Vlog Post: Viviana Troya

How not to fall for phishing scams: suspect, mistrust, learn by heart that if something seems too good to be true…it most likely is. That is the cruelest part. You fall for Internet scams as you have fallen for love, friendship and aspirations. The 'social engineering' behind this billionaire scam industry is nothing more than plain old seduction and manipulation, followed by a heartbreaking silence. It is human history, it is in our wired brains, a vulnerability that technology is still not able to protect us from.

Research shows that loneliness and recent failures make us easy prey for scammers. This is why the phishing demographics are abrasively inclusive: we all feel lonely and we all fail no matter our age, social background or location. Every cybernaut has potential sorrow floating around in their cloud, and they are waiting for the day you slide and fall, your curiosity when there is a breach, an unintended click.

Research also shows we believe that good things are likely to happen to us. So paying an advance fee seems only fair when you have great expectations. After all, we always have been taught ‘no pain, no gain’. It seems like we aren’t built to live in the moment but to give extra care about the future, our future. That’s the reason why we go to work, why we commit to our new relationship, why we trade our lifetime now for eternal rewards after. I mean, and why shouldn’t we?

Viviana Troya: BNC18 Artist Page