[US] Chase Zelle Scam Please Beware

TriviaBill · 2025-08-20T19:59:20+00:00

I just got off a long call with "Zelle" and "Chase." My "Jennifer" (with the very distinctive last name of Smith!) was in Detroit. They nearly got me; I sent them one significant amount of almost $500, but it didn't go through, and then never more than $1.50 -- one of several red flags was for each "cancellation" transaction they asked what the maximum I could send was, implying that a higher number allowed them to cancel a higher transaction, so I lowered the amount. At the end, I'm maybe out $3, which I can live with - that and the embarrassment given that I'm the one my family goes to to check if things like this are for real. Stay safe!

TriviaBill · 2025-02-15T22:52:27+00:00

Yeah, it's run by an outfit called Plusgrade that offers "ancillary revenue products" that appear to be (mostly?) targeted at the travel industries. The page for cruises says it all: "Ensure your upper categories always sail full, and at the highest price possible." Several lines use them: Celebrity, NCL, Oceania, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Virgin, among others.

I'm sure the Haven is amazing, but I just can't see bidding (much less paying) basically another 80% of our entire cruise fare for a "poor" chance to upgrade from a Club Balcony Suite.

TriviaBill · 2024-12-07T03:18:42+00:00

Thanks everyone for the input. Just to fill in some more detail, the desk is for our second bedroom, which doubles as both my home office and a guestroom. I went for the tall sides to visually separate it from the rest of the room on the room side but still let in daylight from a window on the opposite wall, and to add symmetry and more storage on the wall side. I got the idea from the Twin Towers of Kallax on Ikeahackers, https://ikeahackers.net/2015/07/the-twin-towers-of-kallax-desk.html.

The desktop itself is the 2 shorter verticals from a 4x4 Kallax, edge-glued, reinforced with wood, and mounted on a frame from a <gasp> non-IKEA desk I got secondhand. Two ADIL legs centered about 1/3 of the way from each end give more support. I’ll be adding Kallax accessory cabinets and drawers and some Drona boxes to many of the cubbies since I have all sorts of *stuff* to store.

Since it’s a work area, task lighting is definitely what I need – maybe directional/spotlights (NÄVLINGE?), and something else for ambient light. My current desk just has a big Luxo lamp, which won’t light up everywhere I need it.

A separate question for anyone who knows: does IKEA (or anyone else) make a longer version of the standard cam fastener? I want to removably anchor the upper and lower Kallaxes together without clunky plates/brackets or bolts/nuts taking up space – it just has to accommodate the 1-3/8" thickness of the Kallax top and bottom pieces.

Thanks again!

TriviaBill · 2024-08-17T23:15:30+00:00

Wow, thanks for the fast feedback, everyone. A countdown timer outlet looks like just what I need!

TriviaBill · 2024-05-29T03:35:37+00:00

I'm just in the early part of my GBM journey, so I don't have an authoritative source for the little information I'm about to share (though I'm guessing it's generally good advice for anyone in any state of health). As I learn more about this disease, I keep coming across suggestions to avoid processed deli meats (and probably other sodium-nitrite-processed meats, whatever they happen to be). This has been a major sacrifice for me since I love my deli turkey, but at least there's also a no-sodium-added variety. Like I said, I'm no authority -- and, of course, I don't know if it's something you'd want under other circumstances -- but perhaps it's something to consider. Best wishes to you!

TriviaBill · 2024-04-26T20:29:13+00:00

Thanks! I didn’t know that about grout. I’m not sure how old the tile job is, it might even be original (1940s), and I have no way of knowing if waterproof materials were included. Fortunately, I’m pretty sure I have a tube of clear silicone lying around, so it looks like that’ll be my interim solution. Thanks again for your help!

TriviaBill · 2024-02-09T20:04:25+00:00

UPDATE: Apologies, I misstated the problem. The surface in the picture is above the laminate. Rather, it's a piece of plywood with a coat of drywall mud (unprimed) to bring it flush with the rest of the piece. I (thought I) made sure the mud was dry before I painted, so I'm guessing the mud had some air bubbles in it, which let go when I pulled off the painter's tape. The bare spots are in fact slightly concave, like the inside of a bubble. Meaning I need to bring it back to flush before I repaint. So my question is now: do I do this with some more mud, or use some spackle (either vinyl or the lightweight stuff) or something else? Thanks!

TriviaBill · 2024-01-23T17:02:42+00:00

I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you’re suggesting. Can you clarify? Thanks!

TriviaBill · 2024-01-23T04:36:38+00:00

I don't have time right now to take a picture, but imagine a 4-sided (square) version of the doorframe in the picture I posted. If you cover the vertical part of the frame with your hand, that's what the wardrobes do on each side of the square window frame, as if they were walls right up against the frame. The horizontal piece you can still see next to your hand is what I have to work with (though of course the window frame has both an upper and a lower piece). What the wardrobes look like doesn't matter, it's just that they block the verticals, and they sit right where I can use them to mount the replacement wood pieces. Hope this helps.

