No One Is Immune
On Wednesday morning our phone rang and the voice on the other end was a girl sobbing and saying Daddy Daddy help me I’m so scared.... Well, the virtual kidnapping scam was on and so were we. My husband went weak and pale and I took the phone and followed, what I now know is the script. There are many stories of it online and many from local friends that once I spoke of the ordeal, and yes it was an emotional ordeal, had a tale to tell of themselves or of a friend. Most hung up if they knew it was a scam...we didn’t. Did all the right things according to the FBI website, but we only read about this after the fact. Ok, I live in the hills, no TV, not interested in any news delivered by folks I don’t know, and a bit of a hermit. Had heard about the scam vaguely but it doesn’t matter, when your heart is racing and you don’t know where all of your 7 children are, or at least the three girls. The ordeal lasted from 10:20 am to 2 pm. I found out our daughter in question was safe around 12:30 so the rest of the time was with the police. The hard part for me was the police didn’t tell me this was a scam and they didn’t go after the bad guy. I was bewildered until I got home and read that it was a scam....they didn’t seem to know it was a scam or didn’t care. Many police came to the rescue and one woman officer in particular was helpful and comforting. I really wanted to get the bad guys - old west style - we have em on the line officers, can’t we catch them............? No one to catch I guess - unless you track the phone. We can track the phones of anyone and do, why can’t we stop this kind of terror? The police don’t have the time to catch the bad guys or don’t have the resources. Our society really needs a shot in the arm here. Let the good guys (read police) have the tools (technical folks, not bigger weapons) to go after this kind of terrorism. So a hoax, but not a victimless crime. That happened on Wednesday, and as I write this on Friday evening I feel a bit better and hopefully never have to face the reality of this horrible scenario! When will we wake up and do the right things together to create the world where no one is this desperate. Stop making weapons. Let the world evolve beyond what hasn’t and doesn’t work! Let us all share in the bounty of the beautiful earth in harmony.
