Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Anatomy of a Craigslist Scam (UPDATED)

The trailer exists, of course, it just doesn't belong to the person claiming to own it....

Anatomy of a Craigslist Scam

A friend of mine writes to ask me if a Casita trailer for sale on Craigslist looks like a "good deal".   It is a good deal, all right, too good to be true.   It is a scam of course, and has all the hallmarks of one.   How could I spot it so easily?  Well, it ain't hard.


1.  The Ad:   The ad may be worded oddly as the person placing it does not speak English as a native language.   Not always an indicia, but sometimes this is present.  Or, if the English is good, it is British English, not American English.

2.  The Title:  In the title there may be a lot of odd word fragments, punctuation marks (e.g., !~~~~!) which are used to defeat Craigslist's bots, which are designed to detect multiple ads with the same content in a plurality of locations.  As we shall see, the bots did can this ad, but not before my friend had a chance to contact the scammer.

3.  The Price:  The price is always too-good-to-be true, about 1/3 to 1/4 of the actual value of the item in question.  It always ranges from $1500 to $3000 as that is an affordable amount for people in the lower income brackets who are easier to scam (no one asks $10,000 for a $40,000 car, as the plebes don't have $10,000 to begin with).   Also, they sometimes use odd price numbers to avoid C/L bots.  So instead of $2200 you get $2209 or $2234.

4. The Contact:   While described as being in your area, the phone number is an area code from across the country.   Again, not always determinative, as some folks like myself have cell phones or NetTalk with out-of-state area codes.   If an e-mail is embedded in an image, forgetaboutit.  Also watch for weird e-mail addresses which are nonsense combinations of letters and numbers.  No one would choose such an e-mail address for themselves!

5.  The Story:  If you do contact them, they will start feeding you "the story" to get you to start believing in this nonsense.  There is some reason they have to sell it (death in the family, etc.) and they need a down payment from you by wire transfer or Western Union to "hold" the item.   They will put a code number on the Western Union so they can't cash it until you release the funds (Western Union has no such code numbers - putting  code in the "Memo" section does not lock the funds at all).

6.  Western Union or Debit Card:   In the end, the story winds up with some reason why you should sent them money first, and if the "Mark" has been hooked, well, he won't let such a good deal get away!  So they send off the money on Western Union  - and no camper.

 7.  The Items For Sale:  They are always things people desire, but don't want to pay for.   A Kubota tractor, a jet ski, a motorcycle (Honda CB500), a Camaro, a boat, a Camper, and so forth.  Used items that would ordinarily sell for $10,000 to $15,000 being advertised for $2000 or so.

8. Multiple Ads:  If the same ad appears in more than a dozen Craigslist sites across America, chances are, it is a scam. 

And it is a lucrative scam, too.   Once the photos are up and the ad text written, it takes only a few hours to upload to all the Craigslists in the country (and a bot can do this in minutes or seconds even).   Even if the ads are flagged by users or cancelled by bots, even if only one or two people see them, that is all they need.   If you put up 100 ads, and get a few contacts from each, and of those, a few send you money, you've netted tens of thousands of dollars, all for a few hours on a computer.   I'm in the wrong business!

Who does this?  Nigerian scammers, Ontario Canada Scammers, Russian Mafia Scammers.  Some Muslim "refugees" in Ontario apparently run some of these scams, sending your hard-earned dough to Al Qaeda or ISIS. The Nigerians just buy themselves a Rolex and Mercedes.  It is a lucrative business!
* * *

Let's apply these criteria to this particular fact situation and see how it applies.

I found the ad on Craigslist in Elmira:

2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17' - $2500 (elmira)

fuel: gas
transmission: automatic
Extremely Clean Barn Kept 2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer with enclosed wetbath. I bought it new in 2007 and was delivered in January 2008. Used it for a few times and kept it indoors all the time. The exterior looks brand new and the graphics look new as well. New battery installed in March 2015.The trailer has an empty weight of about 2,000lbs and has a tongue weight of 350lbs.Exterior Width is about 75in and the total height with AC Unit is just shy of 9ft. The trailer itself is 17ft long with about 3ft of tongue.

Installed options :

Tan/earth tone cushions,rooftop air conditioner w/ heat,propane furnace,range cover and sink cover,tv shelf,cable ready,accessory package,sway bar,fantastic roof vent,outside shower,water heater upgrade,high lift axle,25 gallon freshwater tank,fan for refrigerator,rear bed is 75.5in x 54in,side bed is 73in x 25in.

The trailer comes with clean and clear title. Due to some personal reasons it must be sold as soon as possible.




PHONE: 360-342-4957
  • do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers

* * *

First off, where the hell is area code 360?

Washington
Area code 360 is the telephone area code for western Washington state outside metropolitan Seattle. It began service on January 15, 1995. The area, which encompasses all of western Washington outside urban King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and Bainbridge Island, was previously part of area code 206.


Wow, this guy gets around.   Probably a NetTalk phone line or a compromised or stolen cell phone.

