McKenna’s take on the Franklin Law email scare

Just in case you weren’t aware, October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The basic principles behind staying safe online are to stop and think before you connect. Cyber safety is really a matter of being aware of the constant bombardment of information we’ve come to know as the online experience.

In a way, it’s much the same as driving. The other morning I was in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway when I heard tires skidding and a thud. It was in the lane next to mine. One car rear ended another. It reminded me of what my niece once said to her grandmother when they drove past an accident on the way to preschool. “Grandma, somebody wasn’t paying attention.”

Thankfully, the reader who sent this “Franklin Law” email to me was paying attention. She could easily have fallen for the  scam simply out of fear. Instead, she thought before she did anything and realized it was a fake. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll just roll the grammatical errors into one big, OOPSIE! For everything else, I’m going to let my snarky, former skip tracer alter-ego McKenna do the talking.

This e-mail is a notification to inform you regarding your account with Cash Advance USA that has been referred to our office for legal action.

After repeated attempts by our client “Cash Advance USA INC” to inform you about the pending balance against your name, they did not received any response from you.

This proves that you are not ready to co-operate and take care of your loan account with our client “Cash Advance USA INC.”

This attitude will lead you to the consequences damaging your socials and financial status.

If we do not get your reply by tomorrow afternoon, we will be forced to take legal action against you and also a team of investigators will be sent at your property and you may find yourself in the court within days.

Note: Once we proceed ahead with the legal action against you then your employer will be notified, the major credit bureaus will be informed regarding this fraud and also we will freeze your bank account.

You can avoid the unnecessary legal actions and further expenses of a lawsuit by making immediate reply to us. For any queries feel free to e-mail us back. We will be handling this matter over with you and will be providing you some pay off or Settlement options if available.

Thank You. 

Kalvonte White

Manager

Franklin Law Group

McKenna’s Take

Did an eighth-grader write this or something? Jeez. Let’s just bullet point it to keep it simple.

• Does this “Kalvonte White” wannabe even know if his client is incorporated or not? He’s got two different references. One with Inc., one without. Pick one. Stick to it. Nuff said.
• Try an actual English grammar checker next time. Sheesh.
• Duh, pending balance is future. Have your people call my people when it’s past due.
• Damage my socials? Is that like my Facebook account will be hurt if I don’t pay may bills?
• Oh, they’re sending a team of investigators. Good, we’ll have a party.
• Court in a few days? Good luck, bud.
• And the old notifying an employer threat is for amateurs.
• The last time I did collections, we actually had to win the court case, get a judgement, and then garnish the wages or bank account. But, freezing an account, not so much.
• They want an immediate reply…okay, how’s this?
• Plain text, red text, and bold? What is this, art class?

Maybe someone should write back to this guy and tell him to add debtor’s prison to his list of threats. It would carry about as much weight as the others. Remember to Stop and Think before you Connect. Then, maybe you can get a chuckle over garbage like this instead of getting worked up about it.

Want more information about staying safe online? Visit staysafeonline.org.

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