Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Day 163

Man’s search for meaning-20

Fake News

Fake news factory is working overtime in our country…

·       Recently after our PM visits to the US couple of news items, purportedly carried by the New York Times were in circulation. the articles, while praising the PM also aimed at criticizing him… both articles turned out to be fake…

·       A news item came about TATA group celebrating its 150 years and as part of it some lucky draw giving cars... again, a fake news.

·       Some months back and again now about a video from Kannur Airport, Kerala where a man caught fire while charging some mobile battery device… again a fake one.

·       Last week, the Mumbai Police issued an advisory and even seen informing over the mike about receipt of calls from numbers starting with 140 being fraudulent and dangerous… to bank account holders.

This is the tip of the iceberg on fake news…. all are keen to share some news to near and dear…. Many are totally withdrawn in such matters… for them there is no issue at all.

·       Those who are in the habit of sharing others messages…. Such fake news poses threats of credibility… though intentions are good, result is not savory… 

I had a first hand experience of attempted fraud very recently… someone called about an insurance policy that I had taken some years  back and how that is going to be cancelled, if I don’t take some action immediately…. They were persistent with the calls to “help” me…. I contacted the company in question directly and learnt that the whole thing was a hoax….

Being a person with finance background, I suspected from the first call itself and turned out to be correct…

But I must salute the persistence and the mode adopted by the team of crooks… different people called and what a degree of politeness/persuasion/patience. Giving return numbers, number of policy, name of the person to be contacted… all well made out/look genuine… a full well-trained web indeed… how one can escape from all these frauds?

.. it is akin to planting of mines in the battle field during wars… here battle is in the social media network…  mobile phone being the “field” …. Calls after calls come ….

·       Unless one makes it a policy of NOT picking unknown numbers, one is sure to be HONEY trapped in one way or other… the talkers have indeed honey tongues and are well groomed, I must acknowledge.

·       Then there are numerous messages for friendship chats… am sure someone must be falling to such traps…… daily…like falling victims to pick pocketing or mobile lifting in suburban trains….

·       Tok… took gangs on the highways… what all ways are being found/invented by people to hood wink the unwary…planting drugs in the dickey of the car...

·       Every field is used by Homo Sapiens to bring hardship/pain to his fellow beings…. Starting from Stock market with dud shares……. fake ornaments…. fake FDRs even…the list is endless. Drinking juice or biscuits offered in long distance trains or buses…

When country has unlimited population, criminal activities are bound to go up… where is the source for legitimate income. where are jobs for all hands… each year or in few years either a NZ or Australia is added population wise… how can any country manage?

Be happy. Be safe.

 

 8  AM

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