A Little Unhinged

The $3,500 Scam and The Unhinged Listener

Brittney Season 1 Episode 9

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0:00 | 34:07

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In this quick episode, I am telling Amber and our listeners about the scam I was almost involved in and the listener write in that we think is a little unhinged! 

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SPEAKER_01

So hey y'all. Good morning, good evening, good night, whatever time it is. But y'all are listening to this. Um, welcome back to a little unhinged podcast. So today's episode is a little bit different. Um we had a special guest for y'all, but she doesn't live here, so um. She we she decided we decided not to um have her today because of the weather. Um we didn't want her driving, which of course now it's not terrible, but we didn't excuse me, we didn't want her driving back in the weather. So unfortunately, y'all just stuck with us. Here's Miss Just me. My special this is my special friend.

SPEAKER_00

And of course of course Rumi has no no nothing, didn't know anything about the weather, I don't guess. Because I was after the case, I was like, um, what time are we gonna do this? I don't pay to be giving whoops. Well, y'all know who it is anyway, but uh driving back when you know in the storm because I was like, oh yeah, I'm just counting down, waiting to see if we're gonna lose power.

SPEAKER_01

I uh no, I I mean I knew the weather was gonna get bad, but um I didn't know like I didn't know it was supposed to get like that bad. Like I didn't know it was getting gonna get that bad. I'm like down to 16 or something tonight. Yeah, I knew that yeah, I knew I know it was gonna get cold. I'm trying to I know some of y'all last week were um my little kid earphones here. Um I actually have had these forever because my head is actually my head is small, the only thing small on my body. And I actually learned that last week that they the ears light up and I can't get them to light up. I was gonna light them up for y'all. But anyway, um so we're gonna do a little funny episode for y'all today. Amber does not even know about this. Um I keep forgetting to tell her, so this is a surprise to her. But so last uh last week or maybe two weeks ago, um I almost got scammed. It's all right, it's all right here. No, I'm not surprised. I'm gonna pull it out and show it to you. Oh, I was I was so oh, I was so excited about this. You said you see it looks legit. Don't pull it out yet. Wait till I tell you the story. Then I'm gonna pull it out. So do you not remember last week or two weeks ago, maybe I can't we were we were having a conversation about something. We were texting. And I sent you a message and I unsent it.

unknown

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I meant to send it to Chris. And this is what it was. And then I unscent it because I was so excited, I was like, no, I'm not gonna tell her yet. I'm not gonna tell her. That's not how I unscended. Well, it's all a bunch of bulls. So he had to tell you it was a scam? Yes, and I almost did I almost didn't tell him. Okay, okay, I I'm getting to follow him short.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Like$3,500 scam, Amber.

SPEAKER_00

If something looks too good to be true, then exactly.

SPEAKER_01

I know, okay. So let me let me just let me let me just start. That's why I had to that's why I had to type all this out because I get ahead of myself and then I'm like, okay, explain to the people what happened. So um and I actually meant to do a podcast. I wonder if it's gonna tell y'all, I just haven't gotten there yet. But uh Google News had an um a thing one day about like extra, I can't remember if it was like maybe seven extra ways to make money. And I'm always like, I need to do something to earn some extra income, you know. So I was looking at them all in all the different ways, and one of the ways was become a secret shopper. And I was like, Oh, I can do that. I can, you know, I have a new shop. Mm-hmm. So it had this website, and this was on Google, I mean, this was on like, you know, um this was on like Google News. Yeah, Google News. So I mean, I thought it would be legit. So I go to the website, um, and you sign and you sign up or whatever and then they send you, um, I should be following this little script here, but anyway. I'm gonna I'm gonna get back to the script. But they send you a confirmation email that um you know you successfully applied and like they will let you know if you if you've been selected. So it's not like anybody can just do it. So let me let me go back to the script, because this little script is is is what makes it better. Anyway. So I applied for it. The next thing I know, I'm getting this in the mail with instructions to go buy all these Sephora gift cards with a check base in it. And the whole time I'm like, okay. It's kinda weird, but$3,500 feels pretty good. And I I've got to keep$600 of it for like my gas, and the rest was mine. And then once I completed the task, I got a commission instantly. But I'm like thinking, okay, you know, so today I'm telling y'all the story of how this happened, and I'm asking a very important question, okay, listeners? Was I unhinged or are these scammers just really good? Because any job that's gonna pay you$3,500 immediately and ask you to go buy gift card, you should probably pause, okay? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Too good to be true.

