The Million Dollar Disappointment
The Million Dollar Disappointment
Among my clients are a number of refugees from Iran. They have me prepare there
tax returns, and they also have me write letters, fill out applications and consult with me on problems. Generally speaking they call me Mr. Ben. It is a cultural thing and I do not mind.
So on a Saturday night I received a call from Mr. M. (Names have been changed to
protect privacy). He was very exited and said: ?I must see you, right away, I
have a very important letter!?I had to reply: ?I can see Monday morning at the office? An appointment was made for Monday at 10:00 AM.
He called back two hours later: ?Mr. Ben, Be sure to be there, it is very important.?I reassured him, that I would be there.
Now this man had been an important electrical contractor in Iran. During the reign of the Shah he had prospered and become wealthy with several properties. The
revolution changed all that. Now he is in Canada, reduced to receiving Government Assistance so he can live. He always dresses properly with suit and tie and takes English classes provided by the Immigration Society. Alas, at his age this
is not easy and his comprehension is difficult, so I speak slowly with him sometimes with a phrase or two in Spanish which he speaks well.
Punctually on Monday morning he arrived at my office. The big smile on his face
told me, that he must have good news. ?Here Mr. Ben?he said, as he proffered an envelope toward me:?God is merciful? he proclaimed it looks like I will be compensated partially for my losses!?I took the envelope eagerly to see the good
news. I took out two sheets in official form. Thinking that it might be from an
official source in Iran, I looked at the Seal. It was from Spain. The first letter informed him, that he was one of twelve winners in a Spanish Lotteries and that his share amounted to 645,000 Euro. Which of course in Canadian Currency is
more than a Million. It went on to state, that this money had been placed into a
trust account for him, but that there was a small matter of a mix-up in numbers
, that had to be cleared up. In the meantime he was to fill the second sheet and
fax it to this Lottery Authority. This is were he needed my help. The second sheet solicited all kinds of personal data including his bank account number, name
of Bank and address. It is part of my job to be aware of current scams like the
infamous Nigeria Letters. I could see right away, that this was a scam. Should
he do as asked, they would get him to authorize first a small processing fee, and later larger amounts to come out of his account until all would be gone. There
were no winnings at all. What a job I had now, to break the bad news and shatter his dream.
I started by saying:?Dear Mr. M. This is really too bad, but this is a Scam.?Then I had to explain it all out and he was crestfallen. He had me give him my phone, and he phoned is wife: ?Here Mr. Ben, you tell her?and he handed the phone back to me. It was not easy to explain it all over again. ?Did you ever buy a
ticket in a Spanish Lottery I asked?? The reply was negative. 揟hen how could
you believe you have won a prize? Do you have a ticket??And again 揘O?
Well he thanked me for my advice and somewhat unconvinced left. Two days later he called back and thanked me profusely for keeping him out of the clutches of the crooks. He had phoned a friend in Spain who confirmed my findings. I met Mr. M
. a week later at social gathering, and again he thanked me. He told me:?What
a weekend we had that time, thinking of all the good we could do for our family,
and a trip for ourselves. It felt so good to be prosperous once again. Imagine
A Million Dollars!? I consoled him by saying his needs were met in Canada and it was a good place to be. He agreed and then he gave me the final word: 揟he lottery was a scam, but they can not take back the joy of anticipation.?
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