If you’re on Facebook (and, believe it or not, there are a few intelligent humans who have refrained), then you’ve probably seen the “lost dog”, “found dog”, “missing person” posts that have been going around lately. They’re always shared to some sort of community page by a person who, if you click on their name, just created their account in the last few days. You can’t comment on the posts, but you can sure share them. And when you do, you open Pandora’s Box—and the door to your social media presence for the hacker that set the whole scam in motion. Now that they have access to your account, they can cast their net even wider, reaching every Facebook friend you have.
Unfortunately, no matter how many times the good people of Facebook call this atrocity to the attention of the kind-hearted soul who shared the post in an effort to help, the posts continue to appear, people continue to share, and the hackers continue to hack. Which may explain all the friend requests I’ve received lately from people with whom I already share a Facebook friendship.
Needless to say, today’s technology isn’t always our friend. Our email accounts and fax machines aren’t safe from the attorney trying to move millions of dollars belonging to his deceased client or the infamous Nigerian prince who started the whole transferring of funds scam. Even Google and other search engines are guilty of the same crimes. So much information is flowing so fast you have no idea what to believe and what to scroll right on by. And now, with the advent of AI (artificial intelligence, for those of us who are not so technologically literate), the job of discernment just got a whole lot harder. Which is why I’m here today, exhorting you to . . .
Know. Your. Source.
If you’re searching for health information online, go to a well-known, trusted source such as Johns Hopkins or Mayo Clinic, or better yet, talk to your local medical professional. Don’t click on DiseasesRUs.com and think you’re going to get accurate information. (Full disclosure, that’s a made up website, but please don’t try to find it, just in case.) If you have legal questions, consult an attorney you trust. Don’t google Dewey Cheatem and Howe, Attorneys at Law (thank you, Three Stooges) to see what kind of knowledge might be gleaned from their website. And if you have questions about funeral service, which will almost always include some regarding the costs involved, ask your local undertaker. Even though there are a multitude of websites addressing funeral related issues, many of which will gladly steer you in every direction except the right one, the best place to get accurate information is directly from the source.
In this era of “Buyer Beware”, the main thing we need to beware of is misinformation. It’s everywhere, and not just online. Even your friends and neighbors can be the culprits, usually unintentionally because they’ve heard it from someone who heard it from someone else who got it from a reliable source who never seems to have a name because that little piece of intel got lost in the shuffle (although there are individuals who knowingly spread misinformation maliciously). Like the game of Gossip we used to play as kids, by the time the “facts” reach our ears, they bear no resemblance to reality.
So when your next door neighbor starts diagnosing your strained muscle from too much yard work and gives you a year at the most to live or a British barrister emails you needing help in claiming a bazillion dollars from the estate of his deceased client, when someone posts about the cute little lost puppy that is depressed and won’t eat . . . or someone tells you we won’t come pick you up unless you’re a member of the burial associations and then it’ll cost you $10,000 just to walk through the front door, pull out your skepticism, give them a good dose of side eye, and, if you’re physically able, raise one eyebrow (it’s okay if you can’t—that’s a talent not everyone possesses). Then call a professional you trust and ask for the truth. At least where funeral directors are concerned, there’s no charge for information, and we want everyone to have as much as they need so they can make the decisions that are best for them.
About the author: Lisa Shackelford Thomas is a fourth generation member of a family that’s been in funeral service since 1926. She has been employed at Shackelford Funeral Directors in Savannah, Tennessee for over 40 years and currently serves as the manager there. Any opinions expressed here are hers and hers alone, and may or may not reflect the opinions of other Shackelford family members or staff.
