The Last
our opinion: COLUMN
By Mark Brown
Word
JULY 2015
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Nagging Annoyances
112
Legend has it that the town of Nags Head, NC, gets
its name from pirates or wreckers who deployed false
lights to scuttle ships, and then kill everyone who
survived and steal the cargo. According to legend,
in the 18th century, pirates or wreckers would hang
lanterns from the necks of mules (called nags) and
walk the animals slowly up and down the beach to fool
mariners into believing that the slow-moving lights were
ships drifting at rest, prompting the ships to change
course and subsequently run aground.
Today, there’s an easier way for a similar kind of
pirate waiting out there. But, they don’t use mules or
lanterns, don’t need them anymore. They have technology.
I’ve been surprised lately, really surprised. That
doesn’t happen all that often anymore and I wasn’t
surprised in a good way.
Sometimes things happen in life that catch you
completely unaware and gullibly you are taken in,
just like sea captains of long ago were fooled by the
decoy lanterns on the wreckers’ nags.
This actually happened to me twice and I think
this is sinister enough to focus this column on it.
Hopefully, you can avoid falling victim to this sort of
scam.
Now, most of you are probably more astute than
I am, but I’ll ask for your indulgence if you have
already figured this out.
I (