Technology And Gullible People

Is it just me, or are there more gullible people now that we have technology?   Maybe it's because social networking shines a light on it?  With viruses, chain e-mails, and a phone that always keeps you connected, it's becoming more common for people to buy the wooden nickels.  I've got a few examples I would like to share with you...Facebook will start charging people to use facebook. This one comes up from time to time.  It's spread around in mass facebook messages and it urges users to message their friends to alert them.  Facebook will never ever ever ever charge users to use the service.  Facebook is making billions in advertising.  That's how it works.  It even says on the homepage that it's free to everyone and always will be.  But at least once a month a concerned fb friend of mine will send me the message.

Forward this message so Facebook will know your account is active or they will shut it down. If facebook really wants to know if you're an active member I'm sure they can do it in a click of a button.  They can read every status update you've written, know everything about you, and yes.... KNOW YOUR PASSWORD!  It's not that big of deal, no one at facebook really cares what you are doing anyway.  Unless it's a governement security issue.  You certainly don't have to forward chain messages.

If it sounds to good to be true, then of course it is.  And the internet doesn't change that. I had to laugh today when I was searching for a camera enhancing app for my iphone.  I wanted something that I could do time elapsed pictures.  One of the things I saw was something called "Sexybooth".  I'll admit that I was curious to what the heck this is because it had such a high user rating.  It says that you can take a picture of someone and see beneath their clothes by using the same imaging technology used at airport security.  I knew this was impossible, but a ton of people have bought the app.  The high user rating was the developers flooding the itunes market with a bunch of their own applauding reviews.  Every other one said it was a complete waste of money and a scam.  There were hundreds of people who bought this.  Really?  You actually thought it would work?  Gullible.

Online dating scams. Here's a common thing.  Some pretty lonely men have fallen for this.  It's sick that people prey on lonely vulnerable people who should have a shot at really finding love.  This happened to a friend of mine.  He made an online profile.  A pretty girl 20 years younger showed interest in him.  "Wow this online dating is awesome!"  Turns out she was from an adult website and after leading him on, she sent him to an adult pay site.  He still didn't know what was going on.  It's like an online strip club with a virtual lap dance.  He genuinely thought that this 20 something girl was interested in him.

There are far more serious forms of trickery in the tech world:  e-mails disguised as your bank asking for personal information, a foreign Prince of Africa asking you to use your own money, anti virus programs that pop up that are actually viruses themselves, the list goes on.  Be careful.  Remember any reputable business will NEVER ask for your S.S.N or bank account information over an e-mail.  Also watch which links you click.  Like I said earlier, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is even on the internet.