Maybe I’m Too Cynical

It’s been a strange day.

I’ve been working on a project and it launched yesterday. I have two new books out there…somewhere….you probably won’t find them due to my new loony pen name. Yes, I joined the ranks of the mysterious. I guess. I published the two books, didn’t tell a single soul other than Hal. I put them into KU. I opened my ‘reports’ this morning because I was already considering murdering my new loony friend.

Loony had 16 pages read in KU.

Huh?

No one knows those books are there.

So much for killing her off.

I created an Author Page for her on Amazon. Well, Amazon accidentally made two pages for her so I’m getting that straightened out.

I created a FB page for her a little while ago. She has 2 friends. I’d love to let you in on all of this, I really would! But it’s Super Secret Squirrel Stuff. I’m not ready to out myself as I’m just getting going but should you really want to know about her and her books just drop me a line and I’ll let you in on it.

THIS morning, ol’ Loony joined a few FB groups centered on Kindle and KU. She made her first foray…as a new, young, debut author…

New Fish!!!

….into those groups.

AN HOUR later….Loony had her first scam email.

An HOUR.

Within TWO HOURS she had her first scam DM.

WTF?

I swear to you, I posted in less than 5 groups. Had to, Loony got kicked from posting from a few groups because her FB page is ‘too new’.

I sat there looking at those things going; Fuck! If I really was young, new, and making my debut today in 2026 I’d be screwed.

Good thing I’m old, jaded, and experienced.

How wonderful would it have been to have ‘offers’ just pouring in within an HOUR of my very first post announcing my new book. I might get taken in by that, I mean, these days. Back in the Dark Ages there was little to no thing such as ‘going viral’, but today, that would be the first thing that popped in my unexperienced head. They would eat me alive. Bit by bit.

Later in the day, something else happened. I started getting notices about my Google account and being sent ‘verification codes’ that I did not ask for. This happens every now and again. I ignore them when I know I didn’t ask for it because, whoever did is now blocked anyway. I’ll change the frickin’ password…again….in a little bit.

These verification codes were followed by text messages. It seems the daughter of the person who had my phone number before me is trying to get into her mother’s Gmail…..to change the phone number.

I’ve had this number for about five years now. That’s a good long time to make the switch. But the person who had the phone before me wasn’t big on that, I continually got phone calls from friends, family, doctors, social agencies, and more….for years.

I don’t know what the big deal is about today on their end and, after all this time, finally getting things straightened out.

I do know that I had to send Google a copy of my phone bill all those years ago when I wanted to use my new number for verification purposes. I had to do that because this person already had the number in their account and didn’t change it.

The number has been associated with my account ever since.

I have been utterly deluged by thousands of scam emails, texts, & DMs just this year. My perspective may be a little skewed.

Part of me wanted to help this person and it still does…damn lingering Catholic Guilt!….the other part of me goes; WTF? NO WAY!

See, if I give that person the verification codes that keep coming to me I really don’t know:

If they are who they say they are.
If they have permission to get into mom’s stuff.
If they’re trying to hack some older lady’s stuff.
If they’re trying to hack this old lady’s stuff.

The last thing I want/need is for MY Google account to get hacked. It’s attached to a lot of shit in Lisa Land.

They were promised they weren’t scamming me.

Duh. What scammer says; Hey! This is a SCAM!

They’re very nice. They offered to meet me at the Police Station.

No thank you.

They got the previous number owner’s name right but I did that years ago when I Googled my new friggin’ number after getting inundated with phone calls for ‘Anna’. I found out all about her including her last name. So, that’s even easier now, isn’t it?

I don’t understand why they…seemingly…don’t just open “mom’s” phone and sign in. I don’t know about you but my phone is forever signed in to Gmail. I never enter a password on my phone for my email or FB or Instagram. In five to seven years, surely “mom” signed into her stuff after giving up the old phone number.

Then they said something about needing the Google verification number to get into Yahoo!
What?

They asked if I could verify there isn’t another email linked to my Google account and if there was if I could just eliminate it.
Like that would help them. BTW…NO, I’m not deleting my very long held email address that also happens to be, you know, my name….no numbers….just my name. Yes, the email address is THAT old!

Then they said they’re going to seek legal advice.
Ok, good idea, go harangue Google over it.

I just don’t know anymore.

In the end, I declined to assist this person and simply stopped responding to them despite receiving more texts from Google with verification codes. Now I’m wondering if that was “mean” of me. I actually feel that guilt lingering around me, whispering in my ear, that I should help them. I should text them back and give them whatever verification code pops up.

Have all of these scammers finally managed to jade me so much that I won’t help a stranger in distress anymore?

Oh, bother.