Suzanne Williams

I consider myself fairly cautious when it comes to modern forms of communication, steering clear of social media, even including Facebook.

However, I have recently been scammed in a small way; and there has been so much interest from people in it that I feel a warning might be timely.

A cookie popped up while I was laptop-scrolling one day; it was Judy Bailey, talking about a very annoying and embarrassing ailment, common among older women and from which I suffer, and which, apparently, may be cured with nothing more lethal than a scientifically developed concoction of hemp oil and pumpkin seeds acting on the brain and nerves.

At $78 odd for two bottles, I thought: “A reasonable cost, not potentially harmful, and how can I go wrong with Judy Bailey?”.

So, in went the order.

However, the figure I had authorised came back as $394 odd. When I tried the Australian phone number given, I couldn’t get through.

Within 30 minutes, I was at the bank. The teller was talking to HQ and the credit card payment was stopped.

It was a scam and the previous amount that they had tried to get was $600 odd, which was unsuccessful. Phew.

I thought I was taking a calculated risk, but didn’t think it through.

We hear so much about AI and the problems that may develop in the future. It has started and is rampant.

Anything could happen.