A reminder: please check the computers belonging to your elderly-but-computer-using #relatives. Ensure there aren't digital nasties on there. And when I say "check", I mean look yourself, don't just ask the #relative about it.

With age, people tend to lose some of their mental #sharpness, but it's not just poor memory or fuzzy thinking. They seem to lose some critical #thinking skills, and become more #trusting than they should, or more naive. I think this is what makes older folk the favourite targets of #scammers.

Yesterday, a relative called me in a panic about their laptop. This is someone who was a very high-ranking federal police officer, in charge of investigations for a large swath of the country - not someone to be easily taken in by smooth-talkers, at least not in the past.

I went over today and asked him what happened. "Some kind of warning came up" -- i.e. the "oh noes, this is #Microsoft, your #Windows is #corrupted, please call us so we can fix it" one. I asked "Did you do anything they asked you to? Download any programs, or run any commands, or anything like that?"

"No, no, I just phoned them and after they started asking for my address I got suspicious, I didn't do anything they said."

1/x

#TechSupportScam #TechSupport #RemoteDesktop

A Thai anti-trafficking network has urged police to step up rescue efforts after identifying more than 5,300 foreign nationals still trapped in scam compounds in Myanmar's Myawaddy area.

#Thailand #Myanmar #Scammers #ScamCenters #ScamCompounds #HumanTrafficking

https://www.thaienquirer.com/71323/over-5300-foreign-nationals-still-trapped-in-myanmar-scam-compounds-network-urges-urgent-rescue/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

On #UpScrolled you regularly get scam accounts following you. They are easy to spot.

One tell is that they've only posted 5 or 6 posts and they're all selfies. These selfies usually look #AI

Here's one recently. Look at the background. It's like the tree is a small Christmas tree but further back the detail is confusing. It's like the tree is very close to him then lower down there's no lower part. It's like he's got snow resting on his head.

Very odd.

#Scammers

So the profile of the furry fandom is now high enough that I got scammed by a sweatshop scamming operation in some Russian or West African area over an #Anthrocon hotel room.

They were well versed in how the Anthrocon room block booking operation works.

This is my bad falling for it because I had assumed the friend who referred me to this scammer knew the guy, turns out he just happened to be in a chat he was also in. Turns out he's in a few chats - rubber chats, furry chats, Anthrocon chats, discords, the works.

He's also scammed at least one other person I know of using the shortcomings of Chime and Venmo as money exchanging apps.

He's not a furry. And he's not the person whose name is on Chime or Venmo. Last he was using someone else's art as a profile picture.

I am mostly flabbergasted that the sorts of scam rings that go after AARP members now target fandoms. It's just never been a thing on my radar ever before, especially in the weirdness that is furry.

#scams #scammers #scammingoperations

"Some fraudsters run an illegitimate DME company and get a doctor to prescribe the equipment. They might tell a senior they have a promotion where the individual can get a knee brace, neck brace or wheelchair, and say they just need the Medicare number to verify coverage."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/16/evergreen-park-scammer-talk/

#healthcare #medicare #aging #fraud #scammers

#infosec #scammers #artificialintelligence

Los estafadores están al acecho de tus finanzas, datos personales y otra información importante.

Ahora utilizan inteligencia artificial generativa y clonación de voz para engañarte.

Aquí tienes un enlace para más información.

https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203