Hacking Humans

Thinking past the US 2024 Presidential Election, In part three of the series, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses reducing the impact of propaganda in the future elections with Perry Carpenter, Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4 and host of the 8th Layer Insights Podcast, Nina Jankowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of the The American Sunlight Project, and Scott Small, Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Tidal Cyber. Check out Part 1 & 2! Part 1: Election Propaganda Part 1: How Does Election Propaganda Work? In this episode, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses personal defensive measures that every citizen can take—regardless of political philosophy—to resist the influence of propaganda. This foundational episode is essential for understanding how to navigate the complex landscape of election messaging. Part 2: Election Propaganda: Part 2: Modern propaganda efforts. In preparation for the US 2024 Presidential Election, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses recent international propaganda efforts in the form of nation state interference and influence operations as well as domestic campaigns designed to split the target country into opposing camps. Guests include Nina Jankowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of the The American Sunlight Project and Scott Small, Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Tidal Cyber. References: Rick Howard, 2024. Election Propaganda Part 1: How does election propaganda work? [3 Part Podcast Series]. The CyberWire. Rick Howard, 2024. Election Propaganda: Part 2: Modern propaganda efforts. [3 Part Podcast Series]. The CyberWire. Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons, 2010. The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us [Book]. Goodreads. Chris Palmer, 2010. TFL Viral - Awareness Test (Moonwalking Bear) [Explainer]. YouTube. David Ehl, 2024. Why Meta is now banning Russian propaganda [News]. Deutsche Welle. Eli Pariser, 2011. The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding From You [Book]. Goodreads. Kara Swisher, Julia Davis, Alex Stamos, Brandy Zadrozny, 2024. Useful Idiots? How Right-Wing Influencers Got $ to Spread Russian Propaganda [Podcast]. On with Kara Swisher. Nate Silver, 2024. What’s behind Trump’s surge in prediction markets? [Analysis]. Silver Bulletin. Niha Masih, 2024. Meta bans Russian state media outlet RT for acts of ‘foreign interference’ [News]. The Washington Post. Nilay Patel, 2024. The AI election deepfakes have arrived [Podcast]. Decoder. Nina Jankowicz, 2020. How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News and the Future of Conflict [Book]. Goodreads. Perry Carpenter, 2024. FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions [Book]. Goodreads. Perry Carpenter, 2021. Meatloaf Recipes Cookbook: Easy Recipes For Preparing Tasty Meals For Weight Loss And Healthy Lifestyle All Year Round [Book]. Goodreads. Perry Carpenter, n.d. 8th Layer Insights [Podcast]. N2K CyberWire. Renee DiResta, 2024. Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality [Book]. Goodreads. Robin Stern, Marc Brackett, 2024. 5 Ways to Recognize and Avoid Political Gaslighting [Explainer]. The Washington Post. Sarah Ellison, Amy Gardner, Clara Ence Morse, 2024. Elon Musk’s misleading election claims reach millions and alarm election officials [News]. The Washington Post. Scott Small, 2024. Election Cyber Interference Threats & Defenses: A Data-Driven Study [White Paper]. Tidal Cyber. Staff, n.d. Overview: Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity [Website]. C2PA. Staff, 2021. Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Elections [Intelligence Community Assessment]. DNI. Staff, n.d. Project Origin [Website]. OriginProject. URL https://www.originproject.info/ Stuart A. Thompson, Tiffany Hsu, 2024. Left-Wing Misinformation Is Having a Moment [Analysis] The New York Times.

In preparation for the US 2024 Presidential Election, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses recent international propaganda efforts in the form of nation state interference and influence operations as well as domestic campaigns designed to split the target country into opposing camps. Guests include Nina Jankowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of the The American Sunlight Project and Scott Small, Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Tidal Cyber. References: Scott Small, 2024. Election Cyber Interference Threats & Defenses: A Data-Driven Study [White Paper]. Tidal Cyber. Renee DiResta, 2024. Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality [Book]. Goodreads. Nina Jankowicz, 2020. How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News and the Future of Conflict [Book]. Goodreads.

Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses personal defensive measures that an average citizen, regardless of political philosophy, can take in order to not succumb to propaganda. References: David Ehl, 2024. Why Meta is now banning Russian propaganda [News]. Deutsche Welle. Jeff Berman, Renée DiResta, 2023. Disinformation & How To Combat It [Interview]. Youtube. Niha Masih, 2024. Meta bans Russian state media outlet RT for acts of ‘foreign interference’ [News]. The Washington Post. Quentin Hardy, Renée DiResta, 2024. The Invisible Rulers Turning Lies Into Reality [Interview]. YouTube. Rob Tracinski, Renée DiResta, 2024. The Internet Rumor Mill [Interview]. YouTube. Robin Stern, Marc Brackett, 2024. 5 Ways to Recognize and Avoid Political Gaslighting [Explainer]. The Washington Post. Sarah Ellison, Amy Gardner, Clara Ence Morse, 2024. Elon Musk’s misleading election claims reach millions and alarm election officials [News]. The Washington Post. Scott Small, 2024. Election Cyber Interference Threats & Defenses: A Data-Driven Study [White Paper]. Tidal Cyber. Staff, 2021. Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Elections [Intelligence Community Assessment]. DNI. Staff, 2024. Election Cyber Interference Threats & Defenses: A Data-Driven Study [White Paper]. Tidal. Stuart A. Thompson, Tiffany Hsu, 2024. Left-Wing Misinformation Is Having a Moment [Analysis. The New York Times. Stuart A. Thompson, 2024. Elon Musk’s Week on X: Deepfakes, Falsehoods and Lots of Memes [News]. The New York Times. Will Oremus, 2024. Zuckerberg expresses regrets over covid misinformation crackdown [News]. The Washington Post. Yascha Mounk, Renée DiResta, 2022. How (Not) to Fix Social Media [Interview]. YouTube. Renee DiResta, 2024. Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality [Book]. Goodreads. Nina Jankowicz, 2020. How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News and the Future of Conflict [Book]. Goodreads.

