It was supposed to be just another afternoon. Rice and chicken curry for lunch, then back to work.
Not today. Today, just as I was about to leave for lunch, I got a notification on my laptop saying, “Congratulations. You’ve won an iPhone 14. To get your reward, click this link: www.wearenotscammerswepromise.com.”
Yep, definitely a scam and spam. Curiosity, however, got the better of me. Unlike ordinary scam sites, their website name was humorous, so I couldn’t help wondering about their intentions.
As soon I clicked the link, my screen blanked, and a jingle sounded through the speakers. It was akin to the jingle bells hung on doors.
Then the screen glowed white with bold black letters in the center. The letters swerved and kept changing.
“Jealous of everyone around you?”
“Feeling sorry for yourself?”
“Don’t know what you’re doing with your life?”
“Then we’ve got a solution for you.”
I was into this. Every word felt like it was written based on my life.
“1. Stop eating chicken every day.”
I gasped and looked around me. Was someone pulling my leg?
A thorough look throughout the room revealed no one nor cameras.
“2. Stop looking around. This is not a prank.”
“3. Stop ruminating endlessly. It will get you nowhere if actions don’t follow.”
“4. Stop going through the motions every day.”
“The next one is the most important of all, and I want you to focus.”
“5. Start. The perfect day you’re waiting for will never come. Start today. Start now. Don’t wait.”
As the screen went blank, I continued staring with my mouth wide open. Start, it said. Wasn’t that what I had kept pushing off? Wasn’t that what I was afraid of? Starting something new. Starting to live my life as my own. Starting to discover myself.
The screen flashed, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Why don’t you get yourself an iPhone 14 instead of waiting to be given one?”
Hmm… That’s true, I thought.
“We have got the perfect site for you. Visit *insert Apple’s website* to get your iPhone ASAP!”
Huh?
“Thank you for watching till the end. This ad was created and personalized by AI using your publicly available data. To learn more about how your data is being used, visit….”
HUH?!
