Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You are about to hear a feature that was created
to expose the scammers, thieves, and con artists among us.
The dialogue and temperament about to be used by Hollywood
Hamilton does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of iHeartMedia.
This is Fraud Friday this week.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
On Fraud Friday, it's the Wi Fi Coffee shop scam.
If you don't think public Wi Fi is dangerous, we
think we might be changing your mind. The Wi Fi
Coffee shop scam is pretty much a scam about any
open Wi Fi, but on this particular scam we're talking
about the coffee shop scam.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
As most folks know in twenty twenty five, there's endless
scams out there, and endless ways to pirate your information,
to get your data and then therefore to get into
your bank accounts, your credit cards. The last thing you
want is someone in your phone getting your data, and
you're at risk if you're using public Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Right So, in Mintown, Manhattan, we've got listener Alice on
the phone. Everybody welcome Alice, Alice.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Listen Alice, Hi Hi Alan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Alice has been frequenting a coffee shop, which we're gonna
We're gonna remain nameless for obvious reasons. This coffee shop
is in Midtown Manhattan, where Alice lives. Alice, can you
explain to us a little bit what's happening with your
problem on this week's Fraud Friday. What's happening with yourself?
Speaker 6 (01:23):
Times have been really rough. I lost my job six
months ago, I got mouth to feed. My husband left me.
I'm struggling all by myself, and I had to apply
for food stamps and they sent me my ABC cards
and it's a godsend, you know. I shop, I get
(01:44):
groasties and I get my coffee on there, and all
of a sudden, I've been noticing money missing. I know
how much I should have in there, and it's not
that amount, right, And I'm seeing five dollars ten dollars
gone right now?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
You freak?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
What's called the coffee shop Manhattan?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Alice?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You didn't know anything about a VPN right when you're
using public Wi Fi, either at a motel, a hotel,
or a park or a Starbucks airports, especially.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Reab, I just know how to get on the internet.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Right, and don't feel bad about that. I'm the same way.
I don't know anything about this stuff either, so don't
feel badly that you don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
And honestly, if you are going to surf the web
in a public location, you need what's called a VPN,
a virtual private network a hotspot. But these are items
that you have to pay for.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
It's not free, and so.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
You're sometimes you're safer on your cellular plan depending on
your payments and what you got there.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
You know, they're nickel and diming, or it turns out
to be at first course is seven months fifty sixty
bucks and they're nickel and diming, or now can you
imagine twenty five thirty five customers? All right, Okay, here
we go. We're gonna get the guy on the phone.
His name is Siffee Shop and let's get down to
the bottom of it.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
You're listening to Fraud Friday with the KTU Morning Crew.
We'll be right back with part two when Hollywood and
Marie make the call. Buckle up because things are about
to get rough.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Fraud Friday is sponsored by the New York Alliance Against
Insurance Fraud, ROPE, Forward, Fraud, at Fraud and why dot Com.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Welcome back for part two for this week's Fraud Friday.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Hi, I'm calling for Lenny. Is Lenny around? It's a
friend of his?
Speaker 6 (03:43):
Hold on.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
Len, Hi, Lenny. My name is Marie. I'm a customer
of yours. I come in a lot. I order many
coffees when I come in. You know, I don't just
sit there and take up the table.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Can I do for you?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
I'm sorry what I said.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's a coffee shop. Everybody comes in and ordered coffee.
What can I do for you?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Well, I have a problem and I just wanted to
discuss it with you, if I could just chat with
you for just a second. I've noticed on my card
that there's kind of a lot of charges and I
don't know where they're coming from. Like a dollar here,
(04:28):
five dollars I think the one just a few days
ago was ten dollars.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
We've been having problems with our Wi Fi system. Just
let me know what I owe you. I'll pay you
right away.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
What oh, okay? Yeah, Because I use an EBT card
and I've noticed that a lot of these charging it's
been going on. It's like five dollars here, ten I
think just a few days ago it was ten dollars.
Awful lot.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
I'm really busy here I want to get you taken
care of. I want to get straight on this. Why
don't you come into the shop. I'll help you out.
