Urgency can cloud judgement… and scammers know this! (That email from a friend almost fooled me)

The email from my friend said she’d fallen, was injured, and would be hospitalized for several days. I immediately replied with concern and offered help. She thanked me and asked if I use Amazon. When I said yes, she explained that her credit card was not being accepted and asked me to buy two DoorDash gift cards for a sick friend and email them to an address she provided.

This request immediately raised a red flag. Just days earlier, at a Viva Village Forum on artificial intelligence, the speaker had warned that requests for gift cards, even from people we know, are common scams.

Instead of responding, I contacted a mutual friend. That’s how I learned the messages were fraudulent. There had been no accident, and my friend was fine. Her email account had been hacked.

Normally, I would respond quickly to a friend in need. This experience taught me to pause and verify requests, even when they appear to come from a trusted source. I deleted the emails and marked them as spam. I now recognize that being comfortable with technology does not make it safe, and that urgency can cloud judgment.

So, thank you, Viva Village, for the timely presentation that set off an alert in my brain and helped me avoid this scam.

Story by Kate Mayo, Viva Villager. Contact us for more information on membership or volunteer opportunities: 503-746-5082 | info@vivavillage.org .