This episode dives deep into the world of social engineering and the rise of romance scams, featuring a heartbreaking story of a woman who lost her life savings. The hosts debate whether diamonds are the original cryptocurrency and discuss the controversial PayPal Honey extension that affects influencers. They also explore the final payouts from the Madoff Victim Fund, highlighting the tragic fallout from Ponzi schemes. Along the way, there's a humorous take on scams and tech issues, making for an engaging and informative listen.
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Honey Scam Allegations
The browser extension "Honey", owned by PayPal, is accused of hijacking affiliate links and misleading users about deals.
Honey allegedly replaces creators' affiliate links with their own, diverting revenue.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sue's Romance Scam
A 66-year-old woman named Sue lost her $2 million retirement savings to a romance scam on Match.com.
The scammer, Santos, gained her trust over weeks, starting with small requests before taking all her money.
insights INSIGHT
Romance Scam Statistics
In 2024, romance scams in the US caused over $1.1 billion in losses, double the amount from four years prior.
Roughly half of online daters report encountering scammers, indicating a widespread problem.
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The Sprawl trilogy, composed of 'Neuromancer' (1984), 'Count Zero' (1986), and 'Mona Lisa Overdrive' (1988), is set in a dystopian future where corporations and technology have transformed society. The novels follow various characters as they navigate this world of 'cyberspace', direct mind-machine links, and emerging machine intelligence. Each book tells a self-contained story while contributing to a broader narrative arc that explores the unintended consequences of technological advancements and their impact on human society.
On Hacking Humans, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are once again sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines to help our audience become aware of what is out there. Our hosts discuss and ponder whether or not diamonds are the original cryptocurrency, as well as diving further into Yubikeys for organizations. Maria shares the story of a 66-year-old woman who lost her $2 million retirement savings to a romance scam on Match.com, highlighting the rise in such scams and efforts to pass the Online Dating Safety Act to protect users. Joe's story is on the Madoff Victim Fund's final $131.4 million payout, bringing total recoveries to $4.3 billion for victims of Bernard Madoff's infamous Ponzi scheme, which collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis. Dave's got the story on allegations that the PayPal Honey browser extension not only fails to deliver the best deals but also hijacks affiliate revenue from influencers by replacing their links with its own, sparking backlash and controversy. Our catch of the day comes from Reddit and Dave and Maria do their best impressions yet, as a scammer chats up an unsuspecting victim.
Hacking Humans 