"Well, hello there, handsome ..."
So, I’m travelling on my own, and I’m sitting at a bar and this beautiful young woman comes up and starts chatting to me. After some small talk, she suggest we have a drink. Should I be suspicious?
Well, of course I should. It’s a fair bet she’s got something in mind that’s going to cost me dearly. She’s either selling a service or she’s out to rob me.
How do I know that? Because, let’s face it, I’m simply not attractive enough to be chatted up at a bar by a beautiful stranger with pure intentions.
Now I’m old enough and ugly enough to understand that. But the US State Department believes a lot of its citizens aren’t quite so worldly wise.
It has issued a warning to American students who are travelling abroad on their spring break to be wary of such a scenario.
Basically, it’s saying if you are not attractive, then you should be on guard when somebody approaches you and suggests a drink or something else.
One warning tweet, under the hashtag #springbreakingbadly, says: “Not a ‘10’ in the US? Then not a 10 overseas. Beware of being lured into buying expensive drinks or worse – being robbed.”
The intentions were good, but it didn’t go down too well with the Twitterverse. One tweet asked, “What if I am a 10?” and others requested government help in rating themselves.
The bottom line here, and it doesn’t just apply to young Americans, is that there are scammers everywhere and you should be wary at all times. And protecting yourself means having some self-awareness.
