This year is very different from the others we lived so far and not in a good sense. The covid pandemic has turned out life upside down, many have lost their job, others are working from home, sometimes part time. Income is less and less, but bills are coming as you live and consume just like before. You need water, gas and electricity, regardless if you have an income or not.
Many have loans to pay back, which makes matter worse. In my country the government made a deal with service providers, there's a regulation that says you get a pass in certain conditions, but that ends at some point and the loan must be paid back. Interest is again something you can't neglect as it adds up and you'll be sorry.
Then Opportunity Knocks On Your Door
In these tough times every little help is greatly appreciated, no matter where it comes from, right? This is what crooks are counting on, in many cases, successfully.
Last week a woman knocked on my door, offering me a very good deal, her words, not mine. She said the company she's working for is a gas provider and they have the best price on the market. She asked me to show her my last invoice and she can tell me how much I can save by signing with them. Convenient, isn't it?
I told her my invoice is my business, mine only and if I want to switch provider, I'd like to do it based on my research and not under pressure. She wasn't happy about my answer, she was quite surprised, I believe she's used more to sheep and herd mentality, to people who would do anything for a penny.
Is It Really An Opportunity?
These people who are knocking on doors are mostly students, working part time for the company and paid based on the number or contracts they make. You think there's a company policy on how to approach clients, but in fact there's none, the only thing that matters is how many contracts do you have at the end of the day. No matter what lies you use, or who you have to screw over, the only thing that matters is the paycheck you go home with.
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It happened not long ago that a crew of a few people visited an entire village, convinced everyone that the old provider just filed for bankruptcy and if they don't sign with this new company, they won't have any power starting from the next day. This is how they managed to fool an entire village. Obviously the old provider found out why and how the contracts were terminated and shortly renewed them as people realized they were fooled by crooks.
When You Meet The Right Guy
The funniest part of this crockery is when you knock on the door of someone who is actually working for the company you say went bankrupt. My brother is working for a service provider and one day a young guy knocked on his door, telling him he's working for the company my brother is working for, and they are updating the database, so he needs the last invoice. Imagine my brother's face listening to this guy 😁
This was all a trick, so he can get the code of the household, then make my brother sign the papers, which was actually a contract, according to which my brother agrees to switch service provider.
My brother had his working clothes on the hanger, with the company logo on it, so he showed his jacket to the guy and asked him if he can read the logo. The guy realized he knocked on the wrong door and before he could say anything, my brother told him the next thing he's going to show him will be the baseball bat if he doesn't exit the building the next two seconds.
The Problem
These crooks are smart, targeting those who are less educated, less informed and it works. There's always something who sees an opportunity to save some money, pay less, that could come in handy. The most targeted are the elders. I'm always warning people about what I know could happen, spread the word to protect as many people as I can.