Replies: 35 Unseemly Comments
Just yesterday I, too, received the "your credit card backfired" email from "AOL." Did you notice that they had the monthly fee wrong? Apparently, it's an OLD scam (LOL). I agree their little webpage was frighteningly "real" looking. I, too, forwarded the email to the various AOL non-responsive abuse people.
Posted by JMK @ 07/08/2002 10:07 AM PST
Just settling into a brand new office on the westside of Manhattan (last year it was the WTC, then Third Avenue, now Seventh Avenue). But my computer has made the trip intact, so here I am. At lunch I'm off to the post office to send BK his little CD surprise, which isn't much of a surprise anymore, is it? Anyway, I have been scammed in the past, but such is my memory that I've forgotten the details and could probably be hit in exactly the same way again. I do remember the murderer in Roger Ackroyd, though.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 07/08/2002 10:15 AM PST
so, I open my front door this morning to retrieve my LA Times and NY Times and standing there is a rather imposing gentlemen in a uniform (similar to the Maytag repairman ones) with a logo on the pocket that simply says "BSI"....before I can say anything, he firmly slaps me across the face and states, "you have now been officially bitch slapped by Bitch Slappers, Inc. -- have a nice day" and then he walks away
Posted by Donald @ 07/08/2002 10:39 AM PST
That is an excellent story, Mr. Donald Feltham. For a moment, I thought it was going somewhere else :-). I, too, have opened my door to find someone undesirable outside it, so I know how that feels. I am surprised that BSI moves that fast - I mean, I just called them early this morning.
JMK - did you just get the scam e-mail as a matter of course, or had you been in an aol chat room?
Posted by bk @ 07/08/2002 10:55 AM PST
It just came in my email (from a "shadow" site supposedly called AOLBilling@AOL-center.com). However, if you notice when you click on the link in the email, the "real" site is a long bunch of gobbledy-gook with no AOL anywhere in its address. All "official" AOL email has a little blue border around it on your envellope icon. I think they instituted this about a year or so ago to counteract this very sort of scam. I tend not to visit chatrooms--they are scary, scary places. :)
Posted by JMK @ 07/08/2002 11:06 AM PST
That is very scary. The site does look real. However, it has been so drummed into me to NEVER give out a password that I'd suspect it right away. My sister did this, however, and she soon had charges appear on her credit card, including porn site memberships. That's quite a threat they use -- cancelling your AOL account. What a terrible thing THAT would be!
Posted by Laura @ 07/08/2002 11:42 AM PST
If you're on AOL 7.0 (maybe 6.0, too--I forget) there's a handy dandy little button below the list of "New Mail" called "Notify AOL". Highlight the potential scammer line and click the Notify AOL to notify AOL (duh) that their service is being abused. They do not like being abused, and will take action.
Posted by Pam @ 07/08/2002 11:54 AM PST
[Not sure whether to be more scared by AOL—or a shadow of it…]
Posted by freedunit @ 07/08/2002 12:03 PM PST
I posted earlier about the scam, which can be found under the notes for The Scam, so I have nothing more to say about it here. HOWEVER, as a side note, I've been browsing through the user reviews of restaurants over at Digital City lately, and came across a couple of really filthy posts, so obscene that even if someone were to e-mail me personally to ask what they were I would not respond. I of course notified Digital City, as they request notification on improper posts, and got a notice on my screen thanking me. Having a couple of questions, I then e-mailed Digital City, but in return got a message "Undeliverable." This doesn't count as scam, in any way or imagining, but it does leave me frustrated. When I have a question for a service, I expect some kind of answer, not an "undeliverable" notice.
As the ghoulie says on the televised logo for "Mutant Enemy Productions," "Grrrr, Arrrgh!"
Posted by S. Woody White @ 07/08/2002 02:18 PM PST
I am still trying to think of a scam for which I fell…Does Santa Claus until I was five count? No doubt Santa Claus will soon post an angry— no, Santa would not become angry—hurt response…
Posted by freedunit @ 07/08/2002 03:18 PM PST
Dear Freedunit
I am sorry that you were taken in by Santa. You know very well what happens when you rearrange a letter or two in HIS name.
You are welcome to believe in me from now on. Latkes and Dreidels for everyone!
Posted by Hanukkah Harry @ 07/08/2002 03:52 PM PST
Harry, oy veh is mer! From you I did not expect to hear—you never write—you never phone—but somehow I am not suprised. I have a question. When we play dreidel here at haineshisway.com would it be unseemly and therefore acceptable to replace a gimmel with a Kimmel? I had to ask. Why did I ask, you ask? I will tell you. I do not know.
By the way, just now I am off to a dinner of seitan. Coincidence?
