End of Year Scams
As 2023 comes to an end, it brings along with it a time many people look forward to: the holiday season. With this time of year coming around, however, we see an increasing amount of holiday related scams. Because of this, we want to review common end-of-year scams and how to guard against them. The FBI states that one of the most common scams is non-delivery crimes. Phishing emails with holiday…
Ep. 238 – Human Element Series – S.M.A.R.T. Reading with Nick Hutchison
Today we are joined by Nick Hutchison. Nick is the visionary force behind BookThinkers, a thriving 7-figure marketing agency bridging authors and readers. In just over 7 years, he has cultivated a platform reaching over 1,000,000 people monthly and hosts the top 2% global podcast, "BookThinkers: Life-Changing Books," featuring interviews with renowned authors like Grant Cardone and Lewis Howes.…
How Bad Actors Exploit World Tragedy
The world is no stranger to tragedy. From natural disasters to global pandemics and geopolitical conflicts, we have all witnessed events that shake us to our core. Unfortunately, in the midst of these crises, there are those who seek to exploit our emotions and vulnerabilities for their own gain. Malicious actors and scammers, commonly referred to as "bad actors," are adept at seizing the…
Impersonation Scams: Why Are They So Dangerous?
At Social-Engineer, we define impersonation as “the practice of pretexting as another person with the goal of obtaining information or access to a person, company, or computer system.”
In today's digitally driven world, impersonation scams have become a growing concern, leaving countless individuals and organizations vulnerable to financial loss, identity theft, and reputational damage.…
The Power of Vishing
Just a couple of years ago, vishing, or voice phishing, was an unknown term. However, vishing is getting more attention since it’s been on the rise in the past couple of years. The Federal Trade Commission states that last year there was over 1.2 billion US Dollars lost to vishing attacks. With a 554% increase in these attacks, it's not slowing down anytime soon.
During a vishing call a…
Identity Theft: Increasing in Numbers in 2023
In 2021, AARP found that identify theft had affected more than 42 million U.S. consumers. This resulted in a loss of $52 billion. The Aite Group predicts that damages from this threat vector could reach a staggering $625.4 billion by 2023. The explosive growth of this crime will continue to increase as we spend more of our lives online. Each day people post a plethora of information to social…
Lessons from a Scam Artist
What does a government scam, an IT support scam and a romance scam have in common? They all use psychology and social engineering skills to convince their victims to take an action that is detrimental to them. It’s easy to think “I know better” or “that will never happen to me.” The truth is, being human is enough for anyone to fall victim to a scammer’s tactics. One way to mitigate the effect of…
Romance Scams
Painted hearts on restaurant doors, red roses in hand, candies and chocolates on display. These are just some of the signs that the month of love is coming upon us again. As February approaches, many are excited for what it promises; romance. Among hopefuls searching for a true connection though, are those who take advantage of our need for human interaction, namely scammers. Millions each year…