In these days, it is easy to hide behind computer keyboards, or whatever gadget you have. There could be someone out there planning to victimize you with their wicked plans.
They will ride on your weakness; when they know you are being kind, so trusting, or so naive (pardon the term!), they thought they had found the next victim.
Friends in Social Media
If someone suddenly sent you a message asking to befriend you, would you give in, or just rely on your intuition that it is something so mysterious why a stranger would suddenly send you that message. Sometimes you will think that maybe his aim is good, just plain friendship aim.
This is common today when lots of people, mostly young people who are using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, and they are often posting a lot about themselves. This makes them so vulnerable to crooks online.
Be Critical, Think First
Do not easily trust strangers online. They might be using a fake name, a fake picture, fake data about himself.
It is better to think first before giving your full trust to that stranger. If possible, research about him on the net, or look for the things he said, and from there, you can say if he is such a genuine person, a good person, or the opposite, a scalawag.
Nothing is Given Free
Do not think that an instant opportunity had come to your door when that stranger sent you a message he is looking for investment opportunity and will have you as a local partner.
First, he will appeal to your emotion, saying he had a broken family, his wife left him after their child died, and so on, with lots of sob stories. Knowing that you were swayed by such fake stories, he will ask for your personal data. And later, your financial records. All along, you did not suspect the he is already scamming you.
In some cases, many will be lured to come into their country, then ask you to bring something for them. They have some cohorts in your locality whom he will ask you to contact and get the baggage for him. Then at the airport of your destination, you would only realise you were duped when the police arrested you for carrying something illegal, like drugs! You were made as a “drug mule,” or carrier of illegal drugs.
Always think about the saying:”There is nothing as a free lunch!” Nothing is given free.
It takes a lot of advantages to be careful, to scrutinize strangers you meet online. Even on social blogging sites, there could be some fools who think that everyone can be a victim!
Anyway,there is an International Police who can trace their internet provider address and track them. Hope they will have their days in jail so their evil acts be stopped.
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Yes, I do not befriend anyone on social media that I do not know because there are scammers everywhere!
You are right, Michelle; do not easily trust anybody you do not know especially on social media. They are pretending to be so friendly, but then they will scam you.
Yes, we really have to be cautious and we should not easily trust anyone. There's a lot of scams around online and offline, trying to lure you to give in. You always have to think twice or make a research before believing in something, especially opportunities that promise you to give a huge income, but it will just waste your time and effort, or worse, that you will release money for nothing. We have to be vigilant all the time.
Thanks bluelion for your reply. It is best to be cautious than sorry. We should not allow the scammers have a thriving monkey business of fooling innocent people. They can easily do it especially online; they can pretend to be so kind, but they are not. We should not fall into their trap.
The old adage "not to trust any strangers" and that "there are only two kind of people in the world, the one making fool of other and the one being fool" is quite true and assume real importance in the Cyber or Computer Age.
The same is true with the line of the poem "Desiderata" to that effect to “remember that the world is full of trickery”.
One must really be cautious in his or her worldly affairs not only online or in the virtual world but in the real/physical world itself outside of the internet.
If is too good to be true then for sure there must be something fishy that is going on.
The approach of any scammer or fraudsters for that matter is to appeal first and foremost to human frailty and weakness---the love of money, greed and selfishness and the easy-quick-rich approach.
For who don't want or need money? For who don't want to quickly get ahead in life or to be an instant millionaires for that matter?
This is where human weakness lies that is being exploited and will continue to be exploited by any fraudsters or scammers against the unsuspecting victims or potential victims.
I often tell others that if anyone for that matter is asking money online even for a single cent then for sure it is 100% scams or fraud.
It will be otherwise if they are the one who will immediate handed to us the money and not the other way around.
Any scams, fraud or swindling is as old as the presence of evil in the world. We must always be aware of this fact and be on the alert to open our eyes and mind.
Remember also that it is better to be safe than sorry or have a regrets in the end.
Very well said, Arnold Cruz. You have explained it so well, that "if something is too good to be true," then do not get into that bait. Scammers thrive because of the frailties of some people who get into such get rich quick scheme.
And yes,it happens even offline; those pyramiding scams or ponzi scheme where many people got fooled.