Unmasking Holiday Scams: Protect Your Digital Footprint with Scotty's Cybersecurity Savvy cover art

Unmasking Holiday Scams: Protect Your Digital Footprint with Scotty's Cybersecurity Savvy

Unmasking Holiday Scams: Protect Your Digital Footprint with Scotty's Cybersecurity Savvy

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 Hey listeners, Scotty here, your go-to scam buster with a tech edge sharper than a quantum decryptor. Over the past few days, scammers have been on a holiday rampage, but I've got the dirt on their latest plays so you can dodge 'em like a pro gamer evading noobs.

Picture this: I'm scrolling feeds on December 21st when Maui Now drops a bombshell from the DCCA—scammers are hijacking the holiday spirit with affinity schemes, aka pig butchering. These creeps befriend you on socials, romance ya into trust, then lure you into fake crypto platforms. NASAA's 2025 Enforcement Report nails it: over 8,800 probes last year, $259 million clawed back, but AI's supercharging deepfakes—22% of bad actors cloning celeb voices or your buddy's mug to beg for cash. And those phantom AI trading bots? Pure vaporware promising riches that vanish like a glitchy NFT.

Then boom, INTERPOL's Operation Sentinel lights up Africa—574 arrests across 19 countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, recovering $3 million from BEC hustles, ransomware, and fake fast-food apps ripping off 200 victims for $400k. Ghanaian cops nuked a cross-border network mimicking KFC and pals, seizing 100 devices and 30 servers. In Senegal, they froze a $7.9 million oil firm wire mid-scam. Neal Jetton from INTERPOL says Africa's cyber threats are exploding, per their 2025 report.

Stateside, Visakhapatnam Cyber Police in India busted a mule account ring on December 20th—seven nabbed, including repeat offender N. Vinod Kumar from Bengaluru and Coorg's Saleem K.H. These Telegram operatives supplied bank accounts for digital arrest scams, auto-forwarding OTPs via shady apps. Closer to home, Scamicide.com warns of Pornhub's massive breach today, December 22nd—Shiny Hunters hit 200 million premium users via third-party Mixpanel, snagging emails, locations, even search kinks. Change passwords, freeze credit at TransUnion and Experian, stat.

BBB's Kane In Your Corner recaps 2025 tops: online shopping ghosts, DMV/E-ZPass phishing texts, fake WFH gigs promising $3k/month. Mackinac County Sheriff Edward M. Wilk just flagged jail app scams—crooks call inmate fams demanding bond cash. Holiday specials? SantaStealer malware, AI phishing, fake Amazon stores per Madtechmag.

Wanna stay safe? Hover links—scammers misspelling micros0ft.com or hiding malware in .zip attachments. Enable MFA everywhere, verify via official sites, report phishing. No unsolicited WhatsApp "wrong number" investments, especially targeting seniors—1,600 cases probed last year.

Listeners, arm up with vigilance; scammers evolve, but you're the firewall. Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for daily drops to keep your bits secure. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai

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