Granny Gamers for 4/30/26

We bounce from wholesome internet culture to the darker side of media and scams, looking at how people build community online and how quickly things get messy when money and attention are involved. Along the way, we dig into mall nostalgia, a DIY sapphire proposal, celebrity legal headlines, and practical ways to avoid getting tricked by fake ads and deepfakes. 

• granny gamers streaming Skyrim and GTA, breaking age stereotypes and fighting loneliness through online community 
• why gaming can help keep your mind sharp, from reflexes to hand-eye coordination 
• leaked reality TV audio and why production contracts treat leaks as a serious risk 
• the surprising Gen Z push behind the shopping mall comeback and the need for real-life “third spaces” 
• a viral proposal using sapphire gravel and why romance depends on knowing your partner 
• Kylie Jenner lawsuit allegations focused on supervisors and why employers can still be liable 
• paid social media ads used for scams, AI deepfakes, phishing, fake shopping sites, and gift card traps 

If you're around the Minneapolis area, feel free to come hang out with Meryl at Crooners on Wednesday May 13th. 
Please let people know who we are. 

If you like sharp takes on social media, pop culture, online safety, and the weird stuff that says something real about how we live now, hit subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review that tells us what story we should tackle next.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Transcript

Welcome And What We Cover

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. Thirsty Topics is a show where we talk about pop culture, social media, and things happening in the news. And as you can tell, we never run out of things to talk about. Never. Well, Meryl, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 0:37

I'm good. I'm Meryl. I should probably say that before it gets awkward, but I like to wait until things get like extremely awkward and then start. Um, I'm Meryl Climo, and I am in Burbank, California, and Lawrence's trusty sidekick.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Well, we are going to have some fun today.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Yeah, yeah. We got some good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Yes, yes. And actually, I'm gonna start off with a real good one. Meryl, have you heard of Granny Gamers?

SPEAKER_02 1:10

No, I've heard of Granny Pants, but no, no, no, Granny Gamers.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Well, this is actually a new trend, which is actually I think is a great trend. So, Granny Gamer refers to elderly women who play and often stream video games with notable figures like 89-year-old Julie Curry, the Skyrim grandma, and 94-year-old Miko Maury, the oldest gaming YouTuber, gaining massive followings. They break stereotypes by enjoying complex games like Skyrim, Battlefield, and GTA. Now I gotta tell you, GTA is probably the biggest surprise on this list.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Hereby I I'm obsessed.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I I actually like this. I like this for a number of different reasons. One,

Granny Gamers Break The Mold

SPEAKER_00 2:04

because of what gaming does, especially being that, in fact, we talked about it um in one of our previous episodes about how the FAA is actually actively streaming gamers um to recruit them for air traffic controllers. So it's actually good as far as the exercising your mind, your thought process. And you know, also too, because the gaming community is pretty big, you know, you can be at your home and not be alone, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Yeah. And I feel like in the in back in the day, like you know, people would gather around nursing homes. I'm sure they still do, but like watching the TV, and it was just such a passive thing. But I think this is so great. And it's like, why wouldn't elder people catch up to what we're all doing now, which is like we're being interactive with our phones and we're playing coin games and computer games and you know, all that stuff. So I love it.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Oh, me too. And you know, the thing I love the most is, you know, a lot of times, especially with older people, um, one of the big things that a lot of them complain about is the loneliness. Um, you know, maybe they don't have any kids, or maybe if they do have kids, they don't come around as much as they used to. They don't really see grandchildren as as much as they they used to, especially if you're older. Um, so which means your grandchildren are probably, you know, either young adults or something like that. So this is a great way to, you know, be in a community with other people that love what you love. And it kind of keeps you going, keeps you motivating, you know, gives you something to look forward to as well, too, instead of just being lonely.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

Now now they have to target more games towards elder people. Yeah, like because you know, like Red Dead Redemption is one video game that I know is really popular. They need like a person where that like breaks out of a senior living house or something.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

You know the crazy thing is, Meryl, I'm surprised no one has thought about that yet.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

