EP01 Free Money · NETIZEN: The Backchannel

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NETIZEN: The Backchannel EP01 Free Money

Cover of NETIZEN: The Backchannel, Episode 1: Free Money.

Inside front cover. NETIZEN THE BACKCHANNEL EPISODE 1: FREE MONEY Four kids. One unnamed group. Someone added them. Nobody knows why. Season 1: WHO ADDED US Juni · Jawu · Bille · Sudde Created by Hamcodes netizen.hamcodes.com

A phone face-up on corridor floor tiles, screen glowing, words unreadable. Caption: Bille has dropped his phone exactly once in his life.

A crooked homemade paper badge lying face-down on the tiles beside the phone. Caption: This is the once.

High angle down a school corridor. Phone and badge small on the floor. Sound: bzz

Jawu hangs upside down off her bed, braids brushing the floor, phone held above her face. Caption: A few days earlier, Jawu was bored. Jawu: Please. Something happen.

Tall close-up, still upside down: Jawu's face as the phone buzzes. Sound: BZZT

Jawu flips upright far too fast, braids flying. Sound: THWAP

Phone insert, unnamed group chat. On screen: Juni, Bille, Sudde +1 Chat, jawu: who added me Chat, bille: not me Chat, sudde: same

Phone insert, the chat continues. Chat, juni: i didnt add anyone Chat, jawu: four strangers in one chat Chat, bille: excellent counting Chat, jawu: monday school gate

Close-up on Jawu. Jawu: Finally.

Monday morning. Four strangers at the school gate. Time: Monday, before the bell. Jawu: Right. Which one of you? Bille: Would I have turned up?

Swapping numbers face to face. Bille types his own contact into Sudde's phone. Bille: Saved as 'Bille, the real one'. Sudde: Why would there be a fake one? Bille: There's always a fake one, Sudde.

Big ensemble at the gate. Bille stands on the low wall wearing a crooked homemade paper badge, arms wide like a TV host. Bille: Welcome to SCAM OR NOT. Bille: I'm your host. Also the expert.

Corner inset: close on the badge. Marker lettering reads SCAM PROOF. On screen: SCAM PROOF Jawu: You made a badge? Bille: You need an expert.

Corner inset: Jawu's fingers flip the corner of the badge. It is cut from a sandwich wrapper. Jawu: It still says 'sandwich' on the back.

All four phones buzz at once. They lean in so fast their heads nearly collide. Sound: BZZZZT Bille: Ooh. A contestant.

Phone insert, an email. On screen: From: rewards@g4mezone-prizes.co 9:14 On screen: CONGRATULATIONS!! You have WON a $500 GameZone gift card!! On screen: Claim in 09:58 Bille (off): Contestant number one!

Juni, Sudde and Jawu raise blank score cards together, like judges. Each card gets a vector 0. Juni: Spelling. Zero. Sudde: Free money. Zero. Jawu: Countdown. Zero.

Close on Bille. Bille: Three tells in four seconds. I could do this all day.

Close on Jawu, arms folded. Jawu: You literally can't. You have maths.

Bille, mid-pose. Bille: ...After maths, then.

Juni glances at his watch, bag on his left shoulder. Juni: Ten minutes till the bell.

Bille has bounced back. His thumb taps the email's Claim button while he talks. Bille: Watch. I'll make it reveal itself. Jawu: Without giving it anything? Bille: Obviously. It gets a fake password.

Open strip above the frame, no border: Bille's grinning face lit blue by the phone, Jawu's narrowed eyes just behind his shoulder.

The big panel: the phone fills it. Confetti, then a perfect copy of their real chat app's sign-in. On screen: g4mezone-prizes.co/claim On screen: Connect your EXISTING CHAT ACCOUNT to check eligibility. On screen: Username / Password / [ SIGN IN ] Your...

Juni beside Bille, looking at the phone. Juni: Why would a prize need our chat? Bille: It doesn't. So it gets a fake one.

Jawu craning around Bille's shoulder at the address bar. Jawu: The address didn't change, though. Bille: Course not. It's a scam.

Bille typing fast with both thumbs while looking at Jawu, not at the screen. Bille: Fake name. Fake password. Watch it choke.

His thumb on SIGN IN. Username 'bille', password as dots. On screen: bille / ●●●●●●●● / [ SIGN IN ] Sound: tap. Bille: Done.

Silent. Bille's raised finger slowly curls.

Bille holding up the phone over a spinning loading circle. Jawu: Has it revealed itself? Bille: It's... thinking.

The registration bell. Tiny on Bille's screen: OFFER ENDED. Sound: BRRRING Juni: Close it anyway. Bille: Very uncooperative scam.

Tuesday. Sudde alone in a busy corridor, phone lighting up in his hand. Time: Tuesday.

Close: Sudde's thumb hovering over PAY $20 in a payment app. Screen text vector.