I called the number.  rings.....rings.....rings....
rings....rings....rings.... no voice mail?   "the number is not transferring"  Weird.

* * *
He sends an e-mail after our friend contacts them:

From: John Pearson
Date: November 2, 2015 at 9:02:45 PM EST
To:
Subject: Re: 2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17'
Reply-To: John Pearson
Hi,

I still have the 2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17'. The camper is in excellent condition, clean and clear title, no mechanical problems, no rust, no leaks without hidden issues. I've reduced the price to $2,500 and this is the final price. The camper is located in Schenectady, NY.

I have all pictures here: http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/pearsonj1/slideshow/

I'm not at home right now , I have two cottages near Niagara Falls, NY and the cottages management keeps me here. To sell the camper I'll need to travel back home, so please let me know if you are seriously interested in buying it.

Is an extremely clean, indoor kept 2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17' with enclosed wet bath. I bought it new in 2007 and was delivered in January 2008. Used it for a few times and kept it indoors all the time. The exterior looks brand new and the graphics look new as well. New battery installed in March 2015.The trailer has an empty weight of about 2,000lbs and has a tongue weight of 350lbs.Exterior Width is about 75in and the total height with AC Unit is just shy of 9ft. The trailer itself is 17ft long with about 3ft of tongue.

Installed options : Tan/earth tone cushions,rooftop air conditioner w/ heat,propane furnace,range cover and sink cover,tv shelf,cable ready,accessory package,sway bar,fantastic roof vent,outside shower,water heater upgrade,high lift axle,25 gallon freshwater tank,fan for refrigerator,rear bed is 75.5in x 54in,side bed is 73in x 25in.

Thanks,
John Pearson

* * * 

 "Cottages management" seems like an odd English (British) phrase.  In Upstate New York (where I was born and raised) we don't call them "Cottages" but "Camps".

Also, we see the seeds of the "story" here - that he has to drive across the State to get to the camper, and no doubt that will be the excuse he will use to ask for "good faith money" by Western Union.

In terms of contact information, in addition to the weird phone number, he has a "usa.com" address.  What the heck is that?
 
I searched online and there is a USA.COM company in New Jersey.  However, they don't offer e-mail services.   A company called mail.com does, using that domain name.  They did have this warning on their site:

USA.com Email Service Alert

@USA.com email services are not owned or provided by our company and are not affiliated with the local guide services we provide at the website www.USA.com.
Mail.com, a 1&1 United Internet company, owns and provides a free web based email service for consumers using @USA.com. To learn more about their service or sign-up for a free email service using your-name@USA.com visit Mail.com.
The email service provided by Mail.com using @USA.com is a free email service. We have received positive feedback from many users that really enjoy this personalized email offering. Please note that while most people will benefit from the service, there are some people that are prone to abuse. Mail.com has strict anti-spam and fraud policies and we work closely with law enforcement to pursue parties that abuse the service. If you have a complaint to submit against someone for abuse of an email address @USA.com, you can submit your complaint via their online form and it will be reviewed promptly.

Scam Warning!

Recently we have seen a fraudulent scam using an email address @USA.com where a party acts as the US Immigration Service and requests funds via Western Union. We have requested that Mail.com terminate several such email addresses at USA.com and we have reported the scam to the authorities. If you see such a scam please notify us and or Mail.com and also we suggest that you reach out to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center to further report this fraudulent activity.

Not enough to say it is a scam based on the e-mail address alone, but it is a good indication that it is a tossaway address being used.

I searched further and it appears that the "usa.com" e-mail addresses are used by a lot of scammers:

Email Service Alert : USA.com

www.usa.com/scam-warning.php
Recently we have seen a fraudulent scam using an email address @USA.com where a party acts as the US Immigration Service and requests funds via Western ...
CNET
Today I receipt Email from u.s.states.gov@usa.com that tell me thats i won United States Permanent Resident Card .. The weird thing that they have my full name ...
"419" Scam – sender domain usa.com: ... Support our efforts to stop scams! ... such accounts are often abused by criminals who send variants of the "419" scam.
Jul 5, 2014 - You can view a warning about those emails here - http://www.usa.com/scam-warning.php It is also being used for a immigration scam.
These services are commonly used by fraudsters to set up scams... ... arcticmail.com, arizona.usa.com, arkansas.usa.com, aroma.com, artlover.com, asia.com, ...
Feb 5, 2010 - 15 posts - ‎7 authors
This is a definite scam. The US Army would not write to you from a free email account (which is what the usa.com address is). The army and the ...
Indeed.com
Mar 30, 2013 - 7 posts - ‎4 authors
Corporate Headquarters Cargill Company USA ... I searched for SPX scam mail and didnt get anything and proceeded, now again searched for ...

Scams and Frauds | USA.gov

https://www.usa.gov/scams-and-frauds
USA.gov
Learn how to protect yourself from and respond to scams and frauds.