I'll square up with you whatever I owe you. Just
come on in, let me know what I owe you,
and I'll pay you.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Really, that's that's all it takes is for me just
to come in. Do I bring my card with me
and you'll just put it back on my card? How
does that work? Can you do that? Can you put
it back on my EBT card?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
No, I'll just give you the money. Just tell me
what I owe you, and.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I just well, I rounded it back on my card
because you took it off my cards, so you need
to put it back on my card. Wow, that was yeah,
So why is it? I don't understand? Awfully quick you think,
listen to me.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
My name is Sean Hamilton. I'm a private investigator here
in midtown Manhattan, and we're representing a woman by the
name of Alice. Alice. Are you there?
Speaker 6 (05:55):
Yes, I'm here.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Alice reached out to help us with a little bit
of a problem. Just a couple real quick questions. Is
this something that happens quite frequently?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
I'm sorry, who is this? Okay?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
We are a private investigating firm here in the city.
We represent Alice. She's the woman that you used to
spoke to right now. She has been taken advantage of
by frequenting your coffee shop a number of times. It's
been months, and she's finding that there's a lot of
money that's been missing from her EBD card. Okay, and
it's been happening a lot.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Yeah, explain it to him firsthand.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
Well, I've been coming to your coffee shop. All of
a sudden, when I look at the bottom of the
receipts and it tells me the total that I have left,
There's like a dollar here, five dollars here missing. I
need every bit of money I have. I'm struggling as
it is. I have all these kids to feed.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
What were you saying, go ahead?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Like I told the other woman, I said I would
square up. I said, I would.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You do understand?
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Hey, Lenny, you do understand this.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It's a little suspicious that you want to quote unquote
square up.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
What is suspicious? Okay? Just a couple of questions.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Does this frequently happen in your coffee shop? Because it
sounds like you're you've been really prepared for this call.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It must look we've been having issues with our WiFi.
I'm happy to pay back what is owed. I'm willing
to bite the bullet here and take care of this.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
You know, Lenny, it's just a little suspicious that you're
just paying people off instead of reporting these incidents to
the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the fography.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Look, hey, I'm going to stop you right there. I'm
doing the right thing here. I don't appreciate you are
quick to clean it up.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Just want to know why I appreciate it so long. See, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
A little Oh. I'm just saying that somebody calls in
they've been ripped off through your coffee shop. You would
think that, and like you said, this has been happening
a lot lately. You would have had a business card
of somebody from the Federal Bureau of Investigation waiting to
speak to some of these people. You didn't mention anything
like that.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
It's like, we're not.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Accusing you of anything. I'm saying you should have already
been in contact with any one of these federal interact.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
So, hey, Lenny, whoever's doing this is committing a federal crime. Interesting,
You're gonna do something more than just pay the money back. Yeah,
to stop it, because because this is.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Nickel and diming whoever's doing it, we're not okay, I
want to clarify because we're not saying it's you. I'm
saying your suspect, obviously, obviously your suspect. But what I'm
saying is that you didn't come up with more of
a professional like This has been a problem. The Federal
Trade Commission, NYPD, State Attorney General's Office, they've all been notified.
(08:53):
Please come down there. I'm gonna I'm gonna put you
in touch with the this is a problem that we're
having right now. It's just come on down here right now,
and I'll pay you off. That's coming down here right exactly.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
You're not doing anything to fix your problem.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Come on, okay, Alice, when can you go down there?
And we're going to Samantha and a couple other people
are going to join you down there. Samantha, you got time,
can you? Absolutely?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
And we want to follow up and make sure this
gets done and you get your money Backallas.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We don't want you to go down alone.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
We're gonna go with you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
We're going to set up a couple of people to
go with you down there to click how much money?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
How much?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
What was the exact figure? Lenny's gonna be prepared to
immediately pay off what.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Exact? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Fifty eight dollars and twenty five cents? Is that what
you're saying?
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Yeah, let's let's do it at three o'clock.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I like it, I can do it. Yeah, you can
make it up three Samantha.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Okay, don okay, three o'clock because okay, it's fine, Lenny.
We're gonna be down there at three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Are you going to be there? I'm here. I just
want to clarify. This has been a problem. We've been
dealing with it. Come on down up, we'll get you paid,
all right.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
One and two four five, one oh three five textas
six nine nine three five is Lenny?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
What have you been a victim of fraud? Have you
been taken by a scam? The Hollywood Hamilton Show and
the KTU Morning Crew would love to hear from you.
Text us at six nine ninety three five. That is
six nine nine three five. This is fraud. Friday
You are about to hear a feature that was created
to expose the scammers, thieves, and con artists among us.
