Shownotes Transcript
Hey there, folks, it's Scotty here, and I'm about to dive into the wild world of scams and cyber hacks that have been making headlines lately. So, let's get straight to it!You know, just a few days ago, I was reading about the fastest-growing scams of 2024, and guess what? Fake parcel delivery texts, social media marketplace scams, and AI voice cloning are at the top of the list[1]. These scammers are getting smarter, using AI to make their scams sound more convincing. For instance, they might use AI to impersonate your friend or relative and ask for money, or even create deepfakes of celebrities to trick you into investing in a fake project[4].But here's the thing: law enforcement is catching up. Just recently, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested two individuals, Jirui Liu and Kush J. Patel, for their involvement in online scams targeting Rhode Island seniors[2]. These scammers were using elaborate schemes to defraud their victims, including one that involved a fake FTC agent telling a victim to freeze their assets. It's crazy stuff!And it's not just the U.S. that's cracking down on scammers. INTERPOL recently arrested eight individuals in Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria as part of a crackdown on phishing scams and romance cyber fraud[5]. These scammers were using QR codes to direct victims to fraudulent websites and impersonating customer service agents to further deceive them.So, what can you do to avoid these scams? First, be wary of any calls or texts that claim to be from a legitimate company, like Amazon. Scammers are spoofing phone numbers to make it look like it's Amazon calling, but it's not[3]. Always log in through the website or app to check your account, and don't trust what the caller tells you.Also, keep an eye out for Zelle scams. Scammers are using this peer-to-peer payment app to steal people's money by pretending to work for your bank or credit union's fraud department[4]. They'll claim that a thief was trying to steal your money through Zelle and ask you to send the money to yourself, but it'll actually go to their account.In short, folks, stay vigilant. Scammers are getting smarter, but with a little knowledge and caution, you can avoid their traps. So, stay safe out there, and remember: if it sounds too good (or bad) to be true, it probably is!That's it for today, folks. Stay tech-savvy, and I'll catch you on the flip side