RAY

New Sunday Times, 21 Sep 2008
Beware of the virtual vampires

EXPERIENCE, said American baseball player Vernon Law, is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

Although he was referring to the game, it is equally true of all things in life. Take the 40 Malaysians who lodged reports that they had been conned into parting with their money in the latest scam to hit our shores, the “advance-fee fraud”. Accumulated losses over the last eight months amount to RM2.7 million.

These victims believed the stories related by people whom they had “met” on the Internet; they bought the sob stories or were eager to lay their hands on some promised lottery draw win. One woman felt so close to her email pal that she felt obliged to help him out of his “predicament” by banking in RM1.3 million into account numbers provided by him. Another woman, who, upon being told she had won a lottery, paid RM208,000 to facilitate the release of the money from “the authorities” supposedly holding it. And she is a professional, mind you. Most Malaysians with email accounts would have received, at one time or another, emails informing them of a lottery win or asking them to help in the transfer of funds or some such stuff. And hundreds, if not thousands, of Malaysians have fallen victim to these virtual vampires. To repeat the cliche that as long as there are gullible people, there will be swindlers, does not quite answer the question as to why people continue to be persuaded to part with their money. There are complex emotions at work.

But, people should realise that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it is. They should verify the legitimacy of institutions mentioned and the truth of what they are told. And a dose of scepticism when dealing with people they have never physically met would certainly help. As Internet penetration expands in the country, the oft-repeated advice not to divulge personal and financial information, and to be wary of unsolicited email, takes on even greater importance. Perhaps the police and schools should undertake programmes to educate people about such scams. Perhaps Internet service providers or agencies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission could post alerts about the scams.

Experience, indeed, is a hard teacher. But it is not necessary for everyone to learn first-hand; vicarious learning, in matters such as this, should be the preferred mode. Then again, if experience has taught mankind anything, it is that we seldom, if ever, learn from experience.

Related: Cyber crooks: Falling prey to online fraud