Beware the Cybercrime Underworld: Scotty's Scam Watchdog Report

Hey there, I’m Scotty — your go-to guy for scams, hacks, and digital sneakery. If it involves a shady text, a phishing link, or some guy in his mom’s basement pretending to be your bank, I’ve probably dissected it. Now, let's dive straight into the digital underbelly, because the scam artists have been busy this week — and not in the good way.

Top billing on the scam front? That would be the arrest of Luka Vasković, the 28-year-old Serbian behind a sprawling ransomware-as-a-service operation, taken down just three days ago in a coordinated Europol raid in Belgrade. This guy ran a service called "ScoundrelWare" — I mean, it's not like he had a branding team, but still — which let low-level cybercriminals rent pre-built ransomware kits. Authorities say ScoundrelWare was used in over 100 attacks across Europe and the US, targeting hospitals and schools. Yeah, real charming. If the FBI’s indictments stick (and wow, it looks like they will), Luka’s going to be sipping cold coffee in a very different type of basement for a long time.

Meanwhile, over in the good ol' US of A, an A-list celebrity voice clone scam just surfaced — and it’s equal parts wild and horrifying. Scammers used AI voice cloning to impersonate Matthew McConaughey in robocalls, claiming to support a fake charity connected to Texas wildfire relief. No, alright alright alright was said, but the voices were convincingly close. The FTC launched an investigation this week and is warning everyone: verify calls the old-school way — call the organization directly. If someone’s asking for crypto donations over the phone, back away like it's a tarantula carrying a USB port.

And listen — don’t drop your guard on job scams. LinkedIn has been dealing with a fresh plague of fake recruiters. One recent scheme involves a fake Google recruiter promising remote engineering roles — all you have to do is buy a company laptop upfront. Right. If a job asks you to “order equipment first,” it’s not onboarding, it’s offloading your cash.

Want to avoid these scams? Rule one: If it’s urgent, emotional, or too awesome to be real — it’s probably not real. Rule two: Google is your friend. Look up names, email addresses, reverse search those profile pics. Rule three: Turn on two-factor authentication and use a passphrase, not your cat’s name plus the year you graduated.

Alright, digital denizens, that’s your scam report from yours truly. Stay sharp, surf safe, and never trust a pop-up that says you’ve won an iPhone. Scotty out.