Part 309: Financial Scams, More Trump Stupidity, and a Diabetes Scare

Hello and welcome back to Mortgage Advisor on FIRE. A big post this week. I discuss financial scams, and how a mistake gave me almost £2,000. Also, thoughts on diabetes, and the idiot in the White House.

Weekly Update

I had a bit of a scare this week with my diabetes.  For a few years, I’ve alternated between being pre-diabetic, type 2 diabetic, and being in remission.  A little while ago, I found myself stuck firmly in type 2 diabetes territory.

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes affects the way your body uses sugar, which is your main source of energy. Normally, when you eat, your body breaks food down into sugar and sends it into your blood. A hormone called insulin then helps move that sugar out of your blood and into your cells, where it’s used as fuel.

With type 2 diabetes, this system doesn’t work as well as it should. Your body either doesn’t respond properly to insulin or it doesn’t make enough of it. That means sugar starts building up in your blood instead of getting into your cells. Over time, this can leave you feeling tired, thirsty, or needing to go to the toilet more often. If it goes on for years without treatment, it can also cause problems with your heart, eyes, nerves, and kidneys.

The good news is that type 2 diabetes can often be managed. Eating well, being active, and keeping to a healthy weight all help your body use insulin better. Some people also need medication, and a few may need insulin injections. With the right care, many people live long, healthy lives with type 2 diabetes. So yeah, good news.

I would love to blame my lack of recent progress in dealing with this on external factors, but the bulk of the blame is on me and my love of crisps, biscuits, and all things carbs.  

Measuring Blood Sugar

There are a couple of different ways of measuring blood sugar, and I use a home testing kit in addition to periodic checks with my GP.  With my home kit, my results are measured in mmol/L.  I’m not going into the weeds with this; I just wanted to explain the unit of measurement and that it measures how much sugar is in each litre of blood.

A healthy person would expect levels of approximately 4-6mmol/L when fasting, and between 7-9mmol/L two hours after a meal.

When I checked my levels on Tuesday, it was 19.4mmol/L.  When you refer to guides with that measurement, the advice is to seek medical advice urgently, as those levels are dangerous.  I’ve been checking my levels fairly regularly since then and have the following:

Tuesday 23rd September (Daily Average 15.5mmol/L)

Wednesday 24th September (Daily Average 14.3mmol/L)

Thursday 25th September (Daily Average 12.6mmol/L)

Friday 26th September (Daily Average 10.8mmol/L)  

Ups and Downs

A while back, I was on top of my diabetes and was losing weight consistently.  I can’t pinpoint exactly where it went wrong, but it did.  Before I knew it, I was having crisps, bread, pasta, rice, and all the other foods I’m not technically allowed, and that’s before getting into things like chocolate and biscuits.  

Much as I like to do, I went on a bit of a deep dive on T2 diabetes and tried to pinpoint other areas of my diet that were contributing to high blood sugar.  The missing piece of the puzzle was milk, specifically the dairy milk I use for my lattes.  In short, each latte I was having was coming with as many carbs as a medium slice of bread.  I usually have 3, sometimes 4, lattes a day.  That’s a lot of carbs.

Seeing as though I’m not going to give up coffee, I had to think about how to mix things up and reduce the amount of carbs and sugar I’m getting in my diet.  

Almond Milk Has Entered The Chat

There are brands of almond milk that contain 0g carbs (0g sugars).  It also tastes like something that has zero sugar.  It’s pretty gross, but I need to find something to replace normal milk.

I had a look at oat milk, but that seems worse than dairy for diabetes.  I can drink black coffee here and there, but it’s not as soothing as a milky latte.  

It looks like I might be stuck with almond milk, or as I’ll be calling it from now on, Sadness In A Carton, or if you are feeling a bit more extreme, The Devil’s Nut Juice.

Yet More Plumbing Issues

Well, our latest plumber let us down.  He said there was a family emergency and would not be able to make the appointment, or any date thereafter.  Back to square one.