I know. There we go. First business idea of the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

And you know, the other thing too is um pretty much they can play anything if they can play GTA, and like I said, you know, if you know what GTA is, you'll understand that if they can do GTA, they can pretty much do any type of uh I think that's so good, and yeah, it keeps them up with their dexterity and their reflexes, and like I even feel now like getting back into Mario 1 and Mario 2. I'm like, oh my god, that's hard to remember, and like doing all the things at the same time and kind of the brain and hand, you know, eye coordination. Um, so I think it's a great thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

Yeah, definitely, and you know, it's kind of cool to see the the uh the granny cop population on there, as they say, um, because that community that they're in is also probably, you know, Gen Zers and um Gen X's, there's all kinds of people who get I I've played games in the past, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a real gamer, you know, where yeah, there's a lot of guys, even my age, that you know, they play games every day. Nothing wrong with it. It's just I just not my thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

But hey, you know what? If it if it works for them and it keeps them occupied and and you know brings them happiness, I say go for it.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

I do too, and I just feel like you're never too old to like no matter even if you haven't done it before, if you're I just think you're never too old to like play video games or enjoy music or make content. And in fact, like I I think a lot of brands are looking for older people to work with because if you're looking for like influencers or gamers in a certain demographic, it's like you're going to be one of the leaders in the pack instead of being like so oversaturated. So it's never too late unless you're dead, then it's too late.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yeah, that'd be way too late now.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Yeah, unfortunately, but yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Nice.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Well, my first one, okay. Remember like a week or two uh I covered it might have been a little confusing for people that like are employed with jobs who like don't pay attention to this stuff, but there was a a scandal where like the show Summerhouse, um, two people got together and it was kind of a betrayal of friendship where like this guy Wes and Amanda got together. Yeah. So basically, all people need to know if you don't know about this, is that um the show on show on Bravo, Summerhouse, is it was a very highly anticipated reunion because all this stuff had gone down between some of the cast members where uh Wes and Amanda got together and her best friend Sierra was upset and his bet his friend Kyle, and you know, it involved all this kind of stuff. Now, I think the reunion is going to come out in about three weeks, but um, some audio got leaked and it was very serious, where like uh, you

The Risks Of Leaking Reality TV

SPEAKER_02 6:52

know, it they couldn't find out who did it at first, but then Andy Cohen revealed that a Bravo viewer was the one who cracked the case of the leaked summer house reunion audio coming from an individual involved in production. Um, he said that a fan came forward with crucial information to solve the scandal. And I don't know, like to me, uh I just think, you know, because there's all these people being like, oh, this is what the sound sounds like. It sounds like it's to the left of this person, or you know, kind of if all of a sudden we were all detectives and audiologists just trying to determine where it was coming from. But what got me is they were sending it around saying, like, if you took this, you may be um it may be like tried for you know, maybe not jail time, but like you may be investigated. And I I didn't know to me like how serious that would be. Because like, you know, if you're on a set and if you leak the audio, to me, it's like you're not committing like a felony or a misdemeanor, but like it's also so it's very serious. But to me, I don't know, it's just a it's just a show, but um, I understand it's a production.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Yeah, that's true. I mean, one of the things about it, um, especially when you're talking about Hollywood contracts and you're working on productions that haven't come out yet, um, they're very, very, very, very protective of information. So depending on who does it and what was leaked, I mean, it could be anything from you know, getting angry to a full-blown lawsuit. Um if you take information and you sell it to make a profit, you know, it could be copyright infringement. You know, there's a whole lot of rabbit holes you could go down, and it's it's risky when you do that. Anyone in this business knows that um, especially if you're working on a set, most sets don't even like you having a cell phone in a set just because they don't want anything leaking out.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

