That said, it's no surprise that the reader who requested this wants some advice. Scammers are rapidly developing new tactics using AI. Gone are the simple days of a man with a thick accent claiming to be John from Microsoft; AI allows bad actors to look and sound however they please.

So what can you do? Here's my advice for staying safe from scams.

Red flag number one: Urgency

Fear is a powerful motivator. People from all walks of life are prone to panic in tense situations (yours truly included). Scammers exploit this to try and force you to make decisions under duress when your reasoning skills are less than optimal.

Woah! He's giving away $5,600 to only the fastest people! You've probably seen this elsewhere with scams that urge you to verify a transaction RIGHT NOW. But let's step back for a second and think about it.

It's fairly rare in the typical world of business for anything to be urgent. If it wasn't, banks would operate like emergency rooms instead of closing every time the moon is in waxing gibbous phase. Tons of organizations still accept documents and checks via mail – the IRS is a fantastic example. If you get a scam text or e-mail claiming that the IRS needs you to take immediate action, make yourself pause for a minute. If the IRS lets you pay via mailing a money order, how urgent could it really be?

Don't allow yourself to feel threatened by text or e-mail messages. If something is really, truly an emergency, it generally warrants a phone call at minimum. And I can't think of any organizations that will let you forget about a debt.

Red flag number two: Source

Oh look, it's the famous Apple spokesperson Sunny Me from 163.com. This is an easy, fast telltale for a ton of scams: unknown numbers, strange e-mails, or even pretending to be affiliated with a celebrity like in the previous screenshot. I don't know what Warren Buffett is up to these days, but I strongly doubt it involves texting strangers at random to get them to sign up for some new cryptocurrency deal.

Some more sophisticated scammers might try to impersonate loved ones or pretend to be an ordinary person. Dating apps are rife with fake profiles run by scammers looking to capitalize on lonely people. You might receive a text from an earnest stranger claiming to have the “wrong number,” only to attempt to become your friend with the end goal of convincing you to hand over some cash. How cruel!

You may consider offering non-financial alternatives and seeing how the person reacts as a test. If the response is to demand money or stop talking to you, you have your answer. It's okay to be frank with your money as well. If you would place conditions on lending a friend money in the real world, it is perfectly reasonable to expect Jenny from Tinder to give you a timeline on being paid back or receipts or to adhere to a $20 maximum gift. But generally speaking, I would strongly advise against giving money to anyone you haven't met in person.

When it comes to scammers impersonating loved ones, the quick and easy solution is to ask a question that the scammer won't know the answer to and can't squirm out of. If you're feeling unsure about a conversation, ask the other person for something that couldn't be easily found or guessed, like a favorite movie or a pet peeve. Scammers can find names and birthdays online, but only my real mom can talk about the daily activities of her goofy little pug with heartfelt conviction.

At the time of writing, AI callers lack several markers typical of a human phone call. You will never hear them take a deep breath or shuffle papers or hum. If you are talking to someone who sounds otherwise human but is unnaturally sterile, you might be talking to an AI.

Red flag number three: Presentation

Oh my stars and garters, what is all this nonsense? The United States Postal Service is a secret organization that specializes in being as unavailable as possible. USPS would never bother sending someone a bizarre PDF text message when they can just leave a note in your mailbox and then close for the inexplicable 3-day government holiday you didn't know about.

Jokes aside, government organizations and corporations alike generally strive to make their interactions with you as streamlined as possible. More steps and more information just means more confusion and a higher likelihood of angry consumers. Having you download a PDF that links you to some website where you put in a bunch of info is out of the question. Additionally, almost every entity has an FAQ page on its website that you can check if in doubt. Keeping with the USPS example, they have a website that explains common scams and even gives example photos.

Read scam messages very carefully. Even in the era of AI and mass scam attempts, I rarely see messages without language warning signs.

Obvious here: select a “Withdraw” method instead of withdrawal (even though it's used correctly on the pop up), “Was Successfully!” and “BANK CARD” (who calls it that? Just the one?).

Even the most skilled text scammers will often make mistakes that reveal they are not from where they claim to be. An example line from a scam e-mail I received a few months ago:

At this time, can you please advise a suitable hour Monday to Friday between 10:00am to 9:00pm AEDT than we can contact you or send your WhatsApp number for details on scheduled wire.

