“We live in an uncomfortable world,” observed my daughter last
week. An interesting observation which
came up because I had my rewards account hacked and a substantial number of
points stolen and used for a plane ticket.
My guess he was off on a world trip!
Then I had this red alert on my computer, saying my computer
had been closed down because my credit card and bank accounts had been hacked,
and for security purposes I had to phone this number so we could correct it.
I didn’t call.
Instead, I checked on the latest scams, and sure enough
there it was. But the noise and ferocity
of the message were scary. It was like
one of those Amber Alerts when a child goes missing – loud and menacing. To get
it to stop, I had to turn off my computer completely.
It all left me feeling somewhat unsettled, especially given
that I’d had my rewards account hacked the day before. So I spent my afternoon,
changing passwords and checking bank balances – all was safe.
However, it is a statement on our society today, and as my
daughter suggested, it leaves you feeling uncomfortable, jaded. Even with Google, you check something out,
and next minute on Facebook there’s a related ad to what you’d been
investigating. Very Big Brother.
However, I have learned from this experience and I no longer
store my passwords and account numbers on my computer … far too easy for
someone to gain access. Unfortunately I have also learned to be suspicious of
callers, email messages and the like. I
no longer take information at face value. And that’s kind of sad.
