From the early beginnings of the ARPANET, a network connecting research organisations in academia in the United States at the end of the sixties, up till today where billions of computers around the world are connected and communicate continuously together, (mainly) freely, the internet has become and indispensable tool with which people, organisations and machines communicate; store, disseminate and access information; find entertainment; purchase and sell products and services; and pass countless hours lost in this new virtual world.
Lately I was reminded how a common yet ugly traid of mankind has found its way into the internet world, and this is fraud, or the attempt thereof. I received a message on the Facebook app used for chatting, Messenger, from a friend of mine, or someone I thought was my friend. This was also accompanied by my friend’s picture.
My suspicions had already been aroused when the contact included emoji that my friend had absolutely never used, but decided this time I wouldn’t ignore him to see what what happen.
I was first asked to promise I’d never tell anyone what he was about to tell me. Afterwards, he informed me he had won a million dollars, and I was the first one he was telling. How lucky I am, ain’t I?
Then he told me I could win a similar amount if I had to go onto a particular website, on which he said I had seen my name written, and he didn’t wish for me to lose my winnings. How altruistic!
Finally, he sent me an internet address, apparently legitimate, for me to redeem my winnings. He wanted me to do this there and then and stay guiding me what to do. At this point, I spat the dummy and everything stopped there.
You’d be amazed that after all the stories of deception mentioned in the newspapers and the news, there I was in 2019, chatting away with who knows who, God knows from where, whose only aim was to screw me big time, bleed me dead or acquire some information on me that he didn’t already have to screw me some other time.
I was only sorry for my real friend who I later discovered whose name and photos were taken deceitfully in an attempt to further deceive other online friends. It was an embarassing situation that could easily happen to everyone, including me and you.
These attempts are very common, and lately seem to have increased. I often receive an email informing me of some unbelievable inheritance that I’d regretfully lose if I didn’t forward the details of my bank account to some Nigerian benefactor. Recently I even received a personal letter sent by snail mail from England on a similar unexpected inheritance waiting for me in Hong Kong.
I look on such attempts at rather pathetic, containing so many signs of being fraudulent, like the amount of communication mistakes, or the fantastic and completely improbable story line, and others.
Nevertheless, I understand that even so one might easily be deceived, especially if without experience, or be in desperate need for money, and such a story might represent the proverbial manna falling from the sky (if it were true).
I remember some years ago, another of my friends had shown me a similar email, with all the suspicious factors as detailed earlier (large inheritance, need for bank details, connection to Nigeria etc) and asked for my opinion. I naturally told her my concerns and advised her to show no interest in the received communication. Nevertheless, my friend seemed inclined to continue communicating with the sender regardless of my advice. I did lose contact with this person, and so don’t know how it ended, I pray to God that it didn’t end up one of the sad stories we hear about.
To you readers of this article, I can only recommend you a well known rule in this space: if a story seems to good to be true, it probably is!
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Mill-bidu bikri tal-ARPANET, netwerk li jgħaqqad organizzazzjonijiet tar-riċerka akkademiċi fl-Istati Uniti fl-aħħar tas-sittinijiet, sal-lum fejn biljuni ta’ kompjuters madwar id-dinja huma mqabbdin u jikkomunikaw kontinwament flimkien, b’mod (fil-biċċa l-kbira) liberu, l-internet sar mod indispensabbli kif bnedmin, organizzazzjonijiet u magni jikkomunikaw ma’ xulxin; jaħżnu, jiddisseminaw u jaċċessaw informazzjoni; isibu divertiment; jixtru u jbiegħu; u jgħaddu sigħat sħaħ mehdijin f’din id-dinja l-ġdida virtwali.
Dan l-aħħar ġejt imfakkar kif aspett uman komuni iżda pjuttost ikrah fil-bniedem, sab ukoll postu fid-dinja tal-internet, u dan huwa l-qerq, jew l-attentat ta’ qerq. Irċevejt messaġġ fuq il-programm tal-Facebook li jintuża għat-taħdit virtwali (chat), il-Messenger, minn ħabib tiegħi, jew dak li ħsibt li huwa ħabib tiegħi. Dan kien ukoll akkumpanjat minn ritratt ta’ ħabibi.
