Episodes

  • Hack-Proof Your Digital Life: Savvy Tips to Outsmart Cyber Scams in 2026

    Hack-Proof Your Digital Life: Savvy Tips to Outsmart Cyber Scams in 2026
    Jan 21 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam-busting wizard with a techie twist on the wild world of cyber crooks. It's early 2026, and January's hitting like a post-holiday hangover for hackers—new data from Aura and Fox5 Atlanta shows fraud spiking hard right now, targeting those forgotten shopping accounts, recycled passwords, and saved card details from your Black Friday binges. Digital privacy pro Kristin Lewis at Aura nails it: clean up that digital clutter fast, or you're prime bait.

    Picture this: over in Grant County, Washington, the Sheriff's Crime Reduction Team just pulled off a sting for the ages. On January 19th, they nabbed Damion O. McDonald, a 36-year-old Jamaican hustler who flew into SeaTac Airport that morning via rideshare, met an 87-year-old victim at State Route 26 and Beverly Burke Road-SW, and snatched $64,000 in cash—part of over $100k scammed since October 2025 with fake promises of luxury cars and real estate. McDonald's cooling his heels in Grant County Jail on charges of first-degree theft from a vulnerable adult and possessing stolen property, per the Columbia Basin Herald and KPQ News. Classic elder scam playbook: gift cards, wire transfers, and greed.

    But it's not just grannies getting got. Gen Digital's Q4 2025 Threat Report drops a bomb—scams raked in billions via malvertising on Facebook (77% of phishing), YouTube, and Reddit, with fake shops exploding 62% year-over-year. Click a shady ad for boots or gadgets in your feed? Boom, you're funding Chinese scam syndicates who stole $17 billion in crypto last year alone, per Chainalysis and Fortune, using AI deepfakes and EZ-Pass phishing texts from groups like Darcula.

    Philly's got international drama too—FBI warns Chinese students at local unis are fielding calls from fake Chinese cops claiming your data's tied to fraud, demanding crypto "bail" or 24/7 surveillance. And tax season's looming: BBB flags IRS impersonators via texts (27%), calls (30%), even WhatsApp, fishing for SSNs or instant payments—the real IRS never hits you like that.

    FTC's got your back on phishing: update security software auto, enable multi-factor auth—that's your username plus a text code or fingerprint—and back up data. Spot a sketchy email from your "bank" screaming account issues? Don't click; call the real number. Check email forwarding for hijacks, nuke unknown logins, and shop trusted sites, not social ads.

    Stay sharp, listeners—scammers evolve faster than your OS updates. Thanks for tuning in; subscribe for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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    3 mins
  • Unmasking AI-Powered Scams: Scotty's Cybersecurity Insights for 2026

    Unmasking AI-Powered Scams: Scotty's Cybersecurity Insights for 2026
    Jan 19 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam slayer with the tech chops to keep you one step ahead of these digital dirtbags. Picture this: it's early 2026, and scammers are leveling up like it's a cyber arms race. Just last month in November 2025, Thai cops busted a crew of Chinese fraudsters who weaponized AI to clone voices and even fool bank biometric systems—think deepfake faces blinking and nodding on video calls to bypass security. Pol. Col. Neti Wongkularb from Thailand's Technology Crime Suppression Division spilled the beans to Thai PBS Verify: these creeps start by calling from a weird number, claiming it's their new one after ditching the old. They chat casually, hang up, wait a day or two, then hit you with a sob story—like pretending to be your kid stuck with a big purchase, begging for 10,000 to 100,000 baht to tide them over till they reach their spouse.

    Don't fall for it, folks. If that familiar voice pipes up from an unknown number, politely ghost 'em, hang up, and ring back on the saved contact to verify. Set a family passcode—some secret only you and your loved ones know—for those urgent video pleas. And scrub those high-res selfies from social media; they're scammer gold for training AI clones.

    Over in Greece, police just nailed their first smishing ring—Chinese SMS blasters firing fake alerts to snag your data. Cambodia's cracking down hard too: they deported Chinese tycoon Chen Zhi this month for running massive scam ops from Phnom Penh, and over 400 Indonesians got "released" from compounds in Bavet after forced gigs in romance and crypto hustles. One 18-year-old Sumatran kid escaped after eight unpaid months, passport held hostage by his "Chinese boss." Meanwhile, Thailand's Royal Thai Police Anti-Money Laundering Centre, led by Pol Gen Ittipol Atchariyapradit, seized 10 billion baht in assets last year, froze 800 mule accounts, and cuffed 32 in Operation Khayee Hua Jai Thotsakan.