This week, our hosts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dave Bittner, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joe Carrigan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (also host of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠T-Minus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start off with some more chicken follow up, this week, delving into malware-related chicken names. Dave’s got the story of Brevard-based Health First Health Plans teaming up with the FBI to warn consumers about a nationwide medical insurance scam where victims pay upfront for fake coverage and end up stuck with huge medical bills. Maria shares the story on how a recent April 2025 survey reveals that while most US consumers feel confident identifying scams and rely on traditional security measures like strong passwords and two-factor authentication, many still experience scam attempts and data breaches, with real-time threat detection emerging as the most valued feature in security products. Joe shares a personal story about how he was mildly got, got—tricked, that is—he thought he was filling out a quick survey for a waiter, but it actually ended up as a Google review. It's a reminder of how AI and tech are blurring the lines in everyday interactions, and how easily people can get tripped up by these evolving processes. The catch of the day this week is from the Scams sub-Reddit, and Dave reads a text from a scammer claiming to have information on his doing drugs at his old work place. Resources and links to stories: ⁠⁠⁠ALERT! Brevard-Based Health First Health Plans Joins FBI to Expose Medical Insurance Scam Scams and Protections US Report: April 2025 We make building an app so easy, anyone can do it '700 Indian engineers posed as AI': The London startup that took Microsoft for a ride Artificial Intelligence stories ⁠Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week, our hosts⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Joe Carrigan⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠⁠ (also host of the ⁠⁠⁠⁠T-Minus⁠⁠⁠⁠ Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start with some follow-up from a listener on class action settlements: they’re a class action attorney and shared that the best way to verify a notice is to contact the law firm listed in the court documents—plus, unclaimed funds don’t go to the attorneys, but are redistributed to claimants. Maria's story is on a listener dealing with phishing calendar invites that auto-add to their calendar—she shares tips like avoiding the “decline” button, adjusting settings to prevent automatic invite processing, and contacting email admins to help block these pesky requests. Joe's got the story on a film made almost entirely with AI tools like Google Veo and Runway—while the results are stunning, the process was chaotic, proving that human creativity, direction, and a lot of trial and error are still essential behind the scenes. Our cluck of the day is from listener Clayton, who writes in with a scam email sharing a fake job about a virtual interview. Resources and links to stories: ⁠We Made a Film With AI. You’ll Be Blown Away—and Freaked Out. AI Will Smith eating spaghetti pasta (AI footage and audio) Just got access to Veo 3 and the first thing I did was try the Will Smith spaghetti test. AI video just took a startling leap in realism. Are we doomed? Impossible Challenges (Google Veo 3 ) Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week, our three hosts ⁠⁠⁠Dave Bittner⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Joe Carrigan⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠⁠ (also host of the ⁠⁠⁠T-Minus⁠⁠⁠ Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start with a bit of follow up, one from listener Aaron, who shares some safety tips for chickens, and from listener Shannon, who writes in with a new fashion statement. Maria’s got the story on how Trump’s sweeping new tariffs are creating the “perfect storm” for scams, as cybercriminals exploit consumer confusion with fake fee requests, shady links, and urgent messages—three red flags experts say to watch for. Joe shares the story of a new FBI warning about an AI-driven phone scam targeting iPhone and Android users, where scammers impersonate senior U.S. officials through fake texts and voice messages to steal personal information via malicious links. Dave shares the story of a classic Hollywood pitch deck scam, where fake agents from bogus production companies like "Hollywood Talent Agency" and "Writer’s Edge Production" lure authors into paying for useless film services with promises of big-screen adaptations. We have our new Cluck of the Day, and this week, Jonathan Webster shares a classic scam attempt: a fake PayPal invoice PDF designed to trick recipients into calling a fraudulent support number or paying a bogus charge. Resources and links to stories: Trump tariffs create the ‘perfect storm’ for scams, cybersecurity expert says — 3 red flags to watch out for FBI warns of new phone scam targeting iPhone, Android users, advises not to answer these messages Senior US Officials Impersonated in Malicious Messaging Campaign The Hollywood Talent Agency / Writers Edge Production Scam Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week, our three hosts ⁠⁠Dave Bittner⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Joe Carrigan⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Maria Varmazis⁠⁠ (also host of the ⁠⁠T-Minus⁠⁠ Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Listener Jim notes that money launderers and couriers mentioned in recent episodes are often scam victims themselves, unknowingly processing fraudulent payments or delivering items, sometimes with tragic consequences like an innocent Uber driver being shot. Dave shares two close calls with scams this week: one where a bank employee saved a 75-year-old customer from losing $9,000 to a Facebook crypto scam, and another where a scammer impersonating “Officer Shane Kitchens” nearly tricked his mom into sending $3,500 for fake bail and ankle monitor fees after a family member was arrested. Joe's got three short stories this week—one is on how someone tried scamming his wife, another about a DoorDash driver who admitted to stealing $2.5 million in a delivery scam, and the last on a warning to billions of Gmail users to remain vigilant over a terrifying new phishing scheme. Maria sits down with Alex Hall, Trust and Safety Architect at Sift, to discuss the rise of job scams. Our catch of the day comes from Jonathan who writes in with a fake PayPal invoice. Resources and links to stories: You all saved my customer today Loved one got arrested, next day got a call from a “Sergeant” at the county jail. DoorDash driver admits to stealing $2.5M in delivery scam Billions of Gmail users warned to 'remain vigilant' over terrifying scam Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