Think about how you would ask that question. “Can you give me a time between Monday and Friday when we can contact you” or maybe “Could you suggest a time between” if you were trying to be polite. Advise? No one would use it in this context. People who are using English as a second language will often make mistakes that English natives would never: forgetting articles before a noun; using verbs in the wrong places; choosing unfitting or obscure words instead of more common ones.

Conclusion

Scams are all over the place and they are likely to get worse before they get better. In the meantime, practice caution with all unknown messages. Take your time (and you have plenty of it) analyzing messages before making any decisions. Verify individuals by asking tailored questions. You can always go to the real version of a website and log in to see if you have any alerts or warnings instead of following links.

And if you're ever in doubt, err on the side of caution. It's better to get a scolding letter or even make a late payment than to have your bank account drained by scammers. Doubly so when you consider that reloading (the practice of targeting people who have already fallen for scams) is a popular tactic.

Be safe out there. And lastly, I'd like to give a big thank you to my brother for providing the scam samples for this article.

#tech #advice #readerquestion

Rebecca B. – BS Interdisciplinary Studies (Marketing/Computing) Return to home

“What's the easiest user friendly computer for older people?”

If you ask any tech geek this question, their reply to you will almost certainly include “what are you using it for?”

So let's break that down. All listed prices are assuming that you're buying a used or refurbished device – new devices will obviously cost much more.

Just browsing the internet

If you are the kind of person who only uses your computer to browse classmates' obituaries and read Yahoo! News, I recommend a chromebook. You can buy them used/refurbished online for cheap, most have an SSD and boot up quickly, and they sort of “just work.” Many models are designed for use in an educational setting and thus can take a beating.

Chromebook

• Price Range: ~ $80 to $200
• Operating system: ChromeOS
• Profile: Small, lightweight, durable
• Downsides: Low power, unable to run non-ChromeOS apps

Simple app requirements

If you use your computer for tasks like playing games, browsing popular sites (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and reading e-books, I recommend an iPad. While Android-based tablets are a similar option and can be cheaper, the most tech-illiterate individuals will want to stick with Apple for their absolute ease of use and higher level of security.

iPad/[Android Tablet]

• Price Range: ~ $100 to $300 [$50 to $200]
• Operating system: iPadOS [Android]
• Profile: Small, lightweight
• Downsides: Low power, fragile, faster-than-average obsolescence

Working at home

If your computer needs to be equipped with software like Microsoft Office, Photoshop, or Zoom, you'll need something a little beefier than the previous options. Here you'll actually need to start looking at the specifications listed in a listing's description. There's a lot of back-and-forth about which manufacturers make the best computers (Lenovo, HP, Dell, etc), but in my humble opinion, much of this talk is overblown. Every manufacturer has their own pros and cons; you should focus more on a desktop that looks and feels comfortable to you.

Desktop Specifications

• Operating System: I'm not a fan of Windows for many reasons, but it is the king of workplace computing, and you'll want to make sure your PC comes with the appropriate version installed (as of writing, that is Windows 11).
• RAM: Look for something with at least 8 GB of RAM. Nice cell phones today have at least this much, for reference. 16+ will give you a comfortable amount of processing power so that everything runs smoothly.
• Processor: Around 3.5 GHz is sufficient for most office use, definitely no less than 2.5 GHz.
• Storage: SSDs are faster to boot up and more durable than the older HDDs. Unless you need a ton of cheap storage for some reason, I recommend a PC with at least a 500 GB SSD, but definitely no less than 250. You can always buy portable storage later if you need more.
• Accessories: Check to make sure the PC has any additional features you need, such as Bluetooth connectivity or a disk drive.

Expect the above computer to run at least $300 refurbished, possibly much more depending on how high your specification requirements are. Windows isn't exactly what I'd call “user-friendly,” but it will at least be familiar for most users.

Buying the computer

Online shopping sites like eBay and Amazon are fine places to buy used PCs, and you can easily read user reviews and browse specifications. If you insist on buying one in person, be sure to go in with an idea of what you want and stand your ground. Brick-and-mortar electronics stores may allow you to see the product in person, but they prey on the uninformed, and if you go to somewhere like Best Buy you should expect to be pushed toward buying more than you need or misled about the products. Prices will also be higher than online equivalents.

Happy hunting!

#readerquestion #tech #shopping

Rebecca B. – BS Interdisciplinary Studies (Marketing/Computing) Return to home