    Stateside and beyond, watch for AI-powered phishing mimicking your boss's emails, MFA fatigue bombs flooding your phone till you cave, malicious browser extensions spying on keystrokes, and DNS redirects hijacking your bank login. Dutch police even sold fake tickets last week to demo how easy it is. CIRO in Canada just fessed up to a phishing breach exposing 750,000 investors' SINs and incomes—no passwords, but prime identity theft fodder.

    Stay frosty: enable MFA with authenticator apps, not just pushes; block at the DNS level; patch everything; limit browser add-ons; and think twice on pop-up updates. Banks like Bank of East Asia never SMS links for logins or OTPs—per Hong Kong Monetary Authority alerts.

    Thanks for tuning in, listeners—subscribe for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

    For more http://www.quietplease.ai

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    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    3 mins
  • Cybercrime Crackdown: Cambodian Scam Hubs Raided, SMS Attacks Surge, and How to Outsmart AI-Powered Scams

    Cybercrime Crackdown: Cambodian Scam Hubs Raided, SMS Attacks Surge, and How to Outsmart AI-Powered Scams
    Jan 16 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam-busting wizard diving straight into the cyber chaos of the past week. Picture this: I'm scrolling my feeds on January 16, 2026, and Cambodia's Sihanoukville is emptying out like a bad heist movie. Fraudsters are bolting from scam hubs like Amber Casino after the government's anti-scam commission raided 118 spots and nabbed around 5,000 folks in the last six months, per France 24 reports. This follows the big takedown of Chen Zhi, the sanctioned scam kingpin tied to Prince Group, extradited to China. Tuk-tuks and Lexus SUVs were hauling con artists outta there, but insiders whisper it's "anti-crime theater"—workers tipped off ahead, relocating gear to keep the multibillion-dollar pig butchering ops alive. These creeps lure you into fake romances or crypto pumps, siphoning billions globally. UN stats peg 2023 losses at $37 billion, with 100,000 trafficked souls slaving in Cambodia alone.

    Closer to home, Moose Jaw Police just warned about the grandparent scam spiking—scammers pose as your grandkid in jail, then a fake lawyer calls demanding gift cards or bitcoin. One bold jerk even showed up at a victim's door for cash pickup. Thunder Bay cops aren't messing around either; on January 14, they busted Levi Bell, Samantha Bennett-Dolph, Devon Bond, Linda Ledger, Kelsey Tenhunfen, Wayne Woodbeck, and Dustin Woodbeck in a drug ring with $6,500 in coke and fentanyl, plus fraud-linked proceeds.

    But the real techie nightmare? SMS scams got AI-upgraded, says Trend Micro. No more typos—these texts hit personalized, screaming urgency like "Your Australia Post parcel's delayed—click to confirm!" or "Bank account locking in 24 hours!" They mimic banks, MyGov, or delivery apps, pushing fake login links to phish your creds. Crypto kiosk scams exploded too; FBI's IC3 logged over $333 million swiped in 2025 alone, like 80-year-old Marlene Betesh from New Jersey who lost $9,500 at a liquor store ATM after a fake Apple alert panicked her into wiring cash to "protect" it from Russian hackers.

    Listeners, arm up: Pause every urgent text—call the real number from their official site, never the link. Hover over URLs; if it's sketchy, delete. Lock accounts with unique passwords, 2FA, and apps like Trend Micro ScamCheck. Ditch gift cards or crypto demands—they're scam beacons. Report to Scamwatch in Oz or IC3 stateside. AI's cloning voices now, so verify family emergencies on a trusted line.

    Stay sharp out there—scammers evolve, but so do we. Thanks for tuning in, listeners; hit subscribe for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

    For more http://www.quietplease.ai

    Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    3 mins
  • Protect Yourself: Malware, Ponzi Schemes, and Phishing Scams Exposed

    Protect Yourself: Malware, Ponzi Schemes, and Phishing Scams Exposed
    Jan 14 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam buster with a techie twist on the wild world of cyber crooks. Picture this: you're clicking through an online checkout, card details flying, when sneaky Magecart skimmers—those JavaScript vampires from Malwarebytes reports—suck up your American Express, Mastercard, or Discover data right from major payment networks like AmEx and Diners Club. This campaign's been lurking since 2022, exploiting e-commerce weak spots, so shop owners, patch your CMS now, and you, grab Malwarebytes Browser Guard to block those malicious scripts before they feast.

