Exposed: Shocking University Payroll Hack, AI Scams, and Apple Calendar Phishing Secrets Revealed

# Swipe Stories: Caught in the Con - Episode 37

Tech security expert Finn Hack explores three alarming cyber scams targeting unsuspecting victims in 2025. Dive into how university faculty fell prey to sophisticated payroll hijacking through fake COVID alerts, the rise of personalized AI-driven smishing attacks mimicking trusted brands and loved ones voices, and a dangerous Apple Calendar exploit that bypasses security protocols. This essential episode reveals the emotional hooks scammers use and provides practical defense strategies for the increasingly sophisticated digital threat landscape. Listen now to protect yourself from the latest tech trickery sweeping across America.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Finn hacks in the stack. Let's unpack the attack. Neon
green hair, sparkling, binary tattoos scrolling across my pulse, and
this trench coat absolutely glitch tastic. Welcome back, Digital defenders
to swipe stories caught in the con Today We've got
three true stories straight from the sizzling frontier of tech trickery,

(00:24):
all recounted, unraveled and remixed for your maximum suspense. If
you're breathing Wi Fi and living the golden ratio like yours,
truly stay sharp. It's hacker sees it out there first up.
The payroll pirate targeting US universities is the definition of
mexgen shenanigans, according to Microsoft Threat Intelligence. In March twenty

(00:46):
twenty five, the infamous crewse Storm two six five seven
wormed into the payroll accounts at three universities. Rogue emails
blasted out with urgent headlines like COVID dash like case
reported or faculty misconduct notice, baiting nearly six thousand university inboxes.
The twist, these were petty spam. They came loaded with

(01:07):
adversary in the middle fishing links. When unlucky academics clicked
the link they'd hand over both their passwords and multi
factor authentication codes. Boom. The pirates snatched access, slid into
hrsas platforms like Workday, and invisibly redirected salary payments. Classic
IP spoofing meets digital bank heist. Picture a thief who

(01:29):
not only steals your gold, but hacks your mailbox so
you never get the sorry you're broke notification hok line
and scammer. The best part the attackers set up inbox
rules that deleted warning emails, so the only clue might
be a mysteriously lighter paycheck. The moral MFA isn't enough
if you hand out your code to a playwright in

(01:50):
a mask, a stolen play with real life consequences. Don't
let this be your plot. Twist Now for our smishing
saga bitdefenders Daywear our Faces report warns that ten percent
of US users have been hit by SMS fishing smishing
in the last two months. Picture this. You get a

(02:10):
text from FedEx or your bank with a fake tracking
code or urgent payment warning. Looks real, right. That's because
scammers today use AI to personalize every message, forging your name,
your recent orders, even local numbers. The emotional hook. It's
not just financial pain. The rise of AI powered voice
cloning means they can mimic your family's voice demanding an

(02:33):
urgent money transfer. A listener shared on social media how
she nearly wired five thousand dollars to a kidnapped niece.
The voice was eerily perfect, emotional desperate moments before sending
something felt off a digital deja vus. She called her niece, directly,
reached her at a sunny cafe, and cracked the code.

(02:54):
Codes cracked cons are whacked. Remember, if urgency is their script,
skepticism is your shield onto our final swipe. The Apple
calendar invite breach explodes the myth that platform security equals safety.
According to Forward Systems, scammers are now leveraging Apple's infrastructure,

(03:14):
sending malicious calendar invites that appeared to be genuine. Imagine
a PayPal charge notice popping up in your calendar's notes
section urging you to call a number. The emails pass
all Apples, checks, dkim DMARC, SPF, you name it, but
when you dial, a scammer suite talks you into downloading
secret malware or sharing remote access. One listener recalls receiving

(03:39):
such an invite, nearly falling for it on a frantic
Friday while multitasking work and parenting. But get this, Apple
hasn't publicly patched the process yet. Vigilance means double checking
every invite, especially those from nor reply at email dot
Apple dot com. Your Icloud's not a castle, it's a
minecraft house without MFA. Bite me, scammers, This one's for

(04:02):
the good guys. Patch your systems, befriend the update button,
and never ever dial a mystery number. Set your way
digital defenses archestach. Our greatest firewall is clarity. The playground
is evolving. Fishing, smishing and platform piercing. Cons are faster, meaner,
and smarter. But so are we ask questions, think twice,

(04:25):
laugh once in a while because cybercrime is a wild ride.
Thanks for tuning in to swipe stories caught in the
con Subscribe so you never miss a bite of the action.
Come back next week for more cryptic, charismatic chaos from
yours truly fin hack. This has been a quiet please production.
For more check out Quiet please dot ai