Phishing in the tariff storm.

Hacking Humans

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 [email protected].