Yep! My Aunt was scammed out of her life savings, we proved he was an imposter and she still doesn’t believe us. Makes you SO angry and sad at the same time, so frustrating.😡
I get scammers to hang up on me. My two favorites. My auto warranty is about to expire. REALLY? My truck is fifteen years old. I had no idea I had a warranty. I better get my free work done ASAP! Another one was supposedly from my HOA. I belly laughed and told him I was homeless. CLICK!
Lol love that! Last time one called me, he asked what year and model my car was and I said, "You called me to tell me my warranty was almost up, you should know.". He hung up. Hahaha Guess he wasn't in the mood to play. 😆
Came to this to watch the bookbinding (learnt a lot!) but also want to say that your talking about scammers, as you worked, was such a brilliant idea! Have seen enough documentaries to notice how difficult it is for friends and family to convince a loved one that they've been scammed. It must be hard for those targeted to come to terms with, without feeling embarrassed, judged or, worse, heartbroken and betrayed. You already have the full trust of your subscribers and, if a viewer is being scammed, or could be a potential target, listening to that same information, casually mentioned in a crafting video (as opposed to from someone they know) may give them the opportunity to realise it for themselves, without any sense of embarrassment getting in the way. Thank you for putting it out there (and bonus points for having been a 'scammer' scammer!👍🏻). 😁 It's cheeky of me but, I'm editing my comment to add that I just came across a great TEDtalk video by Jane Walsh, called "The rise of predatory scams -- and how to prevent them".
I absolutely LOVE watching you create, but almost as much is listening to your stories. I wish you would do one ever week - or even more!!! thank you. You are a bright spot in my week.
Liked the fascinating conversation today! Just saw a news story this morning about how dating apps/sites have begun to develop protections for users because of the scammers. Still, in the end the responsibility falls on ourselves. I have been a stay at home mom for a number of years now, but before that I spent the majority of my working life in retail so I have a very healthy distrust of people 😂 I’ve told my husband numerous times that should anything happen to him (God forbid) I would just be happily single till my time comes…..I’m good! Ok. Question about the spine. When did you poke the holes from the cardstock into the spine paper? Once it’s covered in the fabric isn’t it too hard to see them? I didn’t see the holes as you were gluing everything together, but there were definitely holes by the end. TIA😁
Hey Heather, good question! I should've mentioned in the video that's it's a good idea to poke the holes from the inside of the spine through the outer spine paper before you line the inside with the fabric. Then re-poke the holes from the outside of the spine through the liner fabric so they can be easily seen from both sides. I hope that makes sense.
My husband is working out of town and his huge library of math books keep staring at me, daring me to liberate a few from the shelves. He hasn’t looked at them in literally decades so I’m wondering if a few would like a different life as a junk journal. I have made photocopies of some of the pages that I find fascinating and when I showed him my finished journal he went pale, thinking I had cut up one of his books.
I work in the anti-fraud industry, and romance scams never decrease. And those scammers are ruthless. They target older folks who then feel shame for falling for a scam and then don't report it. It is truly heartbreaking.
Perfect timing! I needed something to watch on this cold day! 30cm of snow! I follow scammer payback. I like those guys they really get those scammers. It’s so bad now! I get messages/phone calls etc almost daily! Never a romance one! Maybe because I usually have my dog as my profile pic! Lol😅
Fabulous! I could NEVER see too many of your how-to videos. NEVER! You know [The Dodo] where you can watch cute animal videos? That’s where the creeps hang out, looking for soft-hearted people. They’d type: “Hello Mara. How are you today?” I’d type: “Buzz off, you creep!” or “How dare you? I’m a married woman.” I reported them, and finally changed my avatar from my personal photo to a photo of a flower. I haven’t been hit on for a while. There’s a YT channel called [Scam Baiter]. He messes with those call centers in India. He taps into their cameras when he can. Once showed a police raid he got organized. He’ll contact people to tell them they’re being scammed. That guy is a hero!
