What Was That Like - True Stories. Real People.

In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission processed 1.4 million reports of fraud. The total losses for all those fraud reports came to almost a billion and a half dollars. And that’s for a single 12-month period.The FTC publishes statistics, and they have said that the most common types of fraud complaints were fake debt collections, imposter scams, and the traditional identity theft. And in the category of identity theft, the most common one was credit card fraud – someone opening a new credit card account, using the identity of a different person.One of the groups most at risk for identity theft are children.This is because if a scammer can find out a child’s Social Security number, he knows it will be easy to establish a clean slate account, since the child has no credit history at all. That’s why experts recommend that parents monitor the credit reports of their children just as closely as they monitor their own, to prevent a scammer from stealing that child’s identity and clean credit.But what about when the parent IS the scammer?That’s what happened to Lynsey, and she told me all about it. Unfortunately, it’s not an extremely rare thing, but it’s something you really don’t hear much about. It’s just pretty sad to think that a mother can do something like this to her own child.If you like this show and the unusual stories we hear from the people who experienced them, you can become a supporter at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is February 14 and in most places around the world that means a special holiday – Valentine’s Day. If you didn’t realize that’s what today is, you might be in a bit of trouble with your special someone by the end of the day.And since I knew I would have a new episode coming out on Valentine’s Day, I wanted to find a story that is related to love and romance, but would still be unusual and interesting enough to be an episode here on What Was That Like.Then I came across Matt’s story of how he proposed to Ginny, and I knew I had to put this one on the show. You know how when you go to the movies in the theater, and before the actual movie comes on, you see the trailers to preview other movies? Well, Matt created his own custom movie trailer. And he got the movie theater to show it, right there in the theater. And Ginny, his girlfriend, was in that theater. And she had no idea what was about to happen.Matt’s video is right here - watch this first!The video not only shows the movie trailer that he made as part of proposing to Ginny, but it ALSO shows her real-time reaction as she watches it herself for the first time.And actually, if you’re a member of our private Facebook group, you saw that I went in there a couple of days ago and posted this video so that everyone in that group could watch it AHEAD of time and be fully prepared for when this episode went live. Just one more reason you should be in that group!Anyway, I think you’re really gonna love this conversation I had with Matt. I get a big kick out of talking with creative people who like to do things that are way outside the norm. And Matt is definitely outside the norm. His creativity with this proposal made this video go viral, and he and Ginny were invited out to Los Angeles and appeared on the Ellen show (in addition to a TON of other media appearances). Ellen even paid for them to honeymoon in Jamaica.I had a great time talking to Matt, as you’ll be able to tell. And if you’d like to join the other listeners who support this show - for as little as a dollar per month – just go over to WhatWasThatLike.com/support.Matt and Ginny’s YouTube channelMatt and Ginny on EllenMike’s video production company Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re going to hear from Jami. Jami had something happen to her when she was a teenager, and it clearly had a huge effect because she still thinks about it to this day.One night she came back home from a trip to the grocery store. She parked her car, and before she got out she saw a strange man standing on the sidewalk, right in front of her car. He stood there looking at her, through the windshield.Less than 10 minutes later, that man was in her bedroom. Yeah, this is a creepy one.And if you like the way Jami tells this story, hang around til the end because we’ll talk about the true-crime podcast she hosts.And as always, I invite you to join the other listeners who support this show – you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support.Murderish Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s conversation is with Lauren. A few years ago, Lauren worked at a private zoo here in the United States. And one of her jobs was to take care of the monkeys.But these weren’t just any monkeys – these were howler monkeys. You want to guess how howler monkeys earned that name? You got it, because they howl.But it’s probably not the kind of sound you expect to hear when you think of howling. You know, you kind of think of a dog with that kind of high-pitched noise, that’s kind of charming because it seems like they’re trying to sing. Nope, this is something very different. It sounds more like something from The Exorcist. But that’s just what they do.Part of Lauren’s job was giving the howler monkeys their food and water. But there was one howler in particular that didn’t like Lauren. And one day, he had a brief opportunity to act on it, and he took it.This experience led Lauren to actually leave her career with animals. She went to graduate school and his now a high school science teacher, teaching Earth Science and Biology. And that knowledge plays a part in the podcast she co-hosts with her fiancé Nick, called Just Na Science. You can check that out at JustNaScience.com.Right now, What Was That Like is supported only by the listeners. If you like this show, I invite you to join the others who help out with a dollar or a few dollars each month, and you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support.Links:Howler monkeys WikipediaJust Na Science podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spence, a modern-day lighthouse keeper on Entrance Island in British Columbia, shares the fascinating realities of his unique profession. He describes his daily routines and the vital role he plays in ensuring maritime safety. Spence discusses the challenges of living on a remote island, including grocery delivery and managing long-distance relationships. He emphasizes the blend of tradition and technology in lighthouse operations, revealing the joys of isolation and the meaningful connections he fosters in the community.

