This week, hosts Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show), Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan are discussing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. We have some follow up where Joe shares a scam call he received. Dave’s got the story on a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting Apple Pay users through fake emails and voice calls impersonating customer support, as well as Australia’s ClickFit initiative warning that romance scammers are exploiting trust online for emotional and financial gain. Joe’s story is about a former Ohio bank employee who used his insider access to steal identities and siphon roughly $2 million from elderly customers, ultimately leading to his arrest in Chicago and federal conviction. Maria’s story is about a daughter who discovers her 84-year-old mother has been financially exploited by trusted professionals and even family members, underscoring how elder fraud often comes from familiar faces. It highlights the rapid rise in elder financial abuse and the urgent need for families to step in early—before cognitive decline makes the losses irreversible. Our catch of the day come's from the "Australian Government" on a tax document being floated around.
Resources and links to stories:
- Apple Pay Users Targeted by Sophisticated Phishing Scam Leveraging Voice and Email
- ClickFit: Romance scams
- Former Bank Employee Found Guilty of Targeting Elderly Victims in Identity Theft and Fraud Scheme
- Ohio bank’s anti-fraud agent stole $2M from elderly customers: DOJ
Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.