One of those sorts of scammers tried the very thing with my son in laws mum , I. Made sure she knew what he was up to , it makes me sick that people do that to others . Great video Nik . X
The romance scamming happened to both my grandmother and my mother in law. Both of them were swept up (both being lonely of course). It took some convincing of both of them that they were being scammed, it made me so angry. This happened on Facebook. It's so frustrating. Thank you for talking about this because it's so very real.
I watched Catfish with this Nebraskan woman Jodi who after all they told her & flew her to meet with them, she still did not believe what the investigators said. I think she blocked her scammer for a couple of days but then she unblocked him. There are several episodes featuring Jodi. She was so desperate to be loved. She was donating plasma so she could send the scammer money. They did so much to help that woman who refused to be helped. So sad. Loved your book. I would love to hear your stories about scamming the scammers. My tip: if the scammer refers to you as “my Queen” hang up & block him. It is guaranteed to be from Ghana or some other African or Indian nationality. Everyone of the scammers I saw on Catfish started referring to the woman as my Queen.
This is a terrific journal demonstration, very helpful! Thank you! I also appreciate you bringing up the topic of scams. Someone tried to scam me on RU-vid the other day. I realize now they must have assumed my age due to a reference I mentioned in my comment. They used the same thumbnail as the original RU-vidr, so it looked very real. Fortunately I realized their reply seemed suspicious and did not click on their link.
Oh Nik … a Nigerian Prince! That gave me a belly laugh, sorry, here in South Africa. Wow! Indeed it’s very sad that there are so many vulnerable people out there. It’s just cruel. Great video. You have inspired me to get going and create x
this came out wonderful Nik - very helpful tutorial as well as the info you shared to your viewers - its so sad and i wish everyone would realize that its a scam before they get harmed - thank you and be well - always enjoy watching and learning xx
I’ve really missed seeing this type journal from you, so even though you didn’t so the papers in detail, I’m very happy to see your process again for building out the journal. Just in the last couple weeks my husband and I have both received phone calls from “our electric company” where they haven’t received a payment in several months, and our electricity is being cut off in 60 minutes! A payment must be made immediately to them. First thing is that our electric bill is automatically withdrawn, and we receive an email each month when the bill is received. I can only imagine how this would be received by the elderly or someone that suffers from anxiety-like you said, it’s heartbreaking. I just really hate people who think they’re entitled to something that belongs to you, no matter what it is.
Your timing is wonderful! I found an old cover that I have been holding on to for years, not knowing just what I wanted to do with it. (antique kid series with quirky embossed covers). You have triggered/given me my solution for this one. Thank you!
So happy I can replay video to watch it over again as I'm making one. Book turned out ok, just had a slight tear in the spine paper. I may have used to much glue. I used Tacky glue. Scammers are so prevalent now. My mom who is 92 almost got scammed. Thank God she didn't trust the person on the phone.
Hey Nik.... As a Professor I have tons of ugly (modern) hard-cover textbooks. I'd like a "quick or easy" book covers to make them look vintage. Any ideas?
Hmmm...maybe scan a cool old book cover, print it out and glue it on? Or...glue on an old photo mat/cabinet card in the cover and put a vintage photo in it?
I finally understand now how to determine the direction of the grain in paper! Thanks so much for clearing that up. This was such fun to watch and listen to. Love your work Nik!
Love the book, everything about it! I love books in general, but there's something about one with different papers in it that not only have that crunchy sound, but that you can write your OWN story in! Mostly want to thank you for the tips about scammers. I think we all need to take classes on this subject!
In the California county where I live recently, a Virginia sheriff's deputy posed as a 17-year-old boy online and asked the teenage girl for nude photos before he drove across the country and killed her mother and grandparents then set their house on fire and kidnapped the girl. Luckily he was stopped rather quickly but so tragic. And I just love watching you work.
Hello Nik, great project and great information. I would also like to add for people to be careful of scammers using their favorite RU-vidrs picture thumbnail. If anyone gets a comment to them like that, I suggest they read more of the reply's to others, if they see same exact reply to others - it's a scam. I'd even got one before on a Christian RU-vid channel. Nothing's trust worthy anymore. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge about these things. I pray that you are doing well young lady. Take care and God bless you and yours. Sincerely Becky B from Arkansas
I love watching your videos and listening to your stories. I have a story about someone who was catfished. She's my father's ex-wife. She had remarried and then she was widowed a number of years later. A few years ago some a**hat contacted her and scammed her out of all her inheritance and her sister's inheritance. Her kids intervened but to no avail. She was convinced that this dude was THE ONE. She continues to send him money. Man oh man.
