Saturday, August 31, 2024

Recuperation journey 2.0: Lesson learned


Earlier this week I did a stoopid thing. I almost let myself get scammed by some lowlifes on the Internet.

I accidentally clicked on a link that took me to a page featuring all kinds of scary warnings. I couldn't exit out of the page.

I believed the warnings and immediately called the toll-free number that was now flashing on my desktop screen. It was accompanied by a female voice that was screeching at me about how I had to call said number.

I dialed the number, naively believing that it was legit and I'd get support to fix the problem. Instead I got connected with someone on the other side of the world.

I was so rattled that I didn't realize at the time he and his co-worker were using terms to convince me they were helping me.

For example: 

"Your phone line is not secured; it can be tampered with."

"I'll make a duplicate transaction to confuse hackers."

They kept referring to "hackers," which apparently meant they were referring to themselves.

After a stressful hour on the phone with them I hung up and called my bank. I was advised to close the account, which I did.

The next day I called the bank to make sure there were no unauthorized charges on my account. There weren't any, so I guess I can say all's well that ends well.

That's my public service announcement. I hope it might save someone from the unnecessary stress that I endured.


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