Posted by freedunit @ 07/08/2002 04:42 PM PST
Kimmel, Daled, Hey!
To not use Kimmel here at HainesHisWay would most defintely be unseemly. And since I am not Satan (oops typo) I mean Santa, I am not required to be sweet and jolly. In other words, I am free to bitchslap those who do NOT use KIMMEL instead of Gimmel. Thanks for asking. You get extra GELT and GUILT this year. Shalom
Posted by Hanukkah Harry @ 07/08/2002 04:50 PM PST
Well I THINK this is a scam. I bought a limited edition cd to find out it was no longer a limited edition later on...
Fortunately.. other than that.. I think I have been pretty scam free.
Although, a month ago I noticed 2 weird charges on my CC and called my credit card company and refuted the charges and it turns out some bogus company was running hundreds of cards and faking purchases. I feel fortunate that the matter was settled very easily and quickly. There are some truly HEINOUS people in this world...But I am a glass is half full kind of person..
what kind of people are you all?
Posted by Craig @ 07/08/2002 05:33 PM PST
I should point out that at no time have I, or do I think that my CD purchase was set up as a scam. The original marketing plan for this cd was indeed to have it be limited edition. Then events happened which changed the marketing plan...so the scam came post purchase by bad marketers
Posted by Craig @ 07/08/2002 05:40 PM PST
What's all this talk about Spam?
Spam's not bad. It gets a bad rap every now and again, but it's truly one of your more interesting (and tasty) meat by-product entrees.
Fried Spam is a delight at breakfast, and BBQ Spam is a unique treat folks should all experience one time at least.
It should never be necessary to charge Spam on your credit cards, though, and so far as I know, they don't do Limited Edition versions of it.
It's truly one of the great American inventions that came out of WWII.
Spam is.....
What's that?
Just a minute....
I'll have to....
Oh!
[Never mind].
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/08/2002 05:57 PM PST
Spam Spam Spam Spam
Spam Spam Spam Spam
Posted by Monty Python @ 07/08/2002 06:08 PM PST
I remember when I was directing (under a pseudonym, thank you very much) a film where the director had been fired and I'd taken over on a moment's notice - not exactly my cup of tea, this film was, but I did my best to get the thing done (it was a thriller). Anyway (and, yes, Viriginia, there is a POINT to this story) I remember that at one point we see the inside of Frank Stallone's cabin - he played a wacked out crazy person with guns and knives, and I thought it would be funny if he had nothing in his kitchen except Spam, so I sent a runner and they came back with fifty cans of Spam, which we put into the kitchen set. Afterwards, there were no takers for the Spam, they just sat there like so much fish and got dumped eventually.
Posted by bk @ 07/08/2002 06:11 PM PST
What is it, Spam?
Posted by Grandpa Kritzer @ 07/08/2002 06:28 PM PST
Now, now, Grandpa Kritzer would never say that - Grandpa Gelfinbaum would, though.
Posted by bk @ 07/08/2002 07:04 PM PST
You tell 'em sonny! Now where did all that website traffic that you young kids talk about all the time go. I can't find it.
Posted by Grandpa Gelfinbaum @ 07/08/2002 07:08 PM PST
In case people are wondering about the movie Bruce is talking about it is called Prime Suspect (not to be confused with the wonderful TV series of the same) Also in the cast is the late Dana Plato. The late Susan Strassberg, the late Doug McClure, The not so late Michael Parks (TV's Then Came Bronson & Twin Peaks)
And oh Bruce wasn't Bruce the director. He was Mark. But he was Bruce the music composer.
This is from IMDB. Not sure how accurate this is.
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 07/08/2002 07:56 PM PST
In this particular instance, the imdb is correct (they aren't always) - I did write the score under my own name. Sad that it was the last or almost last film for so many - poor Dana, who I really liked working with, Doug McClure who was a strange bird, Susan, who I liked but who was in emotional turmoil since it was her boyfriend who was fired fromt the film, and on and on. Interestingly, Frank Stallone was a total pro and we had a good deal of fun turning his stale character into something weird and interesting. It's an awful movie (the script made absolutely no sense - plus the original director had shot a week and that footage was hideous and of course some of it remains in the film). We were rewriting every day to try to make it at least make sense - no one knew who the murderer was, just totally convoluted. I finally shot two scenes with a character I added, a detective, just to explain what the hell was going on. It helped, but not much. It's quite vicious, which was interesting for me - and I was able to make Dana so lovable (I rewrote all her scenes, because her character was so unbelievably obnoxious) that you really cringe when she gets killed. I remember the producers sitting through the first ten minutes of the film, and then looking at me and saying, "Is this a comedy now?" Then came Dana's demise and they could not watch - not because it was so horribly violent (you really never see anything - fancy cutting) but because she and I had made the character lovable and funny.