Identify and Report Scams and Frauds | USA.gov

www.usa.gov › ... › Identity Theft › Online Safety › Privacy
USA.gov
Charity scams - Scammers take advantage on your willingness to help people in need and charitable causes. They may collect your donation and keep it for ...
NJ.com
Mar 10, 2014 - Bamboozled: NJ man hounded by alleged 'Yellow Pages' scam from Dubai, ... It was an invoice from Yellow-Page-Online-USA.com for $1,188, 

* * *

The photos on photobucket were recently uploaded and Mr. Pearson has no other photos.  Quite odd.

Also note, for a trailer that never left Schenectady, New York, it certainly looks like it was photographed in Arizona or Texas.

The Price is at least 1/4 of retail.  From NADA guides:

2008 Casita

M-17 Spirit Deluxe

Research another travel trailer/5th wheel
Values

Values

Print
Suggested
List Price		 Low
Retail		 Average
Retail
Base Price $17,164 $4,700 $5,650
Options: (change)
7,000 BTU $225 $270
Furnace (10,000-12,000 BTU) $60 $75
Microwave/Convection Combo $160 $190
Water Heater 6 Gallon Gas/Elec. $80 $95
14" Flat Screen TV $115 $140
Awning 10' - 12' (Each) $230 $275
TOTAL PRICE: $17,164 $5,570 $6,695

Most of these trailers are offered for far more than this - NADA guides is a little low in the price department.   But even assuming those prices are valid, the seller is offering the unit for about 1/3 retail price


* * * 

Using SEARCH TEMPEST we can search ALL the Craigslists across the USA. This guy gets around!
Note the use of weird characters in the titles (~~~~ and so on) - the hall mark of the con artist!

(They do this to avoid Craigslist's bot which cancels identical ads in different cities)

There are dozens of these ads, across the country, in nearly every Craigslist site.   The wording in each case is nearly identical. 

Almost ALL of the ads have been "flagged for removal" as con-jobs.

The few that were still up have the exact same text and list the camper as being in Port Huron, Western Illinois, Texas, etc.   For a camper that was never used, it certainly moves around a lot!

There was TWO REAL ads, one in Kansas and another in Oregon, and they are asking $12,000 and $14,000 which is about what they are worth:

Kansas - Lawrence

(~954 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Oregon - Eugene

(~2423 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google


As you can see, no one is selling these things for $2500.

The rest, below are all FAKES - all copies of the same ad, with small variations:

* * *


SearchTempest is NOT affiliated with craigslist, a registered trademark of craigslist, Inc.
Want results straight from the source, with prices and preview pics?
Try Direct Results!

South Carolina - Charleston

(~148 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Florida - Orlando

(~173 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
Oct 26, 2015
orlando.craigslist.org > rvs - by dealer

Sponsored Results

Hide for a month

Georgia - Athens

(~232 mi.) Map Directions

South Carolina - Greenville / Upstate

(~270 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

North Carolina - Fayetteville

(~314 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google


Mississippi - Hattiesburg

(~466 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Virginia - Richmond

(~503 mi.) Map Directions

Mississippi - Jackson

(~523 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Louisiana - Houma

(~564 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
2008~~~ Casita ~~~Spirit Deluxe 17'~~~~~~~ - $2500

Mississippi - Hattiesburg

(~466 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Virginia - Richmond

(~503 mi.) Map Directions

Mississippi - Jackson

(~523 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Louisiana - Houma

(~564 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
2008~~~ Casita ~~~Spirit Deluxe 17'~~~~~~~ - $2000


Maryland - Annapolis

(~615 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Maryland - Baltimore

(~631 mi.) Map Directions

Missouri - Southeast Missouri

(~649 mi.) Map Directions

Pennsylvania - Cumberland Valley

(~649 mi.) Map Directions

Arkansas - Little Rock

(~681 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Pennsylvania - Harrisburg

(~686 mi.) Map Directions

Illinois - Decatur

(~741 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Illinois - Springfield

(~762 mi.) Map Directions

Pennsylvania - Erie

(~770 mi.) Map Directions

Indiana - South Bend / Michiana

(~783 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Michigan - Detroit Metro

(~785 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
Oct 18, 2015
detroit.craigslist.org > mcb > rvs - by owner

Texas - Galveston

(~808 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Missouri - Columbia / Jeff City

(~824 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Michigan - Port Huron

(~826 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

New York - Buffalo

(~830 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
Oct 17, 2015
buffalo.craigslist.org > rvs - by dealer

Illinois - Western IL

(~832 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Michigan - Flint

(~837 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google


New York - Hudson Valley

(~845 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

New York - Finger Lakes

(~847 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Connecticut - New Haven

(~852 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Missouri - Joplin

(~857 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

New York - Oneonta

(~863 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

New York - Catskills

(~877 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Missouri - Kirksville

(~890 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Wisconsin - Milwaukee

(~902 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Texas - Texoma

(~910 mi.) Map Directions

Texas - Dallas / Fort Worth

(~910 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
~2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17

