The latest high-tech scams (and how to avoid falling prey)

Imagine it’s late one night and you’re awoken by a call. It’s a panicked loved one telling you they’ve been in an accident and need money right away. Except it’s not actually a loved one, it’s a fraudster using AI to perfectly mimic their voice. That’s just one example of the latest in advanced schemes being employed these days to trick you into parting with your money. Tammy McKinnon, Senior Vice President of Fraud Management at Scotiabank is our guest this episode to walk us through some emerging scams, tell us some potential red flags to watch for and some simple ways for you or someone in your family to avoid becoming a victim.   

For more fraud prevention resources, check out Scotiabank’s Cybersecurity and Fraud Hub. 

Key moments this episode: 

1:44 — What stats tell us about whether fraud is getting worse 

2:21 — The stigma associated with being scammed, why anyone can be a victim 

4:00 — Emerging scam #1: the shocking way AI is being used to swindle people 

8:21 — Emerging scam #2: cryptocurrency scams 

9:21 — Why fraudsters are willing to put in more time for scams 

9:38 — What is a romance scam? 

10:21 — Do we know where these scams are originating from? 

10:52 — Emerging scam #3: impersonation scams 

12:16 — Some ways to tell if a call from a bank is legitimate or not 

13:29 — Some simple precautions to avoid these increasingly sophisticated scams 

16:07 — A bit about how Tammy prevents fraud at the bank 

17:12 — The one thing listeners should take away from the interview 

17:40 — How to tell the real Stephen from his voice clone