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Fog/Mist ~ High: 32°F ~ Low: 27°F Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 |
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Too Good To Be True!Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at 6:52 PM
I am sure we have all heard the saying "If it sounds too good to be true it probably isn't at some point in our lives, check this one out.
I got home from cutting wood Saturday and my wife had my mail on my desk waiting for me, you know the usual, bills , sales papers, but there was something else. A envelop addressed from New York, I opened it up and about fell to the floor, a certified check for $3,695 dollars, not like one of those fake checks you get from some places, but a real check! It came from a place called Apogee Research Inc. I kept reading and it seems that they picked me out of several people to be a consumer consultant[aka mystery shopper]. The instructions said first to go and cash the check and deposit it into my account, second wait 2 days for it to clear, third go to a Western Union and purchase a $3,100 money gram , which would cost $200 dollars, and observe the service, the neatness of the employees and whatever else I could jot down. The money gram was to be sent to one of the people on the list they sent me. Next I was to go to a a store like Wal-Mart or Penny's or one of the other retail outlets and purchase $95.00 dollars of merchandise,which I could keep. observe the store, employees and other things and write them down. The last $300.00 dollars was my first weeks salary for a couple of hours work. All this had to be done in 7 days for the assignments were on a weekly basis, I would have the potential to earn as much as $600.00 a week. Since the bank was closed I called there phone number and asked a few questions, I told the I could cash the check out Wal-Mart and complete the assignment by Monday. The lady said a very abrupt NO!, The check had to be deposited and then wait two days for it to clear. In these hard times I was tempted to do it, but I thought better of it and called my friend Marvin Parker, who said that he had seen a special on it just last week and that I should not do it, sure enough, I pulled up the edition of 20/20 online and they were warning people of such a scam. The check after cashed would bounce higher than a kite and I would have been left holding the bag. Thanks Marvin for your advice! You know, maybe that is why so many people have trouble accepting the Bible as God's Word, for the story of Salvation, the Amazing Grace and the sin covering blood of Jesus as the way to eternal life and by having faith and accepting what he did on the Cross of Calvary is all we need to do. It can't be that easy, and it does sound too good to be true, but my friends unlike the letter I got mentioned above which is a scam, you can take the simple thing called faith in Jesus as rock solid truth. It is the only thing I know of that is to good and it is true. Thanks again Marvin for your sage advice and for being a true friend. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
A man getting to the roots of his faith.
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The check was a fake, printed out on a color printer complete with actual account numbers and routing numbers. If you pay someone with a check, that person now has every piece of information to create an entire checkbook full of legitimate looking checks. Sometimes unsuspecting people cash these fake checks, and the money will actually leave your account. You will be completely unaware until you check your balance or you receive notices of bounced checks in the mail.
You don't have trouble accepting the Bible, but apparently you have issues with Webster. ;)
Glad you didn't fall for the scam though.
glad you did not cash that bogus check. I hate scammers.
I think I had rather have issues with Webster as to not accept the Bible.
I recommend everyone to check out snopes.com when they get similar checks, offers, lottery notices, etc. Snopes almost always has the latest info on the latest scam.
http://www.snopes.com/
By using "mystery shopper scam" in the snopes search engine, I found this:
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/s...
I came close to being scammed this week as well. I had a reply to my add on Craigslist. This gentleman stated he wanted the item that I was selling, but he could not get here to see it due to his work schedule. He said that he would send me a check that including the amount I was asking along with shipping charges. It sounded okay, until he sent me a check for $3000 more than I had asked. He told me to just go cash the check and Western Union him the rest along with sending my item that was for sale. He must think I'm stupid. I shredded the check and have not heard from him since. People really need to be careful out there. If I would have fallen for this, he would have had my item and I would have been out $900, the asking price of my item.
As the fictional character Forrest Gump said, "Stupid is and stupid does." At least Mr Bell was questioning enough to look over his 'windfall' before he took it. Good for you Mr Bell. Too bad others were not so viligent as you were.
That was your stimulus check, didn't ya know?
Thanks for sharing that Michael. If you got that I'm sure others have too, and perhaps you have saved someone from gambeling their bill money, or savings away.
