The Scam That Taught My Daughter a Valuable Lesson

Today Alycia had an unfortunate encounter with scammers that left her feeling vulnerable and taken advantage of. I’m sure she had read about such a modus operandi masterminded by scammers yet she got lured into it.

This morning, while I was out, Alycia received an SMS claiming to be from J&T courier, stating that there was an issue with her delivery address. Coincidentally, Alycia was expecting some parcels to arrive. The message requested her personal and bank details to verify her identity as the intended recipient of the parcel. Without realizing the potential danger, Alycia clicked on the link provided and unwittingly shared her personal information with the scammers.

Fortunately, I arrived home just in time, and Alycia confided in me about what had happened, realizing that she may have been lured into the scammer’s trap. Recognizing the signs of a scam, I immediately assured her that she had indeed been targeted. We wasted no time in taking action to protect her finances. First, I advised her to call her two banks to cancel her debit cards. It took some time and patience, but she successfully canceled both cards before any significant damage was done.

After canceling the debit cards, Alycia visited the bank branches to obtain new cards, incurring a fee of RM12 for each replacement card. Though she was fortunate that the scammers had only managed to make a minor purchase of RM4+ on something from Google using her card details, this incident served as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance in the face of increasingly sophisticated scams.

Unfortunately, scams have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, targeting unsuspecting individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Even the savviest of individuals can fall victim to cleverly orchestrated schemes, as demonstrated by my friend, a seasoned businesswoman in her 50s, who lost RM7k to online job scammers. Her daughter had applied for some part-time online jobs after her SPM  exam and she deposited over RM7k into the scammers’ accounts!  Even my own mother, a cautious individual, was scammed recently (albeit for a very small amount) while attempting to purchase a piece of cooking equipment on Facebook which requested her credit card details.

For Alycia, this experience was an eye-opener. She has now learned that scammers are relentless and use various tactics to exploit innocent people. We cannot afford to be complacent in the digital world. It is vital to educate ourselves and our loved ones about the common tactics used by scammers, such as phishing emails, fraudulent calls, and misleading SMS messages cleverly orchestrated to lure unsuspecting victims.

While the incident was disheartening, it provided an essential lesson for my daughter and our family.  As parents, we must continue to educate and support our children in navigating the digital landscape safely. Scammers may be getting smarter, but with awareness and caution, we can protect ourselves from falling into their scheming traps.