Épisodes

  • Scam Alert: Protect Your Digital Wallet from the Latest Fraud Schemes

    Scam Alert: Protect Your Digital Wallet from the Latest Fraud Schemes
    Sep 15 2025
    Scotty here, and wow, scam news has been exploding lately—let’s dive right in because your digital wallet can’t afford to snooze.

    Just this week, Hingham Police in Massachusetts put out a major warning after an 89-year-old woman lost $19,000 when some scammer masquerading as her bank reeled her in. The playbook was classic: an official-looking email, a fake alert about account activity, and a phone number that patched straight to the scammer. Our scammer kept her on the line, coached her through withdrawing piles of cash from two banks, and even sent a courier to pick up the loot at her home. If you ever get told to withdraw money and hand it off for “safekeeping,” slap on your scam-o-meter and call your real bank, not the number in the email.

    Meanwhile, in the Philippines, authorities just nabbed two Israelis and seven Filipinos who were running a shady forex trading ring right out of an Angeles City apartment. These folks lured high-income victims from Canada and Australia with fake mentorship in forex trading, then sent malware-ridden links to hijack accounts. Local TV caught them on camera during raids, and this crew kept pivoting targets, even pretending to be regulators after the first scammed payout, so beware of anyone who sends you surprise links while wearing a digital “I’m here to help” badge.

    Let’s swing down under for another update. Today in Batemans Bay, Australia, a man faced court over a phishing operation aimed at mobile customers—texting warnings about service restrictions, complete with a poisoned link sure to snatch up your personal credentials. Police say they found loads of stolen identities on his seized devices, plus phones stashed in the weirdest places, like in-ground drainpipes. The Australian Federal Police pointed out that, in just the first half of 2025, scam losses topped $174 million nationwide. If you’re in Oz, don’t trust texts threatening disruption or asking for urgent “verification”—go straight to your provider.

    On the internet-front, fake events are taking over social media like it’s the Wild West. In Australia, multiple bogus sky lantern festivals—think “AU Skylight Event” and “Lantern Fest Australia”—sold tickets online for events that never existed. Consumer Protection WA says these sites look slick, but the tell is in the details—fake addresses, weird spelling (“Sidney,” not “Sydney”), and tickets for sale up to the last second. If the only way to get in is to hand over credit card info and the location is hush-hush until 48 hours before, abandon ship.

    Even phishing is getting a new spin. Fox News Tech reports scammers are now using super-emotional fake Evite invitations, with events like “Celebration of Life,” to lure you into clicking malicious links. The emails look exactly like an Evite, so don’t drop your guard—always double-check sender addresses and never click on mystery invitations, no matter how heartfelt they look.

    The big lesson: If someone is rushing you, wants your personal info before you’ve met, or directs you off-site—stop and verify. For job seekers, Carleton University’s career services remind you to never send personal data up front and scrutinize every offer for sloppy grammar, urgency, or too-sweet-to-be-true promises.

    Thanks for geeking out with Scotty—remember, in the world of scams, paranoia is just another word for “prepared.” Subscribe if you want to stay scam-free. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    4 min
  • Cyber Sleuth Exposes Latest Scam Tactics Targeting Unsuspecting Victims

    Cyber Sleuth Exposes Latest Scam Tactics Targeting Unsuspecting Victims
    Sep 10 2025
    Hello listeners, Scotty here—your friendly cyber sleuth and seasoned scam spotter—bringing you the latest from Scamlandia, where the bytes are sharp and the bad guys are persistent. Buckle up, because this past week the Internet’s been buzzing louder than a hive at noon, and not just because of password updates.