My husband just told me of a friend of his mom's who fell for some scammer, sent the jerk literally all her money. Her kids intervened and took her laptop and shut down her internet connection because she STILL wanted to "help out her friend" after all this!! 😫
Love your method here. I think scams like you described is really indicative of just how sad and lonely people are, especially in this country. Older people rarely heard from their children once they have grown and so many were lost to the pandemic. It’s quite sad. 😢
I love the book that was serendipitous of you to find all those signatures all ready to go. I’m a boomer and I don’t trust or believe anyone. I don’t friend people on Facebook that I don’t know I don’t let strangers DM me on Instagram I don’t answer any phone calls from a number I don’t recognize and I have two spam blockers on my phone. I know people my age and even younger people are too trusting. it’s amazing maybe it’s because I am so cynical that I’ve survived this long without ever being scammed. Someone on one of these Facebook crafting groups said their father had been scammed and was at the 7-Eleven buying gift cards and the clerks are trained in that sort of thing and the clerk told him it was a scam but he didn’t want to believe it and did it anyway. I remember back in the days of the Publishers Clearing House, before the Internet, people would get this stuff in the mail and some old man had driven all the way across the country to the publishers clearing house headquarters to get his money, so sad I just don’t get it I hope I don’t get gullible as I get older.
Thanks for sharing. Very informative. I used to work in banking, and heard a lot of catfishing stories. Many times the victim does not believe it could happen to them.
I sometimes watch Dr. Phil on Facebook. He has people on his show who have been scammed out of so much money, and their family members write to him to help their grandmother or mother get assistance. Most understand that they've been scammed at the end of the show, but there are some who just want to believe so bad... it's so sad. I would really be interested in some of your "scammed the scammer" stories. :) I get messages on FB sometimes... I block them, but scamming them back sounds like fun! Thanks for the video. :)
I really love your videos. They're informative and entertaining. Love the monologues on various topics. Hate the scammers. Especially those who target seniors, who are more trusting than most. I've only been bookbinding for a few months and every project presents new challenges. Your videos help.
Love seeing your process! I'm behind on watching videos (& Facebook Posts & Instagram DMs & Emails... My kitchen table is covered with mail that came out of my mailbox _Of course most of it is Bills so... Meh... LOL) But Watching you is so relaxing & so I formative! So... Instead of being "Productive," I think I'll just Binge-Watch your Channel for a few hours! LOL! ~🙏💙🙏Much Gratitude From the Carolinas🙏💙🙏~
I was scammed out of 500$ because this person was suppose to represent Amazon fraud center. They needed a gift card to track a hacker. Duh. I fell for it because I really thought it was Amazon. So I cancelled my cards and changed my passwords. I never ever trust someone I don’t know now. Lol
Whenever I get a call from a "company" ie Amazon. IRS ect. I always just say thanks for the heads up, I'll contact the company direct. They usually tell me I can't do that. I tell them "then this is a scam. Quit wasting my time."
My poor aunt called me from her car on the way to buy gift cards. I told her to turn off the car and go back in the house. She was so scared that if she didn’t do what they asked, she might get blamed for fraud. We had tech intervention right away and educated her on scams. Then found out she was paying over $100 a month to a person who convinced her that was the only way to keep her computer “safe.” Sigh. I hate scammers!
My son-in-law is a professional IT guy with a big company. He fell for the credit card scam. Boy, was he embarrassed. Just wanted you to know it can happen to anybody.
Loved the book. Glad to see you survived the holidays. Are you planning to attend the Denver postcard & paper shower next weekend? If so maybe I’ll run into you.
