America's Scam Crisis

Most of us think of scams as random or isolated or something that just happens to unlucky people. But what if the truth is far more organized, far more disturbing? Behind many of today's scams is a global web of criminal enterprises, structured like corporations and fueled by technology, data, and billions of stolen dollars.

In this episode, we sit down with Ken Westbrook. Ken spent over three decades in the CIA before retiring, only to return to the fight after his own mother was targeted and lost most of her life savings to a tech support scam. That moment changed everything. He founded Stop Scams Alliance, a nonprofit on a mission to stop scams before they ever reach our devices. His approach? Building bridges between tech companies, banks, telecom, government, and consumer advocates to cut these criminal operations off at the source.

Ken brings a rare blend of intel experience and personal urgency to this issue. He breaks down what's really going on behind the scenes, why the U.S. is falling behind in this fight, and how other countries are pushing back effectively. If you think this can't happen to you or someone you love, think again. This conversation is a wake-up call.

Show Notes:

• [00:58] Ken is the founder and CEO of Stop Scams Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to reducing scams in the United States.
• [01:21] They are focused on the left of the boom or before the scam happens.
• [01:43] Ken served for 33 years in the CIA. 
• [02:28] We learn how Ken's mother was scammed on Valentine's Day of 2023. He started looking into these scams, and he was horrified. 
• [03:19]  As a nation, we need to do better to defend ourselves. Ken came out of retirement to do just that.
• [03:32] His board of directors has a lot of government officials who decided to join the fight. We are literally under attack by foreign organized crime, and we're not doing enough to protect ourselves.
• [04:03] 21 million Americans are scammed each year.
• [04:45] The number of scam and fraud victims are increasing.
• [05:15] It's become a business, and the scammers are getting better at what they do.
• [06:36] How Chinese criminal gangs shifted from casinos to scamming operations. People join voluntarily or are sometimes kidnapped.
• [07:24] It's also expanding around the world.
• [10:12] The British government actually has a scam czar. So does Australia. They have a strategy and a fraud policy.
• [12:08] You think you're talking to the IRS or your bank, but you're not.
• [13:45] Having a whitelist for financial advertising. Other countries are finding value in authenticating, maybe the United States should pay attention.
• [15:36] Scammers love to get people on the telephone. In many countries, telecom companies will block spoofing calls from other countries. 
• [16:47] We need authenticated text messages in the US.
• [17:42] We have more companies and free enterprise, so it's more complicated in the US.
• [19:35] We need somebody in charge. It's an economic war with transnational organized crime.
• [22:34] Fake investment scams are the number one scam when it comes to losses.
• [27:46] Ken shares what happened in his mom's case. It was a tech support scam. His mom clicked on an obituary site and scareware popped up.
• [30:08] The whole point is to get you to call a fake 1-800 number that you think is Microsoft.
• [30:51] The Phantom hacker was able to look up where she banked by using her phone number. Then they put her in touch with the fake fraud department at the bank.
• [32:11] Then they sent her to Home Depot to buy gift cards and then cashier's checks.
• [33:55] Fortunately the banks intervened, but she still lost a lot of money.
• [36:38] We need to realize that we're being attacked by Chinese cyber criminals.
• [39:38] People under the age of 50 are falling victim to scams more than the elderly people.
• [41:31] The average loss last year of an older person was $83,000. Old