So Facebook can use some good news now. In fact, everyone in IT support can use some good news now. I found some. Facebook’s good news: Spamming paid off.
So it starts when Ben Taylor from Utah gets a Facebook message from Liberia, a small West African nation, asking for help. Most would dismiss this as a trick or scam. But Taylor replied, “How can I help?”.? Taylor wanted to see how they pulled these scams off. Then there is Joel. He’s the Liberian man who asked Ben Taylor for help. He asked for electronics. He would sell the electronics, then send some of the profits back. Still thinking it’s a scam, Ben sent a cheap camera, not expecting anything back. This is where it gets good.
Because Joel did keep his end of the bargain. Then Ben asked for pictures of Joel’s homeland. He made a book of Joel’s Liberia. Then, he made over $1,000 selling these books. Taylor promised Joel that $1,000, but with a catch. Ben made Joel promise to give half of it to charity. Once again, Joel proved Ben wrong. Because Joel send back proof that he did give $500 to charity. It gets better. Taylor, who claims he never left the US, went to Liberia and met Joel in person. This is a friendship that continues to this day and will probably continue for years to come.
Let me put a disclaimer out there. This isn’t an excuse to look to buy electronics from Africa. There are a lot of scams that originate from West Africa. In fact, several years back, someone at our Boston computer service shop got burned. Then why do I write about Facebook’s good news? Because we could use some. I report so much about malware, scams, rip-offs, wealth inequality, scandals, bullying, sextortion, etc. So it’s time to report on good news. It’s inspiring to see how a Facebook message can turn into a partnership and friendship around the world. Do you have any good tech news to share?