From fake toll bills to bogus courier texts, scammers prey on festive goodwill. Stay sceptical, stay safe this season.
I got an unpaid toll fee bill notification last week. It made me think – because it’s true, I never paid them.
I was an e-toll rebel for years, thanks to the evangelism of The Citizen’s deputy editor Brendan Seery, who fought a thankless decades-long campaign against the iniquity of it all.
Of course, it wasn’t real. I know that because I have a zero balance on my account with Sanral (I eventually opened the actual invoice that was posted), plus the end of e-tolls killed any notional debt that anyone had.
But it could have been true. Just like the SMS that warns you to act before your bank account is closed (even if you no longer bank there). Or it might be an SMS saying the courier needs more fees to complete a delivery.
Given the amount of e-commerce and last mile deliveries that are taking place, the temptation is there to hit the embedded URL in the SMS, because it might be an order you forgot you made.
Whether it’s fake news, disinformation or downright fraud, the key is the seed of truth.
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That’s all it takes to hit the button and let the virus into your system through the ring to rule all rings, your smartphone.
It gets worse during the festive season, ’tis the season to be jolly and generous.
It’s also the season to be preyed upon. Everyone warns the elderly and the young but we are all at risk.
Our grandparents always told us never to get into cars with strangers or accept sweets from strange men.
These days, we order rides online to travel all over the place at all hours, order anything and everything online and willingly tell social media all our deepest secrets, from the names of our pets to our favourite numbers, animals and colours.
It’s a hacker’s dream.
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In the words of the ancient sages of the newsroom, if it’s too good to be true, it normally is.
Scepticism is the only defence in a world in which the deceivers are becoming really very good indeed, better than the call centres they pretend to be when they do get hold of your details.
Practice what the banks tell you, repeat the mantra to yourself: don’t give anyone your pin, either over the phone or any other way.
Don’t click on suspicious links.
Be safe this festive season.