Massachusetts - Worcester / Central MA

(~940 mi.) Map Directions

New York - Glens Falls

(~948 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Kansas - Lawrence

(~954 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Massachusetts - Cape Cod / Islands

(~956 mi.) Map Directions

Oklahoma - Stillwater

(~965 mi.) Map Directions

Texas - Austin

(~971 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Oklahoma - Lawton

(~1015 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
Oct 20, 2015
lawton.craigslist.org > rvs - by dealer

Iowa - Mason City

(~1057 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Kansas - Salina

(~1062 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

Texas - Laredo

(~1116 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
2008~~~ Casita~~~~ Spirit Deluxe 17'~~~~ - $2500

Utah - Logan

(~1834 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
Oct 19, 2015
logan.craigslist.org > rvs - by dealer

California - Bakersfield

(~2181 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

California - Fresno / Madera

(~2220 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google

California - San Luis Obispo

(~2274 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
2008 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17'

California - San Francisco Bay Area

(~2364 mi.) Map Directions
powered by Google
* * * 

So is this a scam?  Clearly so. Although not ALL the C/L scam indicia are present, enough of them are to raise the red flags.   The most telling is that someone would advertise a trailer for sale for 1/3 the book value - and then place the same ad in all 50 States.

We don't have to wait for the other shoe to drop.   If we respond to Mr. Pearson's e-mail, we'll get the pitch for a Western Union "deposit".

There is a real owner of this trailer out there somewhere, who will be awfully surprised to see his photos hijacked for this scam.

These are not hard to spot.  You just have to be skeptical and do a little research.

I will contact "Mr. Pearson" and see what the pitch is, and if he responds, I will update this posting.  Usually these pitchmen don't respond right away, as they want to build tension and anxiety in the "Mark" so they will be eager to send their money!

UPDATE:  I e-mailed "Mr. Pearson" and after a day he responded.   Scammers like to keep their Marks waiting, as it builds tension.  So expect three or four e-mails, all a day or two apart, before getting down to business.   Here is his reply today:

Bob ,

I'm selling it because I want to do a slight renovation on one of the cottages and I need money.

I want to use eBay to handle the transaction. I am choosing this type of service because is impossible to come back home anytime when someone wants to see the camper. If we the deal through eBay, you can inspect the camper before I am paid and i'll be sure that the buyer have the money and we agreed on a price.

As soon as the transaction through eBay is completed , we can make arrangements for pickup or for delivery and I can come back home in same day or one day after. You will have 5 days to inspect the camper before eBay pay me.

In order to start the transaction just send me your name and address.

Thanks,
John

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Device

Another posting on Craigslist explains the scam further:

17' Casita $2000.00 SCAM ALERT - $2000

2000 CASITA
fuel: hybrid
transmission: other
There is an ad for a casita for 2000.00. This is a scam. He will tell you to get paypal cash cards.

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS
  • do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers
So the pitch will be to "complete the transaction on eBay" but of course, they will ask for a PayPal cash card.  What the heck is that?   It is a pre-paid debit card, and with pre-paid debit cards there are no refunds for fraudulent transactions.   If you give the card number and PIN to a stranger, they can drain all the money from the card, end of story.

I replied to "John" that it sounds swell!  And I asked him where it is listed on eBay.   "John" is counting on people not being very sophisticated or understanding how eBay works.

Stay Tuned.....

Monday, November 2, 2015

"Hello, This is Lenny!"


Ever get frustrated with annoying telemarketer calls?   Take some time and listen how "Lenny" handles them!

On YouTube, a library of videos which play recordings of telemarketers trying to sell services (or scams) to a good-natured Australian bloke, "Lenny".

Problem is, "Lenny" doesn't exist.  He is a collection of recordings played in a row in response to pauses in the telemarketer's pitch.

Lenny confounds and confuses, but sounds totally real.  Some telemarketers talk to him for nearly a half-hour, before they figure out that he's either a recording - or senile.

If you get bored, give it a listen.   Watch for the ducks!  It is hilarious or "my third eldest, Larissa".

We're all quite proud of her.  She went to university, you know.

Conspiracy Theories Versus History

Do actual conspiracies exist?  Perhaps.  But the conspiracies that conspiracy theorists harp on do not exist.

A reader writes that conspiracies actually exist, and thus I am full of hooey for saying that believing in conspiracy theories is nonsense.

He then goes on to cite historical events as "conspiracies" of the past.  But the events he cites are not really conspiracies, but just shit that happened.

There is a big difference between conspiracy theories and historical facts.   I suppose you could argue that Hitler's "final solution" was a conspiracy.   However, it was also the official policy of the third Reich.  And while the Nazis didn't go out of their way to advertise it, people were well aware of the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany and occupied territories, if not necessarily the horrific extent of it, until the end of the war (and of course, today, conspiracy theorists argue that it all never happened, right?).