Split half: the thumb retreats. Sudde opens his contacts instead. On screen: Bille, the real one Sudde: First, the actual Bille.

Split half: Sudde with the phone at his ear. Sudde: Did you ask me for twenty? Bille (phone): No. Why?

Sudde, still on the call, looks at his screen as a new message pops in. Chat, bille: hurry up Sudde: You just messaged me again.

Bille on a bench outside a classroom, phone clamped between ear and shoulder, peeling an orange with both hands. Bille: I'm on the phone with you. Holding an orange.

Sudde arrives at the bench. Bille sets the orange down and takes the phone off his shoulder. Sudde: I haven't paid. Bille: I'm watching myself be annoying.

Phone insert: Bille's real chat app. On screen: New device signed in On screen: 14 messages sent from your account

Bille's face. Bille: That's my account.

The composition of page 1, panel 3. Bille stands up; the phone hits the tile and the badge peels off his jacket and lands beside it. Caption: And that's the once. Sound: KLAK

Bille close, one hand over his mouth. Bille: I said I'd make one up. Bille: I didn't. My thumbs typed the real one.

Jawu and Sudde. Jawu: Then they've got your real login. Sudde: And your voice.

Bille slides down the lockers to sit on the floor, the badge in his hands. The other three stand around him.

Bille tugs at the badge. It tears down the middle. Sound: RRIP

Bille stops pulling and looks up. Bille: Can someone stay while I sort this?

Three faces looking down at him. Sudde: Yes. Jawu: All of us.

Three hands reach for one screen at once. Juni gently pulls his own hand back first. Juni: One thumb at a time. Yours.

Jawu crouches beside Bille, showing him on her own phone: she swipes a message away, then taps an app icon. Jawu: When a message says sign in, I close it. Then I open the app myself.

Phone insert: the real app's security settings. On screen: New password set On screen: Signed out of other devices On screen: Two-step verification: ON On screen: Check recovery details > Bille (off): Not finished yet.

Phone insert: Bille's warning to his contacts, in his own voice. Chat, bille: that wasnt me asking for money dont send anything obviously Chat, sudde: obviously Chat, sudde: id still take the 20

Sudde shuts his wallet. Bille lets out a breath he has been holding. Sudde: Twenty still here. Bille: Thank you for checking. Bille: Mum's helping me check the rest tonight.

The bench, after school. Bille has taped the badge together, crossed out SCAM PROOF and written I CHECKED. On screen: I CHECKED Sudde: Needs two people. Bille: Apparently.

Bille's bedroom at night. He is asleep face-down on the bed, one boot still on: the mirror of Jawu on page 1. Time: 23:41.

Small inset: the phone on the desk, lit. Sound: bzz

Phone screen, readable. On screen: Juni, Jawu, Sudde +1 Chat, no name: good. now you know what he can do

A black panel. Silence. Next: Somebody walks into Juni's account wearing Juni's face.

What do you do next? WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT? I'D HAVE PICKED A. TWICE. 1. A message says your account needs you to sign in. A Tap Sign in, then check the address carefully. B Reply and ask if it's real. C Close it, then open the app or website yourself. 2....

A code on the screen you are holding cannot be scanned. Tap the button instead.

Play the game

Season page. NETIZEN THE BACKCHANNEL Season 1: WHO ADDED US Juni Jawu Bille Sudde Created by Hamcodes netizen.hamcodes.com

Single page Arrow keys turn the page

EP01 Free Money, as text

Every word in the episode, page by page. Image descriptions are in the comic itself.

Page 1

EP 01

SEASON 1

A HAMCODES COMIC

NETIZEN

NETIZEN

THE BACKCHANNEL

FREE MONEY

Created by Hamcodes

Page 2

NETIZEN

THE BACKCHANNEL

EPISODE 1: FREE MONEY

Four kids. One unnamed group.

Someone added them. Nobody knows why.

Season 1: WHO ADDED US

Juni · Jawu · Bille · Sudde

Created by Hamcodes

netizen.hamcodes.com

Page 3

Caption: Bille has dropped his phone exactly once in his life.

Caption: This is the once.

Sound: bzz

Caption: A few days earlier, Jawu was bored.

Jawu: Please. Something happen.

Sound: BZZT

Page 4

Sound: THWAP

On screen: Juni, Bille, Sudde +1

Chat, jawu: who added me

Chat, bille: not me

Chat, sudde: same

Chat, juni: i didnt add anyone

Chat, jawu: four strangers in one chat

Chat, bille: excellent counting

Chat, jawu: monday school gate

Jawu: Finally.

Time: Monday, before the bell.

Jawu: Right. Which one of you?

Bille: Would I have turned up?

Bille: Saved as 'Bille, the real one'.

Sudde: Why would there be a fake one?

Bille: There's always a fake one, Sudde.

Page 5

Bille: Welcome to SCAM OR NOT.

Bille: I'm your host. Also the expert.

On screen: SCAM PROOF

Jawu: You made a badge?

