\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0When was the last time you were asked whether you’d accept charges for a collect call?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0In the past few years, such calls have usually featured a computerized voice that asks you to press 1 to accept or 2 to decline. This call, about a month ago, was different.<\/p>\n
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0An real live operator, the kind we used to speak to years ago, asked me if I’d accept a collect call from Maria Trujillo. Not really having time to think about it, I said of course I would. After all, I had a sister named Maria Trujillo, until she got married a few months ago, and a mother with the same name, who we lost late last year.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0True, I could have said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wait a minute\u00e2\u20ac\u201dMaria Trujillo is a common name. It couldn’t be a relative of mine. And besides, my sister is right here in town.” Yet, in haste, I imagined a close relative in perilous condition and unable to pay for the phone call.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0So I accepted.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I was transferred to a Spanish-speaking lady whose use of the language is far different from what one becomes accustomed to in northern New Mexico. Instead of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153horale ese bro,” I heard \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Senorrr Trrrujilllo.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The speaker was not Maria Trujillo, nor did she claim to be. Instead, she explained, she was calling on behalf of Maria Trujillo, who was being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153detenida en un hotel en Tijuana.” I found \u00e2\u20ac\u0153detenida” an interest word choice. It means both being delayed and being detained. Now if she were being delayed it might mean only that she misplaced her hair dryer. But to be detained\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat’s serious business for a woman who may or may not be a near relative. What if she’s been kidnapped?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u201din a very deliberate, time-consuming delivery\u00e2\u20ac\u201drepeated that I would need to call one or two long-distance numbers in order to reach Maria Trujillo. After the second repetition of each number, with the clock running, I suspected I was being duped. I hastily bade the woman adios and said to myself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You’ve been scammed.”
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I assumed that by not calling the long-distance numbers I might survive the evening without too much stress to my bank account. So, in spite of a little voice inside me saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But maybe there really is a relative in a hotel in Tijuana in some kind of trouble,” I decided to cut my losses and let some other of the thousands of Trujillos in the southwest share the burden and rescue a non-existent Maria.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I must have saved a bundle by not calling those numbers but spend a small fortune by having accepted the charges in the first place.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0A bill for $54.14, from Zero Plus Dialing came bundled with my Qwest bill. The folks at Zero Plus said collect calls often cost even more than that. They wouldn’t tell me whether the total amount of the call went to them or whether the scum caller would be allowed to skim part of the scam scheme.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0One hates to admit his gullibility and trust in humankind resulted in a lesson that \u00e2\u20ac\u201dat about $13.50 a minute\u00e2\u20ac\u201dtalk is not cheap. Such a scam makes it harder to accept collect calls when the purpose is legitimate.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0So, with proper humility and abashment, I’ve mentioned my being scammed. Does anyone out there wish to share a similar story, perhaps a scam via the mails, credit cards, internet or the infamous \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pigeon drop”?
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Feel free to write the Optic, or email your contribution. This column, by the way, won’t be only about consumer issues. In later columns I’d like to explore behavior, politics, education, religion, growing up in Las Vegas and other issues. And of course, you will all be invited to participate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0When was the last time you were asked whether you’d accept charges for a collect call? \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0In the past few years, such calls have usually featured a computerized voice that asks you to press 1 to accept or 2 to decline. This call, about a month ago, was different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rezio.net\/woa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}