BEWARE OF QUIZZES IN CHATTERBOX FORUMS! I keep seeing these damned things here in Gaia and I gotta tell you the scum are getting better at camouflaging their intent.
I'm a newbie here and I made that clear from word go since a lot of the so-called "older" Gaians are a bunch of bloody snobs and will openly abuse you and flame you at will and get away with it too. So screw 'em all.
This also had an interesting side effect, the scammers came outta the wood-work!
They're all a bunch of cretins really, come right down to it. They oughtta be ashamed of their amateurish attempts. I mean just plain dumb. But some of the quiz scams aren't too bad. They seem innocuous enough
( to the stupid and greedy for imaginary "goldz") but I am one of the more intelligent and inherently suspicious users here.
One; why do you need my first name?
My gender, nicknames,age,and other such seemingly trivial info?
Then come what are known as " geographical markers" and "economic cues". Such as " What's your favorite department store?" The name of the store places you in one specific spot in the country, and depending on the names of the stores themselves they indicate vaguely what your budget is.
Even a question as innocent sounding as " what's your school mascot" is dangerous, further nails down your current location and economic status.
And the more you look at these things they just fall apart.
rock or rap?
country or jazz?
Guess what ? You answer that puppy and you just gave the dumb b*****d your ethnicity by statistics.
That'll help when it comes time to get a credit card in your name.
So far the a****** has your first name, your nicknames ( commonly used as passwords) an approximation of your financial status IRL as well as a pretty fair idea of where you live. Plus your skin color.
The "relationship" question is another gateway to password heaven. If you tell some d**k here that you're hitched and your partner's name? Guess what else is a common password!
And the funny thing is; as obvious as this all sounds here, these damned quizzes keep popping up. Obviously there are still total lames on the planet, what a shock
rolleyes ....
And the questions start getting closer to home; favorite sports team; colors;restaurants; what tv shows you like ( also an economic indicator and geographic locater, since some channels are limited to a single market. Or are available only via satellite.) and what you watch tells a lot too.
As time goes on while you're doing a quiz you'll inevitably find your guard slipping. You'll become conversational in answering questions; giving up WAY more info than you realize. What was a simple yes or no before, will end up being your life story before you're through.
Then come the big scary indicators that should wake you up REAL quick if you've been sleepwalking through the quiz up to this point.
"How much gold do you have?" Would you tell a complete stranger what was in your wallet? Hell no. Unless you like getting mugged.
" How many times do you log into Gaia per day?" Riiiight p***k.
"What's your favorite Gaia special item?" Bite me jerk, my business.
" Do you make a good profit in the marketplace?" Hold that pose while I grab this here club, dummy.
" Do you have more than 100,000 gold?" Packed into shotgun shells creep.
If something smells wrong it IS!
None of the scammers are rocket scientists that's for goddamned sure, but a little advance knowledge helps bunches.
My recommendation? If you see a quiz take the time to read the damned thing.
DON'T ANSWER THE QUESTIONS DUMMY!
Just read it over and put the pieces together for yourself.
Change your password often!!
Don't even tell your HAMSTER what it is!
Gaia recommends every 4 months, I say why wait?
I like to keep humps guessing.
You should too. Just because these little avi are so nauseatingly cute
( makes you drop your guard, how could papa smurf be evil? sub-conscious psych thing) doesn't mean that there aren't utter bastards lurking behind them.
Be suspicious.
Don't give up ANY personal IRL info. At any time.
If you figure at least half of all Gaians to be scam artists you wouldn't be far wrong.
Watch your backs!
