subject: Make The Internet Your Opinion Outpost: Protect Yourself And Others Against Fraud [print this page] We've all gotten a computer virus beforeWe've all gotten a computer virus before. Pop-ups everywhere, redirecting our pages, overwhelming spam emails all of a sudden. It's annoying, perhaps frustrating, maybe even infuriating if you're on some sort of a deadline, but you run your anti-virus scan and continue about your business.
But computer viruses, unlike organic human viruses, aren't a product of Mother Nature. And they're not a random glitch in the system, some terrible accidental byproduct of technology that we have no choice but to endure. Computer viruses are created on purpose by people. Sometimes they're harmless, intended to annoy or frustrate. But sometimes they are created with the intention of stealing your bank information, your credit card information, your social security number.
I bring this to your attention to make you aware - the Internet is not a safe place, despite the comfort and reassurance you get from checking the weather or the convenience of online banking. There are people out there who go onto the Internet and they intend to do harm.
The government is trying to make laws that punish people for wrongdoing in cyberspace, but except for a handful of clear, cut-and-dried instances, the truth is that the people creating online schemes and scams are moving much faster than the government can keep up with them. So how on earth are we supposed to protect ourselves?
It's actually much simpler than you can imagine. We protect ourselves by telling our stories. If you or someone you know has encountered an email scam, a computer virus, or if you've purchased something online but never received it, or couldn't return it, or called a bogus customer service number - do NOT just sit at home and feel angry or ashamed. Get online and tell your story.
The truth is we can't live without the Internet. Most of us are dependent on it for so many things. So make it a tool we can use against people who would use it against us. Make the forums, groups, and blogs your opinion outpost. A great example of how this truly works is Google home income scam. People have overwhelmed the Internet with stories about how they encountered a Google home income scam - exactly what happened to them, the name of the company or person that was responsible, and how you can avoid it.
These people who are using their opinion outpost to make a difference are shutting down these Google home income scams far quicker than anyone in the government. Once a company is exposed, they have no choice but to change their practices. If everyone knows their product is bogus, then they need to create a new product.
Ask any US hotel and they'll tell you nothing is better or worse for their business than an online review. So instead of feeling ashamed of being taken advantage of, get out there, tell your story, and help protect others from experiencing the same thing. Eventually we can hope that the authorities will catch up and do this for us, but until then, we must fight for ourselves.
