The narrow escape of a 'cool' tech-savvy retiree

I have always prided myself to be a 'cool' tech-savvy person.  I was preening around tutoring every non computer literate person, at every available opportunity, helping on troubleshooting the computer application problems and even on the newer mobile phone technicalities.  I had become a sort of “go-to” person in my close family and friends circles for all technology related advice.  All this was well documented and things were running pretty smooth, until the day of the reckoning which arrived sooner than expected.  It all began one lazy afternoon, when I was in a deep slumber after having partaken a rather heavy lunch.  I was jolted awake by an insistent phone call from an unknown number.  As was my post lunch custom, a siesta had become a regular thing after my retirement.

The caller was a plain spoken gentle male voice speaking in Hindi from my Bank advising me of an apparent mistake in my insurance premium paid through my credit card.  The premium amount would be debited every month instead of one time payment, he said.  I was rudely awakened.  I expressed some doubt which he clarified hurriedly mumbling that this was an oversight that happens to most people.  He explained the technicality of rectifying the error by asking me to open the bank app and change some of the controls and settings.   I had become a putty in the hands of the caller with absolutely no idea of the things he was saying.  I listened to him intently while changing all the parameters on which he advised me.  He had sent me a WhatsApp message from the Bank containing a file.  He asked me to install the file and click send.  I tried doing just that.  The send message was not going through.  He asked me to change the settings in the phone to install ‘unknown’ files.  I did just that.  You would think that I was dumb enough to follow all that he said.  In my defence, I would say that his voice was mesmerizing and so helpful that I went along with his tone.  At this  exact moment, the alarm bells in my mind had started ringing.  It was the Archimedes' “Eureka” moment.   The sixth sense in me was working overtime to compensate for the rookie mistake I was about to commit. It had dawned on me at the 'nth' moment that I had not made payment of any Insurance premium lately using my bank credit card.   Then, what was it I had been doing all along, my mind was now wide awake from the deep slumber. 

I nimbly disconnected the phone and tried blocking the unknown caller.  The caller kept ringing several times and I kept rejecting his calls.   Now fully awake to the fraudulent transaction that I was about to commit, I realised the enormity of my blunder and swiftly started undoing all that I was asked to change on my phone.  For good measure, I blocked all internet transactions on my bank credit card.  I dashed off an email to my bank explaining the situation.

All my world around me had come tumbling down in that instant.  Luckily I had escaped from the skin of my teeth.  All was not lost still.  However, all  my confidence had evaporated and I felt I was the most lame and gullible person to have been a willing participant in my own doom. 

A fitting lesson learned.  Ever since the incident I have stopped receiving phone calls from unknown callers.  I am very cleverly diverting it to my spouse to help me out in dealing with the unknown callers.   I am no longer the 'cool' tech-savvy person that I had deemed myself to be all along.  So be it.