Elma's POV

My cellphone rings. I don't know the number. As a business woman, I still answer it.

"Hi. I'm calling to let you know that you have won 1 million yen. Congratulations." It was a female voice on the other end.

My heart is racing. I can't contain my excitement.

"Re-really?"

"Yes I can assure you that you were entered into our contest. All you need to do is give me your bank account number and email address to facilitate quick deposit of your cheque."

This will cure our family's financial stress. We can buy baby food to last a whole year with that money. We can even save for a vacation.

I gave the lady my bank account number. I had it memorized. It was a joint account with Nai.

A few hours later:

"Elma, I noticed something weird with our bank account. The app alerted me of a recent transaction."

"Hue hue hue. It went up didn't it?"

Nai furrow her brows. "The opposite. Do you know anything about this?"

I gulp. That doesn't seem right.

"Nai, I won the lottery. Someone called me and told me I won a million yen. They asked for my bank details."

Nai turns white.

"Eh Elma, that's a scam. We need to call the bank right away."

"I wanted to surprise you when the money came in."

Suddenly, I feel dizzy and weak in the knees.

Nai's POV:

The shock must have caused Elma to faint. The best thing to do is remain calm in this situation.

I fan her with one hand and speak to the bank with the other.

Elma slowly regains consciousness.

"Nai, Nai. I'm so sorry."

"Elma, it's okay. I just spoke to our bank. Here have some water."

She rests her head in my arms.

"I didn't know. How foolish of me."

"I know you didn't know. These scammers will try everything. Luckily, they only withdrew 10,000 Yen. I heard of some scams where the account ended up in negatives. We're lucky."

"So what do we do?" She sips some of the water.

"The bank froze the account. We'll get a new one and transfer our savings there. You should close your email account too."

Elma apologized to me that entire day. She felt extremely guilty. If we didn't act fast, we would have been in trouble. Elma took two hours of online safety training.