Beware Crypto Scams, Bank Phishing, and AI Voice Tricks: Your Ultimate Cybersecurity Roundup

Hey hey! It’s your cyber-savvy cousin Scotty here, sliding into your brainwaves with a hot-off-the-wire update on the latest internet scams. And trust me, it’s been a spicy week in Scamland.

Let’s start with the big one — just days ago, the FBI finally nabbed Frederick "Freddie" Mansfield, aka the Crypto Phantom, right outside Phoenix, Arizona. This dude was running a crypto investment scam so slick, he had retirees, influencers, and even a retired MLB pitcher dumping Bitcoin into his fake "BlipFund." He promised 40% monthly returns using a secret trading algorithm — classic red flag, right? Turns out, his secret algorithm was really just spending your money on Lambos, rent in Sedona, and some very questionable NFTs of koalas doing yoga. Over $89 million vanished before the authorities caught up with him. Don’t trust anyone guaranteeing huge returns in crypto, folks. If it sounds like a gold mine with zero risk, it’s probably a digital graveyard.

Next stop, Chase Bank users — if you’ve gotten a “fraud alert” text in the past 72 hours, listen up. There’s a phishing wave going around right now, pretending to be Chase’s security team. The message says your account is locked and includes a link that looks real — until you click it and it asks for your login, SSN, and ATM PIN. I talked to my source at the Cybercrime Division in New York, and they said it’s part of a ring operating out of Lagos and Bucharest. So remember: banks will never ask for that kind of info over a link. If you get a weird message, go to the app or call the bank. Don’t play Tap the Link with your life savings.

Now here’s a weird one — AI voice scams are hitting the suburbs. Just this Tuesday, a woman outside Sacramento got a call from someone using her daughter’s voice, saying she'd been kidnapped. Spoiler: she was at summer camp, roasting marshmallows. Scammers used social media clips to deepfake her daughter’s voice. Fast thinking mom contacted police, and the FBI is now tracing the spoofing servers. Rule of thumb: always confirm with a second call, use safe words with family, and don’t panic buy their lies.

Also, if you're on Facebook Marketplace — extra caution. There’s a surge in Zelle scams where fake buyers trick sellers into “Zelle business account upgrades.” Pay attention: no such upgrade exists. If someone says you need to refund them for an “auto-converted business fee,” back away slowly and report it.

Scotty’s final tip? Turn on two-factor authentication, use password managers, and for the love of bandwidth — stop reusing your dog’s name with an exclamation mark for every login. C’mon, we’re better than “Buster!123”.

That’s your Scam Sync-up for June 28, 2025. Stay smart, stay skeptical, and as always — if your phone rings and it smells like panic, it’s probably not opportunity. It’s a scammer.

Catch ya in the next breach!