Halifax

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a credit to our mortgage account for hundreds of pounds.  It was listed as an “interest refund”, and before I had a chance to find out what this was for, I received a letter from Halifax.  It turns out that a couple of years ago, when we completed some extra borrowing, they put us on an interest rate that was too high.  We had been eligible for something lower, and so they’ve refunded the difference in interest for the term of the product.  

Although it’s money we were rightfully owed, it still feels like “free cash”.  

The Weekend

On Friday, Oana was in a huge amount of pain.  For a few days, she’d been getting pain in her shoulder and upper arm, and it’s steadily gotten worse.  Friday evening, it was debilitating.  We had originally planned to go shopping and cook, but that was off the table.  I was tired from work, and Oana was in pain.  So, Uber Eats it was.

We ordered from Urban Pitta, as their grilled chicken salads are incredible.  What was less incredible was that it took two hours from ordering the food to receiving the food.  In that time, we watched a movie, Greyhound – a very good film, but by the time the food arrived, it was almost time for bed.

I have to say that Uber Eats’ customer service is not just poor, it’s non-existent.  I tried several times to navigate their live chat, only to hit dead ends and loops in the menus.  After much annoyance, I finally got into the queue for an agent, for which there was a fifteen-minute wait.  Half an hour later, they disconnected the chat before I actually spoke with anyone. 

Oana was not able to sleep and, after a couple of calls to 111, we went to A&E on Saturday morning.  We were both dreading it as time can grind to a halt in hospital waiting rooms, but we were in and out of the hospital in roughly three hours.  

We worried that it was a nerve or circulatory issue because the pain was accompanied by numbness and pins and needles.  After some examinations by the doctor, a diagnosis of frozen shoulder was given.  They said it could be a while before it’s better, which sucks.  I know what it’s like to have shoulder problems, having had both of mine operated on.

Poppy’s Birthday

It was Poppy’s 16th birthday on Thursday, and as usual, we spoiled her with some nice (for cats) cat food.  It just so happened that her vet visit fell on this day as well.  We’ve switched to a mobile vet so that we don’t have to stress Pops out by taking her out of the apartment.  In recent months, she has really started to struggle with that.  The two women who came were brilliant.  They really put Poppy at ease, and it was obvious they were animal lovers.  We’ll definitely be using them going forward.

As for our little Poppyseed Muffin, she’s still going strong.  She’s as insane as ever, and still as affectionate.  I hope we have her for a long time to come.  

For anyone looking for a mobile vet in the Sheffield area:

https://themobilevetcompany.co.uk/home-foster

Trump’s Wild Claims on Autism, Paracetamol, and “Countries Going to Hell”

Donald Trump has never been shy about making bold, headline-grabbing statements. But in the space of a few days, he managed to combine public health misinformation with geopolitical alarmism in a way that’s as dangerous as it is absurd.  Any of these claims would have been enough to sink other administrations, but somehow, Trump comes out unscathed.  

First, he claimed that paracetamol (known as Tylenol in the US) taken during pregnancy could be a cause of autism. Then he suggested that whole communities and even entire nations have “no autism.” And finally, in a speech to the UN General Assembly, he told world leaders their countries are “going to hell.”

It’s a lot to unpack. It reminds me of one of my favourite ever quotes:

“Jackson opened his mouth twice but made no sound as he tried to process the utter stupidity he’d just been witness to.  The problem was there were so many layers to the stupidity that when he peeled one off to marvel at it, there was another one right under it.”

~ Iron & Blood by Joshua Dalzelle

Behind the bluster, the themes are depressingly familiar: a disregard for scientific evidence, a tendency to cherry-pick anecdotes over data, and a fondness for theatrical doom-mongering. Let’s take these claims one by one.

Claim One: Paracetamol in Pregnancy Causes Autism

According to Trump, pregnant women should avoid paracetamol unless absolutely necessary because it could increase the risk of autism in children.

This is not what the science says.