Is-suspetti tiegħi kienu diġà qamu meta l-kuntatt kellu karattri ta’ emozzjonijiet (emoji) li ħabibi assolutament qatt ma juża, imma ddeċidejt li din id-darba ma ninjorahx ħa nara kif se tiżviluppa l-istorja.
L-ewwel talabni li nwiegħdu li ma ngħid lil ħadd dak li kien se jtarrafli. Wara, infurmani li kien rebaħ kwart ta’ miljun dollaru, u jien kont l-ewwel wieħed li kien informa. Kemm jien ixxurtjat hux?
Imbagħad qalli li nista’ nirbaħ ammont simili jekk immur fuq websajt partikolari, għax qal li ra ismi fuqu, u ma xtaqx li nitlef il-ħlas. Kemm kien bniedem altruista!
Fl-aħħar, bgħatli indirizz tal-internet, apparentement leġittimu, biex insarraf ir-rebħa tiegħi. Riedni nagħmilha dak il-ħin u joqgħod jiggwidani x’kelli nagħmel. F’dan il-punt, bżaqtlu s-sunnara, u waqaf kollox hemm.
Tibqa’ skantat, wara l-istejjer kollha ta’ qerq li jissemmew fil-gazzetti u fuq l-aħbarijiet, hemm jien fl-2019, qiegħed nitħaddet bil-kitba dak il-ħin stess ma’ bniedem, Alla biss jaf fejn kien, li kellu biss l-iskop li jitnejjek biha waħda nobis, u jew jisloħni xi waħda tinkiteb, jew jakkwista xi informazzjoni fuqi li għad m’għandux biex ikun jista’ jisloħni iktar ‘il quddiem.
Jiddispjaċini biss għal ħabibi li wara skoprejt li ismu u r-ritratti tiegħu kienu ttieħdu b’qerq f’attentat biex jiġu ngannati ħafna minn ħbiebu onlajn. Sitwazzjoni imbarazzanti li faċilment tista’ tiġri lil kulħadd, anke lili u lilek.
Attentati bħal dawn huma komuni ħafna, u dan l-aħħar innutajt żieda tagħhom. Spiss nirċievi xi imejl li jien eredi ta’ xi wirt ta’ barra minn hawn, u li jaħasra nitilfu jekk ma ngħaddix id-dettalji tal-bank tiegħi lil xi benefattur in-Niġerja, u dan l-aħħar anke ittra tal-karti mill-Ingilterra fuq wirt simili u mhux mistenni li qed jistennini f’Hong Kong.
Jien dawn l-attentati narahom pjuttost patetiċi, u jkun hemm ħafna sinjali li mhuma xejn ħlief mimlija qerq, bħall-ammont ta’ żbalji fil-komunikazzjoni, jew l-istorja fantastika u improbabbli għall-aħħar, u oħrajn.
Madankollu, nifhem li wieħed faċilment jitqarraq, speċjalment jekk m’għandux esperjenza, jew ikollu bżonn il-flus u storja bħal din tkun tirrappreżenta manna li taqa’ mis-sema (kieku kienet veritiera).
Niftakar snin ilu, ħabiba tiegħi kienet urietni imejl simili, bil-fatturi suspettużi kollha (wirt kbir, bżonn ta’ dettalji tal-bank, konnessjoni man-Niġerja eċċ) u staqsietni x’naħseb. Jien naturalment ħassartilha u avżajtha biex ma turi l-ebda interess fil-komunikazzjoni li rċeviet. Madankollu, ħabibti dehret li kienet inklinata li tkompli tikkomunika ma’ min kien bagħtielha minkejja l-pariri tiegħi. Tlift il-kuntatt ma’ din il-persuna, u għalhekk ma nafx kif spiċċat din l-istorja, nitlob ‘l Alla biss li mhix biss waħda mill-istejjer tal-biki li sirna nisimgħu.
Lilkom il-qarrejja ta’ dan l-artiklu, nirrikmandalkom regola magħrufa sew f’dan il-qasam: jekk storja tinstema li hija tajba wisq biex tkun vera, probabbilment li mhix vera!
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