Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Crafty Little Buggers - Re Scammers and Spammers
The internet is still in its infancy, and yet, the spammers and the scammers are getting genius real quick. They're like super little genetically enhanced child prodigies in the WWW world.
But they're secretly the Children of the Corn.
I'm pretty good at spotting a scam. basic rules apply. Never give out personal information. and critically analyze everything. Case in point Good Grades Now, or www.goodgradesnow.com. See below.
This looks like a legitimate site. on first view. when you look into it a little further, little things start to occur to you. first of all, the overuse of Quotes that sound intellectual. the second thing that you realize, is that with everything that they say, they don't really say anything. plus, under contact information, they're no phone number, just a fax. oh, they try to compensate for this in the email that they forward. and that too sounds legit. they're something about your resume being forwarded (by the assistant of course, b/c that somehow makes it sound more authentic) to the director and how your education qualifies you for becoming a tutor, etc etc.
and for a split second, i considered that it might be real. the thing is though, if someone already has your resume, they're not going to ask you to go on their site and provide your personal information in an online form. the point is this: there are a lot of questions to ask when being confronted by this kind of situation. and, in the end, if there's the littlest voice in your head that says "This doesn't seem right somehow", listen to it.
But they're secretly the Children of the Corn.
I'm pretty good at spotting a scam. basic rules apply. Never give out personal information. and critically analyze everything. Case in point Good Grades Now, or www.goodgradesnow.com. See below.
This looks like a legitimate site. on first view. when you look into it a little further, little things start to occur to you. first of all, the overuse of Quotes that sound intellectual. the second thing that you realize, is that with everything that they say, they don't really say anything. plus, under contact information, they're no phone number, just a fax. oh, they try to compensate for this in the email that they forward. and that too sounds legit. they're something about your resume being forwarded (by the assistant of course, b/c that somehow makes it sound more authentic) to the director and how your education qualifies you for becoming a tutor, etc etc.
and for a split second, i considered that it might be real. the thing is though, if someone already has your resume, they're not going to ask you to go on their site and provide your personal information in an online form. the point is this: there are a lot of questions to ask when being confronted by this kind of situation. and, in the end, if there's the littlest voice in your head that says "This doesn't seem right somehow", listen to it.
The End of Privacy - Whitaker