Tonight I wandered in to the River Garden. A radio station was doing a publicity and outreach event.

I didn't make a note of the station's call letters. But it wasn't community radio. The woman I spoke to said the station had been in operation for 60 years.

I was offered a chance at a $50K raffle for free. But I had to fill out a card. When I asked what the raffle was for and what the event was for, she said it was to increase the station's audience.

I asked why they needed my personal information. The woman said they needed it in case I won something on the air.

Stupidly, I accepted, blinded by the thought of possibly winning $50 K if the things I scratched off matched. And since this is Brattleboro, not New York, my guard was down.

Needless to say, the scratched off symbols didn't match.

I asked for my card back, as it had my name, address, phone number and even my signature (although I did disguise my signature to, hopefully, avert fraud).

She refused.

I went back later to demand my card back, but they had left.

I am angry that I allowed myself to be duped into giving personal information (although not, thankfully, my social security number or date of birth). I had thought myself fairly immune to such manipulation.

Ha! So much for grandiosity and complacency!

Did anyone else go to the River Garden tonight and see these people?

I wonder what they will do with my information. Will they sell it? Will they try to steal money from me?

I hope this is only my ex-New Yorker paranoia. I sure hope I wasn't duped into a scam.