I started the day angry and frustrated and ended it realising that my worries were nothing at all.
The reason for my annoyance was that I got scammed. How many times have I reported on other people being hoaxed? How many messages have I had from the police press office warning of scams? How thick am I?
I picked up the phone to hear the sound of a noisy call centre in the background and a man telling me he was from Talk Talk (which is my internet provider).
Had I experienced a slow connection on occasions?
Well, yes. I had.
Okay. If I could just download Team Viewer – with their help – they would be able to fix the problem.
So they gained access to my computer.
Then they told me I needed a new router which seemed a little strange as I have only just got one.
The alarm bells really started when they told me I was entitled to a £200 refund because Talk Talk had been hacked last year and they were paying out this goodwill money.
I gave them no details, apologised if I was being unnecessarily suspicious and told the man I would ring Talk Talk back.
He got angry and I hung up. I rang Talk Talk who seemed to know all about this scam. I then rang my bank who said they were getting two or three calls a week about this scam and in most cases people had given out bank details.
Spent most of the rest of the morning changing passwords, de-installing this Team Viewer thing and re-registering my bank details.
It took hours and I don’t know that I remember any of my new passwords!
I was angry and frustrated and then I became conscious of what my husband was listening to on the television news.
The death toll from that horrendous London fire had risen again and was likely to rise even more.
That tower block fire has felt like 9/11 all over again – the agony of people trapped, the pleas for help, messages of love and goodbye.
It is so heartbreaking.
The survivors and residents in nearby tower blocks are justifiably angry that their own calls for improved safety standards were ignored.
You feel their anger. I know I have this burning desire to see someone held accountable.
In the end, though, what good will it do? I am sure – I certainly pray – that lessons are learned, action is taken quickly and those who have lost everything are compensated.
But all the lessons learned, all the money given, will not stop a mother from hearing, for the rest of her life, her 12-year old daughter pleading: “Mummy come and get me.”
No money in the world will bring back a young brother who came here as a refugee to study to be an architect.
That’s only two. Every person who died and every person who lived will have their own story.
Once again, though, we have seen the best of people in a crisis.
As they have had to be on far too many occasions in recent months, the emergency services have been outstanding.
Special mention must be made of the fire service in this case. What a dangerous and harrowing job this must have been.
At a time like this, fire, terror or whatever, the people of this country rush forward to help in whatever way they can, from putting their own lives in danger to donating a can of beans.
All colour and all creed come together in the face of someone else’s pain.
It makes you think.
What right had I to be annoyed because I fell for a scam phone call? I still have my life and my family and for that I can only thank God and pray for those who have seen hell...
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