Open: Today's the day of the prankster, and there's no better venue for practical jokes than the Internet and here to make us a little more cynical and smarter is our un-common sense expert Benjamin Dover.....

 

Question 1:  Are you surprised anymore by the stuff you see coming through your e-mail?

 

Answer 1:  Actually I am.  The con artists and hackers and assorted bad guys keep outdoing themselves and keep finding new ways to trip the rest of us with their latest twist and schemes.

 

Question 2: What's the latest scam and scheme floating through cyber-space?

 

Answer 2:    I wrote about one variation of the infamous Nigerian "I need your help to move millions of dollars to the United States and I'll give you a third of the action for doing it" scam, but this one focuses on love-sick targets.

 

Question 3: How does it work?

 

Answer 3: The bad guys go trolling for suckers in chat rooms, or they reply to ads on matchmaking websites.  They pose as women looking for love and make all sorts of promises of love and eventually, marriage...using these lures as easy come-ons for love-sick targets.

 

Question 4:  How do they turn this into cash?

 

Answer 4:  Easy.  They'll start shaking down the sucker for cash for things like "I need to come see you and be with you.  It's cheaper if you send me the money to buy the plane ticket from here (Nigeria, Russia, you name it) than if you bought it in the U.S.

 

Or they'll cook up a story about needing money for rent or a sick relative...whatever they think will work on you based on past e-mails or--God forbid--phone calls.

 

Question 5:  Now in your column in this morning's Dallas Morning News it sounds like a young man and his mother are being threatened by someone in Nigeria that's upset with them because they wised up...

 

Answer 5: Yes.  They had this young guy on an emotional hook and got mad when his Mom stepped in an cut them off.  Now they're threatening them with violence if they don't cooperate and do what they want.

 

Question 6:  Is this a threat that should be taken seriously?

 

Answer 6:  All threats should be taken seriously, but the usual M.O. [modus operandi] of these foreign con artists is to pursue, pursue, pursue and threaten when the suckers don't perform, but in most cases they're simply dialing for dollars.  They've got dozens of victims on the hook at any time and they're not going to spend the money to carry out their threats.  Why should they put themselves in a position to be caught by U.S. law enforcement authorities?

 

Question 7:  Now there always seems to be a "gee wiz! pass this on!!!" e-mail floating around the Internet, and alot of them focus on lowest common denominator topics like "check your computer to see if you have this file on it and if you do, it's infected" or "press #77 on your cell phone for instant access to assistance from law enforcement.  your advice?

 

Answer 7/Part I: As far as the "#77 on your cell phone" e-mail that's making the rounds right now (I got it from my own Mother last weekend), I've gotta better idea.  Why not use a number that we know works when you need help.  Don't jack around and burn precious time in an emergency.  Always dial 9-1-1.

 

Answer 7/Part II:  And always do your homework before you pass along any advice on the Internet.  My website's gotta huge "scams" section, but there's a really good "urban legends" website that I rely on that's always been right on target and is worth bookmarking for guaranteed future needs: www.snopes.com

 

Ben's Bottom Line?  Just like in the news business, it's always good to be first, but it's more important to be right.  Don't rush to pass along information in an e-mail that sounds too "you're never gonna believe!!!" unless and until you've verified it's accuracy.  Otherwise all you're doing is contributing to the endless spin of cyber brain-damage that continues to clog up the Internet and even sets us up for major problems by spreading viruses that could destroy your computer!

 

And here's an April Fool's Day bonus, good all 365 days are year: Turnabout's still fair play, so enjoy turning the tables on those pinhead cyber-con men or misguided telemarketers.  Check out my special pranks section, devoted to helping you make their lives just a little more miserable.

 

---

 

Just a reminder Easter Sunday (April 11th) is now just 10 days away: Do something original this year that'll score some big points...send beautiful flowers instead of predictably boring Easter lilies. They'll last at least twice as long...FedEx-ed direct by our friends at www.tropicalcolors.com

 

---

 

And speaking of dates, our annual date with the taxman is a mere 14 days away, which doesn't mean a whole lot to those of you that might be underground.  Find out how to wave the white flag and re-enter the game on their terms before the IRS catches you and makes your life miserable.....

 

---

 

 

---