How Hacks Happen

A new bank regulation in the United Kingdom promises refunds to customers who are victims of fraud through bank transfers. We'll likely see the same regulations in other countries soon, and it will likely lead to banks getting up in our business about who we transfer money to, so they won't be on the hook for fraud. Is this a good thing? Let's discuss. Resources Groundbreaking new p...

Pump and dump, rug pull... what do these terms mean? Host Michele Bousquet explains how scammy cryptocurrency schemes work, how they relate to illegal practices in the stock market, and how you can spot them so you don't fall for them. Resources A Brief History of the Stock Market and Stock Exchanges Investopedia: Forces That Move Stock Prices SEC: Pump and Dump Schemes Investopedia: What are...

Is any telemarketing actual real anymore? Here we delve into the history of telemarketing, and how it was always a little scammy, even before the era of endless scam phone calls. Resources Time Life Published Book Series MCI Long-Distance Overcharges Consumer Alert: Telemarketing Scams Send us Fan Mail Support the show

It's not about pork, it's about stealing your money. Pig Butchering is a devastating scam, a long con that fools people into forking over their life savings for a bogus investment. Pig Butchering takes thousands of people every year for billions of dollars, most of it from the elderly. Find out what Pig Butchering is, how to spot it when it comes your way, and how to keep your friends an...

Why does ChatGPT lie? It's a great tool for research, but sometimes "hallucinates" its answers. By that I mean, it tells outright lies. Find out how to spot when ChatGPT is being a fool, and how to avoid getting duped by its responses. Resources: Here’s What Happens When Your Lawyer Uses ChatGPT Disciplinary judge approves lawyer's suspension for using ChatGPT to generate fake...

You’ve probably seen content generated by AI (artificial intelligence) because it’s all around us: on the internet, in advertising, and worst of all, in your DMs. Come on down for a wild ride through the world of AI-generated images, and how scammers are taking advantage of the technology to run their schemes. Resources: Families Scammed by AI Images That Promised Willy Wonka-Style Event Artists C...

"You can get rich like me. Just buy my course to learn how!" Don't fall for it. Social media has made it a lot easier for scammers to sell you on a dream. Maybe they were early to the game and lucky to make a few bucks, but the opportunity (if it ever existed) is long gone. Early and Lucky is the name of the game. Find out what it is, how to play it, and how not to lose your shirt o...

If you've seen The Imitation Game you've heard of the Enigma, the cryptographic machine used by the German military in WWII. Everything about the Enigma--how it was used, how it was solved--is echoed in the cryptographic methods we used in the past, today, and in the future. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

On July 19, the CrowdStrike outage was all over the news. But what was it really about, and what does it have to do with all of us? While the outage was repaired quickly, the fact that it affected so many systems we depend on is a wakeup call reminiscent of crippling cybersecurity attacks. In this episode, we look at what happened, how it relates to other outages including targeted cybersecurity a...

Your smart phone keeps busy, even when you're not on it. Apps are constantly downloading data – thumbnails, ad content, new posts – at a surprising frequency, even when you're not actively using the app. These downloads can lead to your download data making it look like you're using your phone when you're not.  In this episode, I pull a story from my days in mobile forensics to...

In response to the San Bernardino shooting in 2015, the FBI demanded that Apple, Inc. create a "back door" to bypass the shooter's iPhone security, a back door that could also compromise any iPhone, anytime. Thankfully, Apple CEO Tim Cook wasn't playing. But this isn't the first time government and law enforcement has tried to stick their noses into our business without pe...

Buzzwords are the language of business and marketing. But do they really live up to the hype? Find out how phrases like "end-to-end encryption" and "blockchain" are used to hype up a service that might not be what it seems. Join me on a journey through the world of buzzwords in cybersecurity marketing. Resources: Hackers steal nearly $10 million from Axie Infinity co-founder’s...

Have you gotten a dream job offer through WhatsApp, Facebook, or some other suspicious source? It's probably a scam. Let's look at how job scams work, and how you can spot them. Report job scams in the USA to the Federal Trade Commission . Send us Fan Mail Support the show

Does your phone serve you content based on your conversations? It depends.  This is the third episode in a three-part series on social media. Here we talk about what your apps or services might be listening to, and what you can do about it. Resources: Does Your Phone Listen to You for Ads? (Yes, Here’s How) This Company Might Be Listening to Everything You Watch on TV That Game on Your Phone May B...

What's your favorite Beatles song? Where did you get married? What's your dog's name? Whenever you answer a question on a random person's or company's post, you're giving up information to exploit you. See what social media sites collect about you Send us Fan Mail Support the show

How do you find out what social media platforms know about you? Bet you didn't know you can grab your data anytime, all of it. In this episode, we talk about how to get all your data from a social media platform so you can see what they've stored. Get your data from Facebook Get your data from Instagram Get your data from LinkedIn Get your data from Snapchat Get all your Google emails, p...

What is an NFT, and why would anyone want to buy one?  There are lots of reasons why someone might buy a certified JPG or other NFT, but there's no guarantee your NFT will increase in value or even retain the value you paid for it. In this episode, host Michele Bousquet talks about different kinds of NFTs on the market, how they compare to physical art items, and how fraudsters have found a r...

The story of Silk Road, the underground website where you could buy and sell anything, is now part of internet lore. Customers could order everything from pot to meth and have it delivered to their door. Then came fake IDs, unregistered guns, poisons, and murder-for-hire. But wherever there's illegal activity and lots of money, violence isn't far behind. This episode takes you on a very...

Well, it finally happened: I got scammed! I bought a high-end projector at a price that was too good to be true, because it wasn't true. Don't fall for the White Van scam! White van speaker scam on Wikipedia The Art and Math of Cryptography at Amazon.com Send us Fan Mail Support the show

In October 21, 2021, Josh Renaud, a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, privately alerted a government authority that their website had vulnerabilities. In response, the governor of Missouri, Michael L. Parson, brought charges against the journalist for "hacking." This story would be hilarious if it wasn't true. Update: In July 2022, Josh Renaud was awarded The Natio...

You get an email telling you you've been billed for a product you never ordered, and when you call for a refund, you somehow you get an excess refund and have to send back the difference. Find out how scammers manipulate people into sending them "excess refund money" from a nonexistent refund, and what you can do to keep it from happening to others. Shout-out to YouTuber Kitboga for...

What is Tor? In this episode, we demystify the Tor browser and how it relates to the Surface Web, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web. Maybe you want to use Tor, and maybe you don't. But in any case you'll know what it is, and will be able to decide if it's right for you. Download the Tor browser at the official site A great read about the dark web at Wired.com Get the T-shirt! Fly your...

What we can we learn about hacks, scams, and fraud from TV shows and movies? Plenty, as it turns out. Fictional shows, documentaries, podcasts, and other types of entertainment are a treasure trove of knowledge. Don't discount the education you can get about scams, con games, legal proceedings, police procedure, and other aspects of safety, all while being thoroughly entertained. Send us Fan...

The Tinder Swindler is a fascinating Netflix documentary about a serial  romance scammer who took each of his "girlfriends" for more than $100,000 each. In this episode,  we look at what we can learn from The Tinder Swindler, going beyond the easy "blame the victim" mentality to show how effective such scams can be, and to point out the individual red flags you should watch out...

The hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014 was one of the most bizarre crimes of the decade. Instead of demanding money, the hackers threatened a terrorist attack on the USA if Sony didn't cancel the release of the film 'The Interview,' a comedy about two bumbling journalists who travel to North Korea and attempt to assassinate the country's Supreme Leader.  The release we...