    Let’s jump right in—headlines have been dominated by the so-called “phantom hacker” scam that’s fooling people everywhere but especially targeting folks over sixty. The FBI’s had to issue a brand new warning because these con artists have gone high-tech. First, they hit you with a pop-up—looks urgent, claims your computer virus is worse than your Aunt Linda’s potato salad. Next thing you know, “tech support” calls, sounding super legit and incredibly polite, and before you can say “Ctrl+Alt+Delete,” they’ve wormed their way into your device. But wait, it escalates! You get a follow-up from someone claiming to be your bank, then—just to sprinkle that extra fraud flavor—a “government official” rounds out the attack, all pushing you to move your life savings to a “safe” account. According to Schneider Downs, this scam has rung up nearly a billion dollars in losses since 2024, and it’s not slowing down.

    But there’s more brewing. Just last week, Paul Regan, CEO of Next Level and Yield Wealth, got himself cuffed for allegedly running a classic Ponzi scheme. He promised investors double-digit returns trading Colombian metals and, in healthcare, lots of “fully insured” profits. Spoiler alert: according to the Wall Street Journal and U.S. authorities, Regan just shuffled money from new folks to pay the old, and when questions got hard, he ghosted everyone. The feds say millions went missing and normal families got scorched.

    Speaking of schemes that target your emotions, in Philadelphia, scammers are calling Chinese students pretending to be police, threatening arrests and demanding wire transfers or crypto payments. College campuses, like Drexel and UPenn, are warning students—if someone says you broke a law back in Chengdu and you just need to pay up real quick to make it go away, hang up and call the FBI yourself. These campaigns are engineered to isolate you and keep you from talking to friends or family.

    Meanwhile, don’t forget the classics. Phishing emails and smishing texts are still everywhere, but now they’re bolstered with AI that can mimic your actual boss’s writing style. Business folks, especially, should be wary of quishing, too—those sneaky QR codes that can launch lookalike sites built to poach your login.

    Here’s how you dodge these data devils: Never pay anyone you don’t know with crypto ATMs, gift cards, or cash handed over while you’re on the phone with “support.” Always hang up and call your real institution’s number, not the one from a pop-up or a text. Set up two-factor authentication, keep your online presence slim—what you wouldn’t tell a stranger in line at CVS, don’t announce to your ex’s cousin on Facebook. And if you get that gut feeling something’s off, get a second opinion—a scam can’t survive the light.

    Thanks for tuning in—and don’t forget to subscribe for your weekly upgrade in scam avoidance. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    3 min
  • Phishing Scams Surge: $12 Million Lost in August Alone

    Phishing Scams Surge: $12 Million Lost in August Alone
    Sep 8 2025
    Hey listeners, Scotty here—your cyber-savvy companion who’s more fun than a password manager with a dad joke plugin. The digital underworld’s been busy, and over the past few days the scam scene has taken a turn for the truly wild. So, let’s jack in—because today we’re talking real numbers, real people, and real crooks you don’t want in your DMs.

    The biggest headline: Phishing scams just hit a jaw-dropping $12 million in losses for August, and that’s not cumulative—that’s just the month. ScamSniffer, a major Web3 watchdog, called it the worst phishing surge of 2025, with over 15,000 victims this month alone. What’s wild is that nearly half the money was sucked out of accounts belonging to only three “whales.” According to their report, the tools of choice are no longer simple emails; they’re now exploiting Ethereum’s latest protocol, EIP-7702. This upgrade, designed to make crypto wallets more flexible after the Pectra upgrade, turned out to be a gold mine for scammers. Imagine sending a transaction you believe is routine, but in reality, your digital wallet is being drained clean. That happened on August 6: one unlucky user lost $3.08 million in a single batch transaction, basically because scammers convinced him to sign a malicious contract. Another got hit for $1.5 million using a similar batch signature scam—EIP-7702 is making those batch cons look way too legit.

    Now, not all scams need a blockchain degree to run. This week in Florida, detectives arrested Cory Woodall, who played a key role laundering the proceeds of a romance scam—totaling $60,000. Here’s the twist: the victim, Carol West, even got to confront Woodall in person after being duped by crooks posing as Army General Paul Lacamera on Facebook. Classic playbook—fake profile, fake crisis, real-life heartbreak, and a brand new Hyundai Kona for Mr. Woodall, bought with the victim’s cash.