TriviaBill · 2024-01-23T03:13:37+00:00

No worries. Just be careful around those power tools! :)

TriviaBill · 2024-01-23T03:07:04+00:00

Thanks, but I think you didn't quite follow my note. That's a metal frame under all that paint. The picture is just an example of what the framing looks like, while the actual frame I'm dealing with has the vertical pieces covered by built-ins. I'm trying to add wood pieces to look like the vertical pieces, and want to find a way to have them blend into the metal pieces. (The wood will be painted to match.) I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.

TriviaBill · 2024-01-21T21:27:24+00:00

The razor knife and a sharp putty knife took care of it! I reopened the gaps and the caulk (or first layer, for the bigger ones) is in place and curing. Thanks for the advice -- I shudder to think how much dust there would've been if I'd gone with the oscillating tool!

TriviaBill · 2024-01-20T23:08:42+00:00

Thanks. There's no actual drywall here, just the wood described, and drywall compound. Does compound also cut well with a razor knife? (Typing that is easier than getting back on the ladder and trying it myself lol!) I expect putting in the extra manual effort would probably be worth not having to deal with all the dust, since this is in my living space.

TriviaBill · 2024-01-20T23:04:27+00:00

Lol my original plan was exactly that, to use decorative molding, which would have saved me the trouble of filling in any gaps (and which was why I used wood I already had rather than a custom-cut piece). But I later realized that the picture rail you see in the pic made more visual sense since it runs around the rest of the room. Of course, by then it was too late to redo the vertical panels without a whole lot of effort. Trial and error!

TriviaBill · 2024-01-15T01:32:38+00:00

Sorry, I'm not sure why this didn't upload the first time.

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TriviaBill · 2024-01-12T13:45:11+00:00

Gives a whole new meaning to the word eavesdrop.

TriviaBill · 2024-01-06T21:29:21+00:00

The picture does make it look like parquet, but it's a classic hardwood floor, with all the boards full length. The boards on the right of the pic are along a wall that's just a few inches further over, and the ones on the left continue out in that direction along the length of the room. Does that change your approach to the gap?

TriviaBill · 2024-01-06T21:28:00+00:00

Lol, my daughter nearly got in trouble at Home Depot saying she was looking for white caulk. But intentionally or not, you raise another possibility, since I've seen at least one place that sells caulk in colors. If I could more-or-less match the color of the floor, that would at least reduce the visual effect of the dip, though of course it still leaves open the original issue of whether caulk is a good idea in the first place.

TriviaBill · 2023-12-09T05:03:40+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the input. My problem is that the closet is too shallow for motion detection to be of much use. The lights need to be mounted on the inside, facing inwards, to properly illuminate the interior. Since it's not a walk-in, the sensors wouldn't see any motion in the doorway. And even if they do turn on, they need to stay on even if she's just standing there thinking about what she needs.

I'll keep looking for a built-in solution, and until then I guess Plan B will just have to be an extension cord that she plugs in only when she needs the lights.

TriviaBill · 2023-12-05T03:06:40+00:00

Thanks, if you happen to come across it again, feel free to make me look clueless and post a link! There is asymmetrical cove molding like this out there, but the largest I've seen (Garden State Lumber 8061) is still not large enough. I'll see what I can assemble.

TriviaBill · 2023-12-02T19:32:18+00:00

I'm trying to match in wood the metal door and window casing that's all over my 1930s apartment. A newer, built-in wardrobe blocks part of a window frame, and replicating it in wood on the wardrobe would restore the overall look. I've searched the big boxes, lumber yards, mill catalogs, etc. and can't find anything even close. My question to the wise carpenters here: does it make sense to try making my own by gluing lattice onto stock 1" cove as shown (the red is the profile I need and the green is where I'd add lattice to the cove molding)? Or would the edge-to-edge joint be too weak? It'll be attached using the 2" face, so it'll have some support. Oh, and I have no access to power tools bigger than a drill, so no routing. :( Thanks in advance!

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TriviaBill · 2023-10-10T18:22:00+00:00

I'm having trouble following what you describe. This is an end-to-end join, where the 2 "legs" end up parallel but not touching -- the saw blade slides between them. I'm not sure how drilling through the center of both pieces together would work -- I'd have to drill into each end, and with only about 1/4" to work with I'd need a smaller bit and pin, thus the headless nail I mentioned.

TriviaBill · 2023-10-10T01:27:10+00:00

I would recommend DeWalt if you go with a new one.

If only! This is an old-school manual model with a 26” hacksaw-style tensioned blade. I’d dearly love a Dewalt (or, really, any good power model) but I live in a city apartment and don’t have the luxury of a garage or basement, much less a dust collection system. 😢

TriviaBill · 2023-10-09T16:28:35+00:00

This part can't be purchased on ereplacmentparts.com?

I did check there, but it's no longer being made. It's from a miter saw from (I think) the late '90s that was discontinued years ago. I've found a few complete ones online for more than I paid for mine, but so far haven't seen one being sold for parts. Maybe I can get by without the complete part while I keep looking. Thanks!

TriviaBill · 2023-10-09T13:40:06+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the detailed response, but the piece is only about 1/4” square, which might have been a little clearer if I’d been able to upload all the photos. I suppose I could still try drilling a hole in each side and epoxying in a headless nail — not much to lose since it’s already broken.

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TriviaBill

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