Or on a smaller scale, yes a conspiracy existed to assassinate President Lincoln.   However, the "conspiracy" was limited to one man and a couple of associates.  Sadly, they hanged the owner of the boarding house where he lived, just to be on the safe side.

Most conspiracies are like that - small groups of people conspiring together to do one thing, and then quickly doing it.  The assassination of Caesar, for example.   Long-winded and long-time conspiracies, spanning decades and involving thousands of people are simply not workable, as someone eventually would spill the beans.   And as I have noted before, our government just isn't organized well enough (or staffed) to run any major conspiracies.  If you doubt this, spend some time at your local post office.   Or think about your time in the military - and the people you worked with.   Could they really run a major conspiracy?   They can barely conspire to make a pot of coffee at 6 AM.   Be real!

Conspiracy theories differ from History in that Conspiracy Theories are just that - wild-assed theories supported by a lot of flimsy or made-up "evidence" while ignoring mountains of evidence to the contrary.  There is a pattern to these things, if you know where to look!  (Or so they claim, of course).  But actually there is a pattern, not to the conspiracies themselves, but to the conspiracy theorists and how they interpret events to fit their predisposition to see conspiracies.

For example, one thing conspiracy theorists like to harp on is "strange coincidences" such as the arrangement of letters or numbers in documents or the like, that are supposed "codes" that only those in-the-know can decipher.   This is, of course, schizophrenic thinking, much like that illustrated in the movie "A Beautiful Mind" where the protagonist goes off the deep end and starts seeing "patterns" and messages in magazine articles.  Patterns that of course, aren't there.

Some conspiracy theorists see patterns even in our currency - hidden Illuminati or Masonic symbols in the dollar bill (what is it with that creepy eye and pyramid thing?).   These are offered up as "proof" of the conspiracy, as if the conspirators left us a trail of breadcrumbs.

Frankly, that sort of shit smacks of the old Batman television series, where the Riddler or Joker would intentionally leave clues as to where he would commit his next crime.   Let's be realistic here - if you were a master criminal or conspirator, you would not leave a breadcrumb trail to your crimes or conspiracy that only those with a secret decoder ring could decode.   That's comic book shit.

A second hallmark of conspiracy theories is what I call the nitpicking defense. The conspiracy theorist will pick away at some trivial inconsistency in a story and use this as "proof" that a conspiracy is afoot - never mind that the trivial inconsistency is irrelevant to the main idea.  So, for example, there is a pagination error in the Warren Report - surely this is proof of the conspiracy!  Meanwhile, they simply ignore mountains of relevant evidence and focus on the obscure.

The third hallmark of conspiracy theorists is that they totally disregard real evidence or anything that would tend to discredit their theories.  The nitpicking thing is the "smoking gun" and the eyewitness testimony of thousands of people (and videos) mean nothing.   For example, the "9/11 Truthers" will tell you "fire can't melt steel!" and say the entire thing was a done by a missile.  The videotapes and the eyewitness testimony of thousands of people who were there and saw it happen?  Well, mass hypnosis, of course!  (Having worked in a metallurgical lab, I can tell you that fire can anneal steel to the point where it is soft and will bend.  If you have a barbecue grill in your back yard, you already know this).

A fourth hallmark is made-up evidence.  People are alleging that every recent mass-shooting is a fake put-up job, or "false flag" operation (they love the lingo, they do!) and that the same hired "actors" appear in the photos accompanying the Connecticut school shooting or the Colorado theater shooting (because, as we all know, you can get to the bottom of these things by studying photos online with a magnifying glass, Sherlock!).  But of course, these are easily shown to be faked photos and made-up evidence.  And the conspiracy theorist, if they respond at all to the debunking, will say "Well, that only proves my point - people are trying to discredit me!"  The old false-flag false-flag kerfuffle!

The fifth hallmark is that only screwballs and nutjobs believe this sort of nonsense.  Believing in conspiracy theories is a sign you are starting to lose your mind.   Pull back before it is too late!  Because believing in conspiracy theories is a one-way trip to the booby-hatch.   No, you are not going to solve the Kennedy Assassination, or prove that Aliens exist in area 57.   Nor are you going to be a "hero" to the tax denier movement by standing up in court and denying they have jurisdiction.  (Judge: "Gee, you're right!  What were we thinking?  Case dismissed!")

Ah, the hero scenario - the sixth hallmark.  And it is the same scenario that hoarders have (and conspiracy theorists are often hoarders as well).  They will be heroes and "save the day" by providing some missing component or part they have been hoarding for 20 years - or by proving that the Federal Reserve is out to wreck the economy - or whatever.   The tax denier fellow mentioned in my previous posting recalled that he felt he would be a "hero" to the tax denier movement by going to trial and showing the judge that income tax doesn't exist.   He now realizes what an idiot he was - and being a hero to a bunch of crazy people is no real bargain.

