Being scammed or scammed by online scammers is the most unpleasant feeling.
A former New York Times reporter bravely shares the hellish story of a day in hell that started with a phone call and ended with scammers handing over $50,000 in cash.
Before you jump to conclusions and think, “That won’t happen to me,” think again.
woman talking on mobile phone (Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutson)
Structure of the $50,000 scam
In “The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoebox and Handed It to a Stranger,” financial writer Charlotte Cowles says: explain how she was deceived By a very complex scam.
The incident began when Ms. Cowles received a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon customer service, warning her of suspicious activity on her account. This led to a nightmarish scenario involving related identity theft, drug trafficking, and money laundering charges.
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Here’s what happened:
- The scam escalated when she was transferred to someone claiming to be from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who told her that her identity was connected to serious criminal activity such as money laundering and drug trafficking. It escalated.
- A scammer posing as a CIA agent convinced her that her assets were being investigated and that she needed to withdraw $50,000 in cash to secure the funds.
- Under the pretext of protecting her from criminal charges and ensuring the safety of her assets, the fraudster instructed Cowles to place $50,000 in cash in a shoebox and give it to an accomplice who arrived at her location. .
- The scammers exploited Cowles’ personal information, including her home address, social security number and family details, to create a sense of urgency and fear.
- Despite her background in financial journalism, personal loanCowles was manipulated into complying with the scammer’s demands, highlighting that scam victims can come from all walks of life and have varying levels of education and financial literacy.
- The scam ended when Cowles gave the money to an unknown man in a white Mercedes SUV. She later realized the scale of her fraud and reported it to the police, but her money was never recovered.
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Scammer operation
Charlotte is led to believe that her safety and that of her family are at risk. Withdraw a whopping $50,000 from her savings He then hands it over to a fraudster in the name of protecting her assets.
Fraudster commits crime on laptop (Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutson)
Read more: How scammers use Google voice verification codes to steal your identity and money
Being drawn into a scammer’s web of lies
Despite Charlotte having a background in personal finance and being considered reasonable and trustworthy, she is drawn into the scammer’s web of lies, which highlights the psychological manipulation techniques used by the scammer. Masu.
The psychology of Charlotte’s fraud
The scam initially caught Charlotte’s attention because it tapped into Charlotte’s deep-seated fears about her family’s well-being. Her scammer then isolates her by claiming she has no contact with anyone else, effectively cutting off her potential source of support or reality check. Her sense of crisis increased as her scammer pressured her to: Act quickly and refrain from any form of verification.
This scam preyed on her trust in authority figures and her desire to resolve a manufactured crisis, leading her to make decisions that in retrospect seem completely irrational.
A lesson for us all
Her testimony reveals how scammers exploit fear, urgency, and a sense of isolation to exploit even the financially savvy, and emphasizes the importance of vigilance and skepticism about unexpected requests for personal information or money. It emphasizes the need for
Even more concerning, according to the FTC, is recent statistics showing that young adults in the Gen Z, Gen
To increase your protection against sophisticated fraud and identity theft, consider the following strategies.
Cash and the word “fraud” written on paper (Kurt “Cyber Guy” Knutson)
How to make yourself stronger to prevent fraud and attacks
Here are four tips to help protect your personal information, data, and devices from online scammers and hackers. Following these steps will increase security and reliability when dealing with online transactions and communications.
Tip No. 1 — Check for unexpected contacts
If you receive an unexpected text, email, or phone call related to any financial transaction, please independently verify that they are legitimate.
Tip 2 — Be more resilient against online malware and attacks with strong antivirus protection
Equip all your connected devices with powerful antivirus software to protect against malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats that can compromise your personal and financial information.
Having good antivirus software actively running on your device will warn you about malware in your system, warn you against clicking on malicious links in phishing emails, and ultimately protect you from hacking. Get my picks for the best antivirus protection products of 2024 for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.
These proactive measures greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of sophisticated fraud by restricting access to your personal information and increasing your ability to respond quickly to potential threats.
Tip 3 — Delete your personal information from the internet
Today’s scammers are cunning and will use any personal information about you. Using a data deletion service may make it more difficult to find personal information about you.
No service promises to remove all data from the Internet, but if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing information from hundreds of sites over an extended period of time, use a data removal service. is the best. Check out my recommended removal services here.
You have to take the time to create everything yourself. Make social media posts private Or you can make it accessible only to friends and family to prevent strangers from collecting personal information about your life.
Tip 4 — Use identity protection services to know when your identity is stolen
Anti-theft companies monitor your personal information, such as your home name, social security number, phone number, and email address, and alert you if it’s being used to open an account. It can also help freeze bank and credit card accounts to prevent further misuse by criminals. Read more about my reviews of the best identity theft protection services here.
Read more: Save the bacon: The rise of pig butchering scams and how to avoid them
Cart important points
Charlotte Cowles’ story is a sobering reminder of how vulnerable we all are to online fraud, especially in times of stress and uncertainty. Scammers are constantly evolving their tactics and targeting new victims, regardless of age, education, or income level. No one is immune to the forces of fear, isolation, and urgency that scammers use to manipulate us into divulging money and personal information.
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The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from such scams is to be cautious, vigilant, and skeptical of unsolicited or suspicious communications, including phone calls, emails, texts, and social media. . You should also take steps to protect your personal information online, including antivirus protection, privacy services, and deletion of your data from public databases. By doing so, you reduce your chances of becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.
Have you ever been a victim of fraud or attempted fraud? How did it happen and what did you do about it? Email us. Cyberguy.com/Contact
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