    Speaking of long cons, Ponzi kingpin Renwick Haddow's sentencing just got bumped from January 28 to April 29 by the New York Southern District Court, per FX News Group. This guy's been cooperating from Morocco and the Bahamas, liquidating assets from his Bitcoin Store and Bar Works scams that fleeced investors since 2014 with fake crypto platforms and co-working hype. Arrested back in 2017, he's still dodging the slam while victims wait—classic delay tactic.

    Over in King County, Washington, scammers are posing as deputies from the Sheriff's Office, blasting calls about missed jury duty and fake arrest warrants, as KIRO7 exposed. Sergeant Val Kelly warns they'll demand instant phone payments or threaten cuffs—total BS. Real cops don't call for cash like that; hang up, hit the non-emergency line, and check socials for alerts. Snohomish County's seeing it too.

    AARP Pennsylvania's fraud squad, via PR Newswire on January 13, flags five 2026 nasties hitting seniors hard: phony employment gigs demanding fees, recovery scams charging to "fix" prior rip-offs, digital arrest video terrors, "Hello pervert" blackmail emails, and romance hustles pushing crypto. Losses for 60-plus folks hit $445 million in 2024 alone, and AI's making 'em slicker.

    Then there's the massive 2026 breach dumping passwords from big tech platforms, screaming PCMatic's wake-up: ditch password recycling now. Hackers shotgun stolen creds from Netflix to your bank—stop 'em with unique 12+ char beasts in a password manager, crank on multi-factor auth everywhere, scan browser saves with Google's Password Checkup, and freeze your credit.

    In Denver, the city government's blasting warnings about fake rezoning fee emails from bogus denvergov@usa.com addresses, as their Tech Services confirmed January 13. Chief Info Sec Officer Merlin Namuth says pause on urgency—verify first.

    Listeners, arm up: unique passwords, 2FA like a digital moat, sniff phishing by spotting urgent threats or bad grammar, overshare nothing online, and research investments via FCA registers. Update apps, buy tickets from STAR-approved spots, monitor statements. Scammers evolve, but you're the boss—stay vigilant, breathe, verify.

    Thanks for tuning in, smash that subscribe button for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

    For more http://www.quietplease.ai

    Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    4 mins
  • Beware the Newest Scams Sweeping Your Feeds: A Scam Nerd's Guide to Staying Safe in 2026

    Beware the Newest Scams Sweeping Your Feeds: A Scam Nerd's Guide to Staying Safe in 2026
    Jan 11 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your friendly neighborhood scam nerd, and we’re diving straight into the freshest fraud hitting your feeds this week.

    Let’s start in Chicago. ABC7 Chicago reports that the Better Business Bureau just dropped its 2026 list of top scams, and online purchase scams are number one for the sixth year running. Fake shopping sites, especially for pets, plus bogus Amazon, Apple, and Walmart lookalike pages are vacuuming up card numbers and never shipping a thing. Right behind that: classic phishing and fake work-from-home job offers that ask you to “buy equipment” or “pay for training” up front. The BBB’s Steve Bernas says scammers are now mixing in AI and deepfakes during fake job interviews, which is cyberpunk-level evil, but here we are.

    Now jump to New Delhi. The Times of India reports a retired doctor couple in Greater Kailash lost about 15 crore rupees in what cops call a “digital arrest” scam. Scammers pretended to be TRAI officials and Mumbai Police, accused them of money laundering, then kept them on video calls for two weeks, isolating them and forcing transfers “for verification.” That’s not hacking computers, that’s hacking nervous systems. If anyone claims to be law enforcement, threatens arrest, and tells you not to talk to anyone: hang up, look up the official number yourself, and call back on your own.

    In the U.S., WHIO in Ohio says the Preble County Sheriff’s Office is warning about crooks calling families of people in jail, pretending to be from the jail, and demanding $500 on PayPal for an ankle monitor so their loved one can be released. Coconino County’s Superior Court in Arizona is seeing something similar: fake detention facility staff claiming there’s a court order and a warrant unless you pay up. Real cops and real courts do not call you for PayPal, gift cards, or crypto. Ever.

    Speaking of low-tech but nasty, ABC7 in Los Angeles reports Glendale police just arrested two women for running a counterfeit $100 bill scam at a dozen In-N-Out locations. That’s your reminder: scams aren’t just in your inbox; they’re standing at the counter with fries.