SPEAKER_01

And it took a while, so I applied for it, got the email, and I forgot about it because it was so long after.

SPEAKER_00

And now your email's gonna be blowing up with all kind of like well, they never emailed me like anything else about companies.

SPEAKER_01

So it was like a month later, and I thought it was legit. And so you don't know if you get it till you receive that in the check. Yeah, so then I start looking. Look, so for for our listeners and our viewers, the uh the address on here, it only says like USA or something.

SPEAKER_00

Well, it well, on their little label, priority is spelled wrong.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, there's all kinds of stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's why I was like giggling this address.

SPEAKER_01

And then the return address, uh what does it say? US USA Mohave, California. Or however you say that Oh, but look, it says it says all it says from is USA packaging company. Yeah, but anyway. So you get the instructions, you get a thirty-five hundred dollar check. Oh that's a technical. Okay. A little bit static. I don't know why that static came up. But yeah. You buy the gift cards, you send them the codes and the receipts, so they get to go spend all the money, sell them or whatever, they cancel the check. The check bounces and then you owe the money.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah. Well the um the business name that they sent it from and the address is uh legit, but yeah, I still wouldn't.

SPEAKER_01

Well so so yeah, so hold on. So then Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so what you said the business name was legit? Yeah, an address or whatever on the right there.

SPEAKER_01

On the thing, yeah. On the package. Well, you know what I did. You know, as soon as I as soon as I get it, I'm like I I'm glad that I didn't go do uh because I almost did it without telling Chris. I was like, oh I'm so excited, he's gonna be so like I've got to extra earn money. Like I kept it, I mean I kept it for like two days. And then I told Atley, and I was like, Atley, you can go with me and do this. I was like, she'll be so excited to come to come with me and do this. And I was like, I better tell Chris, and I was like, Chris, he was I think him and Atley were in town. And um I was like, I I I can't wait to tell you. I thought I found a way to earn us some extra money, and he was like, What? And I sent him a picture of a check and he was like gang, where'd you get that? I was like, I'll tell you about it when we get home. He was like look, I know you think you're gonna think I'm trying to like rain on your parade or be negative and all that, so of course you know as soon as what did I do? I I I consulted with Bob. Huh? Um Bob is my um Bob is my snap uh GPT. That's I call him Bob. And I mean Bob busts out all this stuff, and he points out all this stuff. He's like, first of all, uh the how they say deer esteem secret shopper, like he said, I can't remember what he said about that, but he said that a lot of overseas scammers use that, and then he said the uh you he's Union Bank. He he was like, so and so bought out Union Bank in 2000 and something, they don't use that anymore. And then he said the uh the remitter order bridge after that name? Yeah, he he said something about that. He oh, he pointed out all kinds of stuff on here and he was like, No, don't ever I recorded them and then he told me he said you should report the to the better business bureau or the credit girl. I went on the BBB and reported 'em. I uploaded the picture and everything to it. Well good. I sure did.

SPEAKER_00

I was so mad. It's so it's uh so much like this fraud and scam and stuff like out there is terrible.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just sure glad that I that you didn't like go ahead and I didn't deposit this check because I would have bought all those gift cards and then I'd have been owing names all over the game. I don't know, I don't have that to owe for the bank. Mm. Good gracious. Oh, oh, so then okay, so then what I did is um I called this number. I said, let me call this number. The number Oh, sorry. Oh, I don't want to touch it. Sorry. There's a label problem in this attic. The address over there, the the upstairs. I called that number. I said, well let me call this number. And so when you dial it, it says uh Arkansas, something Arkansas. Like it's an Arkansas number. But I don't have my phone. I was gonna I was gonna I was get you here, get your phone. But look the let me show you what it does. It doesn't, it's not, it makes it look that's what Bob said too when I sent I sent Bob K a picture of the letter and just by looking at that number, he said, Yeah, it's an Arkansas number, but it doesn't pick up. Yeah, oh sorry, put it on speaker. I'm gonna show y'all what it does.

