If there is one thing I have learned, you cannot trust the Internet, no matter how safe you think it is. According to a 2019 Identity Fraude Study, around 14.4 million people have their information stolen each year, whether it be from getting hacked to being caught in a scam. That is an alarming number and it is still on the rise. Unfortunately, my name can be found among that 14.4 million, and it all started the week leading up to Thanksgiving break.
This was around the time in which Harry Styles announced his world tour for his sophomore album Fine Line. I was so excited that he was coming to Boston again and my two close friends and I knew that we needed to get tickets immediately. We had all come to the agreement that we wanted to get tickets as close to the stage as possible, hoping that the opportunity would arise for us to purchase pit tickets without it breaking the bank.
Immediately I began scouring every ticket website in hopes that I would come across the perfect set of tickets that would allow me to fulfill my dream of seeing Harry Styles up close and personal. At this point, I came across the official Facebook page for the show he would be playing at the Garden this upcoming July. Just for background information, every Facebook event has a discussion tab where many people often post either looking for tickets or hoping to sell ones they had purchased. In the case of this particular event, there were hundreds of posts of people trying to get rid of their tickets at reasonable prices. One that caught my eye was a lady selling floor seats for only $200 per ticket. It felt like I hit the jackpot, and I was anxious to purchase the seats before they were gone forever. So, I got in contact with the woman, asked the usual information about the tickets, looking to get verification that these tickets were legit, and she sent it with no problems. It seemed like everything was going smoothly, I had set up my Apple Pay and sent her over the money for the 3 tickets.
However, things soon began to take a turn for the worst. She continued to message me, claiming that the money had not gone through on her side and something was wrong. Me trying to be courteous to the woman since she was selling me these good tickets, worked with her to try and figure things out, calling both my bank and Apple to sort out this issue. In the meantime, I had sent her more money as she had asked, with promises that it would just be used as confirmation that I still want to buy the tickets and she would send it back after. Me being the somewhat naive person I am, I did not look at the warning signs this gave off. For days on end, I was extremely stressed out, switching between calling my bank and Apple and trying to figure out what was happening, as I was currently out over $600. Both companies came back with the same answer for me: everything that processed and went through on my end, so it could not be me. When I began to question the woman, she became quite hostile and angry, but ultimately agreed that she would send it over. I sent her over my email, the necessary information for her to transfer them via Ticketmaster and Facebook. After that, it led to a huge mess I was left to deal with for weeks after that.
Somehow, she or whoever ran the account I was talking with managed to hack my Facebook account and completely shut me out of it and blocking off all contact. So, I was left completely vulnerable, shut out of my Facebook account which had personal information on there, out over $600, and still did not manage to obtain Harry Styles tickets. It was probably the worst thing that had happened to me so far in my life, and I do not wish anyone else to have to go through the same thing I did. It was a long process getting back from that point having to make a new Facebook, changing all my passwords, and filing a claim at my bank to try and recover my money (which I did end up getting back). Even after all that was sorted out, I was still unable to remove my old Facebook before any damage was done. During winter break, I received messages from complete strangers on social media threatening to take me to the police if I did not refund their money or give them the tickets. Turns out, my old Facebook was now being used for ticket scams, just like the one I had fallen for not too long ago. It felt like karma was coming back to haunt me. This time, I was serious about trying to stop this person before anyone else could be impacted. Going to both my local police and Facebook in hopes that they could help, I came up empty and they were completely useless. My old Facebook still remains up today and all I can do is try and spread the word to as many people as possible.
The message I hope my story sends is that when purchasing tickets, always make sure that your information is safe and you trust where your money is going. It is best to stick to verified ticket sites and pay a little more for legitimate service. Some websites that I trust to purchase tickets from are places like SeatGeek, Ticketmaster, Gametime tickets, and Vividseats, which all offer decent tickets at good prices if you search hard enough.
Regarding Internet safety, it is important to keep multiple things in mind when you are surfing the web or scrolling through social media. Here are a few tips to protect yourself and your personal information on the Internet:
1. Make any account passwords hard to guess
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What makes it easier for hackers to get into your account is if your password is something easy to guess, like a word that they can see on your profile or a set of numbers like 1234. When making passwords, it is best that you create one that has a variety of letters, numbers, and characters that are specific to you. Write it down somewhere safe so no one can access it and you will never forget it.
2. Avoid sharing a lot of personal information with websites
Image from: the IRCC on Twitter
If you are on a website that allows you to sign up for things like newsletters or contests, try to avoid them if they ask for a lot of information besides your email. Most times, companies often sell your information to others, allowing you to be spammed for unnecessary mail and at higher risk for being caught in scams. Regarding social media, try to avoid posting any deeply personal information about yourself, like where you live, where you go to school, or your current location. Hackers and criminals look for that kind of information, hoping to strike when you are least expecting it.
3. If shopping online, only buy from websites that are trusted.
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Your credit or debit card information is precious on the Internet. Online thieves are always looking to steal your information and rack up unnecessary purchases on your cards. If you are looking to purchase from a website, be sure to look up reviews first and signs that is a trustworthy site. If you are unsure, it is best to avoid it and stick to websites you can trust, such as Amazon.
In conclusion, it is best to always be aware of what you are doing on the Internet and the amount of information you are putting out into the world. The more conscious you become, the less likely you will find your information jeopardized.