So yeah, I think that's what they had said too, was that they knew it wasn't the cast because the cast had to put their phones like behind couch cushions or put it away. So then it kind of bloomed out to that, okay, well then who in production is it? And like I could see both sides of this. I really can because I can see being pissed that it's like, can't we just wait three weeks for it to come out properly? But I also could see a side that if you're kind of wanting to get the information out because of this very like scandalous thing and you're just kind of being sneaky, I don't think this should warrant like jail time or like a huge fine to someone. I just think they might be like go or something, but I don't know, maybe people feel differently. But I could see me doing this. Like if if you're not the main person and if you kind of don't care, I think it's kind of funny to leak it. I know it's probably unpopular opinion.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Well, you know, the thing is, Meryl, is that um I guess whoever leaks something, you have to think about it and weigh what it's doing because the one thing it could do, like if you work on major brands, now doing independent projects is totally different than doing big-time major projects.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Totally, and that's a real thing. So you only kind of way, is it really worth doing it, you know?

SPEAKER_02 10:05

Exactly. And I think maybe because I find this show and just this premise and these people very unserious, that like I find it way different than being like on sinners or you know, like an actual real to me, like a real movie um or situation. So yeah, I totally agree.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Yeah, so like I said, um, it'll be interesting. Did they did they figure out exactly who it was or did they just have an idea?

SPEAKER_02 10:31

I think they did. Yeah, I think they figured out an employee. I don't think they named the person, but um, I think they figured it out. And also the audio that got leaked, I listened to it and it wasn't that like salacious either way. Like it wasn't, it was just kind of what we already thought was going to happen between two cast members. So I don't know that it didn't really do a ton of harm. Like it didn't give away a big reveal or anything, but it also was just kind of like it gave us a taste of what I think a lot of people are expecting already. But if anything, it it like helped drive it. So I could also see if it was like this big reveal that was like, well, now I'm not gonna watch it. But if anything, it helped probably draw in a little bit of intrigue. And my last point is that I feel to me like these reunions are taking really long to come out. And like as a fan, I feel like three weeks from now we may care way less about all this. So, like, I'm not saying it should be leaked, but I'm saying, like, let's speed it up. Like, the reunion to me should have been out like this week and stuff, because soon we're gonna lose all the interest, you know.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

That's a good point. That's a really, really good point. Well, talk about good things. Um the return of shopping malls is a hot topic right now. Yay! So, shopping malls are experiencing a surprising resurgence, driven by gen uh largely by Gen Zs who favor in-person social experiences over online shopping. Foot traffic rose 9.7 percent in early 2024, with malls evolving to offer entertainment, diverse dining, and tick-tockable environments, which is not a surprise. While high-end curated malls thrive, others are adapting through mixed-use redevelopment. Now, Gen uh Z influencers are considered younger consumers between 13 and 19. They're visiting malls

Gen Z Brings Back Mall Culture

SPEAKER_00 12:32

for social activities with 75 percent reporting they visit for social reasons, enjoying browsing, trying on clothes, and um the uh tactile experience. This is very surprising. What do you think, Meryl?

SPEAKER_02 12:51

I love it. I'm obsessed, and I think we should all hang out at malls more. Um, no, it's it's the malls are weird here in Los Angeles and San Diego because like some of them are partially outside, and then some of them just feel like they're a money laundering front. So I feel like I would rather I prefer a small town mall. I miss like my Pennsylvania local mall, but like I feel like I need to be engulfed more in mall culture. The ones out here are very like either fancy shishy kind of things, or they're like outdoors or weird. But I think malls are a great place for people to hang out and have that third space. And I'm a I'm a mall girl.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Yeah, I I really love this story for a number of reasons. Um, obviously, it helps out the the economy, um, the businesses that's there. Um, the other thing that I really like about it is, and I've always complained about this, is the younger generations don't have as much so social interact with people as we did growing up. Everything is online. And you know, I I remember saying telling a story many times how when my son first started uh high school many years ago, and I didn't think there was any kids in the neighborhood, and uh he wanted to ride the bus for the first time because we always dropped them off. So I said, okay, fine, we'll ride the bus. And I took him to the bus stop, and I saw the guy was like about a hundred kids out there. I'm like, where the hell do these kids come from? Yeah, they're just inside. So so so where do you live at? Oh, they live with not black, they live here and I'm like, oh my god, none of them came outside. So this is a great story to me. I think this is this is terrific.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