    Meanwhile, the bad guys are hitting everywhere. The American Bankers Association just revealed scammers are spoofing caller IDs to look like legit banks, fishing for your first eight digits and pressing you for the rest. Kelsey Havemann almost fell for it—until she hung up and called her real bank. Folks, call spoofing is now so convincing your phone says “Bank” and it’s a crook. Rule of thumb: never give info over the phone if someone calls you first—hang up, dial your bank’s legit number, and only then talk.

    Cryptoscams are going strong, especially with aggressive requests for fines or investments paid in Bitcoin or gift cards. The Ohio Department of Aging warns that these tactics are fleecing older people at alarming rates—over 16,000 cases of financial exploitation just in the last year. If anyone ever asks for payment in crypto, gift cards, or wants you to “act immediately,” red flag—slam the brakes.

    And don’t let the side hustle offers online fool you. The BBB of Michigan is flagging stacks of fake job listings and freelance gigs—if someone wants you to get paid outside a legit platform, or overpays and asks for money back, it’s a scam with your name on it.

    Let me land it with the Scotty Security Checklist: Don’t click on links from strangers. Don’t send cash or crypto to online only “friends.” Don’t trust caller ID. Double-check every too-good-to-be-true offer. And if your online romance feels like a Netflix miniseries, chance are it’s a work of (criminal) fiction.

    Thanks for tuning in—subscribe and stay safer than your neighbor’s unpatched router. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    4 min
  • Cybercrime Surge: Hackers Exploit Crypto and Scams Across the Globe in September

    Cybercrime Surge: Hackers Exploit Crypto and Scams Across the Globe in September
    Sep 7 2025
    Hey folks, Scotty here—and if you thought internet scams were slowing down, let me assure you: September’s been a hacker’s playground. Let’s dive in fast—because the tech crooks don’t wait and neither do I.

    First, the crypto world just took an absolute beating. In August alone, phishing scams siphoned off more than $12 million and hit over 15,000 victims, a record high for the year according to ScamSniffer and TradingView. That’s a huge jump—nearly 67% up from July—and; for those keeping score, a single user lost a gut-wrenching $3 million after signing one dodgy transaction. Most of these attacks rode on the back of EIP-7702 signature scams, where hackers exploited Ethereum’s batch signature capabilities. Three major incidents accounted for nearly half the losses, with the scammers luring victims into signing away access to their crypto wallets via malicious transactions. Imagine clicking a link because it “feels official”—next thing you know, you’re watching your wallet get drained.

    Let’s switch gears to scams that hit a little closer to home—literally. In Florida, the Coconut Creek Police had to warn locals after a woman got tricked by Bitcoin scammers impersonating Coinbase. She got a convincingly urgent text about her password being changed and, following their instructions, these social engineering maestros walked away with control of her account. All it took was a fake sense of urgency.

    Don’t think you’re safe just because you don’t dabble in crypto. Old school scams are thriving with new tricks. Ever get a call about missing jury duty, demanding you pay up to avoid jail? Well, now scammers are sending links to phony “government” sites to swindle birthdates, Social Security numbers, and card info—all under the guise of the county clerk. KFIZ recently reported how these fakes even tell folks to pay at “government cryptocurrency kiosks,” which, surprise, only send your cash to cyber crooks.

    Internationally, digital arrest scams are spreading in India, with scammers pushing video calls to look official and demanding fines for fabricated offenses like tax evasion. Scamicide just put spotlight again on the relentless Mavis Wanczyk Powerball winner scam. Eight years later, new variants of this so-called “cash grant” lure are hitting inboxes and social media, promising free money for just a little personal info. Don’t bite.

