Frustrating a Scammer
By Rafiq Ebrahim
Ron was a fiery scammer in his young days. He would not let his victims escape from his clutches easily. He enjoyed doing his work with a zeal and his gang was proud of him, but as age took its toll, he slowed down. He was now given only one or two potential victims to deal with. Even if he failed to catch his fish, the Chief Executive of the gang respected him because he was the oldest member and had worked hard in the past.
Ron lit a cigarette and was relaxing on an easy chair when a phone number flashed on his laptop with a note that this would-be victim lived in a luxury apartment
The would-be victim was Brian, a retired sales executive, who had amassed money and lived alone, enjoying his retirement. He was not willing to share his life or wealth with anybody. That’s why he did not marry, nor gave even a little slice of his wealth to anyone unnecessarily.
Presently, he was enjoying his meal. ‘Enjoy your food. Go deep into every delectable piece. Concentrate on the taste’ was his motto. And if someone disturbed him during mealtime, he gave him or her a nasty look. So, it was natural for him to fret with anger when the phone rang. He ignored it. It rang again. He picked it up and heard the caller telling him that he was in deep trouble.
He always hated trouble. It rattled his interior; made him feel as if he was a fly about to be crushed under a heavy foot.
‘What sort of trouble?’ He asked, his mouth full of a big chicken piece.
“Your tax returns are under scrutiny…”
“Look here,” he said. “I am enjoying my meal, and before any morsel sticks in my throat, just hold on for a few minutes. Let me finish my meal.”
Ron, the old scammer held the line.
In the meanwhile, Brian charged his brain with a spoonful of delicious caramel Custard.
After three minutes Brian picked up the phone and said, “Yes, I enjoyed my meal. Now what were you saying.”
“You owe IRS six thousand dollars… “
“Just a minute. Let me go, search for my file. Give me a few minutes.”
Brian kept Ron on hold for seven minutes.
“Yes, I got it. What should I do?”
“Pay it right now….”
“Wait,” Brian said. “Let me check the balance in my account. Keep holding.”
Ron had a tough nerve, but little patience, but he remained on the line for around ten minutes.
“What if I don’t pay right now?”
“There is a warrant of arrest waiting for you…” Ron continued, exhaling a ring of smoke.
“That’s bad. Oh, just hold on. There is someone at the door. Let me open and see who is there.”
Seven minutes later, Brian picked the phone. Ron was still there now coughing.
‘Listen,” he said, but could not finish, as he got a bout of coughing, productive one, for Brian could hear him spitting the phlegm.
“Take care,” Brian said. “Make a paste of honey and turmeric and keep taking it.”
“Damn that mixture. Tell me are you making a payment right now.”
“Oh, give me a minute. Let me go look in my treasury.”
Ron again burst into a feat of coughing. Perhaps, he had flu or maybe Covid. If so, was it possible to get the germs through telephone line? Oh, what a silly thought, Brian said to himself.
Brian took the phone after nine minutes. Ron was still there.
“Bad news. I have only twenty dollars, but I can borrow the amount. Just remain on the line. I have got to go to the bathroom. It is urgent – number two.”
Brian waited for around fifteen minutes before he picked up the phone.
The line had gone dead, because Ron was exhausted, and his cigarette had fallen from his lips on his trousers on its way to his inner thigh. - rafiq.ebrahim@gmail.com