And....we're back! This week, our three hosts Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show) are all back to share the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. The team shares three bits of follow-up and then breaks into their stories. Joe starts off sharing some stories about influencer fakery on fake private jet sets and a scam taking advantage of the RealID requirements coming into effect. Maria talks about "Scam Survivor Day" (it's a real thing). She also talks about a former Facebooker's tell-all "Careless People." Dave shares a story about fake Social Security statements. Our Catch of Day comes from Richard about a truck win. Resources and links to stories: Private Executive Jet Private Jet Set for exhibitions, events and photo opportunities REAL ID scams surge with arrival of deadline Wednesday Don't Blame the Victim: 'Fraud Shame' and Cybersecurity  Facebook Allegedly Detected When Teen Girls Deleted Selfies So It Could Serve Them Beauty Ads Beware of Fake Social Security Statement That Tricks Users to Install Malware Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠.

As Dave Bittner is at the RSA Conference this week, our hosts ⁠⁠Maria Varmazis and ⁠⁠Joe Carrigan⁠⁠, are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start with some follow-up from José on episode 335, sharing how UK banking features like Faster Payments and the “Check Payee” function might have helped prevent a scam involving fake banking apps—and he even tells a wild tale of someone using a fake app to reverse-scam a bike thief. Joe covers the House’s overwhelming passage of the SHIELD Act to ban revenge porn—including deepfakes—and why critics say it could threaten encryption. He also shares a strong warning about trust and the real risks of sharing intimate images. Maria has the story of a surge in sophisticated subscription scams, where cybercriminals use fake “mystery box” websites, social media ads, and influencer impersonations to trick users into handing over credit card data and signing up for hidden recurring payments. Bitdefender researchers warn these polished scams are part of a broader evolution in social engineering, designed to bypass skepticism and evade detection. Our Catch of the Day comes from listener Rick, who received a suspicious email that appears to be from Harbor Freight—a popular U.S. retailer known for affordable tools and equipment—offering a “free gift” to the recipient… classic bait for a likely scam. Resources and links to stories: ⁠House Passes Bill to Ban Sharing of Revenge Porn, Sending It to Trump TAKE IT DOWN Act Trump’s hasty Take It Down Act has “gaping flaws” that threaten encryption Congress Passes TAKE IT DOWN Act Despite Major Flaws Mystery Box Scams Deployed to Steal Credit Card Data Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠⁠.

Cybersecurity interview with ChatGPT. In part one of CyberWire’s Interview with the AI, Brandon Karpf interviews ChatGPT about topics related to cybersecurity. Rick Howard joins Brandon to analyze the conversation and discuss potential use cases for the cybersecurity community. ChatGPT is a chatbot launched by OpenAI and built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3 family of large language models. Cyber questions answered by ChatGPT in part one of the interview. What were the most significant cybersecurity incidents up through 2021? What leads you to characterize these specific events as significant? What were the specific technical vulnerabilities associated with these incidents? Who were the cyber actors involved in each of these attacks? Do you think it's valuable to attribute cyber attacks to specific actors?

Please enjoy this encore of Hacking Humans. On Hacking Humans, ⁠Dave Bittner⁠, ⁠Joe Carrigan⁠, and ⁠Maria Varmazis⁠ (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are once again sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines to help our audience become aware of what is out there. First we start off with some follow up, our hosts share some more information on VIN swapping, and a clarification on bank participation in FinCEN. Maria shares a telling tale about a Bethesda couple loosing $367,000 in gold bars to a sophisticated scam involving fake officials and elaborate deceptions, but a police sting led to the arrest of a suspect, highlighting a growing nationwide trend of elderly victims targeted by gold bar fraud. Joe's story comes from KnowBe4 and is on DavidB, their VP of Asia Pacific, thwarting a sophisticated social engineering attack via WhatsApp by recognizing inconsistencies in the impersonator’s behavior and verifying directly with the colleague they claimed to be. Dave's story comes from the FBI on how criminals are exploiting generative AI to enhance fraud schemes, including using AI-generated text, images, audio, and video to create convincing social engineering attacks, phishing scams, and identity fraud, while offering tips to protect against these threats. Our catch of the day comes from a listener who received an urgent email from someone claiming to be an FBI agent with a rather dramatic tale about intercepted consignment boxes, missing documents, and a ticking clock—but let's just say this "agent" might need some better training in both law enforcement and grammar. Resources and links to stories: ⁠“VIN swap scam costs Las Vegas man $50K, new truck"⁠ ⁠FinCEN⁠ ⁠Gold bar scammers claimed hackers could fund Russian missiles, police say⁠ ⁠Real Social Engineering Attack on KnowBe4 Employee Foiled⁠ ⁠Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud⁠ You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show ⁠here⁠. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠.

