Recently, I went online to book a room at a specific hotel in NYC. Clicked on “Reservation Desk.” Thought I was talking to the hotel. Nope. I was on a completely different website, some so-called third party I’d never heard of.

Spent a couple of heart-attack hours wondering if I’d just blown a buncha dollars on a scam.

Turns out I had a real reservation. Just booked through a company I didn’t know existed five minutes earlier. Panic subsided. Blood pressure: not so much.

Look, I’m a dinosaur. I know that. I don’t do apps. I don’t do third parties. I just want to call a number, talk to a human, and get a room. Is that so much to ask? But the internet, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that old folks who just want to book a room are apparently fair game.

Then there are theater tickets.

Just wanting to purchase tix for a touring company Broadway show at a local theater. Should’ve been simple. I’m eighty freakin’ seven years old, so my thumb may have mispunched a bit. Before I knew what happened, I’d been shunted to a third-party seller and was paying about double the listed price.

I coulda deleted everything and started over.

I am not known for my patience.

So I got stung. But here’s the thing. I knew I got stung. And when something’s inevitable, you just go with it.

So, my fellow seniors, BEWARE.

Beware the email or text that looks like it’s from your bank. Believable logo. Official tone. It tells you there’s a problem with your account, a suspicious charge, a frozen account, something that sounds just real enough to make you gulp.

The “suspicious” charge is always from some reputable business, for a specific believable dollar amount. And helpfully, they provide a number to call so they can fix everything right up.

They’ll fix it alright. You’ll be out a bunch if you fall for it.

Look at the back of your bank card. Call the number on there, not the one in the email. After waiting on hold for a freakin’ long time, tell the nice human (if you get one) to check your account. I’ve done this more times than I’d like over the past few months.

Account’s always been fine.

It’s called phishing. And call me paranoid, but I truly believe they are preying on us old folks.

So.

Beware.

Nothing is what it seems to be.

Enuf.