Bet that title threw you for a loop, huh? You know what I'm talking about, right?
Got a Mother's Day email from a cherished friend from whom I'd not heard in way too long, mostly my fault. I get easily sidetracked these days. Last year's birthday card and Christmas card to this particular friend had been returned, non-forwardable. The email address was strongly suspicious, and the link within the email (which was not filled with conversation I would have expected from this particular friend) looked like one of those links you should not click. Ever. I didn't. I didn't have a choice, but I wouldn't have clicked anyway without checking what my friend was trying to communicate.
The email came to my work address, which I don't use a whole lot for personal correspondence, and that also raised the apprehensive alert level. However, I did meet this girl through work, and it was at one time a legimitate way to contact each other. Rather than try to email this friend, whom I may not have contacted since changing my home email address twice and who has changed jobs at least twice since we last exchanged emails, I looked her up on one of the social media platforms we at one time had in common. (I am not on social media much these days because I just don't have time.)
I was a little shocked to see my friend, who also enjoys photography, had not posted in more than six months. The quizical questioning leapt another level, and I sent a message.
Because all the signs pointed to a possibility I wasn't truly ready to accept, I investigated the source codes in the doubtful dispatch (the suspicious email). Good thing my work email security system automatically blocks all incoming links, not that I would have clicked it anyway. The email originated in Thailand. My friend was known to travel, but I honestly believe she would have found a way to let me know if she had taken a job with a company overseas. And there would be social media posts of her adventures. She typically couldn't go too much more than a week without shooting and sharing a photo!
I hoped like heck my friend was not gone. At this age, that is a real possibility when you haven't heard from someone in a very long time.
Thankfully, that was not the case. My friend reported her social media account had been hacked, and she just doesn't bother with it anymore. And no, she had never been to Thailand, but she had moved. It is so good to be in touch with her again. And it is good to know people don't have to be duped.
