Assignment 4A – Forming An Opportunity Belief Submit Assignment

Nowadays, there are several issues that are happening online because of the new social media applications such as Facebook, snapchat or Instagram. People are being victimize by scammers who are robbers, thieves and are only interested in your money. Victims are often killed after meeting with scammers who are supposed to sell them something, or they lose a lot money while trying to buy something online that never existed. There are 20 thousand scam report on average every month inside US.  I believe that something must be done about that instead of only trying to tell those can be the next victims to be careful. I feel like, there should be some effective procedures to also prevent those scammers to practice it. For example, those social media applications could start requiring each person to provide some important information about them such as their social security number, driving license number and full address, which they will keep confidential between them and their subscribers. Even if it does not fully solve the problem, it is worth trying it because I believe that it might make it hard for people to scam others knowing that they have provided their information.

#1: 22 years-old female, senior student at UF

-       Have you ever been Scammed online?

       No, not yet and I’m not wishing it.

-       Have you thought about how you will feel if someone you know become a victim of those social media scammers?

Of course, I will feel bad and I’ve already met people that are victims before.

-       What can you do to prevent that if you were given the opportunity?

I would tell people to be careful about what they buy online, and to make sure they report any suspicious act.

-       Do you know that a lot of people are getting scammed every day in USA? Can you guess any numbers monthly?

Yes, I heard about that, and probably couple of thousands of victims monthly

-       Do you know that most scammers don’t have their full information on social media and most of them even lie, so that they can disappear easily right after they get their victims?

Yes, I know that.

-       There are close to 20 thousand victims/month. So, after hearing this, would you provide some personal information (like SSN, DL number or address) for a social media application such as Facebook, in order to know is subscribing and help with the issue?

Of course, I would if my information will not be shared with anyone else.

#2: 24 years old male, works at subway and is addicted to social media:

-       Have you ever been Scammed online?

I have never been a victim

-       Have you thought about how you will feel if someone you know become a victim of those social media scammers?

Yes sir, I will definitely feel sorry for them, and try to help if possible.

-       What can you do to prevent that if you were given the opportunity?

By making aware of it.

-       Do you know that a lot of people are getting scammed every day in USA? Can you guess any numbers monthly?

Oh yeah, I know that, but I totally ignore the numbers

-       Do you know that most scammers don’t have their full information on social media and most of them even lie, so that they can disappear easily right after they get their victims?

That makes sense because nobody that does harm wants you to have his information.

-       There are close to 20 thousand victims/month. So, after hearing this, would you provide some personal information (like SSN, DL number or address) for a social media application such as Facebook, in order to know is subscribing and help with the issue?

Yes, I will do it without hesitation, but the problem would be those who own those social media platforms. I don’t think if they will do it, because they will lose money by losing subscribers.

#3: 27 years old male, does not use social media that often anymore:

-       Have you ever been Scammed online?

Yes, I was scammed before.

-       Have you thought about how you will feel if someone you know become a victim of those social media scammers after your experience as a victim?

I do not wish that for anyone. I got robbed after meeting with my scammer.

-       What can you do to prevent that if you were given the opportunity?

I will tell anyone to not trust people that they meet online, and make sure they have someone that can protect them in case of meeting with someone they meet online.

-       Do you know that a lot of people are getting scammed every day in USA? Can you guess any numbers monthly?

Knowing myself and the way I’m smart, I think that a lot of people are getting scammed. Honestly, I did not see that coming until it happened. I’m positive that a lot of people are being victimized.

-       Do you know that most scammers don’t have their full information on social media and most of them even lie, so that they can disappear easily right after they get their victims?

That was exactly how the scammer got me. He sent me to an address that is not his, where there is no one to help me, but I was very stupid as I trusted him quickly and decided to buy his car.

-       There are close to 20 thousand victims/month. So, after hearing this, would you provide some personal information (like SSN, DL number or address) for a social media application such as Facebook, in order to know is subscribing and help with the issue?

If I had the power, I would even suggest a background check (laughing). I would do it, but I would also advise whoever knows me to never shop on social media. If you want to buy something, go get it in store!!

Reflection: These 3 interviews were very interesting. Two of them were not victims while one of the was a victim. I like the fact that the first two that were not victims were both ready to help by allowing my suggestion of giving some personal information before subscription on social media, which shows that my idea might be possible. The third person was even ready to allow a back-ground check and mentioned that he would suggest people to stop shopping on social media. None of them had any idea about the statistics.

Summary: I still believe in my initial opportunity after these amazing interviews. I can say that these people made me developed my confidence and provided me some kind of motivation because I know they will be one of the people that will support my idea. Moreover, these interviews made me even improve my idea by identifying some of the challenges my idea might face. An example is the second person that remind me that the challenge will not only be about the subscribers, but the owners of those platforms who would sacrifice anything in order to protect their revenues. What I have learned is that it is always a good idea to listen to the people around and use that opportunity to improve your ideas and make them better. It is very important.