SCAM update

 Just a brief update on the SCAM. 

They did not get a penny!!

Long story!

Lesson learned! 

THE SCAM

 On Friday I was the victim of a SCAM. The screen of my iPad said that it had been corrupted and I should call APPLE Support at the number on my screen. Foolishly...I did. That began a cycle that was carefully orchestrated by the perps. They were just convincing enough to make me follow along with their instructions while I continually questioned them. Their answers always made enough sense.

The end result, after many hours, was that the tone of his voice and his instructions alerted a survival mechanism that sent me directly to the RCMP. My phone continued to ring repeatedly while I was driving to the detachment. I ignored it.

During a visit to my bank later in the day I discovered that they had manipulated funds. My accounts are now frozen. Credit cards have been cancelled. Yes, they did attempt to put through some fraudulent charges. Apparently, according to the RCMP officer, I was much luckier than others in the past week who lost $60,000 and $80,000. My loss so far is $500 which I hope will be reimbursed by the bank.

My computers have been cleaned by a verified APPLE Support Technician. New credit cards will arrive soon and the bank will unfreeze my funds once they have evidence that my computers are cleared of any fraudulent activity.

It was like I spent the day in an alternative reality, acknowledging the possibility of fraud while mentally willing myself to believe the person on the other end of the phone. They are very good!

Walking and writing

Daily walks are more comfortable since I have been able to lace up my supportive athletic shoes. It is not easy and the right shoe is not secured as tightly as I would like but it makes a world of difference to walk in good shoes again. The daily goal is 10,000 steps on one excursion. So far I am able to accomplish around 9,000 steps in two outings but could probably do more with a little effort. Early morning is the best time to avoid this heat wave that is impacting us right now.

Sleeping has improved also with a combination of two pillows between my legs resulting in fewer wakeups and more comfort overall. I have been a bit impatient for my body to fully recover but, considering my age, it has been good.

Before temperatures reach into the 30's I take my morning coffee onto the balcony and do some journalling which often turns into mini stories. Random people appear on the page complete with tattoos, magical powers and hidden motives. It is similar to a blank canvas, eventually revealing an image that was not preplanned. I often think that these small vignettes should be developed into novels but my motivation is lacking to spend days, weeks and months in serious pursuit of an ending. It is more about the discovery of the characters than planning their future.