As careful as we have been to avoid the worldwide army of online scammers, we can still get swept up in the moment of a bargain for a needed item that seems just too good to be true.
In our case, a few weeks back the refrigerator in our kitchen left a puddle on the floor. We knew we were in trouble. Then things got worse ... much worse.
The older-model backup fridge in the garage decided it too was leaving the very next day.
Suddenly, there we were, virtually overnight, with nowhere to keep our refrigerated foods. We called Stan Clayborn, the appliance repair guru in Harrison.
He did his thing and confirmed there was nothing he could do to save either fridge.
So we hurried to a local used appliance store and got another older, standard, single-door garage model for a modest price, then began the search for a newer version that would fit into the tight space available in our kitchen.
That included some online inquiries which should have been our first clue about the extended reach of scammers who look for illicit ways into our bank accounts.
Sure enough, before too long an ad appeared on a local Internet site, complete with photographs of just the kind of used but nice French-door-styled refrigerator Jeanetta was seeking along with other nearly new appliances in the same much lower-than-low price range.
And the best part: They were only asking $300 for such a nice fridge as opposed to what would have been at least $2,500 for a new one! The excuse for selling so low was they were leaving Harrison in a few days and needed to raise as much money as quickly as possible.
Jeanetta grew excited and texted the number immediately saying we wanted to see the fridge and other appliances and were ready to buy. In other words, these people had set their hook.
She soon received a response saying the person was at work at the time but would be available the next day. Sounded reasonable enough.
So first thing the next morning, Jeanetta was back to texting saying we could be at the local address listed in the ad by 10 a.m. and that we definitely remained interested.
But uh-oh. Now the supposedly motivated seller wasn't going to be home after all because of a sudden development. But if we were interested we could provide an $80 deposit over the phone to hold it since others also were interested.
Give money for nothing to strangers over the phone? What could possibly go wrong? At this point Jeanetta smelled a scam and told the seller we were prepared right then to come, look and likely buy it if they really wanted to sell it. No response.
She persisted, asking when the person would either be there, or if they could have someone meet us at the local address.
The seller offered another excuse why that wasn't possible but added they "would be at the home throughout the next day." At that point Jeanetta flatly accused them of being scammers, and all further response from the "seller" ended.
Just out of curiosity (and to confirm suspicions) the next day we drove across town to the address listed with the various appliance photos and prices. The scammer clearly had done their homework and even knew the home was located not far from the college.
She pulled in the driveway and walked to the front door. A pleasant looking older woman answered. I watched as they animatedly conversed for five minutes.
Back in the car, Jeanetta said the lady had no idea the scammer had used her address as part of the ruse and no, she wasn't moving from Harrison.
'I also should have known when the supposed seller's texts didn't sound like normal spoken English," Jeanetta said. "But the deal was just too good not to pursue it, at least until the truth became obvious."
So, valued readers, if you've been doing any Internet shopping of late, be aware that even those in foreign countries can access your inquiries and plot illicit ways into your wallets by having you send them money for nothing.
We weren't about the fall for the "send me a deposit" to hold the refrigerator. But, like Jeanetta said, I admit the temptation was there, considering our immediate need.
The truth is there is an abundance of scummy, evil folks out there who would much rather lounge in their pajamas with their computer all day to lie and steal from the trusting than actually get a job and earn a legitimate income.
And most of us may realize we can still get caught up in the moment, especially if something we need initially is made to appear legitimate on the surface.
These thieves, who I believe were operating in another country, were sophisticated enough to use a local address and photographs in an Ozarks community of 13,000 to try and pull off their scam.
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at [email protected].