Scams & Cons
Scammers don't steal your money, they create a world where it makes perfect sense to hand your cash over to them. Three-card-monte, the longest running show on Broadway, seems easy. You're watching the tosser and you always see the queen. What you don't see is a group of shills working you into the gate where you'll lose everything you have.Sometimes a large sum of money is accidentally sent to you and the sender asks for the additional cash to be sent back. In the meantime, they empty your bank account.We'll tell you all about the scams, how they...
Episodes
Season 9 begins Sept. 11!
Tell me what's on your mind.We're ready to go back to school with Scams & Cons classes that begin Sept. 11.Enjoy the long weekend, then it's back to the fun!
Someone in St. Louis is channeling my thoughts
Tell me what's on your mind.It's time for our summer break so I can prepare new episodes for season 9. Listen in as I give you the details and respond to some listener notes.Have a great summer and make some time away from the news to have …
Scammers are pretending to be exorcists
Tell me what's on your mind.If you bought tickets to a pop-up taco museum restaurant in San Antonio, you got scammed. If someone wants to hook you up with a priest who does exorcisms, beware. But we begin with the story of a brand new scam …
Scamming for hotel rooms with roaches and used condoms
Tell me what's on your mind.More than 60 hotels are conned by a man who dirtied rooms with roaches and condoms, and scammers are showing up at people’s doors to collect money they say they are owed. And I want to tell you the tale of a gamb…
How to stay safe from nearly all scams
Tell me what's on your mind.We're all vulnerable to scams, but we don't have to be willing victims. Today I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago -- tell you just what to do to thwart scammers.
New scam targets those who tap credit cards
Tell me what's on your mind.A new scam is moving across the country that can capture the information on your credit card's chips, plus Minnesota legislators are considering a law that would reimburse victims of scams.
The Scopes trial was a scam -- but not necessarily a bad one
Tell me what's on your mind.What some of you may remember as the Scopes Monkey Trial is a scam. If you don’t know about the trial, you may know about the movie, “Inherit the Wind,” which – and I’m being charitable here – took poetic license…
Butcher scammed out of meat
Tell me what's on your mind.Alabama leads the nation in losses from online scams and a Massachusetts butcher shop owner says he was scammed out of $60,000 of meat. Plus, we'll update you on the Frye Festival scheduled for Mexico, but who kn…
The most notorius scammers
Tell me what's on your mind.There are con artists who have pulled off major cons. What they do is so ballsy, it’s hard to believe anyone would fall for them. Yet, in the annals of history, they live on.Today on Scams And Cons, we'll tell yo…
Scammers begin work without authorization - and make the victim pay
Tell me what's on your mind.We'll tell you the story of con artists who preyed on the elderly with home remodeling scams. One was brazen enough to outright tell the homeowner what needed to be done and begin work.
Using AI to build sucker lists
Tell me what's on your mind.Is this written by me or an AI? Will you hear my voice or an AI voice in this podcast? (Spoiler, you'll hear both)AI voices and images are so easy to create these days that it's easy to throw someone into a money…
Georgia banks exempt from protecting you from scammers
Tell me what's on your mind.In this week's news, Thailand takes the unusual step of cutting off electricity to 500,000 people to stop scammers and con artists are staging car crashes to collect insurance money.Plus, Georgia exempts banks fr…
Deep fakes: Am I who I say I am?
Tell me what's on your mind.Is this written by me or an AI? Will you hear my voice or an AI voice in this podcast? (Spoiler, you'll hear both)AI voices and images are so easy to create these days that it's easy to throw someone into a money…
Scammers pretend to be TV news anchor to rob previous victim
Tell me what's on your mind.A man got taken by a scammer and called a local TV station for help. The scammers weren't caught, but they later called the man back, pretending to be the anchor and tried to shake him down again.It didn't go wel…
Communities of scammers are roaming the country
Tell me what's on your mind.Groups of con artists roam the country, sweeping into a community and taking it for all they can until the police get wise.They're called Travellers and we'll tell you how they work and why they are different fro…
The pigeon drop is revived to steal expensive jewelry
Tell me what's on your mind.The pigeon drop -- and oldie, but a goodie -- is misdirecting people so their new expensive purchases can stolen and fake Amazon customer service agents targeted a woman and tried to clean out her bank accounts.S…
Can scam victims get justice?
Tell me what's on your mind.If you've been scammed, will you get your money back? Will you get justice? The answer, unfortunately, is no.While it may be your life savings, the amounts are generally too small and police have such limited res…
Scammers are using Amber Alerts to steal info on your child
Tell me what's on your mind.Your child is safe at home, but scammers are calling to get info about them to put into a state "registry." It's a scam ... don't fall for it.Hear this story and more on Scams & Cons News.
Scammers do stupid things, too. Let us tell you about them.
