Dr. Maurice Sholas, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist based in New Orleans, discovers that his likeness is being used in an ad when a friend sends him a TikTok clip that looks convincingly like him. It's an AI-generated version of him selling vitamin supplements, something he has never done. Feeling violated, Sholas must now defend his reputation, and attempt to protect potential victims from losing money on and possibly being harmed by a fraudulent product. In addition to causing monetary losses, AI‑generated impersonation of doctors and celebrities can undermine trust and speed up the spread of health misinformation.

After taking a break from her tech career to care for her aging mother, Dawn is reentering the workforce in her mid-50s, and she isn't having much luck. She takes a chance on an offer for a new kind of job at "Facebook." Guided by a "mentor" through an onboarding process, she learns that her new role involves placing Facebook ads as part of an AI testing initiative. Dawn will have a digital wallet into which she must add her own money to pay for ad placements, but she will receive a percentage of the ad revenue. Dawn is reassured when she signs on to the platform and can see all the posts and private messages in her Facebook account. As required investments increase, Dawn deposits $176,000, only to have her account frozen when she tries to withdraw funds. Realizing that it is all an elaborate scam, Dawn comes forward to warn others about this sophisticated job scam.

It's tax time, and that means it's also tax scam season. The Federal Trade Commission warns about a recent surge in fake IRS calls to taxpayers. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary joins host Bob Sullivan to discuss how AI might be supercharging these age-old scams, how recent changes in the way the federal government issues refunds could create new opportunities for scammers, and some practical tips for protecting yourself against these and other scams.

When Anola returns home from a picture-perfect trip to France, she finds an unexpected flirtation with a man who reaches out to her on LinkedIn. He showers her with love and attention, and over time, he steals thousands from her. When she discovers the deception, Anola reaches out to the real man behind the photo the scammer used, drawing her into a second betrayal. Criminals have figured out how to hack our brains, bypassing the rational and going directly for the emotional response. Austin Cusak, an expert in behavioral science at the FDIC, joins host Bob Sullivan to discuss the phenomenon known as "amygdala hijacking."

Richy and Terri send a check to their son and daughter-in-law for their anniversary, but it never arrives. After a tough year of medical issues and the death of a close friend, they open a bank statement to see that their account is $10,000 short. They learn that a criminal has stolen their check from the mail, "washed" it, and fraudulently cashed it for big bucks. This sends the couple on a monthslong quest to try to get their money back.

When Brian receives an email from "PayPal," he thinks it must be the refund he's been waiting for, but he is instead drawn into a scam that has him running all over town feeding money into crypto kiosks and exchanging cash for gold coins to hand off to a courier. Brian soon grows suspicious, but he resists the urge to confront the criminals and goes directly to the police. Brian helps detectives set up a sting operation to ensnare the courier and expose a crime ring.

Patricia is enjoying a quiet night babysitting when she discovers that her phone has no service. When she switches to Wi-Fi, a sudden barrage of notifications shows that someone is moving money out of her accounts. This sets Patricia off on a race against time to save her assets from criminals who are even cashing out her stocks. Bob talks with Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, about practical steps we can all take to protect ourselves from SIM swapping scams.

Eric's day-to-day interactions at the gas station where he works have taught him to recognize when something isn't quite right with one of his customers. He's also aware that the crypto kiosk in the store is a tool that is used by criminals to steal money from fearful victims. So one day when Ellen enters the store, talking on her cellphone while frantically looking for the store's crypto kiosk, Eric knows it's time to step in.

Joyce is a retired teacher who works part-time with special needs kids. She's recently divorced after a long marriage, facing a cancer scare, and acting as the primary caregiver for her 96-year-old mother. With all of this weighing on her, she becomes the target of a tech support scam. Over months of instilling fear, the criminals steal more than $1 million from her retirement savings. Kathy Stokes of the AARP Fraud Watch Network stops by to discuss the new "Pause. Reflect. Protect." campaign aimed at combating scams like these.

Josh loves his job as a full-time novelist, but writing and working from home don't give him many opportunities to meet people. So he decides to try a dating site and connects with a woman named Hannah. After months of conversation and growing closer, Hannah tells Josh about her cryptocurrency investments and encourages him to invest as well. Over time, he puts in more than $100,000 and watches his money grow. When he tries to withdraw money from his account, it is frozen and Hannah disappears. Panicked, Josh searches for help online and finds a company that claims to trace and recover stolen crypto funds. The tragedy only deepens when he turns to family for help paying the company's fees.