“Buzz… buzz… buzz…”
That irritating sound was what woke me up that morning. Slowly opening my eyes, I squinted as sunlight streamed through my bedroom window like sharp beams cutting through the darkness. Still half asleep, I dragged myself out of my messy bed and reached beneath my pillow for my buzzing phone. It was my alarm.
Today was finally the day.
Excitement rushed through me instantly. I jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed, and hurriedly made my bed before racing downstairs. Grinning with anticipation, I grabbed my laptop, dropped onto the sofa, and switched on both the television and my computer. While waiting for my laptop to load, I watched my favourite TV show — until it was interrupted by advertisements.
That was when something caught my attention.
An advert for my dream phone flashed across the screen, announcing a huge special offer. My heart raced. I had wanted that phone forever. Without hesitation, I opened my laptop and searched for the website advertising the deal.
As soon as the page loaded, a strange feeling settled in my stomach. Something about the website seemed wrong. Very wrong.
But I ignored it.
Right there on the screen was the phone at an unbelievable price. My fingers flew across the keyboard faster than ever as I entered all my details and rushed to checkout. But the moment I clicked the button, panic suddenly hit me.
I felt uneasy, almost as though someone was watching me.
Then it clicked.
The website wasn’t real.
Fear surged through my body as my mind filled with terrifying questions. What were they going to do with my personal information? Had I just been hacked? Was my account in danger?
My stomach dropped.
“Are you serious?”