Tech Support Scams - Scammer Jailed for Debit Card Fraud

Scamming Travel Agents and Travel insurance Fraud

Tell us your story here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503643/fan_mail/new] Are you planning a trip this summer? Travel scams and travel fraud are more common than you think — and in this episode of Scams, Hacks and Frauds, we expose two real cases that could save your holiday. Travel Fraud Case 1 — The Travel Agent in a Ponzi Scam: Lynn Barlow ran one of the most audacious travel fraud schemes in recent UK history. Posing as a legitimate travel agent, Lynn scammed customers out of holidays they'd already paid for, running a Ponzi-style fraud that ultimately stole up to £2.6 million. She faked cancer to avoid arrest, forged bank letters, and intercepted her mother's mail — before being sentenced to 9 years in prison on 10 counts of fraud and money laundering. Travel Fraud Case 2 — The Nepal Helicopter Scam: A sophisticated travel insurance fraud saw tour guides and helicopter operators in Nepal conspire to fabricate medical emergencies, fraudulently billing insurance companies for fake rescues. In some cases tourists were deliberately made ill. 32 people have now been convicted. How to protect yourself from travel scams: Be suspicious of travel deals that seem too good to be true — travel fraud often starts with an unusually low price Pay for travel with a credit card — chargebacks are a powerful tool against travel scams Read your travel insurance policy carefully — many policies don't cover fraud Verify your destination and activities are covered Never participate in fraudulent insurance claims — it's a crime We publish new content every other Monday. The short time our episodes save your wallet, and help protect your family. If you like shows like "The Perfect Scam" or "Darknet Diaries" then this show might be for you.   On our website you’ll find more computer hacking, identity fraud, impersonation, consumer rights and Romance Scams.  To find these and to access our transcripts, visit us at www.scamshacksandfrauds.com [http://www.scamshacksandfrauds.com/]. The transcript and spoken audio are available under the Creative Commons, Share Alike, With Attributions license. For more information on this visit creativecommons.org [http://www.creativecommons.org].

Pig Butchering Scams: Inside the scam Call Centres Forcing victims into Fraud

Tell us your story here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503643/fan_mail/new] This week, Scams, Hacks and Frauds asks what really goes on inside an Internet scam call centre? This week we go deep into the pig butchering scam industry — and the shocking truth that many of the people running these internet scams are themselves victims. We tell the story of a chef who travelled to Southeast Asia looking for work and found himself trafficked into a scam call centre in Myanmar, forced to run pig butchering scams against his will; and a Chinese actor lured to Myanmar by a fake job offer and taken at gunpoint across the border to the Apollo Business Centre — one of the largest internet scam call centres in the region. These aren't small operations.  Scam call centres are vast, heavily resourced complexes connected via satellite internet, complete with full video studios that make pig-butchering scams look legitimate. The people staffing them are often trafficked victims facing beatings, imprisonment, and extortion... and they spend 16 hours a day running Pig Butchering Internet Scams. We also look at how social media pressure and international cooperation led to a dramatic raid that freed thousands — and what each of us can do to make internet scams harder to run... and to get an idea of the size and scope of these centres, as well as the applling conditions within them, we speak to the Strategic Human Firewall Robert Siciliano, and ask how can people better protect themselves. We publish new content every other Monday. The short time our episodes save your wallet, and help protect your family. If you like shows like "The Perfect Scam" or "Darknet Diaries" then this show might be for you.   On our website you’ll find more computer hacking, identity fraud, impersonation, consumer rights and Romance Scams.  To find these and to access our transcripts, visit us at www.scamshacksandfrauds.com [http://www.scamshacksandfrauds.com/]. The transcript and spoken audio are available under the Creative Commons, Share Alike, With Attributions license. For more information on this visit creativecommons.org [http://www.creativecommons.org].

Tech Support Scams - Scammer Jailed for Debit Card Fraud

Tell us your story here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503643/fan_mail/new] Fake Tech Support scams cost their victims billions every year.  This week on Scams, Hacks and Frauds we look into these scams, we'll tell you just how they trick you into thinking there really are problems with your computer.. But we wont stop there.  We'll tell you the story of Fraudster Michael Cotter, who ran these tech support scams, and how he used fraudulent debit card transctions to keep his scam in business.  We'll then tell you how you can keep yourself safe from these scams. Tech support scams typically target the elderly, and people unfamiliar with computers.  If you know someone who's not that tech savvy, please share this episode with them to help protect them from these scams. We publish new content every other Monday. The short time our episodes save your wallet, and help protect your family. If you like shows like "The Perfect Scam" or "Darknet Diaries" then this show might be for you.   On our website you’ll find more computer hacking, identity fraud, impersonation, consumer rights and Romance Scams.  To find these and to access our transcripts, visit us at www.scamshacksandfrauds.com [http://www.scamshacksandfrauds.com/]. The transcript and spoken audio are available under the Creative Commons, Share Alike, With Attributions license. For more information on this visit creativecommons.org [http://www.creativecommons.org].

Work-From-Home Job Scams | Employment Fraud Red Flags

Tell us your story here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503643/fan_mail/new] On Scams, Hacks and Frauds this week, we take you deep into a real employment scam.  What promised to be a dream work-from-home job turned out not just a nightmare but a full-on scam, with money laundering on top.   If you're looking for work or thinking about changing jobs, make sure you listen for red flags. And to help us find those fraud red flags, we're going to speak to Steven Rothberg from College Recruiter [https://www.collegerecruiter.com/blog/author/steven-rothberg].  Steven helps people find their first jobs and is an expert on navigating the employment market, so he knows a lot about employment fraud.  He'll help you understand what a real job offer looks like and what is sure to be a scam. We publish new content every other Monday. The short time our episodes save your wallet, and help protect your family. If you like shows like "The Perfect Scam" or "Darknet Diaries" then this show might be for you.   On our website you’ll find more computer hacking, identity fraud, impersonation, consumer rights and Romance Scams.  To find these and to access our transcripts, visit us at www.scamshacksandfrauds.com [http://www.scamshacksandfrauds.com/]. The transcript and spoken audio are available under the Creative Commons, Share Alike, With Attributions license. For more information on this visit creativecommons.org [http://www.creativecommons.org].

What is Money Laundering? Why is it used in Scams and Fraud?

Tell us your story here! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2503643/fan_mail/new] Welcome to Scams, Hacks and Frauds.  Do you have a strange shop or restaurant in your town that no-one goes to but never seems to close down?  That might be a front for Money Laundering. This episode we're taking a step out of our story episodes, as it occured to Cee that although we talk about Money Laundering a lot on the show, we've never really given a good explanation on what Money Laundering is, how it works, and why Scams and Fraud usually result in criminals having to go through this process to realise their ill gotten gains. Along the way - and please do not try this at home - Cee will explain some of the more common ways that Criminals do money laundering so that if you're asked to participate in money laundering, you'll know what to look for, and why you should stay away. Cee also talks about some of his own personal experiences having to deal with money laundering checks, and why financial companies might just mysteriously close your bank account or ask strange questions if they think something strange is going on. We publish new content every other Monday. The short time our episodes save your wallet, and help protect your family. If you like shows like "The Perfect Scam" or "Darknet Diaries" then this show might be for you.   On our website you’ll find more computer hacking, identity fraud, impersonation, consumer rights and Romance Scams.  To find these and to access our transcripts, visit us at www.scamshacksandfrauds.com [http://www.scamshacksandfrauds.com/]. The transcript and spoken audio are available under the Creative Commons, Share Alike, With Attributions license. For more information on this visit creativecommons.org [http://www.creativecommons.org].