    Wherever you are, here’s the golden rule: If someone is urgent, asks for sensitive info, or only wants payment through crypto, gift cards, or wire transfer—step away! Check URLs for typos, only use official channels, and bookmark your wallets and banks. And for my fellow crypto nerds, never give out your seed phrase, double-check those transaction addresses, and enable two-factor authentication.

    Thanks for tuning in and geeking out with me, Scotty. Subscribe for more scam-spotting, tech goodness, and keep your accounts locked down. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    3 min
  • Beware the Phantom Hacker: Outsmart Scammers Targeting Your Finances

    Beware the Phantom Hacker: Outsmart Scammers Targeting Your Finances
    Sep 5 2025
    Scotty here, and I’ve got a digital bag of fresh scams that have hit the headlines harder than a denial-of-service attack on free pizza day. Let’s jump right in—because the bad guys never seem to sleep, and neither should your skepticism.

    Start with the Phantom Hacker scam: the FBI just raised the red flag on this nastiness. Here’s how it plays out: fraudsters pretend to be tech support, your bank, or even government officials. They hit you up, often out of the blue, claiming your money is in danger. Their big trick? They demand you let them remotely access your computer or pressure you into transferring money to a “safe” account—which is, in reality, their getaway car disguised as a savings account. If anyone online asks for remote access, login details, or wants you to move money immediately, your best move is to hang up, shut down, and walk away. No legit bank, no matter how fancy, will ever require this.

    On the heels of that, TransUnion just confirmed a breach that exposed data on 4.4 million folks; if your info got snagged, cybercrooks have the basics for identity theft — names, birth dates, Social Security numbers. This is prime targeting material for follow-on phishing or loan fraud. My advice? Check your credit report, slap a fraud alert or credit freeze in place, and if anything weird pops up—mail, calls, that sort of thing—trust your gut and investigate.

    Let’s talk specific crooks: Jonathan and Paula Sanchez were arrested in Miami-Dade for selling $70,000 worth of fake luxury watches. The scam unraveled when a victim’s “Rolex” turned into a “leak-lex”—water poured right in. Remember: even high-end stores get spoofed, so always get your bling authenticated if you didn’t buy it direct from the brand.

    Now meet Ariel Burden, a Georgia woman who pled guilty to a law enforcement spoofing scam that drained $28,000 from victims in Missouri and Kansas. Her crew called people pretending to be with the actual police, claimed bogus warrants, and threatened arrest unless the target handed over “bond” to a fake bondswoman—Burden herself, under an alias. She even issued receipts—total theater. If you ever get a call demanding immediate payment to avoid jail or asking for gift cards or cryptocurrency, it’s a scam. Real police don’t do business over the phone.

    Watch for fresh tactics online, too: pop-ups faking social security authorities, spoofed job recruiters using urgent language and too-good-to-be-true offers, and, for seniors, AI-powered “grandchild” scams using voice cloning. For Gen Z, scams often start in social DMs; for boomers, it’s phone calls or emails.

    The solution? Slow down, double-check, and never give out personal info or cash on demand. Set up bank alerts, use strong passwords with two-factor authentication, and if you sense something’s off, call someone you trust or the business directly—not the number in the message.

    Thanks for tuning in, don’t forget to subscribe, and stay scam savvy. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    3 min
  • Unmasking the Web's Tricksters: A Cybersecurity Watchdog's Guide to Avoiding Scams

    Unmasking the Web's Tricksters: A Cybersecurity Watchdog's Guide to Avoiding Scams
    Sep 3 2025
    It’s Scotty here, your virtual scam-busting sidekick reporting straight from the wild world of internet fraud—where every click can be a risk, every email a trap. Buckle up, listeners; it’s time for the latest circus of cyber trickery.

