of course we've had other arguments in our marital bliss. 

At one point we went to see another Marriage Counsellor. He said that his wife is also a Marriage Counsellor and suggested that we all meet together, him and his wife, and I with mine, and try to resolve our issues together. 

I turned him down because I did not think the bed was big enough for the four of us together. .

Since then my wife and I have come up with a marital code on how to defuse arguments quickly before they get out of hand.

When an argument starts we both stop and wear a pan on our head. We go to the kitchen and pick up a suitable pan and wear it like a hat. Somehow, the argument in question gets into instant focus and seems easier to analyse and resolve.

Another alternative is to retire to different rooms and continue the argument by e-mail. We write to each other outlining our points of view and express our opinions and arguments in writing rather than talk them out. Somehow, writing things down takes longer than saying them and it makes us think before expressing ourselves. And it's all there on the screen so that you can refer to it again if your point has not been understood. Normally the argument is quickly defused because we get tired of writing anyway.

Another option is that each person has to outline their position on the argument for just a minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition. In just a minute you have to give your point of view. This sharpens the mind and makes you think whether the argument is really worth fighting over.

How do you resolve problems in your marriage?

My marriage breakdown ...

 

We've been having marriage problems. After such a long marriage we've decided, reluctantly on my part, to seek the advice of a marriage counsellor. 

He sat us down and asked politely how he could help us.

My wife immediately went into an angry tirade listing each and every problem she claims we've ever had in the 25 years we've been married.

She went on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, not listening to her, not helping in the house, and a long list of unmet needs she said she had endured over the course of our quarter century of marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist/counsellor  stood up, walked around his desk and, asking my wife to stand, he embraced her and kissed her passionately on the mouth. I was appalled. It lasted for a couple of minutes. I'd never seen kissing like that before; with his hands wandering all over her like that. 

When he finished, my wife shut up and, in a daze, quietly sat down.

The therapist turned to me and said, "This is what your wife needs at least seven times a week. Do you think you can do this?"

I hesitated and thought for a moment then replied, "Well, Doc, I can drop her off here on Mondays to Fridays, but at weekends I'm playing golf, football and I go fishing with my friends!"

Have you co...

Have you considered

writing a short article in

The Christian Lounge?

 

Contact us at

enquiries@holyvisions.co.uk

 

Close encounter of the spaceship kind

 

I was out in our back garden late at night with our dog. He was running here and there as he usually does. I noticed up above me, about 30 feet or so high, a UFO. It looked like a small plane, the size of a wheelie-bin used for trash. It was some 3 feet long and 18 inches wide. At first I thought it was a toy; but who would be flying a toy at this time of night? And it was not flying. It was standing there in mid-air about 30 feet up. It turned red, and then orange, and then green, and then red again. It took me a while to realise it was the reflection from the traffic lights outside.

Then a light shone on me from the spacecraft and I started to float slowly up in the air. I did not know what was happening to me. How could I possibly fit in a spacecraft so small?

I was suddenly in a room a hundred times the size of the spacecraft. It was well lit. There was a man there who looked like Charlton Heston as Moses in the film The Ten Commandments. He was actually dressed like Moses.

"Are you Moses?" I asked in trepidation.

He smiled as Heston did and replied, "No ... we can take any form that would be recognisable to the people we meet so as not to panic or frighten them."

How accommodating I thought; and I immediately started thinking of Marilyn Monroe, Gina Lollobrigida, Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot and any other desirable woman in the hope he'd turn into one of them; but he remained as Charlton Heston. Then, for some unknown reason, I thought of my mother-in-law and nearly had a heart attack.

"You're afraid of her," he said reading my mind.

"It's ... It's that she's everywhere," I stammered, "I sometimes get home from work and find her broomstick in the hall and wish I was still at work!"

"That's what we like about you earthlings," he said, "you have a sense of humour. Remember when you first started experimenting with space travel and you sent up a dog out there? We thought you must be really clever if even your dogs can fly a spaceship!"

I said nothing.

"Joke!" he said smiling again. "Apart from your humour, and one or two other good points, unfortunately overall you earth people are a bad lot. You are obstinate, you think you're always right, you do not forgive easily, you're violent, you settle your differences with wars and killings, you lie, you cheat, you steal, and you break everyone of The Ten Commandments by debating them and re-interpretating them to suit your selfish needs! Need I go on?"

"I ... I ... I'm sorry," I mumbled. I'd never seen Moses so angry even in the film he starred in.

"I didn't mean you personally," he said calming down, "but your whole human race. Although you're not a Saint yourself are you?"

"Is there no hope for us?" I asked hesitantly.

"I am not allowed to tell you," he replied.

And with that I landed with a bump in my back garden and discovered I was sitting on one of my dog's deposits.

Moses sure has a sense of humour!

How to survive Global Warming

 

There's no denying that weather patterns are changing - the question is: Should we be worried about it?

The world has experienced hot temperatures recently. Not  for the first time; although some would claim records have been broken and it's been hotter since records began. 

When was that by the way? When did records begin? 

The thing is, whenever we have some sunny days the usual voices repeat slogans like Global Warming, Climate Change, Melting Ice Caps and warn of all sort of bad things happening at a date so far away that many people don't even care about. 

We are told to stop using fossil fuels. To stop using hair spray, under-arm spray and anywhere else sprays because they release bad things in the atmosphere. To stop using plastics, oil, carbon footprints and whatever else. To stop using the air-conditioner and the barbecue and things that contribute to Global Warming and Melting of the North Pole. 

Someone even suggested we stop using candles the other day because they contribute to all this heat. Can you imagine how many candles are lit in the world at dinner tables, bathrooms, birthday parties, churches and so on?

I wonder how serious the situation really is?  

Instead I often focus on the benefits of this hot weather we've been having and try to adapt to it.

I've noticed for instance that soup takes longer to cool down lately; so you can be more relaxed at your meal and not worry that the soup or other food will get cold. 

I remember once when in Paris I went to an outdoor restaurant - you know the ones - they have tables out on the side-walk and you eat out in the open. I was enjoying a delicious French Onion soup when it started raining. It took me hours to finish my soup!

One way of keeping cool I find is by carrying ice cubes in my trouser pockets. No ... not by themselves ... in a plastic bag. They are refreshing and keep me cool wherever I go. Mind you, it was embarrassing when one of the bags started leaking on the bus the other day. 

Something I don't understand. If it is hot at home and you open the windows does fresh air come in, or does the hot air from outside enter the house and makes it even hotter inside?

And why does it continue to be hot at night when the sun has gone? 

Some people sleep in the nude. Does that really help to cool things down, I wonder? It depends who you're with I suppose.

They say that the type of mattress you have in bed can help to keep you cool. I bought one of those "memory" mattresses and now it is blackmailing me!

I got rid of it and changed the bed for a trampoline; and my wife hit the roof.

So what do you think? Is it serious and we should worry about all this heat, or not? 

Personally, I worry more about aliens from outer-space. More here soon ... ... ...