Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Internet Hazards

 


     The internet is an awe inspiring thing.  On it, people are able to make contact and do business with everyone from their favorite singer or musician to discuss a medical question with a world expert on a certain condition. At it's best, it is a wonderful tool for commerce, an encouragement for those who need it, and an educational modality.  At it's worse, it has resulted in stalkings, death, cyber-bullying, and in a few families losing their children for a time, when on a bad day, they confided their feelings which were a little too dark for a social worker somewhere. It is a powerful tool which is worthy of our respect and with which we must take good care.

        Overall, my experiences with the internet are good ones.  I am pretty careful about things I write, and although I give truthful information, identifying information could be hard to get, and this allows me to enjoy a fair measure of comfort.

         Periodically though, I run a quick search on each of the members of my family using their real names.  Most of the time, accurate information from long ago pops up, although I must admit, most of it is from the home we have not lived in for sixteen years.  I ran a recent search on myself using my full and correct name this week, and I learned something interesting.  I am apparently the CEO of a preparedness company with a net worth of 25 million dollars.  This is great news, since I don't have too much saved, haven't been working fulltime in a while, and still have two more kids to get through college.Perhaps my husband doesn't need to give me grocery money.  Perhaps I shouldn't need to clip coupons, if I am the heir apparent to a preparedness company.  I apparently have a phone number and address and the information has been confirmed by 17 people at the business itself.  It's near a place where I would like to vacation, so perhaps I could just come by the store and kick everyone out overnight and stay there free. Maybe I should have a "Going Out of Business Sale" because I could use a few things.   After all, the internet says the business is mine.   The reality is that although I am active in preparedness, I own no such business and I am not even an investor in one.  Some type of directory has either snared my name from an article I have written, and married it up to one of the advertisers of preparedness supplies which may have appeared on an article I wrote somewhere, or this is an attempt at setting up a scenario for identity theft.  In either way, I am pulling a credit report.   I hope the IRS doesn't pay any attention to the internet.  I wouldn't be half this frugal if it weren't a necessity !


    

2 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

The IRS will just assume you made all your imaginary millions selling drugs and will probably steal all your worldly possessions since they were bought with "drug money."

JaneofVirginia said...

Gorges, These are the types of things I fear, this and kidnapping. With five kids total, I have an intervals, been broke enough that I can't pay attention. I hope that the IRS knows this.