This week, our hosts Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show) are back sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Joe's story is on WhatsApp rolling out new anti-scam tools, disrupting over 6.8 million scam-linked accounts, and partnering with experts to share tips on spotting and avoiding sophisticated cross-platform scams run by organized crime networks. Dave's got the story of how “PharmaFraud” — a global network of fake online pharmacies — scams consumers with counterfeit or dangerous medications, stealing money and personal data while putting health and safety at serious risk. Maria dives into the story on a new twist to jury duty scams, where callers posing as police direct victims to fake government websites to steal personal data and money, often demanding payment through cryptocurrency or other untraceable methods. Our catch of the day comes from listener Adam who shares a SiriusXM payment scam they received through an email.
Complete our annual audience survey before August 31.
Resources and links to stories:
- New WhatsApp Tools and Tips to Beat Messaging Scams
- Disrupting malicious uses of AI: June 2025
- PharmaFraud: how illegal online pharmacies endanger your health and your wallet
- Scammers are using fake websites in a twist on jury duty scams
Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@n2k.com.