How many of us old codgers are living in daily fear of being hacked? How do you know if an email, letter, telephone call is a threat or scam, or not.
We are advised to be alert, on our guard, so much so that whenever I pick up the phone and a voice asks to speak to me, I immediately respond with “Who are you?”, never giving my name nor who I am. If I am not happy with the response, I hang up. That may be the best way for me but recently I fell foul of my actions.
One morning the phone rang and a lady’s voice told me that she was from the Fraud Security department of ‘my Bank’ and could she speak to Mr Davies regarding a payment of ‘£x’ made on ‘y’ date. I became very suspicious and hung up. She rang four times that day.
A few days later, I found that my account had been blocked. I rang the bank and asked why my account had been blocked. I was told by a lady that the Fraud Security team had been trying to contact me and had blocked the account. The reason for their action related to an amount of money I had paid to a company on a certain date. I realised that it was the annual payment I had made to my laptop security company. Not a great amount. When I told her where the company was based, the response was “Ah, that explains it. I’ll arrange for your account to be unblocked.”
It’s good to know that every effort is being made to protect our financial assets.
The poem that follows is a light-hearted account of the day I was sure my laptop had been hacked.
IN FOR REPAIR
My laptop has had to go in for repair,
I don’t think it’s due to fair wear and tear.
Someone has hacked in with evil intent,
If caught, to prison they should be sent.
The Boiler’s lost pressure, I’ll do an inspection,
Is there a leak or it just needs attention?
I’m advised to seek YouTube for guidance and care,
But my laptop has gone in for urgent repair.
I sent an email before the ‘hack’ took place,
Hoping for a prompt reply, back in haste.
It may have been sent and lies in the air,
Because my laptop has gone in for urgent repair.
My phone is the lifeline in this situation,
This miniature laptop is carried by almost the nation.
I’ll keep it charged up as a handy spare,
As my laptop has gone in for urgent repair.
‘When will my books come?’ asks my patient dear wife,
With no books to read, she’s heading for strife.
“My phone has no messages” I tenderly declare,
My laptop, dear, has gone in for urgent repair.
My desk now looks quite empty and bare
As at the empty socket I ponder and stare.
When I collect my machine and ease my despair.
What will be the cost of my Acer gone in for repair?
The expert explained that no hacking occurred,
“I’ve found the problem”, the guy smiled and purred.
“Your Hard Drive was failing, no evil affair,
Bring in your laptop if you ever need another repair”.
Copyright 2025 Neil Davies
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Stay safe,
Neil.