I Build Ads. I Still Clicked the Scam

So here we are, five years after that night when I was this close to getting scammed, and my husband, my hero, saved me. That story brings us to today. I had to travel to Canada. Like every night before a trip, I had trouble sleeping: a little time on my phone, a little time trying to sleep, then back on my phone. I fell asleep around 1 a.m. and woke up at 6:45. My flight was at 9:30, no checked bag, and I live forty-five minutes from the airport by train. But that morning, I wanted to make my kids’ breakfast and say goodbye. At 7:15, my husband told me to leave. I told him, “It’s fine. I’ll be there by 8:10.” At check-in, the agent typed my passport number, frowned, typed it again, and delivered the news: I didn’t have an eTA. So, standing at the counter, I searched online and clicked the first result. I’m a seasoned professional. Ten years in adtech. I know how search ads work. I build them. And still, I clicked. It had a maple leaf. It had a coat of arms. It had a very official shade of red. It also had an “Express” option for $169, and I thought, Canada must really value my time. I paid. My plane, however, did not wait to see how the story ended.