SPEAKER_00

That's all it does. So that's like all these uh are voice things and they're just trying to get you to say certain things like your name and yes and whatever, you know, and then use your voice stuff.

SPEAKER_01

Because it's like if you say yes, it's like you're consenting to it. That's what Chris says. It's like if uh uh if they call you, you hang up. Yeah. But yeah, that's that's what I sent you. That's what I sent you that day.

SPEAKER_00

And then I erased. I mean, and the check, like if you don't pay attention to the name and stuff like that. It looks legit.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's a cat. I was because I told Chris, I was like, it's a catchier's check. He was like, baby. Uh-uh. Uh I know, I know. So it has all the little things on the back. Little watermarks and all that. Uh oh. Yeah, crazy crazy. I know. So, yeah, y'all um beware.

SPEAKER_00

Um we did get an alert, like a notification from our sheriff's department, I think. It's been like within the past couple weeks, um, to alert the community that um spam calls or whatever have been high um lately or whatever. They'll call like our little well, not necessarily elderly, but a lot of times uh they'll still like have landlines and stuff, you know, whatever they'll call and act like they're um somebody from the sheriff's department and they need to send money to a certain you remember they have a screen last year. Yes, yep, sure, yeah. So I don't know which kind of scamming is going on, but that's about that it had been, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That's like all that that's like all that calls me. Mm-hmm. And what they're like what they do, they're calling from local numbers. Right.

SPEAKER_00

It'll be like Batesville, Hernando, or no pay attention, like what you do on your your phone, like if I looked at something like uh a business maybe that was in Bruce, Mississippi, like within the hour, like there's a Bruce number calling.

SPEAKER_01

You know, yeah, they'll like, you know, see them what you're where you know location or whatever and it'll be um calling from if these people put that that much effort into actually getting a job as they do doing that, they make good money. Yeah, it's crazy. Yep. Yeah, they know how to do all that kind of stuff. But speaking of granny, gosh.

SPEAKER_00

Yesterday morning mama was one and two o'clock. That's when my story is on, and like don't you know, don't call you know. Did they really? Yeah. And then you think like which my granddaddies did get up early, like right, which which Hubble Frog would go to bed with the sun, like before the sun. He went to bed early, so he might be up at 3 30 in the morning, you know. So right. They did get up early. I was like, this must be a new generation of old people because they're not getting up, like some of them like 9, 9 30, you know, whatever. Yeah. And you know, it was just a whole lot of things. Especially if you did 8 10 today and in the rural areas, I'm just like, well, you gotta let me calm and I can get there. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to turn all these scales, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Get my clothes on and get done. That's right. That's right. Well, um, what was I gonna ask you? Oh, oh, whoa, I know I was gonna yeah, like you said, I was gonna say, warning to listeners. Um secret shopper secret shopper jobs sending large checks are not legit.

SPEAKER_00

I told you to go do Spark or whatever it was you're looking to that. Sparking.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I never I well I don't know what's wrong with my TikTok algorithms because I I never could find Did you just Google it like Walmart Sparking? Yeah, I think I did, and I don't rem I don't remember. Yeah, I need to I need to look back into it. But when I was looking on TikTok, like because I wanted to see what they were I couldn't find like really good understanding of it. I need to go back and look into it. But um oh if yeah, if they're if they are if oh if they were a big big red flag that I should have noticed from the get-go, if they're requesting uh for you to send the gift card codes, it ain't legit. Oh, if and if you gotta keep it a secret, it ain't legit.