We keep getting a "recorded message" phone call from a (407) area code number talking about lowering our interest rate on our credit card. Said to have our information ready and call some number. I always just hang the phone up, because I nor any one else in my household own any credit cards. If you have not contacted the person, company, or business do not give "ANY" information or access out about you or your finances.
Parkerbrothers, did you take up carpentry classes, or Home Design classes before you got into building homes?
No, but I wish I had. Education is nothing but good, especially if applied.
My father and grandfather were always building something and I got volunteered to help.
And actually, we grew up laying block, brick and stone more than anything.
My great Uncle use to lay brick, his name is Gardner Smith. He retired some years back, but seems to be living well. I was raised by my step father, and I use to watch him build, fix and repair things. And I find myself always tinkering with things, trying to build and make things. I love doing stuff like that. Of course it doesn't come out perfect because I don't know the "Correct" way it is done. But it always serve my purpose for it. I wish I was more focused on what I wanted to do before I came out of High School. I feel like I have waisted alot of years that could be beneficial. Now I have to focus on the three Nuckle Heads I got. Prayers Needed. (Laugh): )
Let me correct what I just said, I was raised by my "Mother & Stepfather"...
Let me correct what I just said, I was raised by my "Mother & Stepfather"... She wanted to be an OTR Truck Driver when she finished school. I did not want to do that but the first vehicle I wanted was a truck, and my parents wouldn't let me get it. I wanted the kind of truck that when you hit the gas the tires would spin smoke, you would hear a loud motor, and your stomach would feel like butterflies when it finally took off into the wind. I think my parents where either afraid of me having an accident, or afraid I would be attracting too many boys. : )
Your great uncle Gardner was a very good brick mason and even better yet still is a very good man. I have known him for years since I was a small child.
I also worked with Mr. Charles Fishback many of a hot days laying brick. Do you know him?
I wish I was more focused on what I wanted to do before I came out of High School. I feel like I have waisted alot of years that could be beneficial. Now I have to focus on the three Nuckle Heads I got. Prayers Needed. (Laugh): )
-- Posted by Momof3&3step&1gran on Thu, Mar 12, 2009, at 10:52 PM
Don't feel like the lone ranger on that one. I did not know what I wanted to do either when coming out of school. Actually I was going to work construction a while to save money to go to college but woke up 30 years later and realized I did not stop long enough to start college.
But never undervalue the importance of focusing on your little nuckle heads. Both my brothers have children and they are so precious. I missed out on that part of life by being overfocused on working. Rarely a day goes by that I do not look at their children and stand astonished at what I let pass me by.
Do focus on your children and never forget that all children are a precious gift of God. So precious are children that only His child's sacrafice would be deemed worthy to attone for all of our sins and allow us to stand before Him justified and righteous.
Marvin,you are not too old to be a parent.
Folks need not even have their own biological or legal children to be nurturers.
(Sometimes,a little distance and objectivity helps one achieve things that people too enmeshed in situations find hard to manage.)
You may be able to give some youngsters something they need precisely because you are who you are,you've had the experiences you've had and you're a "civilian" instead of being a parent or a kid.
Don't write off tomorrow and don't assume you can't share the blessings of loving and being loved by a child just because you're not taking the tradtional route.
In my youth,I was lucky enough to have the "village" help raise me.
I had the support of terrific family members but I had townsfolk and people from my spiritual community to care about me,too.
(Just like Opie Taylor.)
I figure I had access to more godparents than Sleeping Beauty at a Mafia summit meeting.
You may have bypassed the traditional family so you'd be available to give of yourself in a different context.
Don't dismiss what you have done and don't assume the Lord is through giving you opportunities.
Your story isn't done until the last entry is read before the throne of Heaven.
We can have regrets about our past but don't make rash assumptions about what the future holds so long as our loving and astonishing Father holds the future.
You know quantumcat, you are right. You can be a parent without having to be the biological father.
There are children out there who would like for someone to care for them.
We lived in Spring Hill for about 10 years and my wife and I used to ride the horse and buggy to town and cut through the Childrens Home there. A lot of the children would come running up and want to pet the horses. We enjoyed visiting with them but the people who run the Home seemed to not like outside interaction with the children.
