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Scammers

Scammers

Date: Sep 04 2009

Themes: Tech

Grammar: Zero Conditional

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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The Internet has made life easier for many people—including scammers. They use email to try to trick gullible people into sending them money or revealing personal information like bank account numbers and email passwords.

With a good spam filter and a healthy amount of skepticism, most of us are able to avoid these scams. But an email from a stranger offering a chance to get rich quick can be pretty alluring. That’s why it’s important to remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Find out if Dale or Mason has ever been fooled by an email scam.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dale

Dale

Mason

Mason

Dale:  You know what bugs me more than anything in this world?

Mason:  Um…bad drivers.

Dale:  Close. It’s scammers off the Internet, trying to get you off email, Craigslist, or on some type of thing.

Mason:  Mmm-hmm.

Dale:  But the secondary part is the people that also fall for it.

Mason:  Well that’s…You gotta wonder with the email scams, like how people end up falling for a lot of those.

Dale:  I don’t get it. I see it on the news, and people are willing to give up thousands and thousands of dollars. And they’re young people. I could understand the older generation not understanding how email works, but I’m seeing these 20, 30, 40 year old people falling for it, and I just don’t get it.

Mason:  I mean, all I can say is like, this is an art form that has been refined over a long time. You look at the Ponzi scheme method, which has been going on for years.

Dale:  Gosh. For me, it’s starting to scare me a little bit. I don’t know, how do I look at it where I can be safe? What is your advice?

Mason:  One, never be afraid to ask questions. If people can’t answer your questions then they’re probably trying to sucker for a sucker. And other than that, it’s just like, use your brain.

 

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Dale hates getting tons of spam email from people trying to scam him over the Internet. He can’t understand how anyone could fall for one of those scams. It’s surprising to him that some young people are fooled by the scams, since younger people are usually more Internet-savvy than older people.

Mason says that scammers have existed for a long time. They’ve had years to refine their schemes. Mason thinks that if you get an email offering a chance to get rich quick, you should ask a lot of questions. Only a sucker would give a stranger money or personal information without asking him plenty of questions first.

Have you ever fallen for a scam? What do you think is the best way to avoid Internet scams?

 

Comments

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kimnga

kimnga

Viet Nam

I think the best way to avoid Internet scams is that we should not access any strange links, or answer any strange email that we don’t know the sender.

07:04 AM Sep 24 2014 |

mebono

mebono

Egypt

Use your mind and don't be greedy person, that's all.

01:44 PM Jun 12 2010 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

I guess the better for to stop these gags is you never open an unknow email or file,in other words,education about this subject ;)

01:47 PM Sep 14 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

I never fall in the hands of scams,even why I never open any unknow email…I'm also a "picaroon" against this gang ;)

But I know some people that fell "in the conversation" of these guys and had their computers scanners for them,it is pretty annoying!

01:45 PM Sep 14 2009 |

Diego2009

Haiti

  1. Now the new world is become so hard, people use anything like ponzi scheme to play in mine of the people.If you are a gullibe or you excited for anything you should fall for it. I mean i received a lot of such thing on my mail i don't even read one of them cause i know what is  it,they from some  prey who try to captured people if you want to avoid it you should be strong and ask question when you don't get it and knows nothing easy in this 21th century you need to work hard to get what you need be don't be a foolish like you want to be rich quick .Every one want  be rich but it's not easy that's what life is about get rich ,have a good life and live better.

03:59 PM Sep 10 2009 |

adward SD

adward SD

China

only we believe ourself to create own our own dream,we won't believe what the scammer said.

11:17 AM Sep 10 2009 |

Rodrigo_pretty

Brazil

In the truth the scammers are smart the big problem is the users that can't see any novelty in inbox that go immediately opening without check first … There are several users naive like this the scammers takes advantage of them. Beware of the scammers !!!  

12:59 AM Sep 10 2009 |

L_a_d_a

L_a_d_a

Ukraine

good spam filter can really help

08:00 AM Sep 08 2009 |

glassy heart

Saudi Arabia

I have never fallen for a scam,

i think the best way is close every thing without looking at it  , they are realy bothering, and also u have to be carful not to  trust every thing..

u have to get ur own mony,i dont thing eny one will give u mony easly…

07:14 PM Sep 07 2009 |

Christoph07

Germany

You have to be carefully and use your healthy brain in Internet. 

09:02 PM Sep 06 2009 |

messi 19

messi 19

United Arab Emirates

it is not the scammers problem, their victims are fool.

05:22 PM Sep 06 2009 |

ismaelsantiago

Dominican Republic

hello

 

 

 

02:54 PM Sep 06 2009 |

reeze

reeze

Uzbekistan

Fortunately, I've never fallen for a scam. The  best way to avoid scammers is to take more attention to the messages & photos & think about suggestions written on them . I know it is not easy to differ real messages , but just think: nobody will give us money not knowing us! & why they must give us money when everybody needs it everytime! Just think about it when you have jsut kind of mesages…

01:36 PM Sep 06 2009 |

wishtolearn

El Salvador

you got it. hey and you know i dont even know how is it that some people even play the lotto online and provide their credit cars numbers. who does so, must be a sucker for sure. In these days, no matter if you are chatting with a friend, always ask a lot but a lot of questions before providing some finacial info.

greetings from El salvador!!!!!!!

01:24 PM Sep 06 2009 |

wishtolearn

El Salvador

come on thjis is  a really nice lesson it is cool it would be great to get a lesson involving a call center vocabulary and situations as well.

01:17 PM Sep 06 2009 |

julywidiawati

Indonesia

No, I never fallen for a scam, though I have received some emails…I just say to my self, nothing in this world can give you a lot of money without working…

12:54 PM Sep 06 2009 |

Marina201

Marina201

Japan

I have never fooled in the real life and on the Internet.

I always take care too much.

But on the Internet, when I get e-mail by someone, sometimes I suspect I fall for it.

I don't wanna doubt of anyone. but to save myself…

12:05 PM Sep 06 2009 |

happy 4 ever

Oman

I hate scammers. thank god i didn't experience any of these. but i my workmate' s husband was completely gullible he fell for a scammmer and a lot of his money was gone. 

09:51 AM Sep 06 2009 |

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