SPEAKER_00

And a lot of them you have to like they want uh you to deposit, oh my god, the people that have done this, I'm like, oh my word. What you to deposit a certain amount of money into their bank account and like they send the bank account uh information and then these people go and deposit you know their money thinking that they're gonna get such and such payback, and I'm like, oh my gosh, yeah, and it's so many, um, but it's a lot of like elderly people that either get a call about it or like get catfished or whatever, like on Facebook or something, and get you know, messages and messenger, like yeah, you know, somebody talking to them nice and giving them some attention, and then they're like, Oh, please send me such and such, and then we'll yep, yeah. So I do know some ladies who have done that, and I'm like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, you know, um a friend of mine was was telling me her grandma was in the nursing home and she she's on Facebook, she has Facebook, and she was telling me about you know everything, like you know, everything on Facebook she sees she thinks it's real.

SPEAKER_00

And and then like you know, I can imagine with the AI stuff now that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, and yes, and she she had to tell her like look everything on Facebook is not real, and then she was having people like message her and and stuff like that. And I can't look that we like can you imagine Granny having Facebook?

SPEAKER_00

Oh well, like two of the ladies that live like in the little elderly apartments in town, like wherever her mother is like two of them like fell for it and like did it.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah, so it's and that's terrible. People just uh own old vulnerable people my biggest.

SPEAKER_00

And they're not getting it back, like gone.

SPEAKER_01

I'm like, oh uh. Well, um change of gears, but um I'm Amber's date this Saturday for junior auxiliary. Um charity ball. What did I say? Junior Auxiliary Cherry Ball. I mean y'all know I'm I am I am unhinged, hence the name of the podcast. Um we gotta find you what some shoes. I got 'em. I did get them.

SPEAKER_00

Fountain you found some shoes. I did. That's what I did earlier. Uh um gunner, gunner about died. No, I I looked at Raw Centre, so I was like, let's try and change the max because I've gone there the other day, but I was not looking for shoes, looking at shoes, whatever. Anyway, I was over there trying some heels on, and I found some that were like really cute, and they were um sparkly, whatever. And they're little Jessica Simpson heels. Well, they were like stilettos, and my daughter's like, I really like those. Well, I was like, your mama's gotta be able to walk and not break something, and then I gotta be able to stand in them for a while. So I tried on like three or four different pairs, and he'd be like, mm-hmm I don't know about those, and then kind of he went on about his business. Well, found something I like. They're actually they're smaller than my size, but they're still like a little big, but uh my dress is long, so I was like, nobody'll notice that. But like I kept them um and walked her finished walking around the store with them owning can't see my bottom, so I have the black leggings and just this, you know, like today, yeah, half snap um little Columbia hoodie, and then I'll walk, finish, walk around 2J Max doing our shopping with these heels on, and gonna was like, wait, what are you doing? So wait, walking them and they're gonna be a little comfortable because you know so like you took wait time out. So so you took your tiny shoes off and you walked off you walk all around the store and their shoes to be like we're gonna sign up to serve like work from the bar. Um I have a time for the day. Anyway, from like I think it's 5 30 to 8 30. And um, so it's 5 30 to 9. Anyway, okay, um, stand, yeah. And serve for that long, you know, and so I'm like, I have to, which I can change, you know, staying barefooted. But I was like, I guess like with your throat or weight or whatever you're carrying in that purse, like you're gonna be hunch back. Oh, I know. Oh, there's no doubt. I know. But I got to have all the things. You can leave some stuff in the car or your desk or the house or something. That's a lot, that's a lot of things. Maybe in your car isn't it?

SPEAKER_01

This is not any bigger than my regular purse, really. Well, maybe a little, but I'm so excited. I got that.

unknown

That's cute.

SPEAKER_01

I got um I got some good stuff. Everything I everything I got at Westgate was on s was half off the other day too. I mean I got some good stuff at Westgate. I'm gonna go back and get because I I need a I need a little pawn. I need a par I need a little like a clutch or something to take Saturday. And they had one in there that was it's been on clearance forever and it was it was marked down a good bit. Um and it's kind of silver sparkly. I may go back and get it because my other my uh my little you know my small strap you can sleep, I mean it doesn't match my dress, so you know I got to I mean I got to have something.