Me too. And it's like it, I feel like the mall provides people. You can go there and just walk around and it's free, or you can go there and have like a five-dollar slushie and something, or you can go there and spend so much money and have dinner there. So I feel like it's kind of kind of make your own experience. And then to me, like if I was a parent too, I would love the mall because then you kind of know where all the kids are gathering. So yeah, like have so many good parts of my life were like thinking about Friday nights at like our little mall, and then you know, knowing that like a boy that you like would be there, and then turning the corner and running away. So it's fun. I yeah, I would love to go back to mall culture.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

Oh, yes, definitely. And you know, the thing too is um it's really good for kids to have social interaction with actual other kids, people, because um yeah, believe it or not, that actually is gonna help them in life. Because when you become an adult, everything's not from behind the computer. You you will have to interact with people, so you need to actually build your people skills. So I can't. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

Well, uh, mine uh my next one. Uh a proposal went viral after a man gave his girlfriend a hundred pounds of sapphire gravel from a Montana mine instead of presenting a finished engagement ring. The idea is that they would sort of sort the gravel together, pull out the best stones, and use them to create a custom sapphire ring. And the couple reportedly found more than a hundred rough gemstones, including dozens considered good enough to work with. Um, so of course, the internet had some thoughts on this. So there was the people that were like, this is romantic, this is sweet. And then there were some people that, like, girl, your your fiance gave you a bunch of rocks and now you have to do the work. Um, I'm I'm the believer that it kind of depends on the relationship. Like, if this is a thoughtful, nice guy to begin with, then that's a very cute thing to sort through it together. If he was expecting her to do it all by herself and just like shuffling a bunch of rocks and saying, here you go, like find your ring, then that's weird. But to me, like

A Proposal Made Of Sapphire Gravel

SPEAKER_02 16:32

if it means something to them, and if I'm assuming they like live in Montana or they're, you know, they care about the that type of culture, um, then I see nothing wrong with it. I think it's I think it's sweet, but it like depends on the overall uh foundation of the relationship.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

I think you're 100% right because I think that there are gonna be some women that that go, wow, this is really unique. I love this idea. And then there are gonna be some women that go, What the F? Are you serious? You know?

SPEAKER_02 17:02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

You really have to know who you're with.

SPEAKER_02 17:06

Exactly. And to to them, this may be better than him going and buying like a $20, or no, not $20, but like a however much engagement rings at like Kay's jewelry costs, and you know, like just mindless type of stuff. So I think this may be more thoughtful.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

I agree, and you know, just a little bit of um advice do not buy your your your per your woman a $20 ring, it will not go very well at all. There will be all kinds of bad words said that you probably never heard of her say before. So don't don't don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

But it's but I know a lot of girls that would love this of you and my friends, and then a lot of friends, if they showed up to like a hundred pounds of rocks at their door, they would they'd be divorced before they even got married.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Well, you know, you have to give this person an A for originality, though.

SPEAKER_02 17:59

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Let me ask you this, Meryl. How would you feel if you were proposed with a column rocks?

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Oh my gosh. Well, we talk about this all the time because you know, we've been dating for a really, really long time and we're not married, but and everyone always is like, oh, that's so sad, they're waiting. But it's actually it's like been me that wants to just not I've I just for whatever it's for whatever reason, I just you know that has not been important to me. My boyfriend's very romantic and sweet. Um, so I feel like he he's an example that if like if we like to go to Yosemite National Park a lot, and if he showed up with like a hundred pounds of rocks from Yosemite and we dug through them and slowly like created a ring, I feel like that would be meaningful, and I think that that would be really sweet.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yeah, I I like that. I like that. But you know, the thing I don't understand is you know when people make comments, oh, it's so sad you guys are still waiting. It's like, okay, it's not your business, you know.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

Oh my gosh, it's just so awkward.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

And especially I am not gonna I was gonna say that, you know, especially when you have a person that um other people that aren't married and they're telling you you guys have been together a long time, aren't you? Married, it's like, okay, why aren't you winning when you know me to say exactly?

