Where there's smoke: scams and crimes

Have you ever got the feeling from someone after they have said something that has put you on guard? Perhaps it is not what they said but how they said it? I think that this feeling should be listened to as even if incorrect, it is safer to err on the side of caution even if it means that someone's feelings may get hurt.

We are often taught that we should be nice to strangers, do not hold prejudices and perhaps this is true at some points but, when things matter like personal security, if the hairs stand up on the back of the neck, if the body makes that slight reflexive shift away from somebody, it is best to listen.

I have only got this feeling a few times in my life and in the end, there turned out to be good reason. One was with someone that I discovered was a convicted pedophile, the other went on to drug and rape several people, including several friends of mine.

I remember talking to the same friends, warning them there was something off about this person, something dark. He was friendly, nice, smiling, talkative, good looking but, he hated women. I could see it, the women could not. I wonder if it is because of their want for him not to be that, they became blind to what was there.

I think this is the way every scam works, they play on desires and offer something that the target wants, something that someone is willing to narrow their vision upon and therefore not pay attention to all of the alerts of a scam. In chat today there is some fool mimicking big accounts with logo and all except, slightly misspelled names. The amount of people that do not realise and engage with them as legit is mind boggling. So many want the attention they miss the obvious, they don't even do the basic check to verify, not even read the name carefully.

Is it human nature? I don't think so. I think we have been trained to get scammed by a whole range of people looking to benefit. It likely starts with the parents and then shifts to the schools and governments. They wire us up to be manipulated and controlled by incentives but this wiring can be hijacked by anyone with the keys.

Those that understand the programming can hack it for their own gain and our virus protection is well and truly out of date. Many want to be rich, famous and acknowledged and we want it so much we do no longer have the ability to see when we are getting played. But I think somewhere in us all is a warning system, perhaps part of the ancient lizard brain, that knows what is what. We just need to learn to filter out the noise and listen. At the very least, we can raise our guard, be vigilant.

When it comes to my friends, I should have done more. My failure was in second guessing myself and thinking they were adults too, they know what I know, perhaps I was the one that was wrong. He hurt many people, some were very young. I will never make that mistake again.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]