Chatting Part II

THE MESSAGE POPPED UP, another attractive young lady.(Arent they all?). "Hi there", she types. The usual start. "Howdy", my usual response. We go through the usual questions and answers, she asking the questions, I providing the answers. I never bother to ask anything about them; I know what they want, and what kind of people they are, within moments of the pop up. Young ladies,scamming. Exploiting their sex appeal for profit. More research fodder for my book on Facebook in American culture. Call them "social networkers", "digital operators", "online facilitators"; I call them scammers because that is what they are. A full or part time job,tricking men,or trying to, old, young, middle aged men, all comers, out of their money, using long distance romance as the vehicle, modus operandi. They are not particular. Arkansa, 69, retired history professor, single, no kids, all that.I answer all questions, willingly, happily cooperating; research for my book. They think they are leading me on,deceiving me. Actually, it is I,doing the leading on, the deceiving. Tit for tat. She is favorably impressed with my "credentials". (Aren't they all?) This one skips the usual "I just love sixty nine year old men maybe we can date" routine, and is unusual in that she calmly accedes to my insistance that I do not trade pictures, that my picture is on my website, instead of arguing about it. (they almsot always argue about it). This one, perhaps sensing an easy mark, gets right to the point. My mother is deathly ill, needs medication badly, its urgent, can you help me out? Her mother is seventy two, she mentions. That is her first real mistake. I mention Medicare, and she ignores my mention, perhaps sensing her mistake. Still unfazed, she jumps in deeper. Now, I ask the questions, and she contrives the answers. She has already asked all of her other Facebook friends, no help. Same for her real life friends and family menbers. Everybody said no, apparently content to let mom die. These young scammers have had a lot of practice, and provide answers for everything. Yet, they are young, their knowledge of human nature not yet fully developed. Their mistake is underestimating the experience, savvy, and percipience of old men. As if we have never been around the block, as if this is our first "rodeo", as people say,as if we are so lonely and horny that we can be taken for all we're worth. Some, perhaps,can. I cannot. While letting her swim around and look at the bait, mistakingly thinking that I am the swimmer,I reflect on how juicy and humorous my book is going to be, and silently thank her for helping make it possible. She is relentless. They all are. This aint their fist rodeo either. She ignores all of my scam busting arguments, never mentions Medicare after I do. Smart move, but not smart enough. Instead of seeing how I am setting her up, how she has been misled by me into thinking that she is the fisherman, she keeps swimmmng towards her inevitable doom. This old guy is gullibe, his arguments will melt away. Little does she know...Finally, its time to reel her in, to "lower the boom", which I do. Good try, but not quite good enough, I say. The FBI is monitoring this converstation, I tell her. I work with the FBI, busting online scammers, and you will soon hear from them. She vanishes. I wonder what she's thinking....