SPEAKER_02 19:15

And we always say, like, I love marriage, my parents are still married, but it's like so I haven't found a good way yet to tell people because we've been together for like 12 years, and I it's I'm not like waiting, I've never given him an ultimatum. We've talked about it over and over, but we're just like happy the way that we are, and we know a lot of married friends that are kind of miserable and we're like, oh god, we wouldn't want that, you know. So, but I haven't really found like a good way to of course, like comedy-wise, I just it's funny because it's a funny thing, but it's like it I wish there was just more like long-term boyfriend and girlfriends in this world. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

I think it boils down to the people. If the couple is happy with the way their situation is, forget what everyone else thinks, you know, it's exactly that person. It's almost like, and and this is crazy to when I say this, but you know, the most critical people that have the most to say about how to raise your child are people that don't have children. That's the craziest thing in the world. And I even asked other people about it because I wanted to find out from other other other parents. Are we the only one experienced this? Like, nope. The most people always got something to say about how to raise kids are people who don't even have kids. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Exactly. And we like we own a house together, and we like I think I think sometimes women just want to look out for other women too, and they're like worried about like finances and all that kind of stuff. But I feel like in every way in that situation, I'm like more than covered and good of being like independent and you know, kind of being like, okay, no one's like sucking the energy from me or sucking anything from me. It's just it's just more the the actual thing. But yeah, I hear you. And like a lot of my married friends in like a very loving way, I don't need to hear their advice because I'm like, oh god, like I see what you got, and I don't want it.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

So not in a mean way, but my thing is very simple. If you're happy, that's all that counts. If he's happy, yeah, and you both are happy together, forget everyone else. That's exactly what too.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

I know. All I know is that I sit around a lot of times whenever I go out with the groups of women, and I come home every all the time, and I'm literally like, thank you, thank you, thank you. You're so good, you're so good. Um okay, my is this my last one? Wow, that uh my last one uh for this week is Kylie Jenner uh is being sued by a former housekeeper, but the allegations are mostly about staff and supervisors, not Kylie directly. Um so she's named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by former housekeeper Angelica Hernandez Vasquez, who alleges discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and a toxic and Abusive work environment while working at Jenner's Hidden Hills from September 2024 to August 2025. Um I mean, this is crazy. It said that the complaint focused on alleged mistreatment by supervisors and coworkers, including hostility tied to her heritage, faith, immigration status, and disability, while also saying Jenner herself is not accused of personally carrying out the misconduct. So I don't know. This is tough for me because once again, I can kind of, I'm sure when you're the Kardashians and Jenners, you have everyone and their mother literally popping up wanting a payday from you. And like we've seen this with people before. The one thing that I think this does have going for it is that, like, to me, if this was someone of nine years, I'd be like, well, why'd you work here for that long? But this was a very short, like September to August of one year. So it does give, like, okay, they they were here and then they left. But when it's like disability, status, faith, heritage, it's like, what was going on? So usually I feel like I my mind would 100% be on this person, the underdog, but in this situation, this just I don't know. This seems like a little bit kind of I mean, I'm side-eyeing this a little bit, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah, I mean, I guess without knowing a little bit more, it's really hard to give an opinion because, like you say, this is a heck of a lot.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Yeah,

Kylie Jenner Lawsuit And Workplace Claims

SPEAKER_01 23:25

yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

So it would be nice to kind of get a little bit more insight as to you know what the allegations are and everything, but you know, even if, and this is important, even if Kyle Jenner herself did not do anything, if people working for her in in management roles uh did these things, she's still on the hook because they work for her. That's the thing.