    Let’s start with something fresh out of the news: a PayPal phishing scam that’s got more polish than a Silicon Valley startup, but about as much ethical fiber as a wet noodle. According to Cybernews and the researchers at Malwarebytes, scammers are spoofing PayPal’s own email addresses, pretending you need to set up your account profile after a suspicious $900-plus charge reportedly placed at Kraken.com, a legit crypto trading platform. Of course, the link’s set to vanish in 24 hours, and the urgency is all part of their attention-grabbing playbook. The phone number listed in these emails? Known to scam trackers and the Better Business Bureau as bogus. Bottom line: if PayPal wants to talk to you, they’ll address you by your real name, not “Dear Customer” or “Receipt43535e” as these crooks do.

    Meanwhile, over in Mobile, Alabama, we’ve got a real-life drama courtesy of the USPS Inspector General. Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, a former postal employee, just got slammed with federal prison time for a multimillion-dollar counterfeit check fraud scheme. Lewis and her accomplice Brian Williams III stole over $17 million by lifting business checks from PO boxes, altering them, and flipping them on Telegram. Williams was nabbed at a gas station with $10,000 in cash, drugs, and a bundle of hot checks—true crime meets digital hustle.

    Baltimore’s still feeling the sting from a business email compromise scam that drained over $1.5 million from city coffers. According to breach reports, an attacker posed as a contractor, snaked into Workday via email, and got the bank account details switched. Baltimore’s team missed key verification steps, proving once again that a little due diligence goes a long way.

    Romance scams haven’t gone anywhere either—Scamicide just highlighted some poor soul who got swindled by a scammer pretending to be a General Hospital star, a fierce reminder to double-check those sob stories and never wire cash for love.

    The new frontier in scams? AI-generated messages and deepfakes. Tools like FraudGPT let crooks churn out realistic text and audio at scale. According to Norton, if a request comes in hot and fast, or a video caller seems eerily robotic or off-kilter, triple-check before you respond. Sometimes the scam is hiding in tone, cadence, or even weird background details.

    How do you avoid getting caught? According to Tesaaworld’s top tips for 2025, use two-factor authentication, only enter sensitive info on HTTPS sites, and steer clear of suspicious links—especially in those “urgent” messages. Monitor your bank accounts, rock complex passwords, and yes, update your software.

    Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and subscribe for updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    4 min
  • Beware the Evolving Scam Landscape: Safeguard Yourself in 2025

    Beware the Evolving Scam Landscape: Safeguard Yourself in 2025
    Sep 1 2025
    Scotty here, your favorite scam spotter and cyber sleuth, fresh off the crazy newswire for September 1st, 2025. Forget about dull warnings—if you’re living in 2025, scams aren’t just taking place in your inbox, they’re blowing up on your social feed, calling your grandma, and—get this—impersonating your CEO’s face on a video call.

    Let’s cut right to the action. In Singapore, a big-time scam went down this weekend. A 44-year-old Malaysian man got himself arrested after trying to cash a $180,000 cheque at a UOB branch. The twist? He was part of a syndicate pulling a government official impersonation scam. A 65-year-old woman followed instructions from someone claiming to be from the Ministry of Law, transferring $40,000 and handing over pre-signed blank checks. Sharp UOB bank staff and the local Anti-Scam Command shut it down fast. You gotta love a win for the vigilant. But the lesson? Never trust someone who asks you to move money—especially if they say it’s for “investigation purposes.” Real officials don’t do business like that.

    Not just bank scams—Harrisonburg, Virginia’s police just warned their community about fraudsters posing as law enforcement, threatening arrest for missed jury duty and demanding payments. Harrisonburg Police make it clear: legit officers will never demand money or bank info over the phone. If you get a call like that, hang up before the fake cop finishes their bad act.

    Now, the hottest scam tech isn’t even human. The Federal Trade Commission says social media is crawling with fake brand-name sales—deals so “exclusive” and discounted you could outfit a small nation. These ads suck you in with pro-looking storefronts and then disappear with your cash, or, scarier, with your identity. If you see a pair of AirPods for eight bucks…time to hit pause and do a little scam detective work.