SPEAKER_00

Oh I know. Um, so I'm gonna go run back in there and get that. Yeah, you about me to roll in suitcase.

SPEAKER_01

I know, I really do. Shoot. Um what uh who do y'all play tomorrow and Thursday?

SPEAKER_00

So when you said that, I didn't say any differently because um I had to schedule. I know some of the but well one of them was added, but uh and this is kind of what he said, I don't think we've recorded since then. No, we have not. Um last week was a little crazy for me, um, because uh Monday Monday's game, Mike Gunner like struck a couple people out, and then like his pitch was kind of wild and I was like, hmm. So um coach Paul Timeout went out there. He ended up pulling him from pitching and putting him in um right field. He texted me after the game, and then um Gunnar had to go see the athletic trainer the next day, and the he got him in with the orthopedic doctor the next day. So he can't and they had to put him on steroids. Um they did X-rays and all. They were worried that his UCL had stretched or you know, that it was UCL injury, but there was no fracture. It's like if you stretch this enough, like it can pull, it's attached to this little bone on your elbow, and it's this con in pitchers for that to get uh fractured. So anyway, there was no fracture, but he had to be on um like steroid dose pack, and so I think that kind of wiped out his immune system, and then had a little friend packing and whatnot um at school, and then he ended up with the flu on Friday. But um, anyway, so he which the orthopedic did say that he could pay play like Thursdays, maybe just so he's not throw you know, throwing that much and that hard, that far, you know, whatever, but you know, they have a first baseman that's pretty regular. So I don't know what um I don't think that he'll I probably don't think like I don't think he'll get to play tomorrow because unless Dr. Kim looks at him and then talk to you'll have a wedding. Um but we have a home game tomorrow. Um Oxford comes here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

We play Oxford more here.

SPEAKER_00

Wednesday he follows up with orthopedic. And then at like 8 20, I think. And then Thursday, I think Grenada comes here. See, we play Grenada up at Grenada.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, all these away games. Um but he said that it's um once I told him about like what steroids would do to you and you know, as far as like your immune system and things like that. And he got sick, he was like, I'm not taking any more of that. He felt horrible. Which he um he had taken them, you know, for whatever that was Tuesday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, the three days, and then he got sick, but anyway, it was feeling better. He was on that go and that before it all. But anyway, um and he I knew that it was gonna come up, so I went ahead and asked the doctor when we were there. I was like, what about golf? Oh yeah. And um, but anyway, anyway, he spent his whole you know spring break sick, so he didn't get to golf anyway, but he did get good Friday. It was so pretty and nice Friday. He was excited about that, and it didn't it didn't bother excuse me, it didn't bother him. At fun, she had a good time Friday.

SPEAKER_01

She she they she she did pretty good Friday. She they both they both did they both did good. It was it was it was nice Friday. It was a nice little time and it was pretty. Thank goodness. And now it's supposed to go.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we had a lot of rain last week. Um yeah, and well in storms, whatever. Yeah, first spring break. I I I I dare to you lose power tonight. I know. Because just and since everybody, like I know y'all will be listening to this later if you're local and listen, but um we're supposed to get uh rain and then like maybe up to two inch um size hail and up to 70 mile an hour winds. So, and then the temperature there's like a cold front coming with it, and so we've been like 70 something for the past two or three days, and like I think the low is supposed to get down to like 16 tonight. So welcome to Mr. C.

SPEAKER_01

After after we're look well how we're dressed like right now. I mean, I mean I I got warm earlier, you know, and I usually even when it's warmer outside, like like Friday, I was I was in legends, you know. You had like I was chilly, but I I got warm. We're dressed like this now, and tomorrow we'll be bundled up. It's crazy. Oh me. But um, we are still gonna um we are still gonna try to get our special guest um this week. So hopefully we'll be coming to y'all again. But we just had this little um scam that happened and we wanted to we wanted to to tell y'all about that. Oh, and I'm sure everybody local has already heard about it, but you know most people local know where I live. Um but out here um 51 North and Viney Creek, um across across the road that I live on, uh we had a wonderful murder, homicide a couple of weeks ago. Um, and you know it ended up being Chris does this all the time. It was a Facebook marketplace.

