I Was a Teenaged Scam Artist

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Back in the early 80s I did a lot of off the wall jobs. I worked in a spook house, ran the tractors harvesting peas and beans for Del Monte, Installed intercom systems for drive up windows, and did some telemarketing. As a telemarketer, I did pretty well, but got kind of a bad attitude about people in general. I mean, here I am, calling your home, I don't even know your name until you told me (it was illegal to use telephone books as a resource back then, and the internet was still nothing more than a way for governmet folks to warn each other about impending nuclear doom); then after a short sales pitch, I asked you to go get your credit card and sure as my bell bottoms were out of style... you were giving me your credit card number. I sold a few different things. Those coupon books that used to be so popular, subscriptions to a brand new long distance telephone service (Aptly named "The Long Distance Telephone Company), and portrait plans. Let me tell you about portrait plans. Rosie37 knows, since she was the inspiration for this discussion. The deal was, for $90 you got three different sittings each a month or so apart. I worked their for about a year. Was top salesman about half the months of that. I had the "script" cut down to about 30 seconds, which was a huge no-no, but what, they're going to fire one of their top salesmen? Then one day, the three of us who used to ride in together showed up for work... and it was gone. The doors to the phone bank were glass. No phones, no lights, no motorcars... not a single shred of evidence it was ever a place of business. That's right folks, it was a scam. I personally was responsible for a few thousand dollars scammed out of folks. In the end, I was as scammed as they were, but it took awhile to accept that. Here's the deal folks, NEVER give your credit card number to someone you didn't call. NEVER think that you are getting the deal of a lifetime... and if you are smart, just NEVER talk to a telemarketer. Now, go get your credit card number and send $5 to my PayPal account... Parated2k@yahoo.com. No, you wont' get 3 portait sittings in 3 month, a coupon book or a subscription to a long defunct long distance phone service... but you won't get taken in on a scam either. ;~D