The dialogue and temperament about to be used by Hollywood
Hamilton does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of iHeartMedia.
This is Fraud Friday this week.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
On Fraud Friday, it's the Wi Fi Coffee shop scam.
If you don't think public Wi Fi is dangerous, we
think we might be changing your mind. The Wi Fi
Coffee shop scam is pretty much a scam about any
open Wi Fi, but on this particular scam we're talking
about the coffee shop scam.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
As most folks know in twenty twenty five, there's endless
scams out there, and endless ways to pirate your information,
to get your data and then therefore to get into
your bank accounts, your credit cards. The last thing you
want is someone in your phone getting your data, and
you're at risk if you're using public Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Right So, in Mintown, Manhattan, we've got listener Alice on
the phone. Everybody welcome Alice, Alice.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Listen Alice, Hi Hi Alan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Alice has been frequenting a coffee shop, which we're gonna
We're gonna remain nameless for obvious reasons. This coffee shop
is in Midtown Manhattan, where Alice lives. Alice, can you
explain to us a little bit what's happening with your
problem on this week's Fraud Friday. What's happening with yourself?
Speaker 6 (01:23):
Times have been really rough. I lost my job six
months ago, I got mouth to feed. My husband left me.
I'm struggling all by myself, and I had to apply
for food stamps and they sent me my ABC cards
and it's a godsend, you know. I shop, I get
(01:44):
groasties and I get my coffee on there, and all
of a sudden, I've been noticing money missing. I know
how much I should have in there, and it's not
that amount, right, And I'm seeing five dollars ten dollars
gone right now?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
You freak?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
What's called the coffee shop Manhattan?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Alice?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You didn't know anything about a VPN right when you're
using public Wi Fi, either at a motel, a hotel,
or a park or a Starbucks airports, especially.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Reab, I just know how to get on the internet.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Right, and don't feel bad about that. I'm the same way.
I don't know anything about this stuff either, so don't
feel badly that you don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
And honestly, if you are going to surf the web
in a public location, you need what's called a VPN,
a virtual private network a hotspot. But these are items
that you have to pay for.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
It's not free, and so.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
You're sometimes you're safer on your cellular plan depending on
your payments and what you got there.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
You know, they're nickel and diming, or it turns out
to be at first course is seven months fifty sixty
bucks and they're nickel and diming, or now can you
imagine twenty five thirty five customers? All right, Okay, here
we go. We're gonna get the guy on the phone.
His name is Siffee Shop and let's get down to
the bottom of it.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
You're listening to Fraud Friday with the KTU Morning Crew.
We'll be right back with part two when Hollywood and
Marie make the call. Buckle up because things are about
to get rough.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Fraud Friday is sponsored by the New York Alliance Against
Insurance Fraud, ROPE, Forward, Fraud, at Fraud and why dot Com.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Welcome back for part two for this week's Fraud Friday.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Hi, I'm calling for Lenny. Is Lenny around? It's a
friend of his?
Speaker 6 (03:43):
Hold on.
Speaker 5 (03:47):
Len, Hi, Lenny. My name is Marie. I'm a customer
of yours. I come in a lot. I order many
coffees when I come in. You know, I don't just
sit there and take up the table.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Can I do for you?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
I'm sorry what I said.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's a coffee shop. Everybody comes in and ordered coffee.
What can I do for you?
Speaker 5 (04:07):
Well, I have a problem and I just wanted to
discuss it with you, if I could just chat with
you for just a second. I've noticed on my card
that there's kind of a lot of charges and I
don't know where they're coming from. Like a dollar here,
(04:28):
five dollars I think the one just a few days
ago was ten dollars.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
We've been having problems with our Wi Fi system. Just
let me know what I owe you. I'll pay you
right away.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
What oh, okay? Yeah, Because I use an EBT card
and I've noticed that a lot of these charging it's
been going on. It's like five dollars here, ten I
think just a few days ago it was ten dollars.
Awful lot.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
I'm really busy here I want to get you taken
care of. I want to get straight on this. Why
don't you come into the shop. I'll help you out.
I'll square up with you whatever I owe you. Just
come on in, let me know what I owe you,
and I'll pay you.
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Really, that's that's all it takes is for me just
to come in. Do I bring my card with me
and you'll just put it back on my card? How
does that work? Can you do that? Can you put
it back on my EBT card?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
No, I'll just give you the money. Just tell me
what I owe you, and.