Bille: You need an expert.

Jawu: It still says 'sandwich' on the back.

Sound: BZZZZT

Bille: Ooh. A contestant.

On screen: From: rewards@g4mezone-prizes.co 9:14

On screen: CONGRATULATIONS!! You have WON a $500 GameZone gift card!!

On screen: Claim in 09:58

Bille (off): Contestant number one!

Juni: Spelling. Zero.

Sudde: Free money. Zero.

Jawu: Countdown. Zero.

Page 6

Bille: Three tells in four seconds. I could do this all day.

Jawu: You literally can't. You have maths.

Bille: ...After maths, then.

Juni: Ten minutes till the bell.

Bille: Watch. I'll make it reveal itself.

Jawu: Without giving it anything?

Bille: Obviously. It gets a fake password.

Page 7

On screen: g4mezone-prizes.co/claim

On screen: Connect your EXISTING CHAT ACCOUNT to check eligibility.

On screen: Username / Password / [ SIGN IN ]

Your call: Would you type your password here?

On screen: YOUR CALL

Page 8

Juni: Why would a prize need our chat?

Bille: It doesn't. So it gets a fake one.

Jawu: The address didn't change, though.

Bille: Course not. It's a scam.

Bille: Fake name. Fake password. Watch it choke.

On screen: bille / ●●●●●●●● / [ SIGN IN ]

Sound: tap.

Bille: Done.

Jawu: Has it revealed itself?

Bille: It's... thinking.

Sound: BRRRING

Juni: Close it anyway.

Bille: Very uncooperative scam.

Page 9

Time: Tuesday.

On screen: bille

Chat, bille: need 20 for a game gift card now

Chat, bille: obviously ill pay you back

Chat, bille: dont make it a thing

On screen: Bille, the real one

Sudde: First, the actual Bille.

Sudde: Did you ask me for twenty?

Bille (phone): No. Why?

Chat, bille: hurry up

Sudde: You just messaged me again.

Bille: I'm on the phone with you. Holding an orange.

Page 10

Sudde: I haven't paid.

Bille: I'm watching myself be annoying.

On screen: New device signed in

On screen: 14 messages sent from your account

Bille: That's my account.

Caption: And that's the once.

Sound: KLAK

Bille: I said I'd make one up.

Bille: I didn't. My thumbs typed the real one.

Jawu: Then they've got your real login.

Sudde: And your voice.

Page 11

Sound: RRIP

Bille: Can someone stay while I sort this?

Sudde: Yes.

Jawu: All of us.

Juni: One thumb at a time. Yours.

Jawu: When a message says sign in, I close it. Then I open the app myself.

Page 12

On screen: New password set

On screen: Signed out of other devices

On screen: Two-step verification: ON

On screen: Check recovery details >

Bille (off): Not finished yet.

Chat, bille: that wasnt me asking for money dont send anything obviously

Chat, sudde: obviously

Chat, sudde: id still take the 20

Sudde: Twenty still here.

Bille: Thank you for checking.

Bille: Mum's helping me check the rest tonight.

On screen: I CHECKED

Sudde: Needs two people.

Bille: Apparently.

Page 13

Time: 23:41.

Sound: bzz

On screen: Juni, Jawu, Sudde +1

Chat, no name: good. now you know what he can do

Next: Somebody walks into Juni's account wearing Juni's face.

Page 14

WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?

I'D HAVE PICKED A.

TWICE.

1. A message says your account needs you to sign in.

A

Tap Sign in, then check the address carefully.

B

Reply and ask if it's real.

C

Close it, then open the app or website yourself.

2. Your friend's account asks you for money.

A

Pay. It's their account.

B

Ask them in the same chat.

C

Check with them on a number or in person, the way you already know.

Play it: scan the QR or visit

QR from foundation

Show answers

Both answers are C. A fake page can copy a real sign-in, address bar and all, closely enough to fool you at a glance. You

don't have to win spot-the-difference: go around the message. A chat that asks for money can't vouch for itself.

Already typed your password in? Open the real app yourself, change the password, sign out of other devices, turn on

two-step verification, check your recovery details, tell people yourself, and ask an adult you trust to help. Two kinds of

code: a gift card code buys things. A login code opens your account. Never send a login code to anyone.

netizen.hamcodes.com/play/#/phishing

Page 15

NETIZEN

THE BACKCHANNEL

Season 1: WHO ADDED US

Juni

Jawu

Bille

Sudde

Created by Hamcodes

netizen.hamcodes.com

Page 16

NETIZEN

THE BACKCHANNEL

Four kids. One unnamed group.

Someone added them. Nobody knows why.

EPISODE 1: FREE MONEY

Season 1: WHO ADDED US

netizen.hamcodes.com

Created by Hamcodes

Created by Hamcodes

End of EP01

That was Free Money.

Now play the game about phishing. It takes about five minutes, and you make the calls.

Play the game Next episode: EP02 Borrowed

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