Taking the Bait

When I listed my dining room table for sale on Craig's List a few years ago, I was super excited when I had a taker within hours. Excited and shocked, that is - that thing was hideous. It was one of the few remaining hangers on from the big furniture merge when my husband and I got married.

The buyer didn't negotiate the price and didn't want to stop by to see it in person. He would simply send his movers to my house. In hindsight these were some major red flags, but at the moment a big relief that I was finally unloading that eyesore and the fact that I wouldn't have some creeper showing up at my doorstep was a bonus.

A few days later he sent an email saying his assistant accidentally cut the check for $1,000 too much. He asked that once I deposited the check to please wire him back the overage ASAP.

Now, I know what you're thinking. SCAMMER! DON'T DO IT! REEER REEER REEER (that's my siren noise in print). But you know what I thought at the time? “Oh, okay. Sounds legit.”

I had no idea it takes a few days for your bank to discover a check is bad after it's been deposited, and they promptly remove the money from your account. Most likely after you've already wired money to the “buyer.”

Thankfully, THANKFULLY... a friend of mine told me it was a scam as I was on my way to the bank. You know why? Because she had fallen for the same thing.

It didn't take much research to discover that people fall victim to internet scammers every day, and it isn't just money.

Recently, Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman Trophy candidate Manti Te'o made headlines when he announced his girlfriend had passed away. A few weeks later it was revealed to the country, and HIM, that his “girlfriend” (who he had an exclusively online relationship with) was actually a 22-year-old male.

The practice of creating a false identity online to lure people in is so common it even has a name – Catfish.

Now... it's a given that we all fudge a little online. My pre-Photoshopped professional head shot looks like someone set my face on fire and tried to put it out with a rake (thank you, John Schaper for that little gem). It would give small children nightmares.

But pretending to be a completely different person... well that's just mean. But it begs the question - why are so many smart, savvy, educated, beautiful (I'm just talking about myself here) people falling hook, line and sinker to what an outsider finds so blatantly obvious?

In order to avoid falling into any more online traps, I've jotted down a few general guidelines that I thought you all might find helpful:

1. When going deep cover for a blog post you're writing about Catfish, don't upload a picture of Cindy Crawford and try to pass it off as yourself. A lot of people still know who she is. Use someone less famous.

2. Never give money to anyone online. The one exception is if their name is “Mom” and you owe her money from your Dad's birthday present that everyone went in on three years ago.

3. People are usually in prison for a reason.

4. As a general rule, models don't need the Internet to find a relationship. You know who does? 75-year-old pedophiles.
     

5.  Never give out your address or telephone number. Again.

Just be careful, people. It's a murky lake out there.

By Hannah Mayer, events and family life blogger for SmartParenting

Hannah Mayer recently traded her Blackberry Smartphone for a Strawberry Shortcake when she retired from her 12-year career in advertising to become a full-time Mom to 3-year-old daughter Elliot, 2-year-old daughter Lillian, and 1-year-old daughter Hadley ("Hey, my husband is hot, okay?"). In her free time she enjoys eavesdropping on her neighbors' cordless phone conversations through the baby monitor, volunteering as an English tutor for the St. Louis Public School district and bucking the stigma that accompanies three car seats by challenging fellow drivers to freestyle battle raps from her mini van.

Hannah has written and published several fictional short stories but her entree into baring her soul to the world can be found at her blog sKIDmarks and her novel in progress Cute Little Bundle of Crazy. You can follow her on Twitter @The_sKIDmark or become a fan at facebook.com/sKIDmarking.