The hosts dive into the world of old-school scams, sharing tales of modern twists on classic tricks. A chilling story emerges about food workers capturing debit card info in drive-thrus. They also examine an elaborate scam targeting a tech-savvy individual. A humorous yet alarming chat with an AI raises questions about digital deception. Plus, listeners are warned about fraudulent messages and scams on platforms like Facebook Marketplace. It's a riveting exploration of awareness in today’s scam-ridden landscape.
The evolution of cyber scams emphasizes the importance of scrutinizing URLs and recognizing phishing tactics to prevent falling victim.
AI-generated images are being misused by scammers, complicating victim identification and raising concerns about trust and authenticity in communications.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Cybercriminal Tactics
Cybercriminals are continuously enhancing their methods to exploit unsuspecting individuals. One common tactic involves using sophisticated phishing scams that can appear legitimate at first glance. For instance, an IRS scam message instructs recipients to provide personal information to receive a supposed economic stimulus payment, manipulating the structure of URLs to mislead victims into thinking they are legitimate subdomains. This highlights the importance of understanding how URLs work and the need for individuals to scrutinize them carefully to avoid falling victim to such scams.
AI-Generated Fraudulent Images
The potential use of AI-generated images in scams has raised concerns about trust and authenticity. Scammers are increasingly employing AI models to create attractive images, particularly of young Asian women, to entice victims in their fraudulent communications. These images often aren't real individuals, which complicates the identification of scammers and signals a shift in how scams operate. This situation illustrates the broader implications of AI in both aiding and combating criminal activities in the digital space.
The Risk of Drive-Thru Scams
Police have issued warnings about a new type of scam involving food workers taking photos of customers' credit cards during drive-thru transactions. With most customers paying via cards, scammers are exploiting this opportunity to capture card information discreetly. It is assumed that these workers may be receiving a financial incentive for each card they photograph, creating a simple yet lucrative scheme. This emphasizes the need for consumers to remain vigilant and consider alternative payment methods, such as mobile wallets, to protect their financial information.
The Google Workspace Phishing Scam
A complex scam involving Google Workspace showcases how increasingly sophisticated phishing attempts are becoming. In this instance, a caller impersonating Google's security team convinced an individual to reset their password due to a supposed suspicious login. The scammers utilized legitimate-looking communication methods, including a password reset email that appeared to come from Google’s own domain. This incident reinforces the vital rule to remain cautious with unexpected calls and emails, regardless of how legitimate they may seem, and to verify such requests through official channels.
On this episode of Hacking Humans, we are going old school with Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan sans T-Minus host Maria Varmazis (as she was hanging out with astronauts at the SpaceCom event). Not to worry, Dave and Joe have it covered 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. This week, we have some follow up including a conversation Joe had with ChatGPT, some discussion on AI generated images of people, and scam letters that are sent out in the mail. Joe shares a text his office mate received from the "IRS." He also has a story about food workers taking photos of credit and debit cards at restaurant drive throughs. Dave's story is about a near-perfect scam attempt that almost fooled a very smart guy—Zach Latta, the founder of Hack Club. Our Catch of the Day comes from Reddit about a Facebook Marketplace scam using Zelle.