What the Hack?

Larry worked on the assembly line at Ford and a long list of impressive jobs to which he can now add “Scam Slayer.” Online criminals often target retirees, because they assume senior citizens are easy prey. Larry is an object lesson in how not to fall victim to the kinds of crime targeting the AARP crowd.Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary is a lot of things. Cannabinoid cooking maven, former radio host, and her banter could make the saltiest sailor blush. When she was angling to find love (and sex) online, a rather young-sounding catfish took the bait and what followed was pretty funny.Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like many of us, Joyce spent hours during the Covid lockdown connecting with friends by playing games online--in her case a MahJong app. Imagine her surprise when using a legitimate app to find a scammer trying to empty her entire bank account. The most likely culprit? You will rethink your game time when you hear what it was.Read the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Toma is in the business of making the world a greener place, which made him a target for someone looking to tap into his credit at a local bank. A stroke of luck was all that stood between him and economic ruin. Find out in the latest episode how Paul was compromised and why you should never reuse your passwords.See the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Beeler of Boyne Resorts protects fans of the great outdoors from prying eyes and other online threats. Fending off the assortment of cyber attacks that come his way is all in a day’s work, which is why Dan was the first to know when his company got hit by ransomware. Hear what happened, and how Dan saved the day.See the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noah’s son had a boat coming to him, but finding one to buy during the pandemic was like trying to raise the Titanic. This episode focuses on that classic moment when Noah found a deal too good to be true. Boat-selling skullduggery ahead, as we learn how be like Noah when it comes to online scams.See the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Digital pirates pick up all sorts of viruses and bugs while downloading their treasures. Episode Five features a savvy digital native who picked up a nasty bug during a digital stroll down the gamer’s version of Memory Lane. Whether you think you’re immune to online contagion, or you just need a little pirate humor, we got it here.See the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aunt Sally was happy to spend her time birdwatching and hanging out with her family. Then one day, a single typo put her in the crosshairs of a hacker who was intent on stealing all her money, rifling through her personal data and stealing her identity. Also: Don't post pictures of your vaccination card!Read the episode transcript. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a journalist, he’s traveled to some of the most dangerous places in the world and managed to not get hacked. But the moment he gets some down time at home: O, the shame.  Also covered: smishing, social engineering, 419 scams and once again, why you should never re-use your passwords.Read the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Covid-19 pandemic created massive unemployment and with that, a shadow pandemic of unemployment scams. In our second episode, Adam’s sister-in-law was targeted in two different states and tells us the tale. Also discussed: are biometrics better than passwords?Read the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices