Funny Money Friday: Make Sure You Know Who’s Calling

Money doesn’t have to be boring! Each week,
CreditBloggers.com takes a look at the lighter side of the personal finance
world in a series called Funny Money
Friday.

“Delpha Speak got what could have been the most expensive
phone call of her life,” writes Greg Grisolano in The
Joplin Globe.

This grandmother of 13, from Carthage, MO, probably wasn’t
surprised to hear a young man say, “Grandma,” when she answered the phone the
other day. When she asked which grandson, the caller said, “Guess.” So
she did, saying the name of her grandson-in-law who “frequently travels for
business reasons, so she didn’t think it implausible that the caller said he
was in Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada.” He said he’d been in a car wreck, was in
real trouble, and needed $5,000 to get out of jail.

“Speak said the caller urged her to wire the money via
MoneyGram at Wal-Mart, and begged her not to call her granddaughter. ‘By now he
was crying almost,’ she said. ‘He said, ‘Don’t tell anyone, because I didn’t
tell anyone I was coming here.’”

Fortunately, Delpha Speak called the police station to find
out what was going on – it was “The Grandparents’ Scam! The caller had no idea
what her grandsons’ names were – she volunteered one and he went with it.

My six grandsons are still young, but it won’t be long
before a call like that could pull at my heartstrings. Thanks to Delpha, I won’t
fall for it. I’ll say something like, “I’m no good at guessing games. You tell
me!” I promise not to take it personally when the caller hangs up.

Share Delpha’s story with your loved ones, so it won’t happen
to them. With times getting tougher, now’s a very good time to be
talking about phone scams. For more tips, see the FTC’s “Who’s
Calling? Recognize and Report Phone Fraud.” While you’re at it, if you’re not already
signed up to avoid telemarketing calls, register with the “National
Do Not Call Registry,” and get your friends and family to do likewise. While the Registry doesn’t
block scam calls lilke the one Delpha got, it will stop many of the nuisance calls that interrupt dinners and showers.

Where’s the Funny Part?
In case you’re wondering, ever since I read about Delpha
Speak, I can’t stop thinking about this joke my mother tells. Here’s how David Minkoff, author
of Oy!: The Ultimate Book of Jewish Jokes (Thomas Dunne Books, 2006),
tells it:

"Rivkah
sprang to answer the telephone.
  
"Darling, How are you? This is
Mummy."
 
"Oh Mummy," Rivkah said crying,
"I’m having a bad day. The baby won’t eat and the washing machine won’t
work. I’ve sprained my ankle and I’m hobbling around. On top of all this, the
house is a mess and I’m supposed to have the Minkys and the Rokens for dinner
tonight. I haven’t even had a chance to go shopping."

The voice on the other end said in sympathy,
"Darling, let Mummy handle it. Sit down, relax and close your eyes.
I’ll be over in half an hour. I’ll do your shopping, tidy up the house and cook
your dinner. I’ll feed the baby and I’ll call an engineer I know who’ll fix
your washing machine. Now stop crying. I’ll even call your husband David at the
office and tell him he should come home to help out for once."

"David?" said Rivkah. "Who’s
David?"

"Why, David ‘s your husband … Is this [555-123-4567]?"

"No, this is [555-126-4567]."

"Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I dialed the wrong
number."

There was a short pause, then Rivkah said,
"Does this mean you’re not coming over?"

My mother tells it better,
but don’t tell her I said so!

Nancy Castleman – Co-author of
"Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life" and founder of Good Advice Press. Nancy has spent
the last 24 years teaching people how to get out of debt, save money, and live
better on less. She writes on all these subjects for CreditBloggers.com.

Nancy Castleman