It has become apparent while I sit and read some of the subject lines and messages that the writers have had someone in their lives who cared about courtesy and manners.
These scammers, who are desperately trying to pass themselves off as representatives of a legitimate company or corporation, are to be pitied as much as loathed.
They are imaginative, creative and have determination that one day, they will succeed in forcing the recipients to finally engage them in a conversation that will ultimately mean bad things will happen. To the good guys. That’s us.
Their messages are persistent, some coming as often as 10 times in a morning, all purportedly originating from the e-mail address of our telephone provider. They are frauds.
The first give-away: “Hello cherished customer.” Never in all the years we in this household have used the corporation’s services has anyone been in touch to call us “cherished.”
Rather, when we do hear from someone in that corporation it is via Canada Post mail or over the telephone when we have called with a question or problem. At no time has any employee called us “cherished.” There’s politeness and concern that our e-mail is acting wonky. There’s commiseration and empathy, but no cherishing.
Cherish is just too familiar, even creepy, to come from a quasi government agency.
Other messages wish us a happy and healthy day. It would surely be happy and healthy for them if we ever opened the messages and followed them through to an unhappy conclusion for us. I’ve often been suspicious of the greeting “have a nice day” said to me face-to-face so why wouldn’t suspicion arise when unseen persons wish for me, health and happiness.
“Sorry to bother you” demands that I speak back, muttering “then just quit bothering me” to no avail. The unseen writer ignores me just as we have been advised to ignore and delete every and all these messages.
In their politeness of tone, I am convinced their parents or grandparents taught them to be kind and thoughtful, to be pleasant to strangers and to “cherish” all relationships, even ones that don’t exist.
I am hoping those parents don’t know the games their offspring are playing— for what a disappointment to have wasted all those lessons in manners on wastrels that will try to scam the unsuspecting, the innocent, the elderly.
It would do their parents proud if they would turn all their skills to something worthwhile — like getting a real job and being a worthy contributor to society.
Maybe they would then understand the true meaning of “a cherished relationship.”
And just as I finish this lament comes a message: “Account Problem: Dear User: We are duly sorry for all the inconveniences you have been going through . . ..”
How kind of them. But, no, absolutely not. I do not want their cherished friendship. I just want to be erased from their address book.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
