So, I got this email the other day that, to put it mildly, sent a jolt of fear and panic through me. It was a stark reminder of how easily folks, especially those who aren’t super tech-savvy, can get caught off guard.
Besides running this website, I also keep up a personal blog, Larry In Atlanta, which is mostly me rambling on about various things. On top of that, I manage the website for a laryngectomy nonprofit called Lary’s Speakeasy—we folks who’ve had a laryngectomy proudly call ourselves “Larys.”
Fear Strikes
One evening a few days ago I got an alert from my security software. It said someone from Russia had been blocked from trying to log in to the Lary’s Speakeasy site using a username that doesn’t exist.
Now, usually, I get five or six of these alerts a week. No big deal—they’re blocked automatically. But this time was different. The username they tried was very similar to mine, off by just one character.
Now my login name isn’t exactly guessable. It’s a mashup of two words you won’t find in any dictionary. Not the kind of thing you can stumble upon by accident.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, I got two more emails, one right after the other. Same person, or at least the same IP address, trying again with another close-but-not-quite version of my username.
(Quick note: I’ve since found a potential way a hacker could discover a username and disabled that feature.)
Panic Sets In
At this point, fear hit me like a freight train. I grabbed my laptop and logged into the site. My mind was racing—what if they managed to get in by just tweaking that one character?
Fear and panic, folks—it’s a powerful combo. If someone did get in, the damage they could do to the site could be catastrophic. They could install malware that would mess with anyone who visited the site or even redirect them to a malicious page.
Sure, I’ve got backups, and yeah, I could restore the site if it came to that. But that’s a ton of work, and there’s no telling how much damage they could do before I even noticed.
And Then, Reality Kicks In
But as I was logging in, something clicked. A moment of clarity. So what if they got my username? My password is a beast—a 24-character random string that’s about as guessable as a lottery win. Something like “qYAoNod]tj4yVsw@Lg*QTmBE” (and no, that’s not my real password). Plus, I’ve got 2FA turned on. Even if they somehow guessed the password, they’d still need my phone to get in.
And let’s not forget—I get an email anytime anyone logs in, including myself. So yeah, the site’s locked down tight.
But this whole thing got me thinking about how easy it is for fear and panic to take over and make you do things you wouldn’t normally do.
Fear and Panic: The Scammers’ Playbook
Here’s the thing: Scammers know how to exploit fear and panic, especially with seniors who might not be as tech-savvy. Sure, we’ve been around longer, but not everyone embraced new tech as it came along.
Scammers love to use fear tactics like:
- A phone call from a “relative” claiming they’re in jail.
- A message saying they’ve kidnapped your grandkid.
- A text or email about a supposed hack on your bank account.
- A big red popup screaming that your computer’s infected.
When you’re stressed, you don’t always think straight—trust me, I’ve been there. And that’s when you’re most likely to do something out of character, like wiring money to a scammer or handing over access to your bank account or computer.
In Conclusion: Stay Alert
“Stay woke” is a phrase that dates back to the 1930s, originally used by the Black community to encourage awareness of social injustices. It’s been repurposed in various ways over the years, but at its core, it’s about staying alert.
In today’s context, I’m using it as a reminder to stay sharp and vigilant—especially when it comes to scammers who thrive on fear and panic. Stay woke, don’t let them get the better of you.
As always, if you have a question about this or any other post, please leave a comment below, or you can email me at larry@thetechboomer.com.