    For a quick defense patch: Tom’s Guide suggests cleaning up your digital life in 2026 by checking if your email’s been in a breach using Have I Been Pwned, turning on two-factor authentication everywhere, updating your router, and killing old accounts you don’t use. A Substack guide called The Internet Basics Guide That Apparently We Still Need in 2026 reminds everyone of the golden rule: your bank, Apple, the IRS, none of them will email or text asking you to click a link and type in your password or full card number.

    So here’s your Scotty short list: no urgent payments by wire, gift card, or PayPal on a phone call; no logging into anything from a link you didn’t start; verify callers using numbers you look up yourself; and if it sounds like a movie plot, treat it like a scam.

    Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so the scammers hate your newfound wisdom just a little more each week. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    4 mins
  • Scam Alert: Protect Yourself from the Latest Tricks, Straight from the "Scam Nerd"

    Scam Alert: Protect Yourself from the Latest Tricks, Straight from the "Scam Nerd"
    Jan 9 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your friendly neighborhood scam nerd, coming to you from the front lines of what the bad guys have been up to this week.

    Let’s start with the phones in your pockets. Citizens National Bank in Texas just warned that scammers are spoofing the bank’s real support number and calling customers, pretending to be from “fraud prevention.” They ask for one-time passcodes, online banking passwords, even remote access to your phone. Citizens National Bank says they will never call you for that info, so if someone does, you hang up, flip your card over, call the number on the back, and verify for yourself.

    The same playbook is hitting taxes. The IRS is warning about phishing emails, sketchy texts, and social media “tax tips” that tell you to lie on returns or claim secret credits. The IRS reminds everyone: they do not email, text, or DM you demanding immediate payment. If a “tax agent” is rushing you, it’s not compliance, it’s a con.

    Scams aren’t just digital theory either; people are getting arrested. In Cambodia, ANC News reports that authorities just picked up an alleged mastermind and two others behind a massive crypto scam targeting investors in China. Police say they lured victims with fake high-return investments, then moved the money through crypto and shell companies before extradition caught up with them. When you hear “guaranteed” profits in crypto, remember that story and walk away.

    On the U.S. side, EastIdahoNews, via Danielle Kingston of A+ Idaho Bail Bonds, is flagging a brutal jail-bond scam. Callers pretend to be law enforcement or a bail bond company and tell you your jailed family member will be “re-arrested” unless you pay more for things like ankle monitors. They use real inmate details pulled from public rosters to sound legit. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office says: don’t pay a dime until you hang up and call the jail, the court, or your actual bondsman on a verified number.

    And then there’s 2026’s favorite villain: AI. Choice in Australia is warning about AI video clones, where scammers deepfake celebrities like Kevin Costner or even your boss and hop on a video call asking for money. Veriff’s new fraud report says criminals are now using AI to mass-generate fake documents, voices, and faces, making romance scams and investment schemes look painfully real.

    Here’s what I want you to remember to dodge all of this. First, slow down; urgency is a weapon. Second, never give one-time passcodes, full card numbers, or remote access to anyone who contacts you first, no matter what name shows on caller ID. Third, verify using your own channel: numbers from official sites, your card, or a saved contact you trust. And finally, be skeptical of anything that feels custom-made for you: the perfect investment, the perfect partner, or the perfect panic.

    Thanks for tuning in, listeners, and don’t forget to subscribe so Scotty can keep you one patch ahead of the scammers. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

    For more http://www.quietplease.ai

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    3 mins
  • Scam Busting in the Age of AI: Protect Yourself from Evolving Frauds

    Scam Busting in the Age of AI: Protect Yourself from Evolving Frauds
    Jan 7 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam buster with a techie twist and a side of snark. It's early 2026, and the fraudsters are already cranking up the AI engines, but I've got the latest dirt from the wires to keep you one step ahead. Picture this: you're scrolling social media, and bam—a too-good-to-be-true hoodie ad pops up for 20 bucks instead of 120. That's straight out of the Better Business Bureau's playbook, as Paula Fleming warned on WPRI's 12 Responds just last week. One victim shelled out 160 bucks for a fake buy-one-get-two-free retail site that vanished like a ghost in the matrix. These counterfeit kings are using AI to make bogus purses look legit—sneaky, right?