The World Health Organisation has already debunked this claim, stating that there is no conclusive evidence linking prenatal paracetamol use with autism. Medical bodies across the world, including obstetric and paediatric associations, agree that paracetamol remains a safe and important option for managing pain and fever during pregnancy.

The evidence base is robust. A Swedish study published in 2024 looked at 2.4 million children and found no causal link between paracetamol in pregnancy and autism. Other large-scale studies have reached the same conclusion. Some smaller studies have raised questions, but when you zoom out to the full picture, the link just doesn’t hold.

And here’s the irony: untreated fever or pain in pregnancy is dangerous. High fevers in particular are associated with birth defects, complications, and even miscarriage. If pregnant women are scared off paracetamol because of Trump’s rhetoric, the risk of harm goes up, not down.

This is the problem with pseudoscience at the top level of politics. A throwaway remark in a press conference can trickle down into everyday life, influencing decisions people make about their health; decisions that really matter.

You would think by now that people would take any health claims made by the Orange Moron with a pinch of salt.  This is the guy who talked about disinfectant and light being used inside the body to treat Covid.

Claim Two: Autism-Free Communities

As if the paracetamol claim wasn’t enough, Trump doubled down with the assertion that some groups, like the Amish in the US or the population of Cuba, have “virtually no autism.” He implied this was because these communities don’t rely on vaccines or modern medicines like paracetamol.

Again, this is false, and reminds me of another of my favourite quotes:

Redneck: “Well I was just trying to be helpful.”

Darryl Weathers: “Well help yourself to a fuckin’ science book, cause you’re talking like a fuckin’ retard.”

Autism absolutely does exist among the Amish and in Cuba. The difference is in diagnosis, not biology.

In Amish communities, healthcare access is limited, and there can be cultural barriers to seeking or accepting a diagnosis. Research has documented cases of autism in these populations, but the numbers are harder to measure because fewer families pursue assessments.

In Cuba, autism is recognised, diagnosed, and treated. The country has special schools, clinics, and training for professionals working with autistic children. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is also available in Cuba, so the idea that lack of access to Tylenol has somehow kept autism at bay is simply a fantasy.

The broader point is that autism prevalence statistics vary not because of miracle lifestyle factors, but because of differences in awareness, healthcare infrastructure, and diagnostic criteria. Over the past few decades, autism diagnoses have risen worldwide largely because definitions have broadened, awareness has improved, and stigma has decreased.

Suggesting that autism is a disease of “modern” societies that could be avoided if only we stopped vaccinating or taking painkillers isn’t just wrong, it’s insulting. It erases autistic people in those communities and fuels stigma for autistic people everywhere.

Claim Three: “Your Countries Are Going to Hell”

At the UN General Assembly, Trump turned from science to geopolitics, telling world leaders their countries were “going to hell.”

His reasoning? Immigration, renewable energy policies, and what he called “political correctness.” In his view, open borders destroy heritage, green energy is a “scam,” and leaders are signing their own nations’ death warrants by following progressive policies.

This is populist theatre at its purest.  It’s also like listening to a crazy, racist, family member who’s had one too many cans of lager.

Yes, migration can bring challenges. Integration takes effort. Resources need to be managed. But decades of research show that migration also fuels economies, brings innovation, addresses labour shortages, and enriches culture. To say it destroys nations is a vast oversimplification.

As for renewable energy, it is one of the only realistic strategies to mitigate climate change, which is itself a very real threat to stability and prosperity. Transitioning from fossil fuels comes with costs and growing pains, but the alternative is far worse. To frame clean energy as a path to “hell” is to ignore the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change.

This kind of rhetoric isn’t about solutions. It’s about stoking fear. It’s designed to rally a base, not to inform. And at a global forum like the UN, it’s more about spectacle than substance.

Why These Claims Are So Damaging

Individually, each of these claims is easy enough to dismiss. But together, they paint a worrying picture.

