The Internet is full of fake everything. Fake profiles comment on fake posts, ChatGPT and AI are everywhere, and algorithms are behind much of everyday Internet activity. An executive at Ferrari dodged a bullet when someone made a convincing deepfake AI voice of CEO Benedetto Vigna but the executive didn’t believe it. All it took was asking about a book recommendation, something only the correct person would know.
Today, Matt asked how this could be applied to an Autopian, and the answers were great. Phantom Pedal Syndrome said:
“ What one question could someone ask you that would indicate that you are/are not an AI deepfake?”
Nice try.
I’m not gonna answer that.
Look, I’m just trying to find out your mother’s maiden name and the color of your first car. No particular reason or anything! OverlandingSprinter got creative:
“What type of vehicle ran over me, and how many times?”
That would stump human grifters, too.
As always, Drew made me laugh:
A jetski, 5 times, 2 of them on land.
Here’s some actual advice from Alexk98:
calling from a different mobile phone number because he needed to discuss something confidential
This is possibly the single largest red flag for any phone call/email. While yes, scammers can spoof phone numbers and email addresses, if I get a call outside of my contacts, it goes to voicemail. The only exception being a number that looks familiar and that I’m expecting. Otherwise, I will. not. answer. Scammers collect info from robot calls constantly, seeing who picks up and answers, and if you do, the frequency will only pick up.
Remember, if you get a call from a known person from a number different from theirs, immediately follow up with a call to their known number, regardless of the “top secret currency hedging deals importance”. This is how you/your company gets scammed, and how you end up broke or unemployed.
Actual identifying question: Have you finally fixed *recently identified vehicle issue* on *recent bad financial decision*. The cycle is continuous, unpredictable, and often discussed in person. What that combo is varies often enough and is seldom posted publicly online that it’s more secure than it probably should be.
Over the weekend, Stephen Walter Gossin and I saved some cars from being taken over by North Carolina nature. I snagged a Plymouth and Gossin got a Citroen 2CV, a car Jason is totally smitten by. Sadly for Jason, the car is going to be a rescue and a sale, not a keeper. This got Jason thinking about the British variation called the Bijou. StillNotATony got me with this:
British styling with French mechanicals? Did they use Italian QC for the trifecta?
Have a great evening, everyone!
(Topshot: Facebook Seller)
I am honored and would like to thank the Academy, my agent and my manager.
Also, my award-winning COTD is based on a true story.
But was I correct on the vehicle and number of times? Inquiring
scammersminds need to know!Getting run over by a jet ski creates, in my mind, a hilarious mental image and I commend your imagination. Getting run over by the same jet ski on land is a terrific callback. A Hollywood screenwriter should steal this idea if this bit hasn’t appeared in a rom-com or buddy movie.
My true story isn’t as fun and its telling doesn’t fit the tone of this site. I mentioned it in TMD because it is a WTF challenge question for anyone to use that would stop a conversation.
I’m sorry the true story isn’t fun, and I certainly don’t need to know your private anecdote(s). Sorry if I came across as prying; I just wanted to make a joke implying I would use the info for scamming purposes.
Oh, I didn’t take it as prying at all. I threw out the bread crumbs so any offense, which I don’t feel any, would be self inflicted.
I’ve seen phishing e-mails where one user is not adept at figuring it out and then forwards them to a team mate that is adept but the phishing makes it way through because the last user trusted the previous one instead of doing their due diligence.
Jason needs a 2CV in his life. Would make a great EV conversion.
How else will he be able to drive his basket of eggs across a ploughed field?
“We been spending most our lives
livin’ in an Amish paradise”
“At 4:30 in the morning, I’m milkin’ cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows, fool”
If the world was just and reasonable, Gossin would fall in love with the 2CV, start smoking Gauloises, forget all about sad 90s Chryslers, and begin showing up in Syracuse once a year.
Eventually, he would take over Dave Burnham’s shop: https://jalopnik.com/dave-burnham-best-citroen-mechanic-giving-away-his-shop-1850241709
That’s good advice from Alexk98. The most important step to stop these scams is to remain vigilant and take proper steps to verify things before acting, not to catch them off with a question. It’s great that he got suspicious and asked that question, but it’s not a sure thing.
“British styling with French mechanicals? Did they use Italian QC for the trifecta?”
At least you can add your own Lucas smoke and have it run on French fries/French toast, even though you can’t use a mechanic named Tony
“Fix It Again Tony!”
It’s a real problem. The parts we get for our British cars these days are mostly made in China. British engineering + Chinese manufacturing = what could go wrong?
Right?! Yeah, that’s just one of my favorite car jokes:
“Just add your own Lucas smoke!”
https://www.whereisbobl.com/tiger/smoke.html
did the French make it leak oil too?
Well yeah, they just use syrup for oil just like in Quebec they use maple syrup for oil