It started like any other day. She was sitting at home, scrolling through her phone, when an unknown number popped up on her screen. Usually, she wouldn’t answer; these calls were typically either annoying advertisements or scams trying to trick her into giving away personal information. But on this particular day, she was expecting a call, so her fingers moved faster than her mind, and she picked up.
“Bingo, another scammer. Great,” she thought as the voice on the other end claimed to be from the local power company. The man’s accent was thick and his speech overly scripted, making it evident that he wasn’t genuinely reaching out to assist her. “Sir, I call you because you are a homeowner subscribed to our company.”
That immediately set off alarm bells. She couldn’t afford a house, let alone be subscribed to a power company under her own name. “No, that’s not right,” she replied, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement. But the man continued his spiel, his insistence unwavering.
What he said next caught her completely off guard. “And you are married to Miss [Deadname] [Last Name]?” he inquired, mispronouncing her last name in a way that felt intentional. A wave of annoyance washed over her. She had transitioned years ago, and nobody in her life used her deadname anymore. That was part of her past she had worked hard to leave behind. What audacity this stranger had to dredge it up.
Feeling a mix of anger and defiance, she decided to play along. “Oh, no. She’s dead actually. But thank you for bringing that up.” The response was spontaneous, and she couldn’t help but relish the impact of her words. There was a moment of silence on the line, followed by the unmistakable sound of stuttering apologies from the scammer.
And then he hung up. Just like that. It was almost too easy, and she wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or feel a tinge of guilt. But really, who could blame her? This was a scammer trying to exploit people’s personal situations and identities. If anything, she thought, maybe she had given him a lesson he wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
As she put her phone down, a smile crept across her face. She imagined the man on the other end, panicking at the unexpected twist of her response. “Married to herself? What a wild story that could make!” she mused, letting the absurdity of it all wash over her.
In a world filled with scammers, she felt a small victory in flipping the script on this one. It was light-hearted revenge, but it also felt like a necessary reminder: don’t make assumptions about people’s identities or their pasts. Everyone has their own story, often buried beneath layers of experiences that shouldn’t be trifled with.
At the end of the day, she knew she wouldn’t stop receiving these calls; scammers would always find new ways to try and trick innocent people. But for now, she could at least share this story as a reminder that sometimes, standing up for yourself—even in the most unexpected situations—can lead to a win, however small it may seem.
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