Member-only story
Some time back, a sales manager became a victim of online vigilantism. He was on his way to trading-in his BMW 5 Series and had stopped by a gas station to fill just enough petrol to get him to the dealership.
In an unfortunate incident of miscommunications, the elderly pump attendant filled the car with $135 worth of petrol instead of the $10 the driver had asked for. His discussion with the cashier to pay for only what he had asked for, was overheard by a netizen who then promptly posted her understanding of the story online. As the elderly pump attendant had agreed to pay for the extra petrol (amounting to $125), Singaporeans were naturally riled up. Within hours, the story had gone viral and online CSIs were hard at work. It was not long before his name, his place of work and activities were laid bare for all to see.
What we can learn from this is that social media justice is swift and that it can be wrong. So what should you do if you are the victim of online vigilantism?
