Back into the Swing and Beware of Scammers

And so the year has started in full swing and the daily routine starts again.  The alarm sounds and gradually I hear lights being switched on in bedrooms and the stirring of teenagers along with the usual 'life is so unfair'.  Those precious moments of getting myself ready before everyone else is up and wanting things from me (they'll find their own brains one day!).  Each day a bridge to conquer and to live it with a smile on my face.

Now, last week was a bit of a wash out if I'm brutally honest.  My dreaded lurgy came back to haunt me and my third chest infection decided it liked the previous two stays and to revisit again.  I tried everything but now think I have the formula!  Buttercup syrup, BIG spoonful of honey and a vitamin C and zinc dis-solvable tablet with some water.   I really do think that did the trick... or was it that I was coming to the end of this hell?... personally I like to think I found the cure.  This meant that I was fortunate to almost be myself at a meeting as planned, and able to show what I truly feel passionate about.

Anyway, enough of this woe is me, the January blues, the can't wait for pay day, the impatience for the year to really get started.  Let me bore you with the story of my camera dilemas last month...

It started with the sudden and snap decision to buy a Canon.  A Canon 700D.  My ever faithful Fujifilm Finepix HS50 EXR was sent away and the new Canon arrived.  Now, I know there are MILLIONS of Canon lovers out there, and yes it is a sensational camera, but you know when you pick something up and you think 'No, this isn't me', that was exactly how I felt.  I lifted it to my eye and was so disappointed.  With the hole in my retina, the view finding lens is an essential part of the camera, and with a floater in the way when I am that close to something, very annoying.  I need brightness with this piece of kit and found it dark, I couldn't focus, and when I did (and that was in auto too), it was blurry.  So, I cut my losses and sold it within two days.

After losing on Ebay on the two Fujifilm Finepix HS50's that were in the country, I then found a Fujifilm Finepix SL1000, again, high expectations.  But once again, No!  This did not have the field of vision, the sound of the auto zoom was incredibly annoying.  No, back on Ebay.

I soon received an email saying that someone wanted to buy it overseas for the full price and £36 postage.  Well, I said yes of course.  I put the invoice through on Paypal and waited for the payment along with packaging the camera up for overseas travel.  In the morning I checked my Paypal account, no payment but there was an email from Paypal saying that the payment was ready to go into my account all I had to do was type in the reference number on the proof of posting and the money would be sent to me.

Now, as I have never had this happen to me before, and a seasoned Ebayer, I continued reading.  I don't know why, but I was looking for a spelling mistake, was this a scam?  Then, right at the very bottom, an email address... paypa.lcom@outlook.com.  Alarm bells rang, Paypal had an outlook account??? Straight away I sent a copy to Paypal asking if they had sent this and received back an automated email saying the usual 'thank you for your email, we will investigate and get back to you in 5 - 7 days', well, it took them five minutes.  This was indeed a phishing scam where I would have put the details in the scammers system and they would be able to get into the account.  Everything was cancelled within an instant and I was then subjected to a number of emails from the scammers saying that the money was in my account and why hadn't I sent it - ignored of course apart from the first email when I told them that Paypal was on to them.

And so, the camera went back on Ebay and in the meantime, my Fujifilm Finepix HS50 was coming back to me, happy days!  The SL1000 was bought in the end by someone in the next town and everything is now back to normal.  I just need the decent weather and trips to London et al to get it working at its full potential again.   So be warned, check those emails and the spelling mistakes.

So, with my right hand 'man' attached to me again (as you can see from my new profile picture), here's to an exceptional new week, keep positive and keep those New Years Resolutions forefront in your mind.  To those of you giving up smoking, chocolate, drink, losing weight etc etc, keep going! You're amazing individuals and I know you can do it!!  Be proud of yourselves!  (I personally think the lack of chocolate is the reason why I have had my third chest infection though!  Really, I truly do, but I'm soldiering on!!).  The box of Thorntons is still intact (and yes, that's both layers!).

Take care.

Chel xx