It seems as if everyone in town has recently received the same text message warning that they have an outstanding traffic ticket and, if they do not promptly respond to the text, their automobile registration and driving privileges will be suspended — plus they will get hit with a service fee and possibly face prosecution.
All of that would be scary if the government agency and the statute cited in the text were not completely bogus. The text is merely the latest attempt to trick callow citizens into giving away the keys to their personal finances.
One of the dubious blessings of the Internet Age is that thieves do not have to go to the trouble of breaking into a car, finding an open window at someone’s house or lifting a wallet in a quick bump and grab. Those intent on stealing money can simply flood thousands of cellphones with spurious spam, confident that a certain percentage of poor schmucks will be fooled and will respond, thus giving the cyber pirates an opening to their bank accounts and credit cards.
I suppose having a thief send me a text is better than discovering a burglar in my home. Still, it is disheartening to find this kind of sinister text on my phone nearly every day of the year. It is a bit like having my house surrounded by online zombies who cannot get inside, but can, nevertheless, peek through the windows.
My already jaundiced opinion of humanity is not assuaged by knowing a depressingly high number of my fellow humans are relentless crooks stealing from anyone who answers their craven call.
See more of David Horsey’s cartoons at: st.news/davidhorsey
View other syndicated cartoonists at: st.news/cartoons
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