    But hold onto your keyboards, because impersonation scams are exploding. WSLS reports from Philadelphia that fraudsters, hyped by Drexel University's CIO Pablo Molina, are cloning voices and whipping up deepfake videos that could fool your grandma—or you. They prey on urgency: "Pay now or jail!" Investments and job scams top the 2026 hit list too. AARP Nebraska's alerts nail it—scammers dangle work-from-home gigs on WhatsApp or Telegram, demanding your Social Security number or upfront cash for "training kits." One poor soul lost 120 grand in an employment task hustle tied to a fake mentor.

    Then there's the U.S. Marshals Service in Seattle's Western District of Washington dropping a bombshell on January 5 via the DOJ: phony court order emails with real-looking case numbers, judge signatures, and even a "Did you know" footer pushing Bitcoin payments to dodge arrest for missed jury duty. Spoofed caller IDs from courthouses? Classic. They want wire transfers, Green Dot cards, or crypto—never gonna happen with real Marshals, folks. Call Seattle at 206-370-8600 to verify.

    AI's the big bad wolf this year, per experts everywhere from Archwell Health to Feedzai predictions. Romance texts from "loved ones in jail," utility shutoff panics in cold snaps, or family emergencies—pause, SLAM those emails: check Sender, Links, Attachments, Message. Hover, don't click. Silence unknown callers on your iPhone or Android. Report to FTC, IC3, or AARP's helpline at 877-908-3360. Monitor credit at annualcreditreport.com, enable MFA, grab a password manager.

    Listeners, stay vigilant—verify everything, greed be damned. Thanks for tuning in, smash that subscribe button for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Stay safe out there!

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    4 mins
  • Cybercrime Apocalypse: Navigating the Wild Web of Scams in 2026

    Cybercrime Apocalypse: Navigating the Wild Web of Scams in 2026
    Jan 5 2026
    Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam slayer with a techie twist on the wild cyber jungle. Buckle up, because the past few days have been a scam apocalypse, and today, January 5th, 2026, we're dodging fresh bullets from the dark web.

    Picture this: I'm scrolling my feeds, and bam—Condé Nast just got gutted. Hacker alias Lovely dropped 2.3 million WIRED subscriber records on Breach Stars forum December 20th, exposing emails, names, addresses, and phone numbers from decades back. SecurityWeek and BleepingComputer confirm it stemmed from IDOR flaws and broken access controls in their account system. Lovely, who first played white-hat researcher via DataBreaches.net in late November, went rogue after Condé Nast ghosted vulnerability reports. Now they're threatening 40 million more records from other titles. No passwords leaked, but phishing crews are salivating—watch for fake WIRED emails begging credential resets. Change reused passwords now, folks, and enable MFA everywhere.

    Switching gears, Free Range Diva's YouTube alert from January 4th nails the new bank scam twist: you get a shady email from "your bank," smartly avoid the link, search Bank of America yourself... but land on bank4amea.com or onebankofamerica.com. No padlock? Misspellings? X out and call directly. Cheryl warns QR codes are rigged too—public ones zap you to fake logins. Amazon smishing exploded: texts about returns with malicious links mimicking the real deal. Always hit amazon.com straight, never click unsolicited.

    Over in cyber breach hell, Integrity360 reports 2025's ransomware rampage by Scattered Spider hit UK giants like Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Harrods, and Jaguar Land Rover factories in the UK, Slovakia, Brazil. Social engineering via third-party suppliers let them exfil data and extort. TransUnion spilled 4.46 million US consumer records alongside Google and Qantas hits by ShinyHunters. Lesson? Vendors are backdoors.

    Fresh today: Hong Kong Monetary Authority blasts fake Bank of China Hong Kong sites, login screens, and apps. No real bank SMSes hyperlinks or begs OTPs. FightCybercrime.org echoes: passphrase passwords, MFA, DuckDuckGo browser, shun public WiFi for banking. New Zealand's ManageMyHealth hack and MetaMask 2FA phishing prove nowhere's safe.

    Pro tip from my hacker hunts: AI deepfakes are 2026's nuke—Malwarebytes says they're making scams uncannily real, per ABA Banking Journal's toll-text smishing grabbing card details then OTPs for wallet loads. Trust gut, double-check URLs, ignore unsolicited investments like that Cardano Eternl wallet crypto lure from DB Digest.

    Stay vigilant, enable MFA, update browsers, freeze credit. You're smarter than these script kiddies.

    Thanks for tuning in, listeners—subscribe for more scam smackdowns. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

    For more http://www.quietplease.ai

    Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

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