We called about getting permission to carry a group of them fishing at the lake we had but that did not seem like a good idea either to the managers.
I understand they have to be careful but it seemed like their efforts prevented the children from any chance of enjoyment offered.
Your great uncle Gardner was a very good brick mason and even better yet still is a very good man. I have known him for years since I was a small child.
I also worked with Mr. Charles Fishback many of a hot days laying brick. Do you know him?
-- Posted by parkerbrothers on Fri, Mar 13, 2009, at 8:39 AM
Yes, he is a good man. He had a stroke a while back and lost strength in one of his arms and legs, he has gotten better but he use a wheel chair often. I don't know Mr. Fishback personally, but I have heard his name mentioned before. I believe I know his children though.
Marvin, I know your heart for children. I remember many afternoon talks way back when... God has blessed you with opportunities and will continue to do so. There are many children, youth, even adults who need mentors - may not be the same as changing diapers - but the amazement you find in investing in another's life is more than you can imagine. While I await "grandmotherhood" myself someday, I get to enjoy my children's friends babies and am getting my practice in as "BB"! :) One suggestion for an intelligent guy like yourself... schools always want "readers" for the classroom. maybe that could be a "ministry" for ya!
Barbara,
Thanks for the fond memories. I do remember our conversations and I thank you for being the inspiration you were. Fortunately God was calling and after me back then (glad he didn't give up)(glad I gave in).
I know you are right about the investment of time in others life. Just the thought of being able to do it was very rewarding. I think the big let down come when I was drawn to the children at the Children's Home in Spring Hill and found difficulty in being given access to the ones that I felt needed the simple thing of someone spending time with them.
Even the town of Spring Hill and a lot of its residents appeared against the Childrens Home and seemed to be seeking ways to abolish it. Most shocking was the way some of the "never missed a Sunday service" ladies referred to the children as "those ole kids over there".
I don't know if you will remember it but there was a point where they wanted the Childrens Home to put up a fence around the facility much like a prison fence. I still wonder if any of the children read any of the articles and how it must have hurt them and even made them feel bad about themselves.
The very thing we all too often take for granted ourselves is the very thing some of these children never had. A mother and a father. Imagine thinking that not even your mother or father cared enough about you to "keep" you. None of those children prpbably ever felt they were keepers.
I agree. But one thing i know for sure... God promises to bind up the broken-hearted!
That's the neat thing about God.
He's ready to adopt anybody.
He can't ever be denied visitation.
He'll never give up His own,deny them support or refuse to let those of His blood wear His name.
He'll always be there for us from the instant we are conceived to the moment His kiss cures our "boo-boos" to the moment we join the Family Business.
He knows the difference between being a disciplinarian and being a tyrant or abuser.
The word "Abba" isn't just "father" as in sperm donor.
It's more like "Pa" or "Daddy".
He knows that every child is a keeper and NOTHING will steal us from Him or make Him not love us.
Some of our throw-away children may never have learned how to love or be loved.
They may have no reason to believe in justice or hope or caring.
They may be convinced that a four letter word for "eternal torment" is h-o-m-e.
Or,they may have had the good fortune to see love in action and want that for themselves.
They may want love and support from a source that will never fail them.
They may be determined to give to others the affirmation and help they were denied.
Not every household or institution is like something out of Dickens or a manual on how to raise a serial killer.
Sometimes,the adults are just flawed human beings with fewer spiritual and material resources than their duties require.
That's where we come in (to the degree that we can) and where God acts as the one Being who will never lack the time,will or power to give His children what they need.
Michael, Don't feel to alone in the water on that one... the check I received a couple of weeks ago was for $3650.00 I did not receive any directions in the envelope with my check, It was delivered By UPS and was the only thing in the mailer... The morning I got the mailer I was contacted by e-mail telling me what to do with it which was almost identical to Your instructions and about 2 hours after I got the mailer I was notified by phone from a Number in the United Kingdom advising me to check the e-mail and to follow it to the letter... well I really got interested by this time, I decided to check this check out and I found out by contacting the place where the check supposedly came from, that it was Bogus!!!!
the Moral of this story is "BEWARE OF WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING".
God does take care of His own!