What the Hack?

Latest Episodes:

Episode 102: David Maimon on the Spike in Driver’s License Fraud Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

We all got the memo that Social Security numbers are a big part of identity theft, and as more of us take measures to protect against SSN-based crime, scammers found a new favorite tool: your driver’s license. Criminology professor David Maimon discusses all of the above and how Covid made our identities less secure.

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Episode 101: Shreya Datta’s Crush Creeps Off with $450,000 Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

We’ve been hearing a lot about pig butchering, but hadn’t found a great example until we lucked onto Shreya Datta’s story. In this episode we learn about pig butchering from Shreya who was swindled out of more than $450,000 through an elaborate investment scheme where she won like crazy until she lost everything.

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Episode 100: 100 Episodes Later We Hack Ourselves Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

This week, we’re celebrating our hundredth episode! Featuring listener questions, Adam, Beau and Travis look back on one hundred episodes of scams, hacks, Tin Foil Swans, experts, novices and dad jokes. A special thanks to you listeners. Come back for another 100!

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Episode 99: Charlie Webster Talks About Her Best Fiend Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Charlie Webster hosts the hit podcast “Scamanda,” which takes us on a dark journey of discovery with a young woman who pretended to have cancer to bilk Good Samaritans on GoFundMe. Listen to hear the kinds of scams you can find on all crowd-sourced micro donation sites and how to avoid them.

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Episode 98: Karen Johnson’s Scam Project Is a Teachable Moment for AI May 30, 2023

Show notes

Karen Johnson is a catfisher-turned-scam avoidance coach turned–you guessed it–catfishing victim. The scam that got her is a classic, opening the door to a Pandora’s Box of the usual advice about avoiding the most common scams out there. But the thing that really got us thinking is the role AI played in almost every aspect of this week’s show.

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Episode 97: Eva Velasquez Has Some Terrifying News About Identity Crime Trends May 23, 2023

Show notes

Identity theft is the third certainty in life behind death and taxes, but the way scammers come at you changes all the time. That’s why we invited ITRC head Eva Velasquez to fill us in on the three biggest trends in identity-related crime this year.

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Episode 96: Jen Destefano Gets a Phone Call that Would Panic Any Parent May 16, 2023

Show notes

Jen Destefano’s story made national news. Her daughter Brie was abducted and the kidnappers let them speak to each other to prove it. But while they had demands for big money, they didn’t actually have her daughter. Was it a deepfake, a really good actor or a prank taken way too far?

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Episode 95: Scott Munn Fights an Outlaw and Wins! May 09, 2023

Show notes

When we first heard about this, Adam was like, “come on, guys, jury duty scams?.” That said, Travis and Beau didn’t know so much about them. The upshot, an intro to jury scams with a State Department employee who saw it coming, not because he’s a G-man, but because he’s addicted to Halloween decorations.

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Episode 94.5: Roy Wood, Jr. Exposes the Loch Ness Monster Gun Lobby Conspiracy May 02, 2023

Show notes

As a Daily Show correspondent, comedian Roy Wood, Jr. knows a thing or two about fake news and truthiness as well as the truth-and-a-half that is comedy. By skewering the media and the people in the news, he has special insight into how misinformation affects the way we think about the world and what we know.

This episode originally aired December 12, 2022.

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Episode 94: Trust Me Hosts Lola and Meagan Explore the Hinterlands of Cults and Scams Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Lola Blanc and Meagan Grainger are the hosts of Trust Me, a podcast about cults and scams, and are this week’s guests. They're here to help us figure out the gooey center of the Venn diagram formed by cults, cult leaders and scam artists.

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