Correlation vs causation: Just because autism diagnoses have risen while paracetamol use remains common doesn’t mean one causes the other. It’s Epidemiology 101, but it’s a lesson Trump seems unwilling to learn.

Cherry-picking: Holding up the Amish or Cuba as autism-free utopias ignores mountains of evidence and silences autistic people in those communities.

Alarmist rhetoric: Telling nations they’re “going to hell” doesn’t encourage constructive debate. It fuels division.

Public health risk: Pregnant women avoiding safe medicine, families chasing miracle cures, or communities distrusting medical advice all carry very real dangers.

Stigma: Talking about autism as something to be “avoided” or “cured” reduces autistic people to a problem, rather than recognising them as part of human diversity.

This isn’t just about bad science or bad politics. It’s about the impact words can have on real lives.

The Bigger Picture

Why do these claims resonate with some people? Because they fit a simple narrative.

Autism rates are rising → there must be a single cause.

Some communities seem different → they must be doing something “right.”

The world feels uncertain → blame migration, climate policy, or whatever the populist villain of the day happens to be.

But reality is complex. Autism is complex, and the exact causes are still being investigated.   

We might not know what the causes are for certain, but we know what are not causes.  It’s not a single pill or vaccine. 

Migration and energy policy involve trade-offs, not doom. And while slogans win headlines, they don’t solve problems.

What Responsible Leadership Would Look Like

Imagine if, instead of fear-mongering, leaders invested in robust autism research that looks at genetics, neurology, and support systems.

Imagine if they pushed for better diagnostic access worldwide, so autistic people aren’t erased in communities with weaker healthcare systems.

Or if they promoted evidence-based health advice, so parents could make informed decisions without unnecessary fear.

What if they engaged in nuanced debate on migration and climate, recognising both challenges and opportunities?

That’s what responsible, evidence-driven leadership would look like. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re getting.

Trump’s latest pronouncements about paracetamol, autism, and nations “going to hell” are more than just eccentric talking points. They’re a dangerous mix of pseudoscience and populist theatre, with real consequences for public health, international cooperation, and the dignity of autistic people.

Autism isn’t caused by paracetamol or vaccines. Communities like the Amish and countries like Cuba aren’t immune to it. And migration and renewable energy aren’t sending nations to hell.

The real danger comes from leaders who ignore evidence, amplify fear, and treat complex issues as fodder for applause lines. We need better.  We need leaders who listen to science, respect human dignity, and focus on building solutions rather than tearing holes in public trust.

Until then, it falls to the rest of us to call out the nonsense, loudly and often. Because facts matter. And so do the people whose lives are shaped by them.

What I’m Doing

Listening: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet  by Becky Chambers.

Watching: Better Call Saul (Netflix); Wolf 359: The Massacre (YouTube).

Reading: nothing at the moment.

SPOILERS FOR BETTER CALL SAUL

We finished Better Call Saul and it did the impossible. It managed to both improve Breaking Bad by fleshing out some characters and plot points, and also, in some ways, better Breaking Bad. For many people these are the two best shows in history. I think there’s a lot of merit in that view. Both shows demonstrate exceptional character work, acting, and directing. Although they are set in the same universe, and some events cross over between the two shows, they are very different but also very similar.

Breaking Bad is about Walter White’s rapid change from mild mannered teacher to ruthless drug lord. Better Call Saul is slower, more complex and nuanced, and I would argue much more tragic. In terms of their similarities, both shows feature a character that is almost a reflection of themselves in Jesse and Kim. Where the lead descends fully into darkness, their reflection dips their feet into that world before managing to escape.

It’s difficult to say one is generally better than the other. I think the world building in BCS was better than in BB. Not to take anything away from Bob Odenkirk, because he was incredible as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. Bryan Cranston, however, was sensational as Walter White.

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Financial Update

Assets

Premium Bonds: £23,000.00.

Stocks and Shares ISA: £120,737.16.

Fuck It Fund: £0.00.

Pensions: £104,459.47.

