Hoaxes and Scams in Today’s Day
Hoaxes, scams, and data manipulation is a very real issue when it comes to data and ethics. I know many people who have fell victim to these scams, as well as myself. Especially with the development of technology in today’s day, specifically AI, these scams are becoming much more prevalent and much easier to trick an average person.
My Experience
A while back this year in March, I drove to San Francisco for a shopping trip. If you have ever been to the Bay Area, you know how traffic induced it is, and how many regulations they tend to put on the road. As I was driving in, I had driven across a bridge with a toll area. These tolls are super easy to drive through, as they simply take a photo of your license plate and mail you your toll invoice so you’re able to pay online. This way traffic stays regulated, and it’s much quicker for everyone.
I figured I would eventually get sent something in the mail, and usually it takes a couple weeks. A few days later, I received a text message providing a link to pay my toll invoice. At the time, it looked very official, and I was very convinced it was real especially since I had just driven through the toll sites in San Francisco. Except it wasn’t real.
The purpose of this scam was obviously to get my card information and spend my money. If I were to have put my card information into this website, they would have and access to my entire bank account. I’m sure I am not the first person who has experienced this.
A couple weeks later, was when I received my actual toll invoice. This is how I knew the online link I received was fake. This invoice was billed to my house, with my actual license plate, and a way to bill me online. To be completely honest, I had to double check with my parents to make sure this one was in fact, the real deal, before I payed either toll invoice.
How Someone Could Tell This is Fake
First of all, in California, all toll invoices are sent by mail, so if you receive a text, it’s not the real deal. Second, make sure to check the URL link properly, if there’s any strange letters or numbers, it is probably fake as well. Lastly, check the way the message is worded, if it’s urging you to pay immediately, like mine did, its unofficial communication and most likely a scam.