Fraught with Danger

The other day I passed a gentleman in my senior living facility who was walking his dogs. I dote on doggies, so I asked the gentleman if I could pet them. While I was petting them he told me he had just come home hrom the hospital after what he thought had been a heart attack. Fortunately it turned out to be angina. Why am I recalling this incident? The attack was brought on because cyber thieves had managed to gain access to his bank account(s), and hoovered away his life's savings. The bank apparently hadn't notified the gentleman of any suspicious behavior; just seemed to irresponsibly wave the thiieves in and out Mostly seniors, mentally challenged folks, and new immigrants are under constant siege these days, from incessant phone calls - I get fifty a day - to countless emails from scammers under a very convincing looking established logo to texts that promise every kind of El Dorado, if only the receiver would click on the connecting element. Conversely, endless texts will appear threatening heavy fines if the receiver doesn't click on the link and pay an invoice/ bill that they never incurred. Last week I got one email from an "estate attorney" carrying out his client's last wishes and ready to transfer millions to my bank account. Of course, the prize was waiting if I but clicked on that tantalizing link; but that method's dated. Even the most musty brained American knows that trick. These new scams seriously appeared on the cyber landscape around five yearrs ago when covid started, and have incrementally gotten worse. In that time I've almost succombed at least a dozen times to these nefarious schemes that would have emptied my bank account or turned me into some kind of felon. Every time my sixth sense brought me back from the edge at the last minute. For those who are reading this, here's one hint. If you're get an unsolicitated email that possibly promises a windfall, check the sender's email address. If it's a gmail, or hotmail, or anything garbled, like something out of Inner Mongolia (apologies for using that good nation as a bad example) it's probably from somebody out to bite you in a very bad place. Nothing comes free! America has become a virtual minefield. There is absolutely no pity here for the millions who are deemed nothing but fresh meat.