Why is it so easy to con and scam Guyanese?

Jun 06, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
Over a period of time I have heard and read of so many people in Guyana being robbed of money through online scams originating in the USA. Why is it so easy for this to happen, one wonders. Is it because the scammers in America are so clever, or because the scammed in Guyana are so trusting, perhaps naive?
It is not so easy to get away with such ‘pranks’ in the UK; I can assure you.
Not so long ago, I wanted to send a “small piece” to two elderly widows in Guyana, and could not do so – even through the state’s Post Office. They could send that relatively small sum only through a named and verified (numbered) bank account in the person’s name. The commercial banks would not do it; the post office could not do it. Although it was not said, I gathered Guyana was not on their list of ‘favourites’.
Eventually, my nephew-in-law volunteered to gift the women the money personally. What a relief. The drawback of course is that it has to be a ‘one-off’ effort, because it would not be fair otherwise. Online banking can never be absolutely safe. The telephone people are always trying to entice me to “go online” with my telephone bill payments, no doubt to save them work, although they claim it would be cheaper for me. Peace of mind means more to me than money saved, having regard to my age. After all, as the saying goes, “you can’t take it with you”. Although I like what one Yank said – “If I can’t take it with me, then I ain’t going”. Some Brit practices are worth copying.
Geralda Dennison

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