Scams & Cons
135 episodes Last Updated: May 01, 25
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 work and why people fall for them. Don't become a sucker. Listen in.
Episodes
May 01, 2025
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 knows where in that country it will be?
Apr 24, 2025
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 you their stories.
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.
Apr 10, 2025
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-gushing panic if they get a phone call from a friend claiming to be in trouble.The key is not to try and recognize the voice, but to recognize the scam. We'll tell you how and it's not that difficult to learn.
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 from protecting customers from scammers even though they say they want a law requiring them to do so.Listen at ScamsAndCons.com or wherever you get podcasts.
Mar 27, 2025
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-gushing panic if they get a phone call from a friend claiming to be in trouble.The key is not to try and recognize the voice, but to recognize the scam. We'll tell you how and it's not that difficult to learn.
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 well for the scammers.Hear this story and more on Scams & Cons News
Mar 13, 2025
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 from other scammers.
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.Support the podcast
Feb 27, 2025
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 resources that they can't help. Your best hope is that your scam was part of a much larger operation that police can get resources to chase.This week we tell you while justice is so elusive and that the best defense is a good offense. Protect yourself.