Joe Gandelman, my brother Larry, my sister-in-law of another brother, my cousin Pete Ellsworth and longtime friend Steve Casey all called me this morning asking what the hell was I doing in Scotland and asking for $1,500 to get home.
Well, sports fans, I got hacked. For those of you on my email address book who got the strange email written by some foreigner not versed in English grammar, sorry. For those of you not in my email address book but who still received the request for dough, forgetaboutit. Wasn’t me.
Just for Internet security purposes, don’t reply, and report it as scam.
It was a #@%&# scam and a stupid one at that. For those who know me, I don’t travel well: I am confined to a wheelchair, and live on Social Security. Although it was flattering to be invited to talk at a seminar, the sponsors would have had to pay first class air fare and pay all my expenses. I don’t come cheap, folks.
How anyone could fall for that scam beats the living tar out of my sense of reasonableness.
One thing for certain, the hackers did not squeeze any personal detail from my email account other than my address book. I log no bank account numbers or passwords in my computer storage tank.
What the hackers did succeed in doing was to make my life miserable for the next week. They struck someone about as adept at navigating computers as my late dead dog was at learning algebra.
I have managed to open a new email account with a new address and a password that would stump an MIT graduate.
My Google blogsite The Remmers Report also is in temporary hiatus since it had the same address and password as my hacked old email account. No, I can’t explain it.
I will keep trying to get my computer life back together but probably will be stumped until my son rescues me. He’s out of town until Monday. Terrific.
Meanwhile, Tyrone Steels, TMV’s fixit man, for security reasons gave me a new password to access, edit, and write my posts directly on this website.
My new email is listed at the end of this post as usual.
For you hackers out there, may you rot in hell.
Cross-posted on The Remmers Report.
Comments are welcome and automatically go to my email address at [email protected]. Remmers’ varied career spans 26 years in the newspaper business.
Jerry Remmers worked 26 years in the newspaper business. His last 23 years was with the Evening Tribune in San Diego where assignments included reporter, assistant city editor, county and politics editor.