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65
Unscrupulous individuals, called “con artists”, sometimes call and pretend they
are taking a survey. During the survey, they will ask you personal questions about
when and where you work, about your credit cards, or about your home. Sometimes,
they will offer a deal that is “too good to be true,” for example, an airline ticket to
Japan for $200. To get the ticket, they will ask you to send a money order or check or
to the number of your credit card. Chances are, you will never get the ticket, but they
will get your money.
What’s going on here?
Read about Ellen’s experience with the Burns family. Then discuss the story.
Ellen went to the United States of America for the summer as an exchange
student. She lived in a house with Mr. And Mrs. Burns and three children. From the
very beginning, she was made to feel at home. They told her that their house was her
house: she should feel free to live in their house as if it were her own. She called Mr.
And Mrs. Burns “Mom” and ”Dad,” and she felt as though she had three American
siblings.
Ellen could invite friends home from school; she could go to the refrigerator
whenever she wanted, use the telephone whenever she wanted, and even drive the
family car! She was very happy.
After she had been with the Burns family for about a month, Ellen came home
from school to find Mr. And Mrs. Burns looking very upset. Mrs. Burns was looking
at the telephone bill, and when Ellen came into the house she said, “Ellen, you seem
to have made many phone calls home.”
“Yes,” Ellen replied. “I call my mother every week. It’s so nice of you to treat
me like your very own children, with freedom to use the telephone and the car. You
are really wonderful people.”
Mrs. Burns said, “Yes, of course, Ellen, we have tried very hard to make you
feel like part of the family. But this month we received a telephone bill for $350!
Most of it is for calls to your country. That’s a lot of money, and we can’t be
expected to pay for these calls.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellen said, “I guess I misunderstood.” She left the room in tears.
Unscrupulous individuals, called “con artists”, sometimes call and pretend they
are taking a survey. During the survey, they will ask you personal questions about
when and where you work, about your credit cards, or about your home. Sometimes,
they will offer a deal that is “too good to be true,” for example, an airline ticket to
Japan for $200. To get the ticket, they will ask you to send a money order or check or
to the number of your credit card. Chances are, you will never get the ticket, but they
will get your money.
What’s going on here?
Read about Ellen’s experience with the Burns family. Then discuss the story.
Ellen went to the United States of America for the summer as an exchange
student. She lived in a house with Mr. And Mrs. Burns and three children. From the
very beginning, she was made to feel at home. They told her that their house was her
house: she should feel free to live in their house as if it were her own. She called Mr.
And Mrs. Burns “Mom” and ”Dad,” and she felt as though she had three American
siblings.
Ellen could invite friends home from school; she could go to the refrigerator
whenever she wanted, use the telephone whenever she wanted, and even drive the
family car! She was very happy.
After she had been with the Burns family for about a month, Ellen came home
from school to find Mr. And Mrs. Burns looking very upset. Mrs. Burns was looking
at the telephone bill, and when Ellen came into the house she said, “Ellen, you seem
to have made many phone calls home.”
“Yes,” Ellen replied. “I call my mother every week. It’s so nice of you to treat
me like your very own children, with freedom to use the telephone and the car. You
are really wonderful people.”
Mrs. Burns said, “Yes, of course, Ellen, we have tried very hard to make you
feel like part of the family. But this month we received a telephone bill for $350!
Most of it is for calls to your country. That’s a lot of money, and we can’t be
expected to pay for these calls.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellen said, “I guess I misunderstood.” She left the room in tears.
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