Be Careful Out There

[Al]

Well we thought we had them beat but a new advertiser found us today. They joined up and dumped a link here. Our moderation caught it and I deleted it but thankfully we have a limit set so they could not get into the members list and start dumping mail on the members. This was the first one in weeks.

While we are on the security subject I would like to mention that there is no way of telling if someone is really who they say they are on here. When Private Messenging I wouldn't be giving out too much private information. There are all sorts of scammers and identity thieves out there.

Some things and some people are not as they present themselves here. Be wary. If someone contacts you trying to sell something I'd appreciate knowing about it. We have around 4000 members here. The odds are good that there may be people here misrepresenting themselves for whatever weird reasons they have.

We try to weed them out but I'm sure a few have slipped by.

Be careful.

[Icanmanz]

Thanks for the warning, Al!

Irma

[ltr]

Definitely true...I became close with someone on here who ended up not being the person I thought. I didn't lose more than a friendship that I guess was based on lies and some hotel reservation money, but it could have been worse. I learned...Be very careful on ALL websites. Sharing an illness doesn't make people honest or caring.

[Jamiet]

I wish i werent who i said i was...that means i would be feeling great.....:mrgreen::mrgreen:

Ok AL...i'm trying to get a smile out of yall with another of my quirky jokes...

It's a difficult world it's really ashame this takes place, it's amazing what someone will do to make a dollar. God doesn't sleep and the spammers...well, maybe, they will be real spam upon meeting the creator......

[jimercat]

Along the same lines - friend of mine tried the online dating thing and even married the guy! Well, that didn't work and he took her for quite a chunk!

Be careful, be v e r y careful...

[CindyM]

There was an article about this just yesterday in our local paper. It is very easy for someone to figure out who you are and where you live if you give them enough clues. You may think you are PM'ing one person, but sometimes people sign on under different names and emails just to trick you. So when you tell one screen name where you live and another what clinic you go to you might just be telling the same person, who now only needs one more piece of the puzzle to track you down. Be very careful! Cindy

[cheryilyn]

my myspace account was phished and they were sending out tons of spam in my name to other myspacers. i had never heard of it before and didn't even realize it had happened until i started getting some weird messages. they had to suspend my password to stop it. i am always very cautious when logging in to any sites now.

[CindyM]

Itis good we are having this discussion. Can't be too careful these days. Cindy

[Peg B]

Thanks AL,

I have been concerned with offers of help and meeting up with someone that I have seen on this forum lately. There are some very heartfelt stories but when someone writes only of how nothing works out for them even though it works for other people - like SSD, then it gets really weird.

It was noted that "Sharing an illness doesn't make people honest or caring." But please note because someone says they have an illness, it doesn't make even that necessarily true. We are even more vulnerable to manipulation, when a person poses as sick. So thanks again. Peg

[ZenArcher]

If I can offer a suggestion to everyone concerning posting email addresses on forums. There are bots on the Internet that will scan web pages for e-mail addresses especially forums. If you want to post your e-mail address on a forum it's best to place some gibberish within the address itself. Let's say my e-mail address is john.doe@email.org. If I posted that as it is on the Internet forums any bot could scan it and start sending me spam. However if it was posted as john.doe@<remove this>email.org it is more apt to foil most of the Internet bots. It's not perfect some of the more advanced bots will still be able to get the e-mail address. The second line of defense is to use the free Internet e-mail accounts such as hotmail, yahoo in gmail which tend to detect and isolate mass mails and spams. I just wanted to throw that in there.

[Midnight]

It is pretty sad that the world is like this, but you are right, you have to protect yourself. In the time I have read info on this forum I have read some posts that are a bit frightening.... "red flag warning people"... although I don't claim to be all that sane myself.

Actually I am really Cindy Crawford...I mean Heidi Klum, I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it...

I just wanted to throw this out there too. There are programs that you can use with temporary email addresses that keep your true email address private. If you google "temporary email" you will find a bunch of them.

And Jaime..your jokes are pretty funny.

[CindyM]

:-D Hey Midnight_ I always knew you were somebody famous! And wealthy, too? Maybe I should give you my home phone number, LOL! Cindy

[Steve100]

Thanks AL,
There are some very heartfelt stories but when someone writes only of how nothing works out for them even though it works for other people - like SSD, then it gets really weird.

