Not just for only children! Info, stories and life experiences for anyone who feels like they didn't get the How-To brochure on life! Host Tracy Wallace, who has been a business owner, a successful fundraiser, a stand-up comedian, a caregiver and an animal lover, shares stories from the front lines of adulting to help others in this journey called life. She does this while finding the humor in the all situations.
Your shiny new washer and dryer finally arrive, you run a couple loads feeling like a responsible adult, and then the dryer basically taps out with “call for service.” That’s where I start today: the promise of an easier week, the reality of a day-two breakdown, and the very specific kind of frustration you feel when a big purchase fails instantly. I walk through what happened, how I handled the retailer call, and why I’d rather push for a replacement than gamble on a repair right out of the gate.
Then we pivot to another modern headache: spam calls, bank fraud scams, and caller ID spoofing. I share a wild “fraud department” call that tried to bait me into handing over personal information, what I asked back, and why the safest move is always to hang up and call your bank using the official number. If you’ve ever worried about identity theft, wire transfer scams, or whether a call is legit, you’ll leave with a clearer playbook and a little more confidence.
I also talk about the rise of AI scam calls, including the weirdly robotic “Am I audible?” opener and the auto-accident script designed to hook people who might be vulnerable. We close with a quick life check-in, an Election Day reminder to vote if you’re in the United States, and a few ways you can support the show.
If this made you laugh, cringe, or double-check your call log, subscribe for more, share it with a friend, and leave a rating and review so more listeners can find Only Child Diaries.
Welcome to the Only Child Diaries Podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Wallace. Have you ever felt like you didn't receive the how-to brochure on life? That you didn't get enough guidance about major life issues? So did I. You don't have to be an only child to feel this way. In my podcast, we'll explore some of the best ways to better navigate adulthood by doing so with humor and light. Welcome everyone to the Only Child Diaries Podcast.
Today I'm gonna talk about what happened with my new washer and dryer and just tell you about a spam call that I just got that was very funny. But first of all, last week I told you, among other things, that I was um gonna get a new washer and dryer because my washer had broken, gosh, a year and a half ago. And I had been going to the laundromat. And I hate laundry. I absolutely hate laundry. So I finally broke down. And this last week they delivered the new washer and dryer. They took the old one. Uh that the old ones out. Now my dryer was still working, but it was old. And sometimes it would kind of fizzle out. It would ding that it was done, but it would keep going, or it would ding that it was done and it wasn't really done. You know, so I thought, look, as long as you're going through this, go and buy two new units, two new machines, and get it over with. Right? Okay. So two very nice men delivered the washer and dryer, put them in, took the old ones out. They were very kind, very respectful, did a great job, very happy. I immediately started doing laundry because I always have laundry to do, and I was thrilled that I didn't have to carry it to the car and you know, all that stuff, right? So I did two loads of laundry, towels and clothes and whatnot on Friday. And then Saturday I did a load of laundry and I put it in the dryer. And, you know, these new machines are more electronic than um older machines, right? There's things to push and it has a bunch of features and stuff. So I was trying to push the dryer on, get the start button going, and it wasn't really reacting. And then it came alive, right? And then finally it said call for service. And I was
like, oh, really? I I mean, I literally had the machine for a day. Plus, it was Halloween, and you know, there's all sorts of things that I have to get done. I have to clean up the front, get the candy ready, and get myself ready, and get the pets ready and do stuff for Bill, and right. So I was like, oh, okay. So I took the dog for a walk, and while I was walking her, because I always have to multitask, I called the place where I bought it from, which is a major retailer, and I explained the situation. And the guy said, Well, you know, do I I said, Do I just call the company, right? And he goes, Yeah, and he goes, Wait a minute, when did you get it? And I said, Well, they just delivered it yesterday. And he goes, Oh. Well, we can send you a new one. And I was like, Really? And he goes, Yeah, we'll we'll just send you a new one. Hold on. And he said, Let me call you back in like 10 minutes. And I was like, Oh, okay. So walk in the dog. Here I go. And uh called me back, and he said, Yeah, we're gonna deliver a new one on Friday, which is a week, right? So luckily I had done enough laundry to last us for the week. I still had a wet load of laundry. Uh and I was, you know, I was like, well, I still had a wet load of laundry, uh, because right, because here I am. So it's kind of I kind of spread all that stuff out. I didn't want to take it to the laundromat. I had a dryer that worked, kind of, right? It's like I whammied myself anyway. So that's deal with that. So yes, it's nice. Yes, I I feel I just feel so thwarted by that. But anyway, that's what happened. So hopefully, uh, I mean, I'm sure they could fix it, but do you want something that broke right away? Is that that's a bad sign, right? That's a bad sign that it's not gonna do very well going forward.
