A young kid in London had undergone appendicitis operation. He lost his mother at birth and his elder brother, a college student has been looking after him during his operation because their father was out in high seas for months drilling oil. They sought help from me as a friend, whom I came to know through Facebook contact. I advised the elder son to take his young brother to National Health Scheme hospital for operation free of charges but they evaded my advice and insisted on private hospital treatment. They reported that they had shortage of cash and pleaded for help. I tried to send the cash on loan basis through their account, but the elder son does not have a credit card or bank account number to receive the cash.
Instead, they vehemently insisted on transaction without credit card or account number without details of address. Most Banks in India have been instructed to discontinue such transaction and no card account holder is willing to take the risk of transaction without account number due to increased scams. I sought details of the operation, hospital name and address, their full home address. All the personal information and details were strangely hidden from me while they hammer me with their demand to help them out.
I was emotional with the young kid as he lost his mother at birth and was deeply concerned with his well being. I thought his father was a good man and I trusted him as a friend. The boy was operated in the private hospital. The family stated that he could not be released from hospital unless the bills were paid. While the man and his son insisted on transaction without account and details of address, I do not possess any credit here in India deliberately, so I had struggled to find credit card holder desperately who could help in the cash transaction but found no one willing to transact cash without account number and other details. The son had no account to receive the money and the father could not operate his bank from high seas. I was banged by their persistence on cash transaction without account number and other details. Under this dizzy condition,I sought advice of friends from UK.
Prior to this occasion, I was literally driven to a point of craziness by a demand of a very expensive birthday gift for the kid, whom the father said was meant to replenish his emotions for the loss of his mother at birth. I deeply sympathized the cause and was willing to gift the child to make him happy. But the cash transaction became a problem even here. I thought, I should buy the gift here in India at cheaper rate and parcel it to the kid, but they refused to share their address details. I was feeling eerie about this behavior. I could not complain loudly because the man was portraying himself as attached to me emotionally, So I did not dare hurt his feelings.Incidentally, the man is a Romeo to some Juliets, which only promised a fatal future not foreseen by the silly heads dizzily in love with him.
It's a pity, I tried to help one of them, instead she fumed at me with allegation of jealousy. What an allegation to receive after being trapped into a fraud and blackmailed emotionally to help financially the needy family! A family indeed that may have not existed at all. The man pressed for thousands of dollars from this girl but she did not give him a penny though they plan to marry. The man hurled abuses at me, a mere Facebook friend who tried to help him with all my efforts but could not due to their inability to produce Bank account number and details of address.
Be really careful of these immoral insane westerners in Facebook. After this incident, I realised the value of my country and my countrymen despite all the odds. We don't abused people who try to help us in India. We remain grateful to people who sympathize our cause and try to extend help. He faked himself as a gentleman until I discovered more of his criminal character; after the fraud, he abused me and then wrote a note that he would get me arrested for my finding out about his fraud, he then abused me again to the hilt for exposing his character.In the end, he behaved as if I was the criminal and he was the victim.
I sought advice from a British friend stationed in India and a lawyer friend in UK to ascertained the case. I was advised not to sent any money as it was a scam. The lawyer stated that there was no possibility that this would be true, for one thing operations like this are rarely if ever carried out in private hospitals and for another thing no hospital can detain someone until a bill is paid, for yet another thing why would they ask in US dollars? The whole thing is a fraud and I was advised NOT to send anything. I was advised by many to file a criminal case to the British Police. I could file a case through the Indian Ministry of External Affairs via the British High Commission here in New Delhi, being a civil servant in India. I restrained myself since I want to give such a poor soul a chance to think and reform if possible. I know, that is asking too much because most criminals do not regret, repent and reform.
I was busy the last few weeks on this scam, they drove me to a point of losing my mind.I was doubtful if I would happen to refuse a genuine case, my guilt may haunt me throughout my life. While I was mentally harassed this way, I sought advice from my British Friends who showed me the way to come out of the scam. Thanks to my British friends for their advice, they saved my life, my money and my day.
Lesson to Learn: Conclusion
This event in my life woke me up to the global reality of the severe impact on individuals in countries undergoing economic recession, which has been hardly felt by us in India and particularly by me being comfortably placed in a job as a senior middle ranked civil servant, living in a VIP area of Delhi and having people at my back and call to serve me. The condition is going to be worse with climate change. On hindsight, I feel sorry for the victims who are predators now from this condition and I wish to help them, not financially but morally to make them see the insanity of a cheap game to survive and to try harder for an option to lead life more morale, more fulfilling and more sustainable. I have been advised to report for action, it's a good suggestion to safeguard interest of others.
I refrained to give punitive action in these kind of emotional scams/fraud because I feel these predators are victims of hard conditions, they are poor desperate souls which needs a larger broader policy to tackle the problem. Agreed that the perpetrators should be caught for punishment, however, that is not going to resolve the problem. Countries must think and plan for sustainability to include even these unfortunate souls who are driven to these immoral acts.
Here, in India, very huge scams occur at political and bureaucratic level through decades, no one is punished. Within the system, they scammed and raped life and career of promising people, nothing is done to rectify such serious matter that affects the entire existence of a person. Therefore, I do not wish to seek punishment for those who seek mere crumbs of bread to survive when the real exploiters, torturers and terrorists are allowed to thrive and prosper. Hence, I have decided to forgive and forget. Let those who are into this think for themselves in their own individual context and come out on their own terms and conditions to decide their future.
Ms Margaret Gangte is a compassionate person whose kindness is often taken for granted by others.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert
Source: http://newsandsociety-crimenews.blogspot.com/2012/03/beware-of-fraudulent-facebook-social.html
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