Hacking Humans: Travel Scams, Tax Fraud, and Celebrity Impersonation

Dave Bittner Honored by SANS Institute

• 🏆 Dave Bittner was recognized by the SANS Institute with the Difference Maker award in the media creator category.
• 👏 He expressed gratitude to his team and listeners, highlighting the honor of an industry-voted award.

Chicken Update and Rooster Naming

• 🐔 Joe Carrigan shared an update on his chickens, including a decision to stop holding them on his shoulder after a listener's injury.
• 🐓 His rooster, now named Diesel, has been cleared by AI regarding county regulations for keeping roosters.
• 🏡 Construction is underway for a new, larger chicken run.

Winter Holiday Travel Scams Surge

• ✈️ A US Congress Joint Economic Committee alert highlights a 500-900% increase in travel scams, exacerbated by AI.
• ⚠️ Scammers are using fake flight cancellation notifications via text messages to trick travelers into calling fake numbers and sharing financial information.
• 🏨 Caution is advised when using third-party booking sites and vacation rental platforms due to an influx of fake or misleading listings.
• ⚠️ Posting boarding passes online can expose personal information, leading to flight cancellations.

Exploitative Crowdfunding and Tax Scams

• 💔 A BBC investigation revealed fraudulent crowdfunding campaigns that exploited families of children with cancer, siphoning millions meant for treatment.
• 💰 Families were often paid a small fee, with the majority of donations never reaching them.
• 📧 Dave Bittner shared a personal anecdote about a friend receiving a suspicious email from a nonprofit's board chair requesting access to their Zelle account.
• 🚨 The IRS issued a warning about tax scams, urging vigilance against too-good-to-be-true refunds, urgent threats, fake websites, and impersonators.
• ✉️ The IRS typically contacts individuals for the first time via mail, and advises verifying all communications through IRS.gov.

Catch of the Day: Celebrity Impersonation

• 🎭 A scammer impersonating Jason Momoa reached out to a fan via text, using a script filled with generic romantic and personal descriptors.
• 💬 The conversation highlighted the scammer's use of AI-generated text and attempts to move the conversation to private messaging apps for potential financial gain.
• ⚠️ The real Jason Momoa has warned fans about impostors scamming people while pretending to be him.