Editor’s Note: Ask The Fiddler is a lifestyle advice column that aims to remedy more chaos and confusion than it creates. Questions may be submitted to us here at Art of the Prank, and good luck.
The Fiddle File #10
Here we go with another madcap roundup of hoaxes, scams and damn fool idiocy making the rounds these days. Take heed. Some of these fiddles may soon be showing up on your computer, phone or even up close and personal. Check it out:
Kentucky & Etc: Take it off? You got a gig serving burgers and fries. Now the restaurant manager is ordering you to submit to a strip-search. Here”™s the history of a very bizarre hoax, pulled time and again.
FaceBook: What makes you click? Here are some hoax headlines that have steered the curious into a marketing scam: Huge plane crashes into bridge? – Terrible roller coaster accident! – 99% Can’t Watch More Than 15 Seconds – Half Girl Half Snake! – Terrible accident with pencil! – HUGE pimple explodes – Shark eats living man! – Spider lives under skin!
FaceBook, email: Here”™s another example of the “What makes you click?” hoax. A sad tale, probably a youngster suffering in some way due to illness or mistreatment, all that”™s asked is that you forward. Result is harvested FaceBook info or email addresses going to a marketer.
Alabama: Pranking teens toilet-paper your yard, you decide to clean up by burning the debris. Near the propane barbecue. Not a good idea. House is now a total loss.
Pennyslvania: Scammers don”™t play kids”™ games. This guy offered $40,000 for the heads of a judge and prosecutor.
Ghana: Speaking of heads “¦Want to draw a crowd in Accra? Circulate rumors about a sack of human heads. They take rumors seriously there, as the last paragraph illustrates – lynchings resulting from rumors about handshakes causing loss of sexual organs.
Everywhere: The face is familiar. Facial recognition will be a gateway to future pranks, hoaxes and privacy invasion scams. Here is a link to the company press release. They of course see it as a handy social ap but it sure sounds like the next invasive big thing.
New York & Etc: Charity scams erupt following natural and unnatural disasters. Authorities in New York have brought charges against over 500 people in connection with 9/11 scams, and that”™s just New York and just 9/11. Heartless stuff.
Pennyslvania: What harm could come of fun-seeking kids ringing a couple of doorbells? How about, a couple of gunshots and a prankster in the hospital.
Resorts, Hotels, Motels: You”™ve checked in, looking forward to some rest and relaxation. Meanwhile, the criminal crowd has just checked out your credit card info, charges to your account to follow. And you can”™t stop them.
Wisconsin Etc: Send your “friend” the number of your Chase account and you”™ll get a free bunch of grant money. Oh yeah, right.
New Jersey: Got something going with squirrels? Community panics over news story about squirrels with AIDS.
image: http://grahamcluley.com/