So, a few minutes ago I received a text with a picture of a girl and a message that said she is thirteen-years-old, and has been missing for two weeks. it was supposedly sent by her mom who asked everyone who received the message to forward it to everyone on their contacts list to increase the chances of finding her daughter. I was on the computer at the time so I googled Ashley Flores, and found out that the thing was just a big hoax. Apparently it was al a joke started by her friends which spiraled way out of control. I guess everyone who got the message felt bad and did send it to everyone they know. The articles I found were dated from 2007 and 2008, which shows that this text is still out there. I've helped spread the rumor around because I immediately sent it as soon as I got the text, thinking it was perfectly true. Maybe this goes to show that people are a little more helpful than we care to think, or we're gullible. So, if you get a text similar to mine, don't send it, and text the sender that it's false. Also this is a lesson that you shouldn't start jokes like this because missing children are nothing to joke about considering the number of abductions in this country, and how many of them lead to death. So here's a heads up and a warning.
rule #1 re unsolicited email from unknown sources: NEVER respond to it, pass it on, or even open it, till you've checked it out on google! to do so is to risk having your email address book hacked and spam sent out that appears to be from you, and at worst, losing everything on your hard drive... if you receive odd links or messages sent from the email address of someone you know, do NOT open them or click on the links... delete them at once and notify your friend that they've been hacked and need to change their email address and/or password immediately... DON'T BE GULLIBLE!
i used to get those text hoax all the time three years ago...and it would cost me a futune because i didnt have a data plan- so of course my lovely friends would send it to me six times... i never fwded stuff like that or cared because there is the news and amber alert. wait that sounds cold haha what i meant was, what parent/ police force would rely on a forwared text?
maia's post is probably more true today with the invention of smartphones. A lot of smartphones have weak security compared to computers and not a lot of people think that their smartphones can even get a virus. But a smartphone is a computer and susceptible to the same types of attacks. They may seem innocent, but be aware that smartphones are known to get viruses, Trojans, and CAN be hacked to access your data. A lot of people use their smartphones to access their bank accounts too...
It was a text, not an email, and it was received on my phone. Also my phone doesn't have internet access nor is it a smart phone. (Something you can tell from the lack of internet access.) It isn't odd for me to receive forwards from my friends, and I rarely pass them on. This was an exception, because I was being helpful not gullible. Sorry for that misunderstanding, though I thought I made that clear from the use of text not email.
Oh-I guess you could read that one either way. Also when I re-read my post it sounds a little hostile which I wasn't trying to do at al so sorry if I gave the wrong impression.
yes, i was simply issuing a general warning re email, since i don't know anything at all about texting... and i did blink at that response, which did seem to be pretty hostile, so i'm glad to know that wasn't intentional...
Sorry again. I was on for a few moments and I didn't have the chance to absorb your or my post. Anyway-yeah that is a good warning to put out there for everyone.
Same applies to unsolicited emails from people you do know. Not only are your friends also vulnerable to believing these things, but a large number of viruses spread themselves by sending emails to people on the contact lists of infected comupters/accounts.
I got that text the other day! Didn't reply or forward it, though. Just figured it wasn't true. I never trust those types of things.
