Hacking Humans
Recent Episodes
Maria Varmazis, host of N2K's daily space show T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share the story of how the ease of registering an LLC in Colorado has led to a surge in fraudulent businesses. She discusses how residents receiving suspicious mail addressed to fake LLCs registered at their homes are overwhelming the state's Secretary of State with thousands of complaints. Joe's story is on how scammers used a seaside hotel and former bank offices on the Isle of Man to defraud victims in China out of millions of dollars. Dave's story follows a phishing campaign where attackers impersonated HR departments by sending fake mid-year employee engagement surveys to steal Microsoft Office 365 credentials. Our catch of the day comes from Mitch, who received a scam email claiming to be an invitation to join the "Great Illuminati Brotherhood." The email promises wealth, fame, and protection, urging the recipient to contact them to solve financial problems and join the so-called "Elite Family."
This week Joe and Dave share some listener follow up from Tim, who writes in to give some more information on a payment apps story in episode 302. Joe's story is on Suzy Enos, whose sister died, only for scammers to impersonate a family member and take over her phone number, leading to fraudulent charges on her accounts. Enos fought back to secure her late sister's assets and raise awareness about protecting accounts after a loved one's death. Dave's story follows how scammers exploit the "Automatic Billing Update" (ABU) program to enroll people in fake subscriptions and charge them even after their credit cards are replaced. To avoid this, you need to inform your issuer that it's a subscription scam and request them to block the merchant from using ABU to get your new card number. Our catch of the day comes from listener Felipe, who writes in share a letter he got in the mail where scammers were trying to convince him that he is owed money from a family member he has never heard of before.
How scammers weave deception into everyday life.
Maria Varmazis host of the N2K daily space show, T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share her story on how AI-generated scams have infiltrated the world of crochet and other crafts, selling fake patterns that often result in impossible or frustrating projects. Dave's story is on the rise of "digital arrest" scams in India, where criminals posing as law enforcement officers coerce victims into making payments to avoid fake charges against their loved ones. Joe's story come's from a listener this week, and follows the latest evolution of the classic invoice scam, where scammers are now embedding unrelated but meaningful text to bypass spam filters. Our catch of the day comes from listener William, who shares a classic Nigerian Banker Scam. In this version, a young bank employee named Zayas Yovani claims to have discovered your overdue funds at the Central Bank of Nigeria. He offers to release the money if you help him flee the country, requiring you to purchase special hard drives and share your banking details.
Navigating dark waters and deceptive currents.
Maria Varmazis host of the N2K daily space show, T-Minus, joins Dave and Joe to share her story from listener Chloe, who shared a post she found on a social media platformed called "Bluesky," where a company is asking for photos and videos of your children to help AI smarter. Our hosts share some listener follow up on how a scammer impersonated a government official to deceive a woman into converting her assets into gold bars, resulting in the theft of over $789,000. They also share some follow up from listener Steve to discuss the "No Numbers Project" from episode 300. Joe's story is on regulators investigating whether major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, are adequately addressing Zelle scams by shutting down accounts used by fraudsters. Dave has the story on the FTC warning that scammers are the only ones who promise to remove all negative details from your credit report. Our catch of the day come from listener Benjamin who shares an email they received claiming to know things about him that he would not want getting out.
Maria Varmazis host of the N2K daily space show, T-Minus, joins Dave to share her story on how recent research by security firm Veriti reveals a phishing campaign targeting Trump’s 2024 supporters, soliciting cryptocurrency donations through fake WinRed-branded domains, with limited transactions and some activity traced to China. Dave and Maria share some follow-up from a listener, including suggestions for protecting Dave's father's computer from phishing scams by using LibreWolf browser, UBlock Origin extension, and NextDNS, as well as a listener sharing insights on the pronunciation of "Ports-Muth." Dave's story follows how in June, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna was impersonated via deepfake technology in an attempted scam to deceive a Ferrari executive into signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement for a fictitious acquisition, but the ruse was detected and the company emerged unscathed. Dave also goes on to share news about his own home state Maryland and their gift card policy. Our catch of the day come from the scam subreddit and follows a text message where a scammer is trying to intimidate the recipient.
