How Hacks Happen

Scammers are still at it, happy to ruin our lives in search of a quick buck. Let's look at job scams that attempt to steal personal information, sextortion scams preying on teenage boys, and a really nasty threatening email I personally received. Know your scams, so you can keep yourself safe. Resources: * These teenage boys were blackmailed online – and it cost them their lives [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/02/25/teenage-boys-mental-health-suicide-sextortion-scams/78258882007/] * 'You might as well end it now': Terrorized by sextortion plot, a 17-year-old takes his life [https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2023/05/09/parents-spread-sextortion-warning-after-sons-death/70197048007/] * How To Identify Fake Job Postings: 10 Warning Signs [https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-know-if-a-job-is-a-scam] Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

Hacks used to be impressive, utilizing bits and pieces of technology that made us sit up and pay attention. Nowadays, every scam, breach, or sketchy text message gets labelled a "hack" when it's really just basic use of existing technology, or an outright scam. Let's take a closer look at how the meaning of “hack” has changed, from the complex brilliance of NotPetya in 2017, to today's flood of scams powered by stolen data and AI fakery. It’s the end of the Age of the Great Hack, and the rise of the Age of Many Scams. Resources: * Healthcare Data Breach Statistics [https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/] * Being Infected by NotPetya: What Maersk learned [https://www.appliedtech.us/resource-hub/being-infected-by-notpetya-what-maersk-learned] * NotPetya: A Columbia University Case Study [https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2022-11/NotPetya%20Final.pdf] Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

In this episode of How Hacks Happen, we delve into the complexities surrounding trash possession and legalities. Besides the legal distinctions between lost, mislaid, and abandoned property, there are the risks posed by scammers who rifle through trash for personal information so they can steal your identity or call you up and pretend to be your bank. No trash is safe in this world we live in, so shred, burn, and sanitize your trash before throwing it out. Resources: * Dumpster Diving for Documents: The Low-Tech Threat Fueling High-Stakes Identity Theft [https://www.fraudswatch.com/dumpster-diving-for-documents-the-low-tech-threat-fueling-high-stakes-identity-theft] * California v. Greenwood [https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/486/35/] * State v. Hempele [https://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/supreme-court/1990/120-n-j-182-1.html] Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

Can you tell if someone is guilty just by looking at them? Let's delve into the infamous case of Amanda Knox, the American exchange student who was wrongfully accused of murdering her roommate in 2007. We'll talk bad cell phone forensics, media sensationalism, and cultural biases, and how they can lead to dire consequences for those who are judged not by evidence, but by how they act differently than society expects them to. Resources * Amanda Knox website [https://www.amandaknox.com/] * Sentence of the Court of Assizes of Perugia in the Murder of Meredith Kercher [https://beforeyoutakethatpill.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Massei_Report.pdf] * Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know [https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Strangers-Should-about-People/dp/0316299227] * Teacher Recorded Laughing During Apalachee School Shooting May Have Been the Bravest Person in the Room [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/teacher-recorded-laughing-during-apalachee-school-shooting-may-have-been-the-bravest-person-in-the-room/ar-AA1q4HDw] * Video of teacher laughing during school shooting [https://x.com/1lilruntz/status/1831400147689075113] * Central Park jogger case [https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/communication-and-mass-media/central-park-jogger-case] . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson [https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG] Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1798209377]   Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/7L9LI7y1rcLVeNEbuUsgCq?si=30O1lE3LSpO8erTD5ov7Xg] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!

Send me a text! No matter who you are or where you are in the world, I'd love to hear from you. This is a call for feedback on what you like about How Hacks Happen, what you don't like, or if you just want to say Hi. Click the "Send us a text" link below, and you'll be sending a text message directly to me, Michele Bousquet. I can't wait to read what you have to say. If I get enough messages, I'll even do an episode just with your feedback. Resources * Just my bad self for this one * The "Send us a text" link is just below! . Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1241654/open_sms] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] Join our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/howhackshappen] to listen ad-free!