Wanna know what lights my fuse?
Scams and Hoaxes and I’m not sure which one is worse. Hoaxes are either fake scams or headlines that get people riled up and usually go viral. One of the oldest hoaxes was of “The Godfather” actor Abe Vigoda’s obituary. It became such a phenomenon that there were websites devoted to whether or not Abe Vigoda was still alive and his Wikipedia article has a whole section devoted to the hoax. A good friend of mine — we’ll call him “Sal” would even post “…Abe Vigoda still alive!” every single time a different celebrity passed away. Tragically both have now passed away and — you guessed it — Abe Vigoda outlived “Sal.” I don’t think “Sal” would have had it any other way. I was tempted to say “‘Sal’ passed away…Abe Vigoda still alive,” but was afraid others would have found it in poor taste even though I think it would have made my friend laugh if he could have seen it and been the perfect way to give tribute to my friend and his sense of humor.
Scams and hacks are less insidious, but do real damage. Usually both have the same end goal in mind — to steal your information and identity so it can be used either against you directly, or to steal money from a company using your credit worthiness. Protecting oneself from both is of extreme importance. Never give personal information out over the phone or online unless you are certain you can trust the safety of your information. Your bank and even your cell phone provider will have more detailed information about what can and what cannot be trusted. Most importantly, make sure that you secure all your personal accounts with a user-defined PIN or password. If available, use two factor authentication. Once two factor is set up, you can use an app or receive a text message any time you log in to get a limited time, one use code to log in so if your password is compromised, hackers still can’t get into your accounts. And, don’t give the customer service representative a hard time when he asks for your PIN. If you don’t know it, ask for reset options and go through the reset procedure even if you have to drag your lazy bum to a physical office or store where your ID can be verified with a government issued photo ID. It’s only YOUR safety at stake! It’s not the company that you do business with who is at fault here, it’s the low-life thieves that are trying to use your info to take something they didn’t earn. They are the one’s to blame, but that doesn’t mean we should just sit back and let them, either. Tom and Donna from Parks and Recreation say, “treat yo self!” Well, I say, “protect yo self!” It’s no one’s responsibility but your own.
Either way, always be educating yourself on how to identify scams, what real scams are out there, and how to protect yourself from being scammed while ignoring and refusing to pass along hoaxes. Take advantage of some awesome resources out there including snopes.com and hoax-slayer.net. First step is to suss out whether the scary-looking article your friend posted on social media is real or a hoax and these two websites are unbiased and highly factual. Just go to one of the sites, search for the hoax using key words, and see if they indicate it is a real threat or just a hoax. If it is a real threat, follow the suggested actions, being sure to do your own research and double check the wisdom of any actions suggested. Also, contact any companies you do business with that might be affected. Once you’ve done that, share your findings on the same social media sites. Most people don’t realize that they are passing along a hoax or have fallen for a scam. If we educate each other, then these will become fewer and further between.
Scams, hacks, and hoaxes all suck and they take time out that we could be using to build deeper connections or solve real problems. Let’s work together to minimize the impact of these dastardly deceptions.
Short Fuse Blog 