Residential Property Value: £239,368.00. 

Total Assets: £487,564.63.

Debts

Residential Mortgage: £176,156.78. 

Total Debts: £176,156.78.

Total Wealth: £311,407.85.

My investments are motoring.  In Week 286, I had less than £100k in my ISA.  We are not even six months later and it’s now over £120k.  

Oana will be getting her first month’s wage next week, which means our investments should start growing a bit faster now.

Don’t Be Fooled: Financial Scams

One thing that never fails to amaze me is how creative scammers have become. Every week, it feels like there’s a new trick, a new line, or a new “urgent” problem designed to get you to hand over your money. From fake HMRC calls to emails claiming you’ve won a lottery you never entered, it’s a jungle out there.

It’s easy to feel like “it’ll never happen to me.”  It does happen to people, though, and it happens regularly.  The odd thing is, the tactics are usually so basic that the victims end up kicking themselves and asking, “How could I have been so stupid?”. 

Here’s a simple way to think about it: you wouldn’t hand £500 to someone knocking on your door claiming to be from your bank. You’d probably ask for ID, or better yet, just slam the door and go make a coffee. So why do people hand over bank details, card numbers, or personal information over the phone or online, to strangers claiming to be “official representatives”?

Scammers are masters of urgency. They want you to panic, or to think there’s a limited window to act. “Your account will be frozen if you don’t transfer funds immediately.” “We’ve detected suspicious activity, and you must verify your PIN now.” And in that moment, the fear feels real. But the logic should be simple: if it’s urgent and it involves money, don’t act until you’ve verified it yourself.

Here are some practical ways to keep your money safe, and your blood pressure a little lower while you’re at it:

Hang up and think 

If someone calls claiming to be from your bank, HMRC, or a utility, don’t feel pressured to respond straight away. Take a breath, put the phone down, and maybe make a cup of tea. Official institutions won’t demand payment or personal details immediately over the phone.

Verify independently 

Use the number on your bank’s website or official correspondence. Don’t rely on the numbers or links the caller or email gives you. A scammer can fake a number, an email, or even a very polite voice to make it look real.

Be sceptical of “too good to be true” 

Lottery wins, miracle refunds, and unbelievable investment opportunities. If it sounds amazing, it probably isn’t. Scammers know that greed is just as effective as fear.

Protect your personal information

Think of your banking details like cash in your pocket. Would you give £50 to someone in the street? No? Then don’t give away your card numbers, PINs, passwords, or bank details to anyone unsolicited.

Report and block

If you receive a scam call, email, or text, report it via Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) or your bank’s fraud team. Don’t just ignore it because reporting helps stop others from falling victim.

Sometimes I imagine what a scammer showing up at the door would look like: clipboard in hand, a smile too wide to be human, and a script memorised to perfection. “Hello, sir, may I have your sort code and PIN? It’s urgent!” I’d probably have to sit down and explain politely that I don’t hand over money to strangers, whether it’s in cash or digital form. Treating your financial details the same way you treat physical cash is a surprisingly effective defence.

In the context of FIRE, thinking ahead isn’t just about investments, savings, or mortgages. It’s about protecting the money you’ve already earned. Every pound lost to a scam is a pound taken out of your financial independence journey. Protecting yourself today means your money can continue working for you tomorrow, without giving it away to someone who showed up uninvited, either in person or over the phone.

Scammers rely on fear, urgency, and a dash of greed to trick people. You don’t need a degree in finance to beat them.  You just need a little awareness, patience, and a firm sense of boundaries. Keep your money safe, and it’ll keep working for you… and probably buy you more almond milk lattes along the way.

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions in this blog are my own, and do not represent the views or opinions of my former, current, or future employers, nor should they be considered advice.

If you want personalised financial advice, seek an appropriate professional.  If you are in financial difficulty, seek advice via the resources below:

StepChange

MoneyHelper

Biolink 

You can now find all my social media pages by checking out my Biolink:

bio.link/davidscothern.