So anyway, um and anyway, I was getting ready to uh record this episode and my phone rang. And the other day I had gotten a call from Honolulu. That's what it said. It didn't say spam, it just said Honolulu. And I still get a lot of spam calls, you know, for whatever reason. But there's also political, right? Right before the election, there's a lot of political calls. So I, you know, I enjoy I enjoy a good joke or funny thing, just like anybody else. So I answered the phone, and this guy with a very heavy uh kind of English Bahamas accent wasn't Jamaican, but it was some sort of island, but it wasn't a Hawaiian, you know, accent, said that he was calling from my bank and there was fraud on my account. Somebody in Florida had logged in. And um so, you know, the the whole deal, right? He wanted me to verify my personal information, and I just said, Well, how do you know I wasn't gonna give him anything, but I just wanted to see what he would say and how far he would go. And I said, Well, how do I know you're with my bank? And he goes, Well, ma'am, you know, I blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I just said, I'm not gonna give you any information, right? So hung up, I called my bank just to be sure because I want to make sure. Because usually they text me something. Um, so I called and they said, No, there's your accounts are fine. Because I have several accounts with them, and I, you know, you can't be too careful, right? Uh, but I had asked him, I said, Why are you calling from Honolulu? And he goes, Well, that's where our fraud department is. And I know that that's not true. So he just called back now, same number, right? I didn't block it because I thought, well, he's never, you know, I blocked all sorts of calls, and I still get the calls from another number. So he called again, same guy, same accent. And I said, Well, you called me the other day and told me there was fraud on my account. And he goes, Well, this time they've initiated a wire from your account. And I was like, uh, right, okay. And, you know, you want me to give you all my personal information. Right? And he goes, Well, yeah, I need to verify you before I send you to the next level of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I said, Okay. And he said, Can I have the last four digits of your social security number? Now, this is gonna be, for those of you who are listening, this is gonna be a little bit indiscreet, okay? Uh, and I said, Okay, the last four digits of my social are 666. Because that was the funniest numbers that I could think of. You know, that it's not 666 like the double, but it's it's close, right? And so he goes, Okay, now that I've verified your information, ma'am, you can go suck a dick. And I said, You can do the same, and we hung up. So now I blocked him. Hopefully, he doesn't call me again. He gets the picture. I'm on to him. Uh, I mean, really? Like, how stupid do you think I am? But again, I did an episode a while back about scams, and there's no uh shortage of people that are coming up with these you know ideas to rip people off.
I got a call the other day, and it was um, I think it was an automated AI voice. It was a it was a man's voice. And when I answer a number, I don't know, I just say very quietly, hello, or yes. And then the voice said hello, and I didn't say anything else. So then the voice said, Am I audible? That's why I think it's an AI, because obviously a person wouldn't say that, right? And then the voice said, We're calling because the identity associated with this phone number was involved in an auto accident in the last two years that was not your fault. And I was like, Well, first of all, I haven't been involved in any kind of auto accident in the last two years, whether it's my fault or not. So it's you know, a load of crap. So I just started laughing and the AI person hung up on me. Uh so just be careful out there because you know, I would imagine that if you have had an auto accident, even if it wasn't your fault, you'd still be like, wait, this maybe this is accurate, right?
So anyway, waiting for my dryer, watching the phone, uh, finishing off my ballot tomorrow's election day, the day that this episode drops. So remember everyone, if you're listening, vote, vote. If you're in the if you're in the United States, gotta vote, gotta vote, and hoping for a positive outcome for us on on that front. And next week, well, we're gonna tackle another topic together. I hope you'll join me. If you like this episode, please follow the Only Child Diaries Podcast on Apple Podcasts or other platforms you might listen on. And consider rating Only Child Diaries and writing a review. It helps others to find us. Please share it with a friend you think might like it as well. Visit my Instagram page, Only Child Diaries, or Facebook, Only Child Diaries Podcast. Thanks for listening. I'm Tracy Walkers, and these are the OnlyCild Diaries.
