If you experience any high pressure tactics or urgency that someone needs you to make a financial decision fast, take a pause and realize that you might be talking to a scammer. Today’s guest is Professor Marti DeLiema. Marti is an Assistant Professor and Gerontologist at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on identifying the extent and cost of financial fraud in the US as well as factors related to financial victimization of the aging.
Today’s guest is Ayleen Charlotte. Ayleen was one of the women featured in the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. She made a radical choice between victimhood or becoming a beacon of female empowerment. After what became five years of misery, she decided not only to tell her story, but to make a lifelong entrepreneurial dream come true.
With financial payment platforms used more regularly to exchange cash between individuals, scammers have become more creative in using them to defraud users. Today’s guest is John Breyault. John is the National Consumers League Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud. As the director of Fraud.org, John is a nationally recognized expert in fraud, with more than 17 years of experience in educating consumers in advocating for stronger consumer protections at the federal, state, and local levels. He is the author of Fraud.org’s monthly Fraud Alert emails and NCL’s bi-weekly Data Insecurity Digest. He has testified before Congress, federal regulatory agencies, and state legislatures dozens of times about fraud related topics. He is quoted regularly in the press about fraud including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
In 2020 and 2021, the scam that impacted the largest number of people was done through online purchases. Either you or someone you know may very well have been scammed. Today’s guest is Melissa Trumpower. Melissa Trumpower is the Executive Director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the Educational Foundation of the Better Business Bureau. Melissa is the co-author of several research reports, including the BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, the BBB Online Purchase and Employment and Small Business Scam Reports. She has more than 30 years of leadership experience working with not-for-profit, has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s from John Hopkins University.
Once someone is emotionally invested in purchasing a new pet, it’s easier to be manipulated and defrauded. We want to share ways that you can be sure not to get scammed. Today’s guest is Jack Whittaker. Jack is a PhD candidate in Criminology with published works in the field of online fraud. He has presented at several fraud conferences as well as has done expert interviews for both national and international news outlets. Jack also helps run a voluntary counter fraud initiative called PetScams.com and occasionally teaches cybercrime awareness to school children.
People who think they’re too smart or savvy to get scammed are the perfect target for social engineering scammers. Today’s guest is Jordan Harbinger. Jordan is a lawyer, speaker, entrepreneur, and educator. In addition to hosting the amazingly popular Jordan Harbinger Show, he is a consultant for law enforcement, military, and consulting companies, a member of the New York State BAR Association, and the Northern California chapter of The Society of Professional Journalists.
Under the right circumstances, pretty much anyone can become easy prey for a scam. Worse yet, if that happens, you could lose plenty of money before you know what happened.
Scammers are out to get you! Follow these 8 simple tips on how to avoid a scam and you’ll have a great chance of staying out of their grip.