In this fascinating episode of Scam Rangers we discuss the atmosphere that allowed the evolution of  financial grooming, AKA Pig Butchering scams, as well as how these scams have evolved over time and the trajectory in which they are going. Despite a number of arrests and crackdowns, the picture is not pretty. 

Additional Resources mentioned in the podcast:

 CloudSEK report about the task scams:

https://assets-global.website-files.com/635e632477408d12d1811a64/651f4de17bc41545fc74598a_Webwyrm-%20A%20Vast%20Network%20of%20Deception%20by%20Impersonating%20Thousands%20of%20Brands%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf

Humanity Research Consultancy report on cyber-scamming and forced labor:

https://humanity-consultancy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/HRC-Briefing_Cyber-Slavery-in-the-Scamming-Compounds.pdf

And all the links to my stories from 2021 & today that are related to the issues we discussed:

Pig-butchering scams and human trafficking articles by Cezary Podkul:

https://www.propublica.org/article/casinos-cambodia-myanmar-laos-southeast-asia-fraud-cybercrime

https://www.propublica.org/article/whats-a-pig-butchering-scam-heres-how-to-avoid-falling-victim-to-one

https://www.propublica.org/article/pig-butchering-scams-raided-cambodia-apple-trafficking

https://www.propublica.org/article/human-traffickers-force-victims-into-cyberscamming

This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin  who spent the last 15 years building technology to help financial institutions authenticate their customers and identify fraud. She believes that when it comes to scams, the story starts well before the transaction. She has created this podcast to talk about the human side of scams, and to learn from people who have decided to dedicate their lives to speaking up on behalf of scam victims and who take action to solve this problem. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/