Cyber Crooks Feast on Holiday Cheer: Scam Buster Scotty's Top Tips to Stay Secure cover art

Cyber Crooks Feast on Holiday Cheer: Scam Buster Scotty's Top Tips to Stay Secure

Cyber Crooks Feast on Holiday Cheer: Scam Buster Scotty's Top Tips to Stay Secure

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 Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam buster with a techie twist on the wild world of cyber crooks. Picture this: it's the holiday rush, December 25, 2025, and scammers are feasting on festive distractions like sharks at a chum buffet. According to Rod's Blog cybersecurity roundup, DocuSign phishing emails are exploding, mimicking legit document reviews from shady .shop domains to snag your credentials for business email compromise. Pair that with fake loan spam promising quick holiday cash, rerouting you to credential-stealing sites—check sender mismatches, folks, or kiss your banking info goodbye.

Over in Ghana, Accra police just raided a Nigerian fraud ring on the capital's outskirts, nabbing 48 suspects—46 men, two women—running romance scams, investment cons, impersonations, and bogus gold trades. Information Minister Sam George spilled the details on X: they seized 54 laptops, 39 phones, and a Starlink kit. These Yahoo Boys are thriving on economic desperation, but Ghana's cracking down hard, especially after tightening gold regs to curb scam-fueled informal mining.

Stateside, a Florida couple got pinched in Pennsylvania for a multi-state credit card fraud spree hitting victims from Alabama to Massachusetts, per Hoodline reports. And don't sleep on the new SSA email scam from Scamicide—fraudsters counterfeit Social Security Administration logos, luring you with "updated statements" via malware links. SSA never emails statements or links; it's all bunk.

Globally, Interpol's Operation Storm Makers II detained 574 suspects across 19 countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, busting BEC, extortion, ransomware, and fake fast-food apps that pocket payments without deliveries. In Georgia, ex-State Security Service chief Grigol Liluashvili was arrested for taking bribes to ignore Tbilisi scam call centers, as OCCRP reports. Nigeria nailed Okitipi Samuel, admin of RaccoonO365 phishing service, after Microsoft seized 338 domains.

India's a hotspot too—Business Standard says UPI frauds surged 85% into 2025, with "digital arrest" scams using AI voice cloning to impersonate cops on video calls, terrifying victims into paying up. Seniors lost over 20 billion rupees to coercion plays.

New iPhone owners, beware Fox News' latest: scammers spoof carrier numbers, claiming shipping errors demand immediate returns—don't hand over your device. Cash App hustles promise free money via odd jobs but beg for your $Cashtag; lock it down with 2FA.

To dodge these: enable two-factor everywhere, skip unsolicited links or QR codes, verify domains, monitor statements, and report to 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. Use official apps, freeze credit if sketchy, and remember, legit outfits never pressure for info.

Stay sharp, listeners—scammers evolve, but so do we. Thanks for tuning in; subscribe for more scam-smashing tips. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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