Shine Your Light
Scam Warning
Before I dive into my post this week, I want to pass along a warning about a recent scam that almost got me. We hear all the time about how sophisticated scams have become. Never pay money over the phone or give out personal information, don’t click on links in emails, avoid the Facebook Messenger scams about your account being hacked, and so on. I truly thought if I ever received a scam call, I would know, but here is what happened…
I received a call from the Platte County Sheriff’s Office (or at least that’s what I was told). They already knew my name and address and then proceeded to give details about dates and times when I was supposedly meant to report for jury duty. They referenced that I had no priors (which thankfully I don’t, but the point is it seemed like they knew things that a police officer would know). They were calling to let me know that if I didn’t come to the sheriff’s office to compare my signature to the one they had on file, I would have two warrants—one for failure to appear and another for an offense I don’t even remember what they said at this point.
My lack of knowledge about these types of offenses helped the scammers. I didn’t necessarily think it was real, but after asking for badge numbers, getting warrant/case numbers, and hearing that they were asking me to appear at the station, I gave it some credibility. You might be wondering why I didn’t just hang up. When I told the “officer” I needed to call my husband, he said I could merge him on the call, but that I couldn’t hang up because it would be viewed as me trying to flee.
As I type this out, it sounds ridiculous, but they had an answer for every question I asked and sounded so convincing. By pure luck, I ran into a cop parked in a lot while I was still on the phone. As soon as I rolled down my window to ask if this was legitimate, the man on the call hung up.
I don’t know what the end game was—maybe to keep me on the phone while they attempted a robbery, or to get me to a second location for something worse. Maybe I’ve read too many mystery novels. But I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and my husband—who was on the call with me—was just as convinced for a while. After talking to a real officer and reporting the scam to the sheriff’s department, they confirmed that this type of scam is incredibly common. I’m just grateful I didn’t pay them anything or fall for something worse.
So, stay safe, don’t get scammed, and maybe just never answer your phone!
A Story of Kindness
For those of you who have been reading my newsletter for a while, you might remember my previous post about my son wanting to pray for a boy named Jax. He was in remission from his second cancer diagnosis and was the sweet boy pictured on the Camp Quality donation pamphlet. After I shared that blog, something amazing happened—the post reached Jax’s dad. After telling Jax about it, Jax asked if he could meet Tucker because he had some things he wanted to give him.
We met on a cold night before Christmas at my husband’s office building, which has a gym inside. The boys played and ran around, completely carefree. That was the most beautiful part—not just that one little boy had been sick and another little boy wanted to pray for him, but that, in that moment, neither of them had any worries. They just got to be kids.
Tucker walked away that night with some exciting Chiefs gear that still has a special place in his room today. I meant to share this update earlier, but now I have a more urgent reason to share it—Jax is facing yet another battle.
The strength and courage of this young man are both inspiring and heartbreaking because no one, especially a child, should have to go through something like this multiple times. I wanted to share this story, not to bring sadness to your weekend, but because I genuinely believe in the power of prayer. Even if you don’t, I ask that you keep Jax in your thoughts and send all the good vibes you can his way. He has a tough road ahead, but he has so many people cheering him on.
His thoughtfulness reignites my passion for giving. The fact that he would think to bring a gift for my little boy after everything he’s been through is the definition of spreading kindness. I hope this story reminds us all to find joy in our daily lives and to spread love whenever we can.
If you’d like to learn more about Jax’s story or Camp Quality, a truly incredible organization, you can find more information in my original post linked below.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and as always, happy reading.
- Katie Marie
