ANONYMOUS - Need your help

This is certainly a very unusual blog post for me, but something was done to me that I can not keep silent about. I was scammed, defrauded and taken for a $4,500 ride. So, besides filing a police report, I don't have a great deal of recourse to get my money back. But I do have the power of the internet, and if nothing else, if I can spare someone else from the same fate, that would be something good coming out of this.

So, I am going to publish all the relevant information I have in the hopes that somehow, one of the hackers from ANONYMOUS will come across this and be willing to put their awesome hacking skills to the use of a stranger's worthwhile cause.

If I could somehow get my $4,500 back, that would be a true Christmas miracle. If not, then just tracking them down and passing the information along to the police to aid in their efforts, would be an awesome holiday present as well. And listen, it doesn't have to be someone from ANONYMOUS, anyone who wants to take on this challenge is most welcome.

So, this is how the scam goes. They email you with a job proposition, in this case, because I am a personal assistant and do things like housekeeping, administration, etc.,  they approached me about cleaning an apartment that are moving into shortly. But first, they need to get the old furniture out and the new furniture in, so they have these local movers and you must pay them on their behalf, be the local "go to" person. So, they mailed me a bank draft, looked totally legit, and I deposited it. Yes, in retrospect, I should have waited for 5 business days to make sure it cleared, but being that I am honest, I tend to think like that and forwarded $4,000 of it to "the movers". There were phone calls and everything looked legit. So I e-transferred it, and yes, 2 days later, I get a phone call from my bank telling me that it was fraudulent and I am on the hook for the $4,500. WTF!?! I don't have that kind of money!! Of course emailed all concerned alerting them to this fact and asking that they rectify the situation, but no one is holding their breath that I will hear back from them. 

So, considering that one of the best ways these con artists have of staying in business, is that they rely on people being too embarrassed to say anything publicly for fear of ridicule or humiliation, well, I am way beyond public criticism and intend to expose these frauds. No doubt these email addresses have long since being discarded, but it's worth a try.

I have also kept all the emails, and there is probably a great deal of information from them that can be found by the right person (hacker) so if you are reading this and think you can/want to help, get in touch and I will provide you with all the emails.

So, the original email came from Ben Julius - benjulius6@gmail.com. The mover, Greg emailed from qualitymovingteam@outlook.com and the payment via e-transfer to them. This Greg also called, but it must be some kind of VOIP at 33751293922

I don't know if anything is going to come of this, but I can put it out there to the universe and let the fates decide. I am not greedy, nor do I want any punitive damages paid, I just want to return the $4,500 to my bank and put this learning experience to good use. If in the process I can help the authorities shut these people down and prevent any further hardship on anyone else, that would be the best possible outcome.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, whoever you are that happened to stumble across this unread blog. :)

On this Father's Day

I wanted to take this opportunity on this Father's Day 2015, to say a much deserved "Thank You" to my dad.

There are a wide range of reasons. Not the least of which is that he was a kind, decent human being.

Patient, kind, funny, generous and smart. He taught me lots of things, mostly through example. 

But lately I have been thankful for the fact that back in 1974-75 when we (my parents) were deciding between immigrating to the U.S. or Canada (where all else things were equal) but for Universal Healthcare, my dad decided to come to Canada. 

This is not a small deal. Overall, Canada is far more similar in attitudes and culture with Greece than the U.S. One key difference I have witnessed over the decades, immigrants in Canada often refer to themselves as "________Canadian". e.g. in my case it would be "Greek-Canadian", whereas my U.S. relatives are "American- Greeks" if they bother with the "Greek" part at all.

In Canada we refer to ourselves as a mosaic, in the U.S. they are a "melting pot".

But lately, the thing I am most grateful for, is Universal Healthcare.

We have been here now 40 years, In the first 35 or so, I hardly used the system, except for when absolutely necessary, like childbirth and such, but otherwise, always was healthy and resilient and was brought up to not abuse the system. 

But with age (and lifestyle choices) come health repercussions, and the last 5 or so have been challenging, and unfamiliar in terms of navigating the healthcare system.

The thing that I am noticing is how much I didn't have to worry about the cost of my surgeries, in hospital stays, medications, etc. As well as follow up appointments, specialists, tests, more tests, more specialists, etc. You get the picture. None of which (including a week long stay in a semi-private room) did I have to pay a cent out of pocket. When I needed strong pain medication post surgery, I didn't think or worry about how much the morphine drip cost.

So, on this Father's Day, I say a heart felt, deep "THANK YOU DAD" for choosing Canada as our home.

Capitalism is just a story

Freedom - Are you a Freedom Seeker? (Full Movie)