Let's Talk About Scams

This week, we will share top five telltale signs you are being scammed. • Someone you don’t know is calling you incessantly and creating a sense of panic. • Someone is telling you not to talk to anyone else. • If you are at your bank withdrawing cash while on the phone with someone who is coaching you what to say. • If you ever find yourself putting cash into a Bitcoin ATM at a local store, you ar...

We discussed this four months ago and it is worth revisiting, our Anatomy of a Scam Infographic where we discuss the three parts of a scam. We have some examples of scams that we will break down using the Anatomy of a Scam. Tune in to see if you can find the different parts of these scams. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk Radio ( www.k4hd.c...

Last week Brian Watson talked about phone scams and it is okay to hang up. Something we hear a lot is - I do not answer the phone unless I know who it is as scammers do not leave voicemails. Or do they? We are starting to hear from people that scammers are in fact leaving voicemails now and wanting you to call back. Of course they always give you the number to call. Tune in to learn more about how...

I like to show a photo of a yellow rotary dial phone circa 1980. I ask my audience to raise their hand if they ever had a similar phone. After I show the photo of the phone, I always ask “what did we do when that phone rang?” The standard response is always “we answered it.” People my age and older were not only conditioned to answer the phone, we were expected to be polite. Hanging up on someone...

Pig Butchering Romance Scams Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk Radio ( www.k4hd.com ) part of Talk 4 Radio ( www.talk4radio.com ) on the Talk 4 Media Network ( www.talk4media.com ). Let’s Talk About Scams TV Show is viewed on Talk 4 TV ( www.talk4tv.com ). Let’s Talk About Scams Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media ( www.talk4media.com...

Data breaches give scammers a chance to orchestrate social engineering attacks against unsuspecting victims. The data can be purchased in bulk, and is then used by scammers as a token of credibility to gain trust. Several different types of scams typically pop up after the breach, some are more sophisticated than others. It pays to know what to expect. Dr. Martina Dove article: https://www.tripwir...

We all make mistakes, and last week I made a mistake with sharing my screen. So, here is a redo on how to determine the safety of a website. Last week you saw my notes for the episode and today you will see how I use R.O.S.E.'s website to show you what to look for and some online sources you can use to determine the safety of websites. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on...

Last week we discussed a few of the scams that had a profound effect in 2024 on the 60+ year old population in the United States. The type of crime that had the most impact on this population, with almost 195,000 victims, is phishing/spoofing. In this episode we talk about safe websites safe by looking at Microsoft Defender Web protection and how to check if a website is malicious/scam or safe/leg...

The last two weeks we talked about the 2024 FBI IC3 report and the related statistics in addition to how scams have evolved over the years. In this episode we are going to dive into the top two scams with the most amount of losses in 2024 for older adults - investment and tech support scams. Listen in to learn more about these two scams and how to protect yourself. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadc...

Scams have changed so much over the past 20 years. Scammers are no longer lone wolves, but part of organized criminal gangs that will take everything you have. They are truly ruthless financial predators. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk Radio ( www.k4hd.com ) part of Talk 4 Radio ( www.talk4radio.com ) on the Talk 4 Media Network ( www.tal...

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center 2024 annual report is out. The statistics are not good and going in the wrong direction. Losses increased by 33% in the United States and 43% increase in losses with the 60+ year old population. Tune in while Joyce reviews the report as it relates to the 60+ year old population in the United States and Arizona. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesda...

New FBI Public Service Announcement on April 18, 20205. Criminal scammers are impersonating the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) employees. Almost all the reports filed reflect that the scammer claims to have recovered the victim's lost funds or offers to assist in recovering the funds. The IC3 will never directly communicate with individuals via phone, email, social media, phone apps, pu...

Today is tax day! Do you have your IRS IP Pin? Do you know what an IRS IP Pin is? Joyce will discuss her experience with tax related identity theft when someone filed a tax return in her name and social security number. A six digit IP Pin could have protected her account. You can get your IRS IP Pin at https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin Listen in to learn...

We all use USB cables for charging and data transfer. How do you know if the USB cable you have is good or does it have malicious hacker hardware? Tune in to learn the signs that a USB cable has malicious hacker hardware, how to protect yourself, highly rated USB cables, and cell phone settings. What about power blocks - should you use those instead of plugging into public charging stations? Let’s...

Lynn is back for Antivirus, Malware, and EDR - Part 2 - How Artificial Intelligence Affects These Protections. Tune in to learn how AI can affect these protection tools. These cyber-criminals are working overtime to bypass these protections. Tune in to see what protections you can take to protect yourself. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk R...

Antivirus, malware and EDR are not just for your desktop. It is important to have this on all of your devices, including your mobile phone. How easy is it to accidentally click on a malicious link on your mobile phone? Very easy! Joyce and Lynndel talk about the differences of antivirus, malware and EDR protection and the free vs. paid subscriptions. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesda...

Joyce talks with Dr. Martina Dove about Pig Butchering Scam and persuasive psychological techniques. Learn how scammers conversations elicit commitment and consistency by using social norms and visceral influence to their advantage. Dr. Martina Dove is on R.O.S.E.'s Advisory Board and is passionate researcher with a background in psychology and specific expertise in social engineering, scam techni...

How many text messages do you get in a day? We are all busy with life and text messages add to this. We are deep into work, your phone pings, we immediately look at the text. The message seems official and has a sense of urgency. We click on the link, input our personal information and credit card and go back to work. We just fell for a phishing scam. Remember to pause and think about the text mes...

Are you on social media? Scammers are on social media too hijacking and cloning accounts wanting to be your friend. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the friend request is a real account or a scammer's account. In this episode we talk about different scams that have been found on Facebook and what you can do to protect yourself. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Rad...

Has someone filed a tax return in your name? What a mess! Joyce talks about her current experience with a fraudulent tax return filed in her name and social security number. The process she is going through and how long it could take to resolve. What happens to your refund or overpayment credit when this happens. Tune in to learn how to protect yourself as soon as possible! Let’s Talk About Scams...

Scammers love to impersonate Publisher's Clearing House and a lot of other well known companies. This week Joyce is talking with Brian Watson, Community Outreach Specialist with R.O.S.E., who shares a real life experience of someone he met who fell victim to this type of scam. Tune in to learn more about how this impersonation scam works and what you can to protect yourself. Let’s Talk About Scams...

In this episode, Joyce will breakdown scams into three different parts using the Anatomy of a Scam Infographic. There are so many scams out there and scammers are constantly changing their tactics and techniques which makes it very difficult to keep up with them. R.O.S.E. created the Anatomy of a Scam to better understand scams in general. Tune in an be better prepared to recognize a scam. Let’s T...

This episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, explores the troubling world of puppy scams with insights from cybersecurity expert Jim Stickley. Joyce shares a heartbreaking story about a family who fell victim to a fraudulent puppy sale on Facebook. The scam involved multiple payments for a non-existent puppy, lea...

In this episode of "Let's Talk About Scams," host Joyce Petrowski welcomes Zachary from Riavanti, a senior move management company. Zachary provides valuable insights into the role of senior move managers, explaining how they assist seniors in downsizing and moving into new homes or senior communities. The discussion covers the personalized services offered by Riavanti, including sorting, packing,...

In this episode of "Let's Talk About Scams," host Joyce Petrowski welcomes George Phillips, the business development manager at Just-In Time Moving ( jitmoving.com ) and a member of the Arizona Movers Association. George shares valuable insights on how to choose a reputable moving company, focusing on the unique challenges and considerations for elderly individuals and interstate moves. He highlig...