As Maria is on vacation this week, our hosts ⁠Dave Bittner⁠ and ⁠Joe Carrigan⁠, are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Joe and Dave are joined by guest Rob Allen from ThreatLocker who shares a story on how a spoofed call to the help desk unraveled into a full-blown cyber siege on MGM Resorts. Joe’s story is on a new FBI warning: scammers are impersonating the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the very site where people go to report online fraud. Dave's got the story of a so-called “Nigerian prince” scammer who turned out to be a 67-year-old man from Louisiana, now facing 269 counts of wire fraud for helping funnel money to co-conspirators in Nigeria. Our catch of the day comes from a scams subreddit, and is on a message received from the Department of Homeland Security reaching out to a user to share that they are a victim of fraud. Resources and links to stories: Investigating the MGM Cyberattack – How social engineering and a help desk put the whole strip at risk. Brian Krebs LinkedIn FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3 IC3 2024 Report 'Nigerian prince' scammer was 67-year-old from Louisiana, police say Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at ⁠hackinghumans@n2k.com⁠.

This week, our hosts Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. This week Joe's got some follow up about his chickens. Joe's story is on LLM-powered coding tools, and how they are increasingly hallucinating fake software package names, opening the door for attackers to upload malicious lookalike packages—a practice dubbed "slopsquatting"—that can compromise software supply chains when developers unwittingly install them. Dave’s story is on Cisco Talos uncovering a widespread toll road smishing campaign across multiple U.S. states, where financially motivated threat actors—using a smishing kit developed by “Wang Duo Yu”—impersonate toll services to steal victims' personal and payment information through spoofed domains and phishing sites. Maria's got the story of how scammers are using fake banking apps to fool sellers with phony payment screens—and walking away with thousands in goods. Our catch of the day comes from listener John who writes in to share a suspicious text message he received. Resources and links to stories: LLMs can't stop making up software dependencies and sabotaging everything Unraveling the U.S. toll road smishing scams 'Scammers used fake app to steal from me in person' Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

This week, our hosts Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan, are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines, while our other host, Maria Varmazis is at a conference. We begin with some follow-up, as Joe reflects on the density of gold. Then, Dave shares some heartfelt and moving words about the recent passing of his father. Dave's story follows how confusion sparked by Trump's erratic tariff policies is fueling a global surge in cyber scams, phishing sites, and crypto cons, as threat actors exploit the chaos to mislead, defraud, and manipulate online users. Joe has two stories this week, the first is about the "blessing scam," a con that targets older Chinese women with promises of spiritual cleansing that ends in financial ruin. The second covers a new FTC rule requiring companies to make subscription cancellations as easy as sign-ups, cracking down on deceptive practices. Our catch of the day this week comes from MontClair University, as they are warning of a phishing scam offering a “free 2014 Airstream Sport 16′ Travel Trailer.” Resources and links to stories: Trump Tariff Confusion Fuels Online Scams Oklahoma woman charged with laundering $1.5M from elderly women in online romance scam A new ‘jackpotting’ scam has drained more than $236,000 from Texas ATMs — but who foots the loss? Opportunity To Own A Free 2014 Airstream Sport 16′ Travel Trailer Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

