Friday rambling

Hi all,

As Christmas is now fast approaching I thought it was worth mentioning once again, whether you are celebrating the event or not, that this is prime time for scammers of all kinds.

I was watching a segment of a TV program this morning which flagged up a current scam in which people are targeted by a message supposedly coming from a well known delivery company to say that a parcel was undeliverable and to pay a one pound fee for redelivery. In following the scammers direction you give away your telephone number and they then call and try to get your bank account details.

So please especially watch out for those you care for, who are extra vulnerable, but also be open to the idea that this can also happen to you when distracted. My own daughter, a Chief Inspector in the Met. found herself almost clicking on a link in this same email, because she was awaiting a Christmas gift delivery and was anxious to get it. Luckily common sense quickly kicked in and told her that this company would never ask for a fee for re-delivery.

Scammers can easily gull the vulnerable on the doorstep too and my own sister was targeted (and fell for) the tale told by a guy who 'needed money to get home', several Christmases ago. Stay safe and scam free everyone.

I heard the news last night that we have lost an actress considered to be a 'national treasure' in Barbara Windsor, and it's been open knowledge for a long time that she was suffering from Alzheimer's dementia. (For those members who aren't in UK, she was a UK star of screen and TV). We've watched her decline very publicly because of her fame and it's a reminder of how cruel dementia is. Barbara had a very colourful life but just as for everyone who is struck down in this way, it's a personal and family tragedy. May she rest in peace.

Here comes another midwinter weekend. I hope you'll all find a way to enjoy at least some of it.

Take care all and stay well and safe. 💖

[sassy59]

Hi Callendersgal, it’s Friday again, where do the weeks go!

Scammers are everywhere it seems, online we’ve had emails from DPD allegedly but don’t open them. I can understand people checking though so long as they realise it’s a scam. Glad your daughter wasn’t caught out.

We have had phone calls too. It can be relentless.

Yes it’s sad about Barbara Windsor but she’s at peace now. Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease.

Take care, stay safe and enjoy your weekend. Xxxx💜

[lell1 in reply to sassy59]

Hey sassy59Also need to watch out for letters from banks, pension companies etc. The scammers are also able to use technology better than most of us I’m afraid 😟 ! Yet another added stressor on those that care, like we don’t have enough worry??

[sassy59 in reply to lell1]

The scammers certainly keep us on our toes lell1. Very stressful. Xxxx😀

[Hidden in reply to sassy59]

Hi sassy59, the DPD one seems to be really active just now. We need to be evermore vigilant. Hope you enjoy your weekend too, and take care. xxx🌺🌈💖

[sassy59 in reply to Hidden]

👍💜❤️💖

[Hidden]

Years ago I used to work in a nursing home and there were residents there that had dementia and there was a lady there who had been a secretary before dementia struck and there was another one struck down with dementia only in her 50s.

These scammers are low aren't they the way they target the vulnerable as I had received some scam calls and had hung the phone up as if something's too good to be true then it is!

I have had a nice short walk this morning round the neighbourhood and today is a quiet day for me as I have switched my phone off for peace and quiet and will only switch it on later when I need to use it.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

They really are low catgirl1976. Imagine being happy to rob the elderly and vulnerable of the little that many of them have. Thank goodness that for every nasty immoral scammer there are many more people who have a heart for others. Glad you had a nice walk and what a good idea to have a rest from your phone when you need a little bit of 'you' time!

[gcomm]

One scam I frequently get tells me my payment for T.V licence has failed, but fortunatley I always get a printed copy of payment. Scammers and their tricks, are awful at any time, but I consider them wicked using the Christmas season to con people.

[Hidden in reply to gcomm]

Thanks for telling us of this one too gcomm. I hadn’t come across it before but it’s gone onto my list of warning bells right away!

[Goldenanny in reply to Hidden]

Hi Callendersgal

Writing this to get a few memories off my chest. Quite a few members of my lovely family have suffered badly this year. We missed many great birthday and anniversary celebrations but are all still here to tell the tale thankfully. My husband had pneumonia, my 26 year old granddaughter was knocked off her bicycle by a car in London and not long afterwards caught Covid badly and lost her taste and smell. My 8 year old grandson broke his elbow and was then isolated when it healed due to Covid contact. My 76 year old sister has been in and out of hospital since March with 3 bleeds on the brain. Then caught Covid in hospital and fell off a trolley whilst in A & E of all places and fractured her arm/shoulder. She has not been able to live in her flat for nine months and has been sent back to a care home with a collar and cuff due to her needs. She is so depressed as hasn’t been able to have any visitors and is now back in isolation in a tiny room after discharge from hospital. Whilst in hospital a doctor rang me to say they had placed a DNR on her medical file! I was horrified as they made the choice!

She is not looking forward to Christmas and just wants to be back to normal again but it’s not to be! We don’t think she would be able to manage in her sheltered accommodation even with carers but she is adamant that she wants to go back there. She is a serious falls risk. To think last year she was quite fit! I have been keeping a diary of events that have affected my lovely family and I would hate to go through another year like this.

One thing it has taught me is how brave my parents, grandparents and relatives were throughout two world wars and all the suffering, sacrifices and grief they persevered with. So brave and amazing!

[Hidden in reply to Goldenanny]

Good grief Goldenanny, you've had far more to bear than is fair over the past fairly horrible year anyway. Your bad news seems to be incessant and I only hope that as we leave 2020 the tide will turn and some of your bad fortunes go away.I'm especially sorry to hear about your sister and I know how horrible it is to see a loved family member suddenly decline. I'm watching this unfold again myself with a sister and brother-in-law.

It would be awful in any event but then to have the horridness of the pandemic make everything worse is so savage.

But you are right. Through the ages the human race has been tested time and time again, but somehow the toughest of us get through it to better times. I guess covid19 has been our challenge and it's been very different to the challenges of wartime, but it does give pause for thought about the bravery of those who went through the horrors of two world wars.

Hoping life gets a little easier for you soon! 🙏

[Goldenanny in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Callendersgal for your reply and kind thoughts 😊