Thursday, July 12, 2012

New Con

And you thought I would be writing about age today.  Yesterday, having become another year older and several years wiser you might think I would be expounding upon that wisdom, today. That is exactly what I plan to do.
I would like to use my new status of age to impart knowledge to you electronically addicted, text talking, drawsomething playin', instaphoto interrupting, video taking, constantly FaceBook checking younger kids.... you get off my lawn.  Here is my rant: 
Today I got notice of a new comment made on a 2006 blog post. Upon reading it I erased it immediately so I can only paraphrase but it was at least this vague or more.  Posted anonymously it said: 
"Thank you again for another wonderful article. It is great to read such useful information so well written these days on line. I am conducting a seminar and yours is the kind of knowledge we are looking for to professionally help us.  Would you consider it. Here is the website" 

Below this was a link to a site. Corvette was in the URL. I was never tempted to click on the link.
I went to the blog to delete it from the actual post, but it did not exist. It never went through the blogger filter, it was a grand fake, but certainly fooled me. 
It was obviously a robo generated message that could not get through the Google "type what you see in the box" firewall. All other information was correct, and formatted the same way as any Google alert. The fact that it referred to a post I wrote six years was a wickedly deceptive device.
I suppose this is just another type of Trojan horse, and the site link was perhaps benign, but even a shoe ad can be irritating when unsolicited.  I understand this is the new age of junk mail but the element of deception  is not new with the media.  If you are as old (and wise) as me you remember a letter that would come personally addressed to your house every year or so.  It would officially announce that the addressee was the winner of a sweepstakes. Upon opening it up it was, alas, only an ad promoting a purchase not a notice of collection.
The difference between physical junk mail and junk email is the immediacy of a computer. Whereas I would have to call or write or physically purchase the product promoting the physical junk mail; one click on the link  of a junk email and your computer could get screwed.
Be careful out there kids. The economic wolves are learning faster than the rest of us sheep.
As you were,
Jay    

1 comment:

Tom Young Speaks said...

Here is a real comment from a real person -- When I was a boy I used to sneak downstairs, hide behind the couch and watch my parents watch SOAP. Eventually I would be discovered and the only excuse I had was, "How can anyone sleep with mom laughing that loud?" -- My mom now has the entire SOAP dvd collection, and I recently visited her for a few days. We watched 2 years of SOAP in 4 days. As always my favorite parts were when you (and Bob) came out. The "mind reading act" was (and is) so funny that we watched it three times and laughed just as hard as the first time - back in 1978 sitting behind my parents couch. Thank-you for all the laughter.