The memory of what happened is still etched in my mind. It was July 2009 when I sat in front of my EEEPC perplexed with legs trembling and sweat oozing down my cheeks. How I wanted to cry but tears refused to flow. The haunting fear and the sense of extreme loss I felt inside me were overwhelming. The reason: I could not open my most important email account. ‘Incorrect password’ flashed in front of me every time I tried to log in no less than twenty times.
Then an incident few days ago flashed back in my mind. I received an email from someone who introduced himself as part of Yahoo Team. He used business-like language and requested me to type in my password. The convincing words and sincere tone and presentation of the message had me, unaware that it was a trap. Unknowingly, s/he accessed my account and began sending false information to my family and friends. Good thing I had two hand phones, one in roaming status and another for local use. My sister and a good friend were so worried about “my being lost in Europe without money” that they immediately sent me sms. I alerted Yahoo at once about the phishing scam and after several days, I recovered control of my account.
From that point on, I became wary about technology. The experience discouraged me from using the internet for sometime. It was a self-imposed punishment for being stupid and trusting… Now I utilize technology with caution because I met its two faces—one is grim and unyielding while the other’s gentle and attractive.
I know I better watch out. Somewhere out there in the cyberspace someone’s watching.
Then an incident few days ago flashed back in my mind. I received an email from someone who introduced himself as part of Yahoo Team. He used business-like language and requested me to type in my password. The convincing words and sincere tone and presentation of the message had me, unaware that it was a trap. Unknowingly, s/he accessed my account and began sending false information to my family and friends. Good thing I had two hand phones, one in roaming status and another for local use. My sister and a good friend were so worried about “my being lost in Europe without money” that they immediately sent me sms. I alerted Yahoo at once about the phishing scam and after several days, I recovered control of my account.
From that point on, I became wary about technology. The experience discouraged me from using the internet for sometime. It was a self-imposed punishment for being stupid and trusting… Now I utilize technology with caution because I met its two faces—one is grim and unyielding while the other’s gentle and attractive.
I know I better watch out. Somewhere out there in the cyberspace someone’s watching.
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