    Let’s talk trending: AI is making scammers Hollywood-level bad guys. Deepfake videos and voice cloning are exploding. 2025’s stats? Moonlock reports a 148% jump in AI impersonation this year. Hong Kong got robbed of $25 million by a deepfake CFO! The new playbook is simple: clone a person’s voice or face, sprinkle in personalized context from your socials, and trick even smart folks into transferring cash or sharing credentials. Want to stay safe? The mantra is “Pause and verify.” Hang up if something feels off and call back on a number you trust. And multi-factor authentication isn’t just smart, it's essential—don't skip it.

    If you get burned, report fast. Contact your bank, reset your passwords, and reach out to Action Fraud, Citizens Advice, or the FTC. Oh, and scam guilt? Ditch it. Scammers are disturbingly clever, and anyone can get caught.

    For all my listeners, keep your cyber senses sharp and your MFAs activated. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    3 min
  • Unmasking Cyber Scams: Expert Insights to Safeguard Your Financial Future

    Unmasking Cyber Scams: Expert Insights to Safeguard Your Financial Future
    Aug 31 2025
    Listeners, it’s Scotty here, your go-to cyber sleuth with the sharpest radar for scams—because if it blinks, pings, or dings, I’m skeptical until proven safe. So let's dive headfirst into what's been lighting up the scammer scene in the past few days.

    Fresh out of a Netflix-worthy bust, a massive international fraud ring targeting seniors bit the dust, with 28 members carted off from California to Michigan. Get this: the ring, reportedly run by a Chinese syndicate and turbocharged by an Indian call center, stole around $65 million. Their tactics? Classic tricks like pretending to be tech support, bank reps, or even government officials. One elderly victim in San Diego—a 97-year-old widow—was drained of her lifelong savings. The twist: YouTubers Ashton Bingham, Art Kulik of Trilogy Media, and Pierogi from Scammer Payback went full undercover, baited the scammers, and even delivered the “cash” in person—leading to the arrest of Zhiyi Zhang, who’d been laundering the loot through Airbnb-like rentals in San Francisco. Justice and YouTube clout, all in one swipe.

    Meanwhile, over in Singapore, police nabbed a 44-year-old Malaysian man for playing bagman in a government impersonation scam that cost a retiree over $40,000 and nearly $180,000 in total. The scam involved conning victims into believing they’d been implicated in money laundering, then convincing them to move all their funds “for investigation purposes”—a classic ploy. The trend is surging: government official impersonation scams tripled in Singapore this year. If you’re ever asked to transfer money to “clear your name” or for “verification,” just hang up and call the real agency on their official line.

    Digital arrest scams are still hot, especially in India after police caught a woman running fake digital police arrests from Cambodia, posing as law enforcement to extort cash. Victims would get a terrifying call accusing them of a crime, be “digitally arrested” over video chat, then pressured to pay up to “release” themselves. 16 suspects down so far, but this con is relentless.

    Phishing is always trending. Fox News Tech alerts that scammers now mimic DocuSign emails, with fake Apple Pay receipts and urgent phone numbers. Don’t ever call those numbers or click suspicious links—even if the email looks like it’s from Apple or Netflix. Scammers want your credentials or to trick you into downloading ransom-grade software.

    The FTC reports a quadruple increase in scammers fleecing older adults by pretending to be from trusted banks, Amazon, or even government agencies. The goal? To con you into “saving” your money by moving it right into their pockets, sometimes by getting victims to deposit cash into Bitcoin ATMs or even hand gold to couriers. Real banks and agencies will never, ever ask you to do that.

    Here’s the lowdown: never give remote access unless you initiated the support call. Never move, wire, or hand over money to anyone based on an unsolicited scare call. Always check sender details and never ever trust a “help” phone number in an unexpected email. Multi-factor authentication, strong password hygiene, and good old skepticism are still your best defense. And for business owners—verify every invoice and never process payments based on new banking details sent via email without a confirmation call.

    Thanks for tuning in to the Scam Sleuth files—subscribe for more expert updates and keep your wits sharp. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    4 min