Horrific crash, torrential deluge
Greek Tragedy, widespread panic
Record-breaking weather, anarchy
Bitter-sweet catastrophe, riots beaten
Negotiations deadlocked, scapegoat found
Space shuttles retire, adventure over
Ending the dreams of a generation
Barely visible in the dawn darkness
Milk prices sour, debris strewn
Just a few stories manipulating fear to get your attention. The "You just got infected with a virus and we'll give you the recipe for the antidote, plus a quick summary of the meaning of existence! AND the best way YOU can enjoy it! All coming up after some brief words (and imperative directions) from our generous corporate overlords, I mean sponsors..." scenario. Typical. All promises to be fulfilled, once credit card details verified.
By the way... (Security Warning:)
Have you noticed? (I'm guessing it's worldwide?) the increasing number of scams, (phishing or otherwise) going down everywhere? All the time I hear about fake emails (& phone calls, etc...) going out that can look/sound semi-legit and seem to sucker in the (possibly temporarily) gullible peeps to give their personal deets over,
bad news... funds transferred, game over. You lose.
Other bad news:
- that's not Microsoft ringing on the phone offering to fix a mystery "virus' on your computer for only $200.
- that Nigerian Prince won't pay you $3 million dollars if you send him a small amount of cash now.
- there is no expedition to find sunken treasure in the ocean that just needs your small investment to fund the expedition.
- you haven't suddenly got a tax refund for a business you don't actually have.
- giving credit card or personal details to anyone you don't trust or know is completely https-type trustworthy, can be really regretful
- the person you met online and wants you to bring a suitcase to another country, could be using you as a drug-mule.
- there is no such thing as a free lunch*
- official looking fake emails/websites/letterheads are easy to create.
- urban myths and rip-offs are common.
pretty much never trust an unsecured email or cold call, from a bank, Govt. dept or any other large institution, that ask you for details or promise you something, it could be a scam. Big business and Govt.. departments are usually careful enough to only contact you securely through online log-in or some verification mechanism, as they know how easy fraud is...
so don't get credit card or identity frauded people!!!
But the great irony (and conceit from me) is that if you reading this, than I guess your already smart enough to know all that stuff.
Better safe than sorry though, overkill rather than under kill isn't it?
Add your own safety warning/scam below as a comment if you wish!
*conditions apply.
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“What is a cynic?
A man who knows the price of everything
and the value of nothing.” -- Oscar Wilde
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3 comments:
Perhaps the scariest thing is not the number of scams out there, but the realisation that so many people fall for them. Maybe being a Nigerian prince or Chinese banker is a career choice I wasn't given at school, obviously my english skills ruled me out straight away.
Love your blog!
Bravo!
very much informative. Thanks for sharing. I added your link into my blog. Please add mine also in your blog.
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