Thank you so much for this! I’ve rewatched a few times- I don’t see how or when you get the holes you marked on the spine chipboard through to the outside paper? How do you know where to go in/out when you have the fabric on the inside already placed? I’m sorry if this should be obvious- I’m brand new 😬
Hi Nik. So much information my brain is on overload!! Love the journal and how you created the spine. Would using Modge Podge work instead of the Liquitex? Ahhh, the scammers. My friend's husband fell for the one where they take over your computer. Caused all kinds of problems!! Take care!❤
Ive been having trouble getting my book spines to fit easily to the front and back cover. My spine cardstock splits when i use wet glue, and it pulls loose with tape. Its extremely frustrating.
Hey Nik! I really want that cool positioning thingy you are using, but the link in your Amazon favorites is for 3” and 4” ones, which I bought. Haha! Imagine my surprise when I got them 😂 Can you possibly let me know where I can get the one you are using. Love your videos❤
Another way to spot a scammer is how they word things and their grammar. And they’re always somebody from the United States but they’re working overseas or they’re in the military they’re divorced or widowed and they always say God bless you. It’s sad that there’s so many scammers out there. I gets lots of messages on IG and sometimes I tell them to F off. But normally, I just block them
I'm not your mom, but just sayin: The universe has no conscience...it is full of gas and rock. There is, however, a Creator that made all that cool stuff, that's where the credit should go, don't you think? ;) Luv ya!!
I'm always happy to see a new video from you! Always something interesting. And I love your stories! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and you are well❣️😘
yup on the sew buttons on your underwear, my hubby says it occasionally, now the grandkids do. Thanks for the stories, hateful people who try to get in our pockets. I'm 78, I get facebook romance offers, delete!
My old boss would say me: SO... him: Sew buttons on a monkey's coat. Too funny remembering that. I'm trying to think of an instance where I would even say "so" to anyone now that I'm older.🙃 peace
I try my best to not get taken by a scammer and so far I've been lucky. I was working with HP to fix a problem with my printer. About half way through i started to feel that something wasn't right. He was asking questions that wasn't necessary to fix the printer. When he asked for access to my computer, I ended the call. I did get a hold of the really HP customer service and did allow them to access my computer and fix the set up. I was wondering how you were able to see the holes after you covered the template with paper on one side and fabric on the other side. LOL The fabric must have been thin enough for you to see through. I just couldn't see that on my screen. ♥️
I was in a dating site for about a month or 2. I must look gullible as hell because I got hit up several times with the whole "you look like exactly who I'm looking for" blah, blah, blah. I didn't fall for the bull 💩. I started stringing them along and let them think I was falling for it, then dropped the whole, I know your full of it line on them. I may look gullible but I'm really not. It's sad that they hit on the lonely hearts. But, being on those sites is kinda announcing that you are lonely. I was.
I've read stories of someone messaging a person who sells home made things online or post pictures of home made things acting like they want to buy it. They ask the price &say something like"I want to buy it for a nephew/friends kid etc.. but have to get the money from the kids account. Then message the crafter that the person accidently wrote the check for example $1000 instead of &100 & they would need to cash the check &send the rest back. In the next message they ask for the crafters account number to get the money back. How horrible that all these people try to scam people instead of having a honest job!
Thank you Nik for the information of catfish. The world is so full of scammers. Ran into a few myself. Caught him and reported him to the authorities. However I was fortunate there are some that are not. So than you for alerting others. By the way love your channel!
I've stopped posting any photo of myself now because I've become a woman of a certain age and the scammers flock to me when they see my pic. Rude and tiresome.
I've text a couple of guys awhile back, and as soon as they started some bologna problem where they needed help whether they needed a itune card and if I could get one or another guy wanted to send me his money for me to take care of it and I told him I am not comfortable being responsible for someone else's money and I will not do it. All the while I knew both men ( and I use that word with disrespect ) what they were up to and POOF, I blocked them out of my life without a word. I worked to hard for my money to be giving it away.
Thank you so much Nik, this is just what I needed today my inspiration has been a bit flat lately. Now to look around for a old book to have a play 🤗❤️
They prey on seniors. They send mail also about winning money. I had to protect a dear friend told her to not answer mail.with winning money letters. Thank God she lisyened.
