That time my parents were scammed... well, almost.

Almost more than a decade ago, I was out of the country on an overseas assignment, spending most of the day doing fieldwork. Because I worked in an environment with a risk of explosions, I couldn’t carry my mobile phone since any non-intrinsically safe electronics were strictly prohibited lest it becomes an ignition source. When I finally returned to my desk, I saw a string of missed calls from my parents. I called back immediately. The moment they answered, I could hear the panic in their voices. My mother told me that someone claiming to be from the…