What about all this fraud and theft on the Internet?
My friends in the web hosting business have recently informed me that the big problem this year (2004) is security and fraud. I have read that currently the F.B.I. receives more than 9,000 complaints per month related to fake emails and websites. Why is this happening? Are only a few "bad apples" doing it, or is it the result of an unbalanced world economy in which the underprivileged are finally fighting back like the infamous Robin Hood? Whatever your moral point of view, I have the strange feeling that it comes from a growing unconscious greed in the social consciousness of modern society. People love money, not spirituality or love. I'm wrong?
Technically, the main problems right now are "phishing" or "spoofing" scams. This is where the use of spam or junk mail is used to lure computer users to similar websites where they are tricked into providing personal information and financial data. Often times these emails come from trusted sources where hackers have altered links to send it straight to your "pockets". The Internet user is fooled into believing that he is visiting a trustworthy web page, when in fact it is an excellent copy of the original. There may be only a small change in the web address that is often not easily recognizable.
Identity theft is where multiple tricks are employed to make you fill out fake forms on bogus sites to obtain all kinds of information that thieves can then use to steal money or get free internet access. Everything from credit card numbers to account information, passwords, billing information and personal addresses and phone numbers, has been stolen and used for criminal purposes.
These scammers, few or many, are magicians to find loopholes in the mail systems of legitimate sites. Just go to the site titled www.crimesofpersuasion.com and read some articles on some of the most famous scams that have been discovered or are still in circulation. There is a story about a 17-year-old who was arrested with more than a million dollars in embezzled funds hidden in a Costa Rican casino account! Smart boy, but how smart is he really if he gets caught? There are also tips for consumers on the site above that generally focus on how not to reveal their information to anyone at any time. Look at them.
I am a little concerned about this huge amount of illegal activity. I know that many people feel that the world is currently very unbalanced in terms of wealth and spirituality and that this new epidemic is just a karmic reaction of the oppressed masses. The United States earns 50 percent of the world economy, of course, some of the other 95% of the Earth's population will be eager for a slice of the pie, right? Rob the rich and feed the poor like that guy in the green tights.
The funny thing is, I think a lot of these thieves live in America and, unbeknownst to them, they are already in the top 5% of wealthy human beings. Money can become addictive in a consumer society whose advertising and marketing schemes constantly bombard us with stimuli related to the next new product we "need" in our lives. We are never satisfied with what we have. The momentary adrenaline rush of the next purchase becomes more imperative than any concept of lasting spiritual happiness.
Feel sorry for these folks who have to go through all the hassle of sorting through all these scams from the real sites out there. I doubt that there is a religion on Earth that teaches that theft is a respectful and balanced action. I do know that when the country of Australia was founded they did so at the expense of convicts, many of whom had only stolen bread to survive. That is a type of theft that will question your moral value system. I leave you with one last question: if the "first world" has almost all the money on our planet, are we the biggest thieves of all?