SPEAKER_02 23:50

Exactly. And it's just like if she's publicly this would be very surprising to me because uh if she's like humiliated due to her race, national origin, and religion, just because like to me, Kylie Jenner has, you know, she has like a mixed race, or I think I don't know if her son is black, or whatever. There's there's different nationalities and ethnicities flowing through there, and I wouldn't think that this was a household that is not used to that. So it that would be very weird to me, but of course I want to believe someone and take it seriously.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Yeah, I I agree. I mean, I mean, let's face it, um, you know, the family has dated outside the race. I mean, that's exactly yeah, and you and I want to say, and I'm not sure the number, there's one or more kids, you're right, that are biracial in that family. I don't know the exact number, but like you said, you know, it's never been an issue. So that's why I say, and again, I'm not saying it's true or not true. It would be nice to have a little bit more information as far as what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Yeah, absolutely. But every now and then something like this pops up, and I'm like, okay, we immediately want to believe everyone, but what if what if you're also the person and now her your name is getting dragged through the mud for like things didn't happen or it's just kind of blown out of proportion?

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Yeah, that's true. I mean, it's one thing if there's something questionable that happened and there's an opinion that you feel you were treated a certain way, and they felt that no, you weren't treated that way. That's one thing. Now, if you're flat out lying to try and get a payday, I think there should be charges because what happens is people that really do have these claims, you make it so much more harder for them to be heard. So yeah, that's why I think it's so important to know the details of this. And like I said, um, it's just really, really hard to comment on this without without some more information, you know.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

Exactly. And I would love to hear from some of the other staff, like who has been with her for a really long time, who has like, you know, it it I think it's important to hear from the other people that work there on a day-to-day basis.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

That's true, that is so, so true. Well, my last topic is a cautionary one. Um, criminals are not buying ads on social media now. Oh man. Just when you had to worry about uh all the other scams going out there, here's a new one. So, criminals are increasingly using paid advertising on social media uh to target victims with sophisticated scams, illicit goods, and fraudulent services. Investigations in the early 2026 suggest that a significant portion of social media giant Meta's revenue um allegedly is estimated by some reports to be up to 10%, may originate for at from advertisements for scams or illegal activities. To kind of give you some points here, um, scammers are using AI to create deep fake videos of celebrities, for example, Elon Musk, we've we've heard of that one, um, or record journalists to promote fraudulent investment schemes, also um phishing identity theft uh scams, clicking on a deal ad that can lead to bogus shopping sites that steal credit card details, or infect devices with malware. This is getting out of hand.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

Yeah, it really is.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

I mean, and I and we've all seen it, you know, and some of the stuff that you see is like a little bit too good to be true. Like, I don't know about this, you know. I know. Some of the stuff is like so sophisticated, so professional, it's really impossible to know the difference.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

Oh, yeah, especially like like banking apps and banking calling, and like Bank of America, you know, like I'll

Scams Hidden In Paid Social Ads

SPEAKER_02 27:56

get a phone call and it says Bank of America, or a lot of times it's it's shady if it just says like financial services. It's like, okay, what what financial service are you? But but a lot of times they'll mimic exactly like for real websites.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Oh, yeah. I mean, I I joke about this all the time about how I get calls all the time for loan approvals that I never applied for. You know?

SPEAKER_02 28:18

It's like oh perfect, yeah, yeah. So one of my friends just got the craziest thing, my friend Megan got a text to her saying, Okay, Meryl, you're um we have you down for like the study. Like it signed it, but like it texted her saying, Meryl, you're all signed up for like the sleep disorder study. You're gonna make $700. But she she texted to me, she's like, Did you sign up for like a random sleep disorder study? I'm like, no. So it's like somehow, somehow they got her number and like associated the two of us, and then you know, but like it's just such a weird scam.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

It really is, and and some of the stuff, you know, like if I would get a text, and let's say for me, if I ever saw a text from quote unquote my bank saying that I have an issue, you know, you need to contact us. I will literally first what I would do is go into my account to see if there's a real problem. If I don't see a problem, then I delete the text and report it as as being um uh being a scam. Um, there's other things that I've seen where, and um, I haven't seen this in a while, but I used to get text messages saying me that my Amazon account has been hacked.