It was noted that "Sharing an illness doesn't make people honest or caring." But please note because someone says they have an illness, it doesn't make even that necessarily true. We are even more vulnerable to manipulation, when a person poses as sick. So thanks again. Peg


I think I know who you mean - I was thinking the same thing myself. I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong (I'd feel awful if that was the case).

[Midnight]

I actually think I got it wrong. I think Cindy's last name may be Crawford and Steve's may be Martin. :)

[CindyM]

Hey Steve and Peg- I read that that's how the scammers and stalkers get to their target. They pretend to be one of the group. Eventually their story will start to unravel, but by that time they may have gained enough private information to cause one of us some sort of trouble.

Moral of the story, folks, is as Al says: be careful what you say in your PM's and be very careful about giving out your phone number. WHen talking to a stranger in real time, it is even easier for him or her to glean identifying information out of you.

[vmd]

Leslie:

I received your PM, but could not respond due to your folder being full. Anyway, I would like to respond to you privately, but you would need to clear your folder. Thanks.

[ltr]

It's clear! Fills up fast!

[AngelManFL]

This being my first forum ever - the terms are going over my head - what is being 'phished' or a PM? I but my real information in my Profile and almost put in Emergency Info Contacts... I'm a little confused, is the information in my profile safe or should I remove it? I just can't fathom someone intentionally comimg to THIS site just to prey on people!!!! am I really that website naive??? Would a Moderator please help me clarify what is safe where....:confused:

[ZenArcher]

Phishing is the practice of trying to get personal information from another individual. This information can then be used for multiple purposes one of which is identity theft. Whenever you place information on the web you need to pay attention to how it is handled. As an example, your emergency contact information on here is not visible to anyone other than the moderators or admins. That information is fairly safe.

A PM is a private message. Which is simply a message sent to another forum member which is not visible to others.

[CindyM]

Good answer, Jeff. I spend a lot of time lately warning folks not to disclose too mcuch personal information in their personal messages. This is where people strike up friendships. Members should not give out personal phone numbers and the like to each other, because the web is just too anonymous. Just use common sense and everybody will be OK.

[ltr]

That's what I was saying in my post above Cindy. We have no idea who we are talking to, whether they have als or are seeking attention or maybe even worse with identity. There are some very dishonest people out there who gain sympathy from the sick on here. Some members may seem extremely kind, gentle and giving and some may seem harsh, but the reality is they could be the complete opposite in real life...there is no way for us to know. When someone joins and enjoys the attention, well their info can really harm other members. Everyone needs to remember you have no idea who or what kind of person you are really communicating with. And Cindy is right....don't ever give out your phone number....you do not know these people.

[Al]

To be honest there are about 4 people on here I might share information with and here is why. Me because my face has been plastered on at least 6 newspaper articles and on the ALS Ontario website. Quadbliss or Mike because he's been in the paper numerous times. Leo Greene because of print and film articles and MtPockets aka Big Al because I've seen him on TV at a telethon for MDA. There may be a couple others like Cindy etc. but for the most part any one of you could be just some lonely soul looking for sympathy or a friend. I hope not because that's not the purpose of this forum. I personally would not turn any one away but if I think you are not legitimate I will suggest you seek help elsewhere.
AL.

[Jamiet]

On my jokes...lol.

Listen. Heidi Klum....i want a date ok, your a knockout...:mrgreen::mrgreen:!!! Even if your really Cindy Crawford....i'll still buy.:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Have a great day yall!!!

Rgds,

Jamie

[snowbirdqv]

As a caregiver, I was scammed by a person posing as a counsellor after I lost my husband. It cost me some money, but fortunately I was not hurt. We can be very hurt, lonely, needy, and vulneraable after losing a loved one. I am grateful that my husband left his estate in a spousal trust so that I would not lose everything to a fortune hunter. Our kids and myself are joint executors.

It is 2 1/2 yrs since I lost my husband, and I am only now getting the strength back so that I feel reasonably solid again and not so needy. I miss him every single day, but I know that he wanted me to carry on with my life and with the family. Thank God for our close family. :)

[CindyM]

I am sorry that happened to you, Snowbird. There aer crooks who take advantage of every emotional situation, it seems. Take care, Cindy

[cherie]

my only concern is with registraition is you have to put what city you live in and I was uncomfortable doing that,is that information showed to the public?:confused: The only reason I did is becuase I really need the support right now:?

[Steve100]

Hi Cherie

I had the same concern when I started here. I just changed my address from the small town I live in, to my capital city. :)

[cherie]

Okay thanks steve I think I will do that to..:)