Tell me what's on your mind.It's easy to think of a scammer as a slick, sophisticated character, ready to outsmart your every move.Not so fast.Scammers do stupid stuff too, and we're here to tell you about them. Listen in for a good laugh a…
One bad click wipes out a life's savings and a scammer took the money, but kept the pictures
Tell me what's on your mind.In the early days of computing, we were afraid that if we pushed one wrong button, we'd lose all our work -- and that frequently happened.Nowadays, the risk isn't so high and total losses are rare, but scammers h…
Welcome to Season 8
Tell me what's on your mind.We're kicking off season 8 with a look at some really stupid scammers, then come back by asking if victims can ever really get justice.The news is back with some changes and we'll be taking several dives into how…
REPLAY: Time travelers are scamming thousands
Tell me what's on your mind.People are coming back from the future. Some want computers to help solve problems for which the need ancient software, while others need some cold, hard cash to survive in this primitive world of ours.People are…
REPLAY: Miracle cures have arrived! Whatever the ailment, they will do the job
Tell me what's on your mind.Think of all the music jingles you've heard over the years, promising that this pill or that one will help prevent cancer, ease your aching bones or guarantee you a longer, healthier life.It's snake oil and in th…
Squatters are getting more creative - and more political
Tell me what's on your mind.We're talking about squatters again, primarily because they are improving their tactics and because they can rob you of your single largest investment. And it's a scam you don't see coming until it has already ha…
Cat lady confuses scammers and keeps them on the line
An AI Cat Lady confuses scammers and keeps them on the line while they keep making their pitches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adoption fraud: When hopeful parents are robbed of their dream
Tell me what's on your mind.Adoption agencies can be difficult to work with. They have many requirements that must be met, and justifiably so. They want to make sure an adopted child finds a good and safe home.But some potential parents are…
The swoop and squat scam is back!
Tell me what's on your mind.The old scam called the swoop and squat is back! It involves two cars with one swooping in front of a another, then coming to a halt. The scammers hope the rear driver will pay up without involving an insurance c…
Scammers say Black Friday 'tis the season to be stealing
Tell me what's on your mind.Fake websites are the hot thing this holiday season and they'll be popping up everywhere.You'll be amazed at how easy it is to set up a fake website. We'll tell you how it happens -- not how to do it.Listen to Sc…
Scammers find a new way to turn your loose coins into big cash
Tell me what's on your mind.When someone knocks on your door, you're not expecting them to ask for sex. That's what some scammers are doing. They are offering sexual partners online, then send the mark to an address to receive the service. …
Why scammers only want to steal your heart
Tell me what's on your mind.Our last episode told the story of Brittani Ard who had her heart stolen by a romance scammer. Well, technically not a romance scammer, he didn't ask for money, but he did want to be part of her life. He also wan…
A pastor may have misunderstood God and ripped off his flock
Tell me what's on your mind.We''ll tell you about a pastor who said he may have misunderstood God by selling cryptocurrency and an 82-year-old woman you don't want to mess with. She set up a successful sting to catch a scammer.Then there is…
Want to see a great picture of your house? Ask a scammer.
Tell me what's on your mind.Scammers are getting personal by sending email to you, by name, and including pictures of your home. If you don't pay up, they promise to release your confidential information.Police arrest a scammer, release him…
Some scammers steal your heart for love, not money
Tell me what's on your mind.This is not an episode about romance scams. The techniques involved are the same, but it seems to me that it involves love, sex and attraction to many women at a time. Never does the scammer ask for money or favo…
Is Brad Pitt a romance scammer?
Tell me what's on your mind.Is Brad Pitt a romance scammer? How did CoinStar get caught up in a scam? Did half the people in a survey acknowledge they had been caught up in a scam or con?We have the answers on Scams & Cons News.Support the …
A scammer takes a man's money and his life
Tell me what's on your mind.A scammer convinced a man to turn over $8,000 to collect winnings from a bogus Publishers' Clearing House prize. The man hoped to help his family and when he realized he'd been duped, he took his own life.And a r…
Scammers invade local governments and steal your money
Tell me what's on your mind.Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. Scammers are anything but civilized.In this episode, we'll tell you about how scammers get into public money and how they drain millions away. Public officials …
Gold star families swindled and pickpockets use "touchless" credit card theft
Tell me what's on your mind.Someone walking beside you can steal your credit card information without touching your wallet. We'll tell you how it's done and just because you died, doesn't mean landlords stop charging your rent, despite what…
A 13-year-old girl tries to scam a pensioner out of his life savings
Tell me what's on your mind.A 13-year-old girl is used as a money mule for scammers trying to grab a man's life's savings. Fake monks seeking money from monastery clones, and a scammer didn't realize the mark's phone number had changed and …
Magicians compare their deceptions to those of con artists
Tell me what's on your mind.Magicians are masters of deception. So are con artists. I went to a magicians' convention to see how they compare.Listen as magicians talk about their techniques and whether they are similar to how con artists wo…
Karens in California try to scam beachgoers
Tell me what's on your mind.In this week’s news, con artists are preying on people released from jail, telling them that there are expenses that must be paid and scammers are scamming scam victims with promises of getting their money back. …