And a lot of people play the "hero" gambit - wanting to save the world, whether it is by protesting Wall Street, or by exposing Hillary's malfeasance, or whatever.   And maybe part of this is a good thing - a survival instinct as well - that has gone off the rails.   If you think about being a "hero" and "saving" people, think first about saving yourself.  Sadly, a lot of people rush off to save the world, without thinking of themselves or their family first.   It is not selfish to take care of yourself - it is a social responsibility.

Take the "Clinton Death List - which is a prime example of how conspiracy theorists work.   Some of the names on the list are people still alive, so they couldn't have been killed by the Clintons (made-up evidence). Other deaths are just listed as "suspicious" which makes it sound ominous, but no reasoning as to why it is suspicious is given.  Trivial "inconsistencies" (also often made-up) are touted as "proof" that someone's death was unnatural.  Coroner's reports and other evidence is simply disregarded.   Dead people are listed as being "linked" to the Clintons, when the links are tenuous at best - if they exist at all.  And of course, the underlying thing that is disregarded is that if you live long enough, a lot of people you know will die.   So it is not unusual that the Clintons, now in their late 60's, know a lot of dead people.  So do I.  Buwhahahaha!

I am only 55 years old, and yet my grandparents, parents, my sister, several friends from high school and college, and some co-workers and acquaintances have all died.   Clearly I must be a serial killer.  I started with Grandpa (who died of "old age" if you believe the coroner report!  These things can be faked!) and worked my way from there.  Even more damning is that when Grandpa and my parents died, I stood to inherit which of course gives me motive for the crime.  A fellow Patent Attorney I knew died of a "heart attack" (always with quotes, of course) one day at work.  A little Potassium Chloride, in an easily concealable injection could do the same thing, of course. Obviously, I had motive to murder him, as I wanted to steal away his clients!  The fact that I was in another city at the time is irrelevant.  Alibis can be bought, you know!

You see how this works.   You can create any conspiracy you want to, out of whole cloth.   And most are.

Are the people who obsess about conspiracies stupid people?  Idiots?  Morons?   No, many of them are "smart" people, like the airline pilot or the computer company owner we profiled in a previous posting.   And as illustrated in A Beautiful Mind, even brilliant mathematicians can get caught up in this nonsense (and, with much effort, walk themselves back from the brink).

Why do people do this?   Well, again, our brains are neural networks and one thing neural networks do very well is pattern recognition.   A big chunk of our brain is devoted just to facial recognition, which is a huge survival instinct.   But it is one reason we see Jesus' face in a taco, or the Virgin Mary in a wall-stain.  We are predisposed to see patterns - even if they aren't there.  (and for the record, it is not Jesus' face in the taco - it is just a random pattern that our brains "recognize" as a face).

So the pattern recognition part of the brain overheats.   A brilliant mathematician might need this to discover new mathematical relationships at a high level.   On the other hand, if misdirected, it sends him off the deep end.

You have to police your brain and keep it from racing like that, in neutral.   And everyone does it, to some extent.  You lay awake at night thinking nonsense thoughts and you can't get to sleep.   "Shut up, brain!" you say, but he keeps you awake with worries that the pilot light on the water heater might have blown out - even though you have an electric one.

Don't believe everything you think is a popular phrase, and until now, I really didn't understand what it meant.   Your brain can do a lot of amazing things.  It can also rev to redline in neutral and take out a valve or two - or break a connecting rod. 

Because when you get right down to it, obsessing about conspiracy theories is not only a pointless waste of time, it is also mentally unhealthy and a surefire path to mental illness.  There is no such thing as a mentally balanced and well-adjusted conspiracy theorist.   It is an oxymoron - they don't exist.   They are all cranks and crackpots, droning on their YouTube channels about how awful life is.   And life is awful, for them and their families, as they have to live with their mental illnesses.

And not only is it a surefire one-way trip to personal misery, but financial as well.   Mentally ill people do not live as long as the general population, and are at far higher risk for becoming homeless and destitute.

Stop believing in silly nonsense and walk back to reality.   It is an essential first step to take to financial freedom.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Shhhhh! You Can't Say That in College!

College, once the bastion of free thought is now the bastion of Political Correctness and "Trigger Words".

Recently, a reader wrote to compliment me on a blog entry.   That's nice.  I read her signature line which listed her as a professor at a major university.   She said she would share my blog with some folks "who might be receptive" to the ideas.

In college?   Oh, you can't do that.  And literally, she might lose her job for recommending my blog to anyone, as it has not been screened for "trigger words" and moreover presents some pretty harsh realities and truths about self-actualization and personal responsibility.

In other words, things they don't teach in college, at least these days, maybe never.

And sadly, college, which used to be a place where ideas could be freely bandied about and discussed, is more and more becoming a repressive place, at least according to some folks, where some ideas are shunned - as well as the people expressing them.   And even just saying things can get you tossed out of class - or even school.

UPDATE:  It appears that the only ideas allowed to be expressed in college these days are extreme ones, whether it is shaming the cafeteria for "cultural appropriation" or having a neo-Nazi speak on campus, only the far-left and far-right may speak.  The rest of you, STFU!  Right?  Wrong.

All of this started back when I was in college.   I remember back in 1985, a classmate of mine explaining how "Political Correctness" worked, or "PC" as he called it.   We had to use certain names when talking about certain ethnic or socioeconomic classes, he said.   I felt it was kind of bizarre.   Not that I am prone to throwing around ethnic slurs, but to be constantly corrected for "Political Correctness" seemed to me to be a step in the wrong direction.   Trying to control thought would surely backfire.

Not only that, but the term smacked of the sort of things the Soviets would do - send a "political" officer around to make sure no one was speaking against the State.  And yet the term "PC" was being bandied about not by its opponents but by its proponents.

It was about this time the whole "African-American" thing started.   Black folks, we were told, would finally throw off years of oppression and discrimination if only we called them by a different name.   Because, everyone knows, us white folks are always called Scotch-Irish-English-French-Swiss-Americans (as I am) which recognizes our heritage.    No, that is not true.  We are called Caucasians or white and the only people legally allowed to ask for some reason, is the Federal Government.

Fast-forward 30 years and has the use of "African-American" really accomplished much?   Is this what got Barack Obama elected President?   Maybe so.   Maybe not.   I am not sure.  But in the 30 years since "PC" became popular, a lot has changed on college campuses.   And some of it, perhaps was a refreshing breath of air.  But a lot more of it, it seems, if not just silly, is somewhat totalitarian.

If you are not up on the "Trigger Words" debate, I'll fill you in.  It seems that some people in college are already positing themselves as victims of trauma.   And to prevent re-living that trauma, the rest of us have to walk on eggs around them and not say certain things or talk about certain topics, lest they have a flashback to their trauma.   And these folks are literally censoring course materials and censuring professors for saying the wrong things or stepping on these political landmines.

Of course, this is classic passive-aggressive behavior, as is most of the PC nonsense.   My late Mother used to play this game.   She was "sensitive" of course, and if you said certain things or words, she would "go off" on a drunken tirade and it was your fault for not walking on eggs around her.   One of her trigger words was "Canada" because my Father's mistress was from Canada, and if you even implied that the US did not have a Northern Coastline, she would "go off" on Canada, Canadians, and particularly their women, who are just sluts waiting to entrap unwary Americans (It's true, Mother never lied about anything!).

I finally realized that it was a stupid passive-aggressive game she was playing - trying to control people by making them walk on eggs around her, being scared and paranoid that anything they might say wrong might "set her off" like a roadside IED.   I went right in her face and said, "Canada, Canada, Canada, Nyah! Nyah!" and left.   To hell with her and that passive-aggressive shit.

And the same should be true of the PC Police and their trigger words.   But sadly, at many colleges today, such as Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Smith, Oberlin, UC Santa Barbara, etc., the PC Police run the campus, or so it seems - and we are treated to stories in the press about how some students want "trigger warnings" placed on classic literature, because it discusses icky things like murder, rape, and war.  In some schools, such as UC Santa Barbara, professors have to screen all of their material and then warn students of icky stuff coming up and allow them to skip class so they don't have to learn icky things.   So, for example, if you are studying the Peloponnesian Wars, or the Holocaust, you can basically skip the entire semester.

But of course, this is a lot of silly nonsense.  As one psychologist noted, if you allow people to avoid unpleasantries in life, they will eventually isolate themselves and become depressed.

Of course, the real damage this sort of far-out left-wing thinking does, is to progressive and liberal movements.   When people take things to these sort of extremes, it makes it easier for people on the far right to mock them and point out how fascist these schemes are.   When you make Fox News look like the rational player in these scenarios, something is far, far wrong.

All I can say is, I am glad I am no longer in college, and I am glad I never taught in college, nor would I want to, even if asked.  I couldn't imagine trying to teach a class today, with kids answering calls on their cell phones as you lecture (if they even bother to show up) and you can't say squat to them, because you might offend their feelies.   And of course, your job as professor is rated online (much as my bother's was, to his dismay) so the poorest performing student can give you a one-star rating as if you were a restaurant on Yelp!    No thank you.

And on top of that, most professors have "non-tenured" positions, so you are paid poorly and then let go the minute they can find someone who will do the job more cheaply.  To those of you teaching college-level courses, my advice would be this:   Become a New York State High School Teacher.  You'll make a ton more money, have tenure, and a union to represent you.

Just don't ask the kids to turn their cell phones off in class.   That's being an unreasonable monster.

Indoctrination?


This "brony" video is a little disturbing in that it is sending a political message in what was supposedly a children's show.


In the "rants and raves" section of the local Craigslist, this incoherent rant:
"How is it that our country has become so damn ignorant people like Hillary Clinton running to take our country how is it the our country has become so damn ignorant you got people like Hillary Clinton running to take our country straight to hell I do not understand people's ignorant since in the evil and this administration America is over if Hillary Clinton takes office wake up people watch the news"
What struck me was the last line - "watch the news" - as if watching television (and presumably Fox News) would keep one "informed" as to what is going on in the world. 