This week, while Dave Bittner is out, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start off with a lot of follow up on listener feedback this week! Justin shares a thought about how to track gold deliveries with a simple sting operation involving an AirTag. Xray Specs offers a fun response to a theory about scanning plates and running Python scripts, stating they receive similar emails despite not owning a car. Jim Gilchrist recounts his experience with E-ZPass and unpaid tolls, explaining how a failed transponder led to a replacement and noting the prevalence of scam toll messages. Joe shares two gripping stories this week, one being on how the FBI is seizing $8.2 million from a massive romance scam involving cryptocurrency, and second is on a Maryland woman losing millions in a growing "pig butchering" scheme, with the FBI warning that many more victims are at risk. Maria's story is on an East Hartford woman caught up in a federal sweepstakes scam targeting the elderly. The suspects, including one local resident, allegedly stole millions. What did they do, and how did they get caught? Our catch of the day comes from a user on Reddit who shares a message they got from billionaire, and owner of Tesla, Elon Musk. Resources and links to stories: FBI Cracks 'Pig Butchering' Scam on Dating Sites Maryland woman loses millions in crypto "pig butchering" scam as FBI warns of more targets East Hartford Woman Bilked Elderly In Fake Sweepstakes Scam: Feds Elon Musk Vows To Hand Out $1 Million Checks This Weekend: What To Know Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

This week our hosts, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. First, we start off with some more follow-up on EZ passes, along with the newest iteration, as Kailey Cornick shares that scammers target phone numbers rather than actual toll users, sending her SUN pass scam texts tied to her old Florida number. Dave shares the story of Palo Alto's Unit 42 researchers uncovering a massive campaign distributing thousands of fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms via websites and mobile apps, using brand impersonation, Ponzi-like schemes, and domain fronting to deceive victims, primarily in East Africa and Asia. Maria follows the story of a Queens man arraigned for allegedly scamming a 72-year-old Newton woman out of over $480,000 by posing as a DEA agent and coercing her into transferring her assets under the threat of arrest. Joe came across a Facebook video featuring an AI-generated ad falsely claiming Kelly Clarkson endorsed a weight loss product. These deceptive ads use AI to create convincing deepfakes, making it appear as if celebrities are promoting products they’ve never actually supported. Our catch of the day comes from listener Connor, who flagged a phishing email pretending to be from the Social Security Administration. The email urges the recipient to click a link to view an "important update," but the repetition of the message and a suspicious logo placeholder suggest it's a phishing attempt designed to steal personal info. Resources and links to stories: Investigating Scam Crypto Investment Platforms Using Pyramid Schemes to Defraud Victims Man Arraigned After Posing as Government Agent to Scam Senior out of Over $480,000 'I have terminal cancer and lost my life savings to whisky barrel scammers' Casks and Kegs Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

This week our hosts, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start with some follow-up on E-ZPass scams—a listener suggests that scammers may be exploiting exposed license plate reader data, as demonstrated by YouTuber Mike Brown, to link plate numbers with breached phone records and send scam texts in real time. Dave's story is on how scammers may use conditioning techniques in romance scams—Ben Tasker observed that refusing to provide a phone number led to fewer photos being sent early on, suggesting scammers use rewards like photos to encourage compliance. Joe's got the story of Google's lawsuit against scammers who created and sold thousands of fake business listings on Google Maps, exploiting urgent services like locksmiths and towing to deceive customers and charge inflated fees. Maria's got the story of the FTC suing Click Profit for allegedly scamming consumers out of millions with a fake “passive income” scheme, falsely promising high returns through AI-driven e-commerce stores on Amazon, Walmart, and TikTok while most investors ended up losing money. Our catch of the day comes from Reddit after a user posted a conversation with a scammer after messing with them about a potential job opportunity. Resources and links to stories: Who is sending those scammy text messages about unpaid tolls? My Scammer Girlfriend: Baiting A Romance Fraudster Google finds 10,000 fake listings on Google Maps, sues alleged network of scammers AI scammers on Amazon duped investors out of millions with ‘passive income’ scheme, FTC alleges Can I work from jail? Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

