A most embarrassing post. I repeat, “a most embarrassing post.”
Act your age. Has anyone ever said that to you? Maybe your mother would tell you that you couldn’t sit still in church. It’s been a long time since I have given much thought to acting my age, since I probably never have.
I agree with Clint Eastwood’s philosophy. I read somewhere that when asked how he’s still making movies, he replied, “I don’t let the old man in.”
Well, I’m here today to confess I am forced to think about my age. It’s rather embarrassing to realize that in my current life situation, I might not always be equipped to make sound decisions. At least not without some careful consideration.
The first of three traumatic experiences over the weekend began with a trip to Victoria’s Secret. My daughter suggested a fitting at Victoria’s Secret would be the best way to find bras that fit my shrinking body. Wrong.
THEY DON’T MAKE BRAS FOR the over-50 CROWD
The young lady at Victoria’s Secret measured me, suggested a size, and brought me to a dressing room where she handed me what looked like a string bikini. I could hardly get it on; it wiggled and waggled and was, in my opinion, way too small.
We tried several more styles and sizes until finally I said, “I am not looking for sexy, I’m a farmer.”
From there, we tried a space-age plastic molded enormous over-the-top sports bra that looked more like a torture device.
I gave up.
My conclusion was that they do not make a VS bra for older women. I went home defeated.
ANYONE CAN FALL FOR A SCAM IN THIS DAY AND AGE
Not once, but twice, I was attacked this weekend, and I’m ready to fight back.
Because I am forced to leave my beloved farm, I am selling some equipment. I listed a tractor on BisMan Online. Friday night, I received a text message inquiry about the tractor. During the course of an hour, this person asked me about its condition, sent me a copy of his ND driver’s license, and then sent a PayPal screenshot that showed a deposit in my account.
Except it wasn’t in my account. The guy wanted the tractor shipped to New York because that was where he was based. To release the funds to my account, I needed to send him the shipping cost first. What?
I received an extensive email explaining how this protects the buyer and the seller. Logging into my PayPal account, I could find nothing in transactions or information about this type of transaction. So, I did the right thing. I said I would wait until tomorrow.
Boy, bright and early, a text message read, “Are you up?”
By that time, I had spoken to someone at PayPal and sent the email to the phishing address they provided. I said, “I don’t have the money to send you.”
Then, I blocked every phone number he used to try to reach me again. It was rather annoying. I decided it was important to change a few passwords. While changing the password on both my email and PayPal accounts, I locked myself out of my Microsoft account. I panicked.
SCAM #2
I blame Microsoft for this one. In my haste to avoid being hacked, I tried to change my password too many times. The message was to wait 24 hours and try again. On Friday morning, I tried again to no avail and panicked at the thought of missing any important emails. Yah right. What is an important email these days?
I Googled how to unlock my account and tried to get some help. To get help from Microsoft, you need to log in to your account. Well, if you are locked out of your account, how can you get help? Eventually, I found a number to call. Or at least I thought so.
That was a mistake. The events that followed were terrifying as I was being suckered into withdrawing funds from my savings and feeding a Bitcoin machine at a local gas station.
These guys knew everything about Mandan. They knew the right things to say to fluster me right off the bat, followed by a time limit that panicked me into following the instructions to not talk to anyone and do exactly what they said.
I have often wondered how people are sucked into these situations that seem so obviously wrong. Guess what? Now I know, because as much as I would like to think I got it going on, I didn’t.
God sent an angel to help me. The young man who interrupted what I was doing at the gas station, warning me not to put any money into that machine, was a blessing in disguise. Yes, I lied to him as I was instructed to say that I was on the phone with my son, but in that moment, I stepped back.
I remember how tall he was and how concerned he was about my well-being. I am sorry I didn’t find him and tell him how he saved me from making a huge mistake.
Actually, I sat down, my knees were knocking together from the shaking I was experiencing at the thought of where that money was actually going.
I reconsidered what I was doing. What was I doing?
Yes, I tested the machine by putting a $100 bill into its greedy mouth and watching it instantly disappear. It made me sick. I did the right thing. I called the number on the screen, and a nice young woman said, “Go to the police, it’s a scam.”
The rest of my weekend was spent securing a new checking account, just in case, and then proceeding with the daunting task of changing the many things that go with a new banking number. It was exhausting.
By Sunday, I was able to get back into my email, making the account updates a wee bit easier. I regained my composure and will be doing what I need to do to straighten out my life.
THE REALIZATION
It’s not easy to admit weaknesses brought on by age and circumstances. But I am baring my soul to you today as a warning to be on high alert at all times when dealing with the Internet.
Wednesday’s short sermon gave me words to live by. Don’t react. Instead, take the time to say the Lord’s Prayer. It will buy you enough time to consider what happened, whether it’s an unkind text or a devastating financial scam.
There’s a milestone birthday on the horizon in 2026, and my children have suggested I do nothing without calling them first. I have become my mother.
Moving on, a $100 lesson learned, it’s Monday, the sun is shining, the weather is awesome for this time in November, and I will leave you with this thought. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right.
And, (in more ways than one) I’m not ready to let the old lady in.
INDYchildrendotme 
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