If it feels like you’re getting more scammy texts in the past few years, you’re not imagining it. Scam texts have exploded since 2020, and the operation behind them has become a massively lucrative industry. Dexter talks to Eric Priezkalns, a self-proclaimed ‘troublemaker’ in the telecommunications world and founder of the website Commsrisk, about the new technology that’s making scam texts easier than ever, what some of the weirder, long-game schemes are after, who’s behind these operations, and if there’s anything we can do to stop them.

Got something you’re curious about? Hit us up killswitch@kaleidoscope.nyc, or @killswitchpod, or @dexdigi on IG or Bluesky.

Read:

• Eric’s website Commsrisk: https://commsrisk.com/
• Eric’s article on Huang, the boy sold to a Myanmar scam compound: https://commsrisk.com/17-year-old-chinese-girl-accused-of-selling-boyfriend-into-myanmar-scam-compound-slavery/
• How to turn off 2g for android: https://source.android.com/docs/security/features/cellular-security/toggle-2g

Listen + Watch:

• Labi Siffre - Bless the Telephone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpy2O6fYiTk
• A Tribe Called Quest - Skypager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYc50S23pQY
• kill switch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8oh6zDRg1zgHkyOfikoeQS7cafAytstv&si=zrCE7MYWVBgmpWqi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.