Posted by bk @ 07/08/2002 08:38 PM PST
A wonderful day Down Under in Oz. My copy of "Benjamin Kritzer" arrived in today's mail. One beautifully autographed copy to keep along my beautifully autographed copy of the Guy Haines CD. Should I compare writing styles I wonder!
I shall wear my "What Is It Fish" T-Shirt tomorrow in celebration
Scams. I did have a strange email from CDNOW saying to check my order. As I had not ordered anything from them for over a year I was somewhat suspicious. I went to their site (not replying directly to the email) but did not really get a satisfactory explanation. My Amex was "compromised" the next week (Amex phoned me) but there were no additional charges to the card. I still don't really know if there was a scam involved or not.
A timely reminder. I did receive an email from Chicago (I think) with no sender name who wanted information re German singer Lolita. I think there may have been a connection to a post I made on this site - maybe a lurker out there. I do offer a "record finding" service to a local Melbourne (OZ) radio station's listeners but my email is not that public.
Posted by Tom Guest (from OZ) @ 07/08/2002 08:52 PM PST
I'm posting because I feel I should. But, I'm tired, in a bad mood; my face is breaking out, and I have no cake.
Thank God you are all crazy. Sorry, make that WE are all crazy.
Posted by Kerry @ 07/08/2002 08:52 PM PST
To Kerry: I hope tomorrow is not a cake free zone for you. There are some great recipes for Hazelnut cakes on a site devoted to such wonders. I'll try and find the address and send it on if you like. Chocolate and Cake are world leaders in remedies. Perhaps there needs to be more chocolate sent to the Middle East and to ALL politicians.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 07/08/2002 10:08 PM PST
Thank you Tom for your nice thoughts. I have no cake, but I have Haggen-Dasz, so that will do... for now.
Oh, and I STILL believe in Santa Claus. Every Christmas, I get presents marked "From Santa," so I know he exists!
Posted by Kerry @ 07/08/2002 10:19 PM PST
All day I have tried to recall a scam to which I have unwittingly fallen prey, and I cannot think of one. I will let you know if I recall or fall prey to one. I consider the case of the now-unlimited-edition compact disc to be different, but perhaps not. Not only is the compact disc no longer a limited edition, but the numbering means nothing. When the number for which I registered was sold erroneously to someone else, they did not admit the error, apologize and offer me a different disc; they simply wrote the number requested right over a much higher number. It was not even a good forgery, but a blatant, obvious one—plainly different ink and handwriting. It is unequivocal fraud, but not per se a con game. I have no respect for those who commit fraud.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/08/2002 10:57 PM PST
Kerry, I wish you cake.
Posted by freedunit @ 07/08/2002 11:00 PM PST
I have spent five hours tonight with "The First Nudie Musical."
I was amazed, agape, agog...and, once or twice, aghast...but always amused.
And then I started in on the commentary with Bruce, Stephen and Cindy. At some point, I wanted to hear the audio in the film because of something that was being commented upon and it was then that I discovered there was a second commentary with Bruce and Nick Redman. So I watched the movie from its beginning up to the same point in the film as I had watched the first commentary.
I was pleased to see a CD in the DVD pack. I was sorry that there are no track listings (song title/performer) for the CD. I haven't listened to it yet, but I sure hope that fabulous "Where is a Man" number is on the CD because it's a crime that was cut from the film!!!!!
The music is terrific, although I cannot imagine myself singing the lyrics while at work.
There are SO many people I want to watch this with!!!!!!!
And the commentaries are wonderful -- what commentaries OUGHT to be and so seldom are!
Thanks for getting those autographs on my copy, Bruce! They are priceless!
R
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/08/2002 11:25 PM PST
Thank you, Ron. Both sets of commentaries are sufficiently different I hope. Also, after you watch the documentary, don't forget to listen to that commentary track - it's really funny and you'll like it because we talk about a certain film music list. Where Is A Man? is indeed on the CD - and there are nine tracks of the documentary music. I'll list the contents in the FAQ when we get around to that, which will be within the week.
Posted by bk @ 07/08/2002 11:44 PM PST
Kerry -- Hope you have a better day tomorrow. We'll get some Oreo cake on Wednesday, if you still need it. :-)
Posted by Laura @ 07/08/2002 11:47 PM PST
To Ron:
I'd pay to see you sing Where Is a Man a work. Go for it!
Posted by michael @ 07/09/2002 03:55 AM PST
Michael: You're on. What's it worth to you?
The drop of a hat, maybe?
; )
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/09/2002 08:35 AM PST
Oh, BK...are you saying there's a commentary track for the Documentary?
Is that what you're telling me?
Wow!
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 07/09/2002 08:37 AM PST