SPEAKER_00

So I saw I saw where the family said that they were coming to get a PS of uh the daughter and dad, like 18-year-old daughter and then whatever dad that were coming to buy PlayStation off marketplace. But like had have there been any other details like I haven't heard anything else on it.

SPEAKER_01

I haven't either. But that that's the kind of stuff that scares me because Chris does that shit all the time. Well I do too.

SPEAKER_00

I mean you know I went by myself to meet that like.

SPEAKER_01

I remember I don't remember that. I y'all got to be careful with that crap, it scares me.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, that's yeah, that's what that's what that's so they think the people had gone to uh loves before, so I heard they were gonna go back and look at that footage because there was um food packages or something in there that had loves on it. But like somebody the next day or the following day, because they think it may have happened Saturday night. I think like that Monday or morning or whatever, whoever like come upon the car called and reported it as an accident, like a one vehicle accident. I mean, and this is a very rural area, um gravel, like off the road, just that vehicle, and then they found both of them in it in there unalive.

SPEAKER_01

So that's terrible. Um literally a little too close to home for me. For me. I didn't know what was going on. I hadn't seen it, and Amber tagged me at work and I was like, what in the world? And I saw the video, I was like, oh my god, that's um, that's right there at home. Yeah. But um, anyway, so yeah, there's that. But um, have any of y'all ever been scammed? Um, I hope that y'all I hope that y'all never actually did it, but um, hey, if you have, send us your uh send us your story. And we'll tell it um on our, you know, either on our little am I uh little unhinged segment or or we'll just tell it. Um but oh we do have um we do have uh for our little am I little unhinged segment, we do actually have a little short one and I don't know about this one. I I think this one's a little unhinged. Um I'll uh I'll I'll read it and let's see what y'all think. Um, okay, so this lady says Alright, this one says fake errand. Am I a little unhinged for telling my husband that I'm running to the grocery store when I actually just drive around for 30 minutes listening to podcasts and peace? Well, I mean, you don't come home with any groceries, like that was my first thought. That was my exact first thought. Like, I mean, if you want to listen if you want to listen to a a a a damn podcast for 30 minutes, go close your door in your bedroom and say, hey, mama's doing mama's mama needs 30 minutes. Put your ear pies in and put your put your pies in and do some laundry or put your or but saying you're saying you're going to the grocery store and then you come home with nothing, w I mean, where you been? Yeah. Boo, I think that's a little unhinged.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Think so. If you can't tell your husband You need a minute. Yeah, that you need a minute, I think there's a little something a little more uh deeper going on there. Um but that's that's just me. But um Alrighty y'all, that is today's episode of A Little Unhinged. I hope y'all I hope y'all enjoyed the story today. Um if you've ever had one of those moments that you thought, hey, um this this might this might be pretty good idea, but it but it ain't. Um y'all send it in. We we want to know about y'all stories. We would love to read them. Y'all um we would love to feature listener, y'all's listener write ins, y'all's stories. Um y'all can um y'all can send them in to um the the email a little unhinged26 at gmail.com. Y'all can connect with us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, um both of the the Instagram and the TikToks is a little is a little unhinged26. Uh you can join the private Facebook group. Um and if you haven't already, please make sure to follow and subscribe to the podcast so that you don't miss new episodes. And um also if you're um if you're enjoying the show, take two seconds to to hit follow on the on the podcast. That that really helps us out. Um and it helps more people find us um also. Uh we would really appreciate that. Um but yeah, y'all uh y'all connect with us. Um we would love to reach more people and and find more people, and we would love for y'all to to send stories into us, and we will definitely read them. And I hope that y'all enjoyed today, and we um can't wait to see y'all again and stay a little unhinged, friends. We'll see you. Love y'all. Bye. See y'all next time.

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