At about the same time as I read this, I went on YouTube, which using an algorithm based on your previous viewings (talk about indoctrination!) it suggested a Brony video for me (the one above).   Since I had previously done some research about this "Brony" phenomenon and watched a documentary on YouTube about it, YouTube assumed I was interested in Bronyism.

The video appalled me.   I am not sure if the message was anti-fascist or anti-communist.   All I thought was, "this is some pretty heavy shit to be showing little girls".   What I also thought was disturbing was that the "equal sign" that was used by the fascist/communists in the video was reminiscent of the logo used by the Human Rights Campaign.   What exactly were the Brony people trying to get across with this video - that the desire for equal rights was somehow evil?   Was this some sort of Libertarian agitprop from Rand Paul?   WTF???

But then it struck me that one of the best things I ever did in my life was to give up watching television.   And this point was driven home that evening when I met with some television-watching friends and tried to have a conversation with them.   It was difficult to say the least, as every discussion, if not centered around a television program (that I had never heard of) or a television celebrity (ditto) was referenced to or based upon something they saw on TeeVee, or some news show on TeeVee (the worst sort of information on the planet).

I started thinking about this and how our brains are wired.    We are walking and talking neural networks, programmed to find patterns.  Our brains do weird things - for example, a big chunk of our minds is directed toward facial recognition, which is why we see Jesus in a taco shell or Mary in a mold stain on the side of a church.

Unfortunately, our brains are also a feedback-loop, as neural networks are.   The nodes in our minds are constantly adjusted based on inputs and feedback from outputs.   So it is quite literally possible to "program" someone's mind by feeding them certain data and feedback.   We are all constantly indoctrinated and conditioned by our environment and the resultant feedback.  And for the most part this works well, unless the feedback is entirely out of whack, which occurs in schizophrenics and people who watch Fox News.

A lot of people like to deny this.  They claim, for example, that playing murderous video games or listening to denigrating lyrics in rap music have no effect on people.   They claim - with a straight face - that you can look at hours and hours of gore and slasher movies (which thanks to the Internet, are often real videos of people being killed) and it won't affect you one whit.   Blaming the video games or the videos, they say, is foolish.   It is all society's fault.

In the same breath, however, many of these same people will argue that watching pornography can be addictive and desensitize people to sex.   And no one seems to dispute that going to Iraq and seeing your best friends blown up in front of you tends to mess with your mind.

Yet, all of these things will condition, program, and indoctrinate your mind, at varying levels.   Of course, horrific personal experiences, such as war, will have a more pronounced effect.   But I think continuous feedback of violence in your life (watching violent movies, violent video games, etc.) will have the same effect. 

It is said that serial killers often start out early in life by torturing and killing small animals.   Some say this is an early sign of their disorder.  Perhaps.  Or perhaps it is an early part of the brain-training process, the desensitization to violence and the pain of others.   And over time, as their brains are conditioned, they escalate their violence further and further, until they leave behind a trail of bodies.

But the point of this posting (and I am sure I had one, when I started) is that your brain can be programmed, even if you believe in things like "free will".   And one way to program your brain is to constantly expose yourself to various images and ideas.  If you spend all your time on conspiracy websites, you will become a conspiracy theorist.   If you spend all your time on "men's rights" websites, you will eventually be charged with date-rape.   If you spend all your time on Fox News, you will eventually become a tea-bagger.

And sadly, today, there are so many cubbyholes and crazytowns you can visit on the Internet.   Even sites like Twitter or Facebook have their own little cubbies - and you can go down the rabbit hole in very short order.

Unplugging from the media as much as possible, is the key.  I gave up watching television because I felt it was programming my brain to consume, consume, consume - as well as obsess about trivia and nonsense that didn't affect my life - every night in the "News."   No, I am not less-well-informed for not watching television, I am more well-informed.   Because the larger issues in the world can't be told in a 10-second sound bite or in a two-minute "story".

And for the same reason, I unplugged from Facebook and discussion groups.   I felt I was being programmed (what some call the 'internet circle-jerk' where everyone reinforces each others viewpoints) rather than really thinking.

Maybe we can't control how our brains are programmed.   However, we can choose what programming to watch.   Turning away from toxic ideas, marketing, and indoctrination is a good first step.   Thinking about what you are being programmed and affected by is a good second one.  Whether or not we have "free will" to avoid being programmed by our environment, well, that's a really good question which I don't have an answer for.

So, what does this have to do with finances you say?   Well, if you watch television a lot, you will start to think that leasing a shiny new SUV is a swell idea.   It isn't.   And one way to avoid getting this idea is to not watch television.  Ditto for "rewards" credit cards and other nonsense they sell on TeeVee - and increasingly, on the Internet.  Unplug from the media as much as possible - and realize when you are being marketed to, whether it is online or through product placement.  Sometimes your mind is your own worst enemy!
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