Scam Awareness Day Campaign - anyone interested?

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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:09 am

A post over in the main forum started me wondering in a roundabout way - do people think this idea has legs?

Scam Awareness Day - 4/19 (mm/dd for Americans - doesn't really work with proper dd/mm date formats, sadly)

An excuse to get the subject of Scam Awareness/scamwarners/Baiting/Eater/etc into the papers and hopefully reduce the victim count in the future. The day would feature local and national campaigns/workshops/commiserations in an attempt to raise awareness. I'd propose we also hold a minutes reverence at 4:19pm as a press-friendly press release activity, and provide a bunch of copy and pasteable material for local and national press to see if we can get a catchy story on Reuters/AP?

Initially just soliciting ideas and testing interest levels, but with local and national (and interweb) coordinated campaigns we may be able to get the subject covered in a few papers etc, and hopefully stop a victim or two.

Who knows, if it takes off we may increase the baiting and support communities too.

Anyway, pen your thoughts below, and PM me if you'd like to be a part of a lobbying/campaigning group in any way! This is either my worst or best idea today, please do let me know which!!!! I've added a poll just because the technology is there, but your ideas or concerns are of more value Wink

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:25 am

I'm all for this idea, mass bomb our local papers/tv/radio stations, with a co-ordinated and scripted press release.

I do it on an ad hoc method at the present, pilfer stuff from Scamwarners, write a bit of blurb and send it out

Pick a date, and lets start working on it

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:40 am

I vote for April 19th (4/19 - easy to remember, for Americans at least). I reckon a bit of coordination, pooling of resources, etc we can make a bigger splash - cheers Smile

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 1:48 am

Good idea, anything that creates awareness for our cause will do some good, I know Nottobescammed will most likely be able to help with his radio show as well, if he doesn't show up here send him a PM Wink

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:54 am

I'd be happy to help in any way I can. I believe education is one of the key elements in reducing scam activity.

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 3:01 am

I'd be interested to hear from the people that have voted misguided,

I'm involved with our sister site Scamwarners, and from my own experience in dealing with victims, and from pushing the scam warning through internet radio and local newspapers, any publicity is good

If you are going to vote in this, please post your reasons,

Not quite a Newb Joined: 10 Feb 2006 Posts: 31

I'm the one that voted misguided. (So, far.) I was really torn between great idea and misguided. I decided that it was the latter because Scam Awareness Day, unfortunately, would not have the impact that we would all hope for. So, in reality, it is a great idea that is misguided only in the hopeful outcome.

How many of us already do more than just bait? A lot of us work with victims, get the word out by telling all our friends and family, write articles, books (okay, Shiver writes books.), and do interviews. As opposed to ten years ago there is quite bit more publicity, but yet the amount of money sent to these scum is increasing. Call me a pessimist, but is seems to be an uphill battle that we are losing.

Of course that doesn't mean that I am going to quit trying, even if it is misguided. And yes, any publicity is good publicity.

Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:18 am

I like the idea. i spend time, on and off, thinking about how to increase the effectiveness of what we do. Obviously government and law enforcement need to become more involved. that will mean more regulation of the medium of teh internet (somehting i have very mixed feelings about).

Any additional publicity will be good publicity.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

On 4/19 we would be in direct competition with Bicycle Day, but I do like the idea. Laughing

Quote:

Bicycle Day

On April 19, 1943 Dr. Hofmann intentionally ingested 250 µg of LSD, which he hypothesized would be a threshold dose, based on other ergot alkaloids. After ingesting the substance Hofmann was struggling to speak intelligibly and asked his laboratory assistant, who knew of the self-experiment, to escort him home on his bicycle, due to the lack of available vehicles during wartime restrictions. On the bicycle ride home, Hofmann's condition became more severe and in his journal he stated that everything in his field of vision wavered and was distorted, as if seen in a curved mirror. Hofmann also stated that while riding on the bicycle, he had the sensation of being stationary, unable to move from where he was, despite the fact that he was moving very rapidly. Once Hofmann arrived safely home, he summoned a doctor and asked his neighbor for milk, believing it may help relieve the symptoms. Hofmann wrote that despite his delirious and bewildered condition, he was able to choose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning.[5] Upon arriving the doctor could find no abnormal physical symptoms other than extremely dilated pupils. After spending several hours terrified that his body had been possessed by a demon, that his next door neighbor was a witch, and that his furniture was threatening him, Dr. Hofmann feared he had become completely insane. In his journal Hofmann said that the doctor saw no reason to prescribe medication and instead sent him to his bed. At this time Hofmann said that the feelings of fear had started to give way to feelings of good fortune and gratitude, and that he was now enjoying the colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind his closed eyes. Hofmann mentions seeing "fantastic images" surging past him, alternating and opening and closing themselves into circles and spirals and finally exploding into colored fountains and then rearranging themselves in a constant flux. Hofmann mentions that during the condition every acoustic perception, such as the sound of a passing automobile, was transformed into optical perceptions. Eventually Hofmann slept and upon awakening the next morning felt refreshed and clearheaded, though somewhat physically tired. He also stated that he had a sensation of well being and renewed life and that his breakfast tasted unusually delicious. Upon walking in his garden he remarked that all of his senses were "vibrating in a condition of highest sensitivity, which then persisted for the entire day".

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