Internet Scams: Ask yourselves this before moving on with the rest of the post, “Is 60 minutes of fame more important than being ridiculed online, robbed, and exploited?”
What is fame? In the old times, fame was recognized for having done something good for society, or maybe the lead actress (with actual raw talent) in one of Hollywood’s biggest hits!
But, has it all changed? What is achieving the pits of fame brought down to in the 21st century?
Fame today can be described by having the most likes on your Instagram post, or having the most followers on TikTok. But, is that really fame or a red cybersecurity flag in the near future? Sad reality of it all, is that everyone who’s anyone, wants to achieve some kind of recognition in the world (industry), and most of them, well, nearly 60% of them, will just about do anything to achieve it.
They say that you should never put your whole life on the internet, and that’s what most teens or millennials fail to comply by.
What triggers the motion?
Wanting to get to a certain platform in life doesn’t happen overnight. No one is born with the innate intention of wanting to be an internet sensation or the president of the country. Something always drives the force, leading them along the current to the final destination. But, what makes them do it?
We all know that the internet or social media platforms of the world are more than powerful and influential especially when it comes down to children as young as 6 to about 18. Media has power over them; making them believe that the solution to getting the best house, a sweet ride, or a significant other is by being super famous.
However, not all who want fame struggle for it, work on their ambitions, train their raw talents, but rather take the easy way out through participation on certain social media apps/websites.
But, did you know that even the most famous apps today can scam you and or break everything you’ve built online?
The thing is, almost everyone will do just about anything to get ultimate recognition, even if it means agreeing to invest in random “talent agencies”, or hiring a “manager” from the internet. By choosing a random source without any research or security protection, you’re just going to get scammed in no time.
How to detect a scam?
Have you heard of stranger danger? There’s a reason why our parents or adults keep repeating it over and over. It applies to every single situation; be it a person or any kind of online source. Most teens who’re on the road to fame are often led on to phishing scams that ensure them the most followers, an investment for a management team or even forced to share personal information to sign up for this or that talent company. Some scams are not even to gain monetary needs but rather just done out of spite to end someone’s career or time on the internet.
However, there’s a way to detect a scam:
- If someone says they can take care of you and your accounts for you, bring you so and so followers by asking you for a certain amount, please understand that business isn’t done this way.
- The person or persons in contact with you will only want to contact you online but never in person. And if they do contact you in person, ask to only meet with you alone.
- They fail to provide any authentic source of identification other than a link or email ID.
- They ask you to send in your email details or provide you with a link for you to click on, without any website details, etc.
There’s so much more to be careful off when on the internet; especially since your entire life is put online. If you’re still ahead in the fame game it’s not too late to follow certain cybersecurity protocols that could help prevent such scams or phishing events from taking place.
Don’t do it for the Gram!
“I let some of my friends handle my social accounts”, “I feel like contacting the talent manager who commented on my Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Facebook post”. Don’t do it! If you’re going to be an active part of the internet and no matter what stage of fame you’re trying to achieve, always make sure all your accounts, device and data are secured.
Here’s what you can do:
- Invest in top of the line security software like a VPN, malware protector, or virus app that will help you secure your device and data if ever infiltrated by clicking on a scammy link. There are some affordable cybersecurity software that you can go for, not all premium options are expensive.
- Make sure the software you use is updated. Using older versions are vulnerable and prone to cyber-attacks.
- Passwords are kept for a reason. Since you post almost every personal detail online, most scams involve you clicking on links, making it easier for the perpetrator to invade your device. If the passwords you keep for all accounts are weak or include personal information, like your birthday, favorite pet or hotspot etc. this makes it easy to sign into your accounts.
- Always use two-factor authentication. The thing about online fame is that you’re immediately the center focus of hackings or getting phished in. Too many details online makes you vulnerable to such occasions. Everyone knows your schedule, your favorite things to do and worst of all; your weaknesses and insecurities! This will be used against you.
- Not all attention is positive. It’s fact that not everyone will agree with you or like the content you post. Few people even go out of their way to make you a target, like it’s some kind of sport. Please keep your social profiles on private. In this way you can choose who is allowed into your profile and who isn’t.
- Lock your devices, even from friends and family, except if it’s a parent that’s handling your accounts. It’s only advisable to have a trusted adult in on everything you do or post online for security purposes.
- Don’t click or trust sources you don’t recognize, even if the source says it’s from Facebook or Instagram. Big websites like these will never ask you to click on random links.
In a nutshell
To conclude, all I can say is that attaining fame is alright, but you have to keep a very clear radar of how to go about it, and who to trust. Social media can not only make or break your career but can also send your whole life crashing down. It’s true! If you see the rate of cybercrimes in a matter of 1 or 2 months, you’ll be extremely shocked! Always take precautions and trust only sources you are acquainted with on a daily basis.
