This Is Why They Do It

My stepfather works at an energy company as a machinist. He and a few of his coworkers are all heading to lunch together. As they are walking, one man takes a call from an unknown number. It soon becomes clear from his end of the conversation that he’s talking to one of those scammers that tells you your computer has a virus.

All the other guys are waving their arms and telling him to hang up, but this man doesn’t get the hint. He gives them his credit card information and hangs up. My stepfather tells him that was obviously a scam, and he said, “No, they’re charging me very reasonably for the service — only $49.99!”

My stepfather gets him to check his bank account. The scammers have charged him $49.99, all right — dozens of times, until the account was empty.

The man immediately jumps back on the phone, and my stepfather is left to wonder how people who are trusted to handle dangerous equipment like generators and power lines can be so very gullible.