As a young boy growing up in the neighbourhood of Three Rivers East in Vereeniging, I knew we had a couple of golden rules in the house that we couldn’t break.
One such rule was never to open the door to strangers, especially when I was home alone with my younger brother.
Our door had a fish-eye peephole and we used to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. The doorbell would ring maybe three times, but we would ignore anyone we did not know.
Maybe we were rude, maybe the person really needed help, but we always walked on the cautious side of the line.
Whatever the reason, in hindsight, it spared us any unnecessary issues.
Parents tell their kids not to talk to strangers, but it seems some adults have taken that warning and thrown it in the garbage.
Facebook stalkers and con- artists like Brad Bilton who was apprehended for fraud and theft in Potch in December are not isolated incidents.
Bilton used a fake name to gain the trust of a Potchefstroomer and ended up living in her house. Eventually, the woman sensed something suspicious after she realised her belongings were missing and reported Bilton to the police.
Con-artists like to create fake profiles to lure unsuspecting victims into giving them money or personal information they can then use to their advantage.
This occurs quite often, even though there are regular warnings and extended information on how to be safe on social media.
It seems that people fall into this trap way too often, accepting invites and messages on Facebook from strangers who promise friend-ship, love, money or some sort of family connection.
Scammers or con artists can easily use a friend’s profile information or picture to create a false persona.
The best way to keep yourself from getting scammed is to ask strategic personal questions that only that friend would know. Check up on your friend list and don’t accept messages or give away any personal information.
You are only adding more bait to the scammer’s dubious fishing hook.
Block when a conman knocks on your Facebook door. If it wasn’t spam, then your true friend would let you know.
Ask yourself: Would you just invite anyone into your home?