If you’re a parent, you know that the birth of your first child is an incredible experience. For Steve and Camre, it didn’t happen at all the way they expected it to.Steve got the call at work that Camre was at the hospital and had already delivered the baby. He dropped everything and drove there frantically, and he was confused because the baby wasn’t due for another 7 weeks.He ran into the hospital, and the first thing he saw was his newborn son, Gavin. He quickly scrubbed up and held him for the first time. There was an immediate bond between them.What Steve didn’t know was that, at that moment, Camre was being put into a medically induced coma in order to save her life. He also didn’t know that when she would come out of that coma, she would have no memory of anything. She would not recognize Steve, and she wouldn’t even know she had just had their baby.That was the beginning of a long journey for this family, and Steve wrote a book about it. It’s called But I Know I Love You, and you can get it on Amazon.And if you enjoy this podcast and would like to support it, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support.I really enjoyed my conversation with Steve, and I hope you do too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry is an educator in the field of marine science. And as you’ll hear when we’re talking, it’s not just his job. It’s his life work. It’s as much a passion for him as it is a career.When he goes diving in a river and kind of rummaging around the bottom, he never really knows what he’ll find. What he expects to find mostly are rocks and sand. What he HOPES to find are ancient shark teeth, or even the skeletal remains of prehistoric creatures.What he did NOT expect to find was a live alligator. But one day he did, and he was lucky enough to live through it and be able to tell us the story today.And I want to say a big thank you to the patrons of this show. If you’d like to join them and support the show, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. And if you hang around after today’s episode, I’ll tell you about the podcast that I support through Patreon.You can follow Henry on Instagram: @thinkseek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My conversation today is with Ray, who lives in St Augustine, Florida. Just a couple of years ago, Ray was on a downward spiral in terms of his health. Like a lot of people, his weight had gotten out of control. He didn’t realize how far off track he was until he visited a doctor one day.That doctor visit was his wake-up call. And he definitely woke up. I think you’re going to love this story.I also wanted to mention something right up front. Part of Ray’s amazing turnaround is the fact that he underwent gastric bypass surgery. And I want to be clear, and Ray will tell you this as well, this is not for everyone, and it’s not an easy quick fix. If you’re considering it, or really if you’re thinking about ANY change in your diet or exercise regimen, you should consult your doctor for advice. In this case, this surgery was just a tool that was available to Ray, and he used it to his advantage.And his transformation has been amazing. Calling this a “weight loss success story” is a huge understatement. He has plunged headfirst into the world of long distance running, which, as you might be aware, is also a personal interest of mine. Hopefully we didn’t geek out too much on the details of ultrarunning, and I hope you find his story and his progress as interesting and inspiring as I did.And if you like this podcast, I invite you to become a patron at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acaimie and her husband, Clay, have been through a pretty bizarre experience. When I heard this story, I knew I needed to talk to this young lady.She and Clay were doing a volcano hike. That in itself might seem story-worthy. But this was not actually an “active” volcano so it wasn’t spewing lava. They hiked the 2 ½ miles up to the rim, hung out for a while, took some pictures. Then Clay decided he wanted to climb down into the crater. Acaimie didn’t feel safe because of the steep incline, so Clay ventured down on his own. Things didn’t go as planned.This happened on an island, and they were all alone, and Acaimie had no phone signal to call for help.And, they were on their honeymoon – they had only been married a few days.Acaimie and Clay are back home in Indiana now. What you’re about to hear is an experience they would not have chosen to go through, but they do have quite a story to tell their grandchildren some day.And did you know we have a private Facebook group for listeners of this podcast? We’d love to see you there – WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook.And if you’d like to join the others who support this show for as little as $1 per month, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an ideal world, children should be able to trust their parents. After all, it’s the grown-ups in the family who are responsible for the kids. No child should ever have to worry about safety when mom and dad are around for protection, in an ideal world.That’s the world Ross thought he was living in when he was 8 years old, with his older brother Ryan, who was 10. They were happy kids with no reason to be afraid. Until one night at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, when his mother told his father she wanted a divorce. That’s when something snapped in Ross’s dad’s mind, and he got a gun, and forever changed the history of their family.Ross is 21 now, and he’s permanently blind. And he’s amazing. He’s currently at the Colorado Springs Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, where he’s training to swim in the Summer 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.We talked about a lot of things – what happened that night, how he and his mother have adapted, how difficult it was to learn Braille, getting his first guide dog, how he is able to play computer video games, why he sometimes wears earplugs, and how he can swim competitively without being able to see.Ross has plans for a career in software engineering, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll meet that challenge.If you’d like to contact him, you can email Ross at rossaminor@gmail.com.And if you’d like to join the others who support this podcast for as little as $1 per month, you can do that at WhatWasThatLike.com/supportLinks:Investigation Discovery show called “Unbreakable – Live to tell” https://youtu.be/RKJwrQrCMA8XMO speech https://youtu.be/8hsfxVIRW-ARoss’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZujToINVP7xax9BTc7s2gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/ross.minor.5Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minor_threat17/Meeting and training with Dixie https://youtu.be/X1xB6-29NUUTwitter https://twitter.com/ross_minor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices