Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams, & Manipulation

Quick Links How To Separate Fake Video Chats From Real Ones 5 Quick Live Tests To Show If It's Real Or Scam Common Scams and What You Should Never Do On Video Chat What To Do When You Suspect It's A Scam Frequently Asked Questions How To Separate Fake Video Chats From Real Ones If you are one of those who believe in the saying that "Seeing is believing", what is your position concerning video chats? By instinct most of us trust what we see, because video typically feels more real than text or voice. Scammers also know and exploit this. That's why they use stolen videos, recorded loops, AI faces, and deepfakes to make you believe you are talking to a real soldier, lover, celebrity, business partner, or job recruiter.  The goal is almost always to steal your trust, money, private photos, or personal information. Let's discuss how to handle this challenge in this edition of Safety Nets: Spot & Stop Fraud, Scams & Manipulation. 1. Signs That The Video Is...

QUICK LINKS Why Distress Scams Work So Well Common Distress Scams to Recognize Safety Nets: How to Verify Before You Pay Frequently Asked Questions Why Distress Scams Work So Well How do you react when you receive a call that your child or brother or mother has been involved in an accident, or in jail abroad, or in the hospital and needs money  immediately? Of course your first instinct will be to see how you can help at once. No one understands this better than scammers. That's why they  deliberately create such situations to panic you so you don't have time to think or verify. In this article I intend to show you how, with a few simple safety nets, you can act fast to support your loved ones and still protect yourself from fraud. Distress scams, also called family emergency scams or grandparent scams, are a form of emotional blackmail that exploits love and urgency. In such scenario a scammer pretends to be a family member, a police officer, a doctor, or a lawyer. T...