(2024) Describe An Occasion When You Got Incorrect Information

Well, this card kind of stirs up one of the most unpleasant moments in my life. It’s actually a memory I never want to reflect on, because I was involved in a scam.

Last Spring festival, I booked a flight to Yunnan. I had planned a 5 – day trip to visit my friends there. One day before the trip, the flight was canceled by the airline due to technical issues. Being fidgeted, I decided to request a refund and change to another flight. Unfortunately, there was no seats available during the holiday season.

But that’s just the beginning of the nightmare. Things took a turn for the worse when I received a phone call from someone claiming to be an airline representative, promising to help me get the refund quickly and easily. They asked for my credit card details and other personal information, assuring me that everything would be taken care of.

Feeling optimistic, I provided the requested information, only to realize later that I had been scammed. My credit card had been charged multiple times, and there was no sign of my refund. You can’t imagine how desperate and helpless I was when seeing my card get maxed out in a few minutes, just before I could freeze my account. It felt like that the whole world was unraveling around me. Though I called the police, I knew there was very slim chance to get the money back.

For a whole week, I didn’t talk to anyone and entirely lost appetite. I kicked myself for falling for the scam, not being cautious enough and foolishly revealing important personal information to a stranger.

The lesson I learned is that there is no substitute for being vigilant when dealing with online transactions. When it comes to getting refunds, we should always go straight to the source and avoid those middlemen who just pop up from nowhere.

One thing many do is to consider the credibility of the source. If the information comes from someone trusted, such as a good friend or colleague, they would probably consider it accurate.

Also, if the information was from an official letter or email to them from a respected institution like a bank, then chances are the recipient will believe it.

For online information, similar rules apply. People consider the reliability of the website the info is from as well as the reputation of whoever posted it.

People can do this by first seeking credible sources of information.

For example, if you want to know the details of an important meeting, it’s best to ask people directly involved, not the security guard who happened to be in the room.

Another way is to crosscheck the info you have with reliable sources.
Many people can do this by viewing legitimate websites online to confirm if an address, recipe, medical procedure, or what you have is correct.

Both of them are common ways of communication in modern life, especially in the workplace.

Writing an email allows the sender to carefully draft sentences and make a more logical presentation to the recipient. It also provides a written record that people can refer back to.

However, drafting and replying to emails usually take more time. On the other hand, phone calls allow for real-time, efficient exchange of ideas that can go back and forth quickly.

However, since phone calls do not provide a written record, people usually have to send a follow-up email summarizing important points after the call.