Speaker 5 (05:29):
I just well, I rounded it back on my card
because you took it off my cards, so you need
to put it back on my card. Wow, that was yeah,
So why is it? I don't understand? Awfully quick you think,
listen to me.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
My name is Sean Hamilton. I'm a private investigator here
in midtown Manhattan, and we're representing a woman by the
name of Alice. Alice. Are you there?
Speaker 6 (05:55):
Yes, I'm here.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Alice reached out to help us with a little bit
of a problem. Just a couple real quick questions. Is
this something that happens quite frequently?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
I'm sorry, who is this? Okay?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
We are a private investigating firm here in the city.
We represent Alice. She's the woman that you used to
spoke to right now. She has been taken advantage of
by frequenting your coffee shop a number of times. It's
been months, and she's finding that there's a lot of
money that's been missing from her EBD card. Okay, and
it's been happening a lot.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Yeah, explain it to him firsthand.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
Well, I've been coming to your coffee shop. All of
a sudden, when I look at the bottom of the
receipts and it tells me the total that I have left,
There's like a dollar here, five dollars here missing. I
need every bit of money I have. I'm struggling as
it is. I have all these kids to feed.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
What were you saying, go ahead?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Like I told the other woman, I said I would
square up. I said, I would.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You do understand?
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Hey, Lenny, you do understand this.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It's a little suspicious that you want to quote unquote
square up.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
What is suspicious? Okay? Just a couple of questions.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Does this frequently happen in your coffee shop? Because it
sounds like you're you've been really prepared for this call.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
It must look we've been having issues with our WiFi.
I'm happy to pay back what is owed. I'm willing
to bite the bullet here and take care of this.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
You know, Lenny, it's just a little suspicious that you're
just paying people off instead of reporting these incidents to
the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the fography.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Look, hey, I'm going to stop you right there. I'm
doing the right thing here. I don't appreciate you are
quick to clean it up.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Just want to know why I appreciate it so long. See, Yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
A little Oh. I'm just saying that somebody calls in
they've been ripped off through your coffee shop. You would
think that, and like you said, this has been happening
a lot lately. You would have had a business card
of somebody from the Federal Bureau of Investigation waiting to
speak to some of these people. You didn't mention anything
like that.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
It's like, we're not.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Accusing you of anything. I'm saying you should have already
been in contact with any one of these federal interact.
Speaker 5 (08:17):
So, hey, Lenny, whoever's doing this is committing a federal crime. Interesting,
You're gonna do something more than just pay the money back. Yeah,
to stop it, because because this is.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Nickel and diming whoever's doing it, we're not okay, I
want to clarify because we're not saying it's you. I'm
saying your suspect, obviously, obviously your suspect. But what I'm
saying is that you didn't come up with more of
a professional like This has been a problem. The Federal
Trade Commission, NYPD, State Attorney General's Office, they've all been notified.
(08:53):
Please come down there. I'm gonna I'm gonna put you
in touch with the this is a problem that we're
having right now. It's just come on down here right now,
and I'll pay you off. That's coming down here right exactly.
Speaker 5 (09:03):
You're not doing anything to fix your problem.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Come on, okay, Alice, when can you go down there?
And we're going to Samantha and a couple other people
are going to join you down there. Samantha, you got time,
can you? Absolutely?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
And we want to follow up and make sure this
gets done and you get your money Backallas.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
We don't want you to go down alone.
Speaker 5 (09:18):
We're gonna go with you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
We're going to set up a couple of people to
go with you down there to click how much money?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
How much?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
What was the exact figure? Lenny's gonna be prepared to
immediately pay off what.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
Exact? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Fifty eight dollars and twenty five cents? Is that what
you're saying?
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Yeah, let's let's do it at three o'clock.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
I like it, I can do it. Yeah, you can
make it up three Samantha.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Okay, don okay, three o'clock because okay, it's fine, Lenny.
We're gonna be down there at three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Are you going to be there? I'm here. I just
want to clarify. This has been a problem. We've been
dealing with it. Come on down up, we'll get you paid,
all right.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
One and two four five, one oh three five textas
six nine nine three five is Lenny?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
What are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
What have you been a victim of fraud? Have you
been taken by a scam? The Hollywood Hamilton Show and
the KTU Morning Crew would love to hear from you.
Text us at six nine ninety three five. That is
six nine nine three five. This is fraud. Friday
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