
About this episode
This week, hosts Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of the T-Minus Space Daily show) are sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines. Joe has two stories this week, starting with scammers cashing in on a Verizon outage by luring customers with fake credits, and ending with a rare cybercrime comeback as a woman who lost nearly $1 million gets her money back and then some. Dave’s story looks at scammers cashing in on the Ozempic and GLP-1 craze, as Wisconsin consumers lose hundreds of dollars to fake weight loss drugs, deepfake ads, and shady online pharmacies exploiting high demand and high prices. Maria’s story warns that scammers are impersonating electric, gas, and water companies this winter, using urgent threats, fake refunds, and unusual payment demands to steal money and personal information, while officials remind customers to hang up and verify any contacts through official channels. Our catch of the day comes from Reddit where the chief of police is reaching out via text.
Resources and links to stories:
Verizon credit scam targets customers after outage, Georgia sheriff says
Cyber scam victim who lost nearly $1M gets her money back — and then some
Surging Cyber Scams Leave Older Vermonters Destitute, Frustrated and Saddled With Tax Debt
Wisconsin consumers are losing money on Ozempic, weight loss drug scams
Winter Utilities warning
Utility company warns customers about scam calls
Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at [email protected].
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