Archive for Uncategorized

Woman Loses $4K to Scammer Posing as Friend on Facebook

September 8th, 2009 • 2 comments Identity, Legal Issues, Social Networks, Uncategorized
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Jayne Scherrman, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, was the unfortunate victim of a scam that turned her compassion and trust into a $4,000 profit, the AP reports. A still unknown crook hacked the Facebook account of Jayne’s friend Grace Parry and began to send Jayne messages, purporting to be Grace and claiming that she and her husband had been detained in London and were in need of money.Jayne figured if the couple could reach her only by Facebook, then they were in dire straits, indeed, and quickly wired $600 as per the scammer’s instructions. As is common in these kinds of schemes, subsequent messages were sent requesting additional funds. In this case, the huckster blamed the exchange rate when explaining the discrepancy between the funds needed and the amount initially requested.

All in all, Jayne eventually sent $4,000 via Western Union to the impostor before realizing that she had fallen victim to a scam. On August 26th, she alerted the authorities.

This tactic has been used before, but there ways to avoid a snakey scammers:

  • First and foremost, never wire any money without speaking directly (on the phone, not via e-mail or Facebook) to any friend who requests your help financially.

  • If you believe there is a plausible reason this friend cannot reach you by phone, don’t be afraid to ask them to confirm their identity. Ask questions that only they would be able to answer.

  • Don’t ask about birthdays or hometowns, facts that could be readily ascertainable online, but instead about where the two of you first met, first boyfriends, or high school mascots.

  • If you know or suspect a friend’s account has been hacked, try to alert that person directly. Then, warn all of your mutual friends, and finally contact the site’s administrators regarding your suspicions. Both your friend and shared pals will be thankful.

Follow these basic guidelines, resist your immediate urge to blindly offer help, and you’ll avoid falling victim to the widespread 419 scams that have taken a more personal twist when crooks ditched their Nigerian princess roots. [From: AP/Yahoo! News]

Some of My Favorite Things: Musical Flash Mobs Brighten My Day

August 24th, 2009 • Fun, Industry News, Uncategorized
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Let’s face it: I’m tired of people being mean online.

I’m tired of the cynicism of Perez Hilton’s blog, the overexposure of pseudo-celebrities tweeting, and just the overall schadenfreude of the online culture. Now granted, I do admit that I snicker at the occasional YouTube video that features the celebrity flavor-of-the-month falling on her face, but sometimes I miss the cheesy innocence of how entertainment used to be (“The Cosby Show” anyone?). When did everyone get to be so mean?

At the risk of sounding really, really old, I miss the sweet innocence of the good old-fashioned musical. Yes, I like the predictable “boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl-through-a series-of-mishaps-and-misunderstandings, and boy-gets-girl” formula. Don’t waste my time with thinly-veiled political message musicals; I love the saccharine Rodgers and Hammerstein dreams-can-come-true musicals. I am a romantic at heart.

So that’s why I love the YouTube sensation “Break Out in Song.” Break Out in Song is a New York arts organization that unexpectedly performs musical theater selections in outdoor public spaces. By combining flash mobs and YouTube with some song and dance, Break Out in Song brings Broadway to the street and surprises random onlookers to a free show. Its guerilla-style performances show us what it might be like if everyone actually knew the words to songs… and the dance moves.

So, is someone going to strip away my social media “cool” card because I openly admit that I really like Break Out in Song’s impromptu bursts of musical happiness? Go ahead. I’m tired of online bullies who endlessly spew venom to entertain legions of anonymous online fans. I want to bring “nice” back to social media*. Social media should be about connecting with others, building up others instead of knocking them down, and sharing in a way that helps others. Because, quite honestly, these are a few of my favorite things.
*Granted, there are major exceptions, such as war, poverty, political and social inequities, etc, but bear with me because I’m only focusing on “entertainment” here. Those other important and serious issues should be addressed separately in a different forum.

What is com.motion?

com.municate + com.mit + com.pel = com.motion

com.motion [kuh-moh-shuhn] is a full-service, integrated social media and word of mouth (WOM) agency. We use social media channels and traditional marketing tools to drive bottom-line results. com.motion helps businesses and brands amplify their marketing messages through the effective use of online communications channels in the U.S. and Canada.

To learn more about how we can help your brand or organization, contact us.

Leadership Team

Lynn Eastep
Senior Vice-President, com.motion North America

With more than 15 years of digital communications experience, I've delivered award-winning and sophisticated marketing solutions for Fortune 500 corporations, major government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and household-name consumer brands. I ensure the successful execution of digital and social media business strategies to build profitability and grow market share on behalf of our clients. I stay abreast of relevant new technologies in the Web 2.0/social media space in order to contribute a point of view while remaining focused on ROI to drive the right message to the right people at the right time.

I'm connected to the industry and trends, intuitive about people, a strategic thinker with intense curiosity, an eclectic user of information, and an engaging storyteller with strong interpersonal skills. I’m a team player who is passionate, curious, positive, and courageous. I have provided senior-level strategic counsel for clients such as Nestle, Bayer, AT&T and Visa.

eastep [at] causeacommotion.com


Ed Lee
Managing Director, com.motion Canada

I’ve been working in or around the social media revolution since 2005 and I am grateful to be exploring this new media landscape with com.motion’s clients. As managing director, my role is to guide our clients through the use of new technologies and to provide innovative ways to engage their stakeholders online. Shiny new Web 2.0 toys are great to play with but our recommendations are always strategic and focused on reaching the right people, with the right message across the right channels.

lee [at] causeacommotion.com

I was interviewed with Bob Pearson on BNN about the importance of social media for business. Watch the video here:


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