SPEAKER_02 29:33

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

So of course I go into my Amazon account. Okay, everything's fine. Do the same thing, delete, and report is scam. Um, the one thing people need to understand never ever ever ever ever click on anything that you see in these text messages and emails. Because here's the thing: if something really happened, for one, um my bank knows how to reach me without sending me a mysterious text. They they know how to reach me, okay?

unknown 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

Yeah. And even too, there's one scheme where people buy gift cards, like they try to send you to staples and have you buy a gift card. And now when I just went to a staples, they literally have a sign up that's saying, like, wait, you may be getting scammed. Like, and it happens that frequently that they have to say something about it.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Yeah, and and you know, Meryl, the other thing too is how can I say this in a gentle way? You have to really use some common sense too. Like, if your utility company or someone calls, oh, here's a good one. Hey, your cousin, your son, or whatever, they're lucky, they need $500 and you need to buy $500 worth of gift cards. Yeah, that's scale. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

No, or if it's like yeah, if I'm like, I'm like, oh, this is weird, but Michael B. Jordan is messaging me on Instagram and saying that he remember like the girl that gave money to George Clooney or something, or like, yeah, yeah. So there are some that I'm like, how can you be this idiotic? But then there are others where it's like an older person thinking that they really need to go to staples and stuff, you know. So I I totally see it.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

But you know, Meryl, and again, I'm not trying to be mean, but why would George Clooney reach out for money from you when he's a multi, multi-million?

SPEAKER_02 31:31

I'm just saying, you know, exactly. Yeah, exactly. And uh to me, like I will drive to the actual bank and like give them give show them my phone and be like, this isn't you guys, is it you know, so I always I think people should always err on the side of like being paranoid and and thinking it is a scam.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

Yeah, and you know the crazy thing, Merrill, is that and I I know it's just not me saying this, but it seems like over the last year or two, um the scam messages, scam emails, and all this other stuff has been really, really rampant.

SPEAKER_02 32:05

I mean, to me, it's been out of control, and I don't think I'm the only no, I'll get like one eight hundred numbers that truly just say like money. And I'm like, okay, maybe actually I had one the other day that I was bored and I called the guy back. It was like something about like your iPhone. We had spent $400 on your iPhone, and I had time and I called them back. And I'm like, I don't understand. You should have charged me $1,600. You only charged me $400. Why didn't you charge me more? And then he literally said, Ma'am, you're you're playing with me. Stop playing with me. So sometimes it feels good to scam the scammers.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Nice. I remember years ago, this is a funny one. I got a phone call saying, You owe the IRS $10,000. And you oh my god. I said, real. Okay, I'll tell you what. Hold on one second. I'm gonna tap the police in, we're gonna all talk.

SPEAKER_02 32:56

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

Do you know that that person hung up on me after I did that?

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Yeah, well, uh exactly. And I think a good thing to do, you know, now I don't know if it's on all phones, but like on my phone, you can you can record this call, and then it like says it. It says like this call is now being recorded, you know. So, and it's funny to watch people change up all of a sudden. So that's a good thing to do, is like, you know, or I'll just say, okay, okay, yeah, yeah, it's recording. Okay, anyway, sorry, what did you say? So it's I always do stuff like that. That's funny.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

Oh, that's a good one. I like that. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

Yeah, yeah, I just press record on the call while it's happening and just record the heck out of it.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

Nice. Hey, that's a good way to catch him.

SPEAKER_02 33:39

Yep. And then, yeah, the police will be great.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Well, talk about great things. Meryl, what do you have coming up?

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Aw, um, thank you. I know I've been plugging this a lot, but it will be my first time in Minneapolis performing um Wednesday, May 13th, at um a place called Crooners, and it's part of the Loons on the Lake Comedy Festival. So if you're around the Minneapolis area, feel free to come hang out.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

If you're in a Minneapolis area, please come out and support Meryl. She would love to see you.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Absolutely. Well, everyone, thank you for watching us, supporting us, and also listening to us. We really appreciate it. Please let people know who we are. I'm Lawrence Elrod. I'm Meryl Climo. Take care, everyone.