On Hacking Humans, this week Dave Bittner is back with Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), and they are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Joe shares a bit of follow up on scam victims sharing their experiences of losing money to various frauds, including investment schemes, romance scams, business email compromises, online shopping fraud, unusual payment requests, tax impersonations, remote access scams, and identity theft. Maria shares a story on scammers using fake E-ZPass toll alerts to steal personal information, and another on victims losing thousands to investment, romance, and online shopping scams. Dave's got the story of how digital scammers prey on the financially vulnerable, using AI-generated content and deceptive ads on platforms like Instagram to sell worthless "get-rich-quick" schemes that ultimately leave victims deeper in debt. Joe's got two stories this week, the first being on Wenhui Sun, a California man, and how he was sentenced to six and a half years for stealing nearly $800,000 through a gold bar scam targeting victims nationwide. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported a sharp rise in fraud, with 2.6 million people losing $12.5 billion in 2024, up from $2.5 billion in 2023, primarily due to impostor scams. Younger adults reported losing money more often than older ones. Our catch of the day follows how First Lady Melania Trump messaged an unsuspecting citizen claiming to give them a free gift. Resources and links to stories: Scam victims tell us their stories Digital Snake Oil Merchants Are Stealing From The Already Broken California man sentenced after Montgomery Co. woman loses over $700K in gold bar scam FTC says Americans lost $12.5B to scams last year — social media, AI, and crypto didn’t help You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

On Hacking Humans, this week Dave Bittner is on vacation so our two hosts Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Our hosts start out with some follow up on chicken talk from last week. Maria shares the story of scammers impersonating police officers in England to steal cryptocurrency by exploiting leaked personal data, creating fake fraud reports, and tricking victims into revealing their seed phrases, leading to losses totaling £1 million. Joe has two stories this week, his first one is on a $21 million "Grandparent Scam" in which 25 Canadians were charged for running a scheme from Montreal call centers, posing as grandchildren in distress to deceive elderly Americans into handing over money, with 23 suspects already arrested. Joe's second story is on two people charged in a ticket scam that exploited a loophole in StubHub’s system to steal and resell over 900 tickets—mostly for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour—netting more than $600,000 in profit before being caught by the Queens D.A.'s Cybercrime Unit. We have a special catch of the day this week, where we are joined by N2K's own Ma'ayan Plaut, who joins to discuss going out of business scams. Resources and links to stories: ‘Fake police call cryptocurrency investors to steal their funds Dozens of Canadians Are Charged in $21 Million ‘Grandparent Scam’ 2 People Charged with Taylor Swift Eras Tour Ticket Scam That Allegedly Netted More Than $600K BBB Scam Alert: How to spot a fake "going out of business" sale Joann Fabric’s going out of business scam You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.

On Hacking Humans, this week Dave Bittner is on vacation so our two hosts Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We start off the show with some follow-up from a long-time listener who shared how switching to Publii and Cloudflare Pages saved his wife's psychiatric nurse practice over $120/year in hosting costs after discovering static site generators on Hacking Humans. Joe's story is on a warning from an Oregon woman who fell victim to an online scam while trying to buy hens for her backyard chicken coop amid egg shortages caused by the bird flu, urging others to be cautious and avoid transactions on social media. Maria has the story on the increasing threats targeting sellers on online marketplaces, including phishing campaigns, scams designed to bypass platform protections, and the risks associated with off-platform transactions, all of which emphasize the need for heightened vigilance and security measures. The catch of the day, from Scott, highlights an email invitation that appeared legitimate but redirected to a phishing site designed to steal email credentials, with Scott’s wife recognizing the suspicious nature and forwarding it for further investigation. Resources and links to stories: ‘Be suspicious’: Sweet Home woman warns of chicken scam amid egg shortage Your item has sold! Avoiding scams targeting online sellers You can hear more from the T-Minus space daily show here. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.