I remember that day vividly, it was a sunny afternoon when I saw the ad, it read to get this amazing laptop for half the price, I scroll past but like a time bomb exploding in my head, I just could not pass.
I clicked the link and there it was a shining core i5 LG laptop, 10th generation, with a 10gig ram just the right spec for more than half the price.
Immediately I knew something was wrong, it was just too good to be true, the price was ludicrously low but like a dog in front of a dangling bone, I was going to bite.
I texted the number on the ad and there began the journey of no return for me.
The BAIT
The reply was instantaneous and it was a bit surprising but I brush it off and stated the reason why I was texting, the seller which for the sake of this article will be called Jerry.
Jerry told me, he needed money urgently and wanted to sell off the laptop to raise capital, I told him to send videos to prove the laptop was real but like he already knew, in a second I got 4 different videos of the laptop.
Cool, I said resting my mind a bit.
He asked me where we should meet, he needed to sell off the laptop and does not have enough time, but I was thinking of breaking my savings to complete the remaining part of the money as I did not have it all at once.
The HOOK
Here I was trying to raise the money as I did not want to miss the laptop and Jerry was putting me under pressure as he kept saying other people were texting him to get the laptop and he just wanted to sell it to me as he felt our spirit aligned.
So I told Jerry to give me more time as the money I had was not enough and I needed to get it from a friend who was not picking.
It was at that moment that Jerry asked if I could make a part deposit just to show I was serious, the bells were ringing in my head but I was hooked and did not want to lose this beautiful machine and I said I was not sure that was a good idea but on a second note, I remember Jerry said our spirit aligned.
Jerry could not scam me!!!
After a few contemplations, I sent part payment to Jerry, and then it was clear I was hooked and the real story begin.
You never SEE THAT COMING
Jerry that replied in milliseconds started taking his time to answer me, I knocked them off, I kept calling my friend to send the balance so we could meet up with Jerry and pick up the laptop and when my friend finally came through with the balance.
I texted Jerry and got no response for hours!!!
The bells were louder than my stupidity this time and my friend was there to amplify the ringing.
I was at the point of giving up and accepting I have just been scammed when I heard the beep, it was a message from Jerry, and He said “sorry man, I had an issue”.
What issue I quarried, he said one of his debtors came around and seized the laptop, if I can make the complete payment he will settle his debtor and bring the laptop to me that evening.
The bells stopped ringing, and my friend said it was a bad idea, I knew it was a stupid idea, but I was in a dilemma if I do not send the reminder of the money, I lose my deposit if I send the balance and Jerry does not send the laptop I lose again.
I told Jerry to send his address, so we can come to see what is going on, Jerry sent an address but promised me before we make it there the laptop is gone.
SUCKER PUNCH
I told Jerry we had to do a video call before I make any decision and he agreed, and we had a call. He was so evasive and tried to hide any pointers to where he might be.
Like a sheep going for slaughter, I sent the balance, hoping Jerry won’t scam me.
It has been six months and the ad is still online I wonder how many others have fallen for the same scam.
The Lesson
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Never jump on offers that are too good to be true, scammers use this kind of offer to hook victims and scam them of their money by baiting them with offers that are too good to be true.
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If anyone tries to rush you to make a decision, stop immediately as scammers use urgency to knock you off guard and you end up making rash decisions that you end up regret.
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If you have been hooked and you lost some money do not try to get it back by paying more, scammers rely on that weakness in humans. Walk away or report to the police.
Facts
Cyber crimes come in different ways. According to IBM, 30,000 websites are lost to hackers daily, which means 20 websites every minute.
According to Forbes $7 billion was lost to cyber criminals in 2021 and it is expected to increase in 2022.
Cyber security has become a major skill set everyone should learn to avoid social engineering hacks, phishing attacks, and many more that are currently been used.
To learn more and get more stories like this please give this one a like as a consolation.
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