Message read!
But while LINE can be used almost anywhere anytime and provides enormous convenience, it can also create a lot of interpersonal stress and anxiety. “Message read but no reply” is one of the most common frustrations with LINE.
According to the Taiwan Apple Daily, Japan boasts the largest number of LINE users. Recently Japan’s goo web portal surveyed the top ten unpleasant responses to LINE: “the recipient was questioned as to why they had read the message but had not replied” ranked number one, followed by “the recipient read the message but didn’t reply.” Taiwan Mobile runs the Myfone Creativity Award every year. In 2014 a senior high school student’s line “I have read your ‘have read’” won a NT$70,000 cash prize in the one-way text category. The judging committee commented that the words express feelings of being wronged yet with an air of menace, and clearly reveal many people’s mixed attitude towards communication software: expectations of convenience tinged with a fear of being hurt.
Mobile apps have been developed to resolve the perceived threat of a “have read,” so now people can at least read the message knowing that the feared confirmation won’t show up. This innovation has provided some relief to the more sensitive users of LINE.
Fraud via LINE
However, stress is not the only issue for LINE users. There are also all kinds of ever-changing intricacies that can be misused to steal users’ personal information and defraud those not wary enough.
Lin Yuchao works in the Crime Prevention Affairs Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) at the National Police Agency. He points out that in recent years, because of the popularity of smartphones and tablets, cellphone texts and messaging software have become the new tools of choice for fraudsters.
According to National Police Agency statistics, a total of 23,058 fraud cases occurred in 2014, an increase of 4,286 over 2013 figures. Among these new cases, two categories stood out: fraud by telephone, cellphone, and SMS, and fraud online. The number of phone and Internet fraud cases rose by 3,059, accounting for 71% of the overall annual increase.
Cai Zonglin, also from the CIB’s Crime Prevention Affairs Division, claims that LINE is an emerging tool for criminals, with the number of reported cases surging dramatically in the past year. And sadly, the less awareness people have of 3C products, the more easily they can be tricked.
Is this you?
“Mr. X, your products have been delivered to the store, mailing code: http://...”
“Look at the pictures we took together, how young we were: http://...”
These types of SMS texts or LINE messages are simply tricks to lure people to phishing websites in order to steal their personal contacts, login names and passwords for instant messaging software. Then the fraudsters can log in to victims’ accounts and send messages to people’s friends to (for example) “borrow” money to purchase online game points.
In contrast to past examples of telephone fraud where the fraudster’s voice might be recognized, LINE doesn’t require speech. People send texts and attach photos, so it’s more difficult for victims to detect fraudulent messages.
Preventing fraud
Lin says that because of so many examples of fraud cases via cellphones and other mobile devices, the CIB is working with software companies to develop fraud-prevention mechanisms; for instance, a system that might require a new password if a user tries to log in from a different device, thus preventing a fraudulent user from accessing a victim’s account without being detected.
In fact, preventing deception is not really too difficult. People need to keep the following principles in mind: don’t click on unidentified web pages; don’t install any malware; don’t use the same account password for different websites; and make sure that you check back with friends who seem to be making unreasonable requests. If you follow these rules, then you should be able to use LINE with complete peace of mind.
In this era of LINE and related technologies, avoiding fraudsters is relatively simple with the help of technology and basic detection measures. But relieving the stress of mobile interpersonal communication has to rely on personal wisdom and experience.
Raise your head! Take your eyes away from the little screen in your palm! Look around! The real world is broader and more interesting than you think.