Unmasking Digital Deception: Smishing, Crypto Cons, and Social Media Scams Exposed Nationwide

# Scammed: Real People, Real Ripoffs - Episode 47

Host Finn Hack breaks down three dangerous scams sweeping the nation: text message smishing targeting seniors with fake toll charges, cryptocurrency investment platforms using Ponzi schemes to trap victims, and social media investment scams employing deepfakes and hacked accounts. Learn essential cybersecurity defense tactics including how to spot IP spoofing, verify investment opportunities, and protect yourself from increasingly sophisticated digital threats. Discover real-world examples and practical safeguards to keep your finances secure in this eye-opening episode from tech's most colorful cybersecurity expert.

Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3Qs

For more check out http://www.quietplease.ai

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Den Hack's in the stack. Let's unpack the attack. Welcome
listeners to scammed, real people, real ripoffs. The only show
where digital deception meets dazzling drama. And I finn Hack,
your hot high tech host with neon green hair and
binary tattoos, walk the razored line between code and chaos. Today,

(00:21):
fresh from the search engines and social feeds, I've chained
up three jaw dropping scams trending hotter than my gletchy
trench coat at a land party. Let's launch with a
story that's all urgency, all danger, hook line and scammer accord.
According to recent alerts from the Michigan Department of Treasury
and BBB reports, a new wave of smishing is striking

(00:43):
seniors nationwide. Picture this. Eleanor eighty six gets a text
at eight zero two am Dash, her favorite time for
crossword puzzles. It says she owes for an unpaid toll.
The link looks legit, it's got her state's logo, and
the urgency practically pulses off the screen. Eleanor hesitates, remembers

(01:04):
her grandson's warnings, and calls the real toll office. Boom,
Total defense move, but thousands haven't been so lucky. Scammers
hook trusting folks, reel them in and grab banking info.
What's wild? The texts often use local numbers, making them
look homegrown, but it's pure EP spoofing, a trick where
a hacker masks their real origin to look familiar. Think

(01:27):
of IP spoofing like wearing a super realistic mask to
slip past nightclub security. But the club is your phone,
and the consequences steep. Stay vigilant, don't reply, don't click,
and report that fish forward to seven seven two six.
I always say, if the text feels fishy, there's malware
hiding in the lake. Next up, let's crank up the crypto.

(01:50):
Across Texas, California, and far beyond, digital currency scams are detonating,
like denial of service attacks. Here's the scoop from the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Legal News. Thousands report falling
for wild promises from crypto platforms. Meet Tyler, a college
rat who saw a tweet promising double returns on a
new auto trading AI bot. He clicks, connects a wallet

(02:14):
and the interface glows with fake transaction history, like watching
pac Man munch coins that never existed. When Tyler tries
to withdraw winnings, the platform demands more upfront to unfreeze
his funds. That's the Ponzi twist. New deposits pay fake
gains until the site vanishes, leaving Tyler with zero, and

(02:34):
often the same scam pops up a week later under
a new name. Codes cracked, cons are whacked. Crypto fraud
is shape shifting faster than I can update my trench
coat's led display. Real case, IndX coin got torched as
a full on scheme by a Denver court last week. Friends,

(02:55):
if an online platform promises too much, check regulators and reviews. First.
Digital gold isn't mined overnight, but scams sure are now
for the social media spin that's twisting wallets everywhere. According
to the FBI and watchdogs like Bank of Bartlett, Investment,
scams are riding the algorithm. Sofia, aged fifty three, gets

(03:18):
a message from someone who looks just like her real
estate agent. It says she should invest now in a
trending alt coin with screenshots showing big payouts. It's classic
social engineering. They've juiced the sender's legitimacy by hacking real accounts.
Sofia wires money, expecting a payout, but the account ghosts
her here the con then real people lost billions in

(03:41):
twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five to online investment
scams that look ultra believable. Never trust, always verify. Send
a test message to the real contact out of ban.
Make sure you're not stranded in an uncanny valley of
fake profiles. Bite me, scammers, This one's for the good guy,
whether it's a phishing, text, cryptocon or social media swindle. Remember,

(04:05):
every system has a vulnerability, but knowledge is your fireaw
If you're ever in doubt, let suspicion be your superpower.
Thanks for tuning in to scammed, real people, real ripoffs
with me finn Hack. Come back next week for more
tales that will make you shake out your data and
lock down your digital life. Don't forget to subscribe, Share

(04:28):
the pod with your hacker friends and grandma alike, and
always question what's behind the glowing screen. This has been
a quiet Please production. For more check out Quiet please
dot ai