Let's Talk About Scams

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...

Let's Talk About Scams, hosted by Joyce Petrowski, President and Founder of R.O.S.E., nonprofit focused on preventing financial exploitation of older adults. Find more information and sign up for our newsletters at www.roseadvocacy.org . We want everyone to have a healthy skepticism and know how to protect themselves from scams. Joyce is joined by Gordie Siewert, with Acacia IT at acaciait.com. We...

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...

In this episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Rose Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, welcomes Laurel Smith, a seasoned professional in the senior care industry, to discuss the differences between home health and home care. They discuss the essential details of what each service entails, the importance of using reputable agencies, and the potent...

In this episode of "Let's Talk About Scams," host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Rose Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, discusses recent scams targeting consumers, including the significant Ticketmaster data breach that compromised the personal information of 560 million customers. Joyce shares practical tips on how to protect yourself from fraud, such as monitoring your credit...

Welcome to another episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” hosted by Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly. In this episode, Joyce discusses the alarming rise of Bluetooth-related scams with Paige Hanson from SecureLabs. They dive into various threats such as Blue Snarfing, Blue Bugging, Blue Jacking, and Blue Smacking, explaining how cybercriminals exploi...

This episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, welcomes Connie, a recent victim of a tech support scam. Connie shares her harrowing experience of how she was deceived into giving scammers access to her computer under the pretense of a McAfee auto-renewal notice. This episode dives deep into the psychological tricks...

This episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, dives deep into the alarming world of romance scams, focusing on a tragic case highlighted in CBS Evening News' series "Anything for Love." Joyce breaks down the manipulative tactics used by scammers, emphasizing the role of "Money Mules" in the fraud process. Through a...

This episode of “Let’s Talk About Scams,” host Joyce Petrowski, founder of R.O.S.E. Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly, takes us through a harrowing impersonation scam story shared by Sonny, whose wife became a victim of scammers skillfully posing as various government officials. From Customs, Border Patrol, and the U.S. Marshals, the scammers' used an elaborate scheme to scam! Together,...