What the Hack?

Romance scammers spend a lot of time on dating apps, but they almost never meet their targets in person. Christina’s Mr. Right moved quickly. Charming in-person, he lived in the same area and worked in the same industry. It was only after she committed to building a new life with him in Florida that everything began to fall apart. 

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Privacy matters for most of us, but it can be a matter of life and death for some especially when it comes to stalkerware. Electronic Frontier Foundation director of cybersecurity Eva Galperin joined us this week to teach us about the way too common software that can be used to track your every move.

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Tim Byrne’s vintage industrial furniture designs are a staple for A-Listers and designers around the world, which puts him in the sites of scammers–whether the target is time, money or goods. Listen as we learn how Byrne’s keen eye for the masterpiece lurking in a hunk of old factory equipment helps him spot thieves before they can strike. 

“What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show.

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Ever wonder why facial recognition is so accurate? Well, one reason is the shocking amount of personal data it needs (think: all the world’s snapshots), and that’s why Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark is taking aim at the industry behind that technology. 

We also review Charity’s top scams to watch for this year, and other topics near and dear to our own scam-hating hearts.

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Retired attorney Marjorie Bloom was minding her own business online when a tech support scam redirected her straight to cybercrime hell. Hear how she lost more than $600,000 in this harrowing tale of a scam turducken. 

“What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show.

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Criminologist David Maimon is in the business of finding out what we should be scared of. 

Just when you thought analog bill paying was safe, we learned that check scams are on the rise. And you guessed it: Because artificial intelligence and digital tools are making them way too easy.

“What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show.

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From a pig butchering scam that cost $450,000 to a real estate scam that almost cost a whole lot more, 2023 kept us guessing. With stories sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, and always informative, we’re celebrating the New Year with a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past twelve months.  

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When it comes to scams, we usually focus on the How rather than the Why. This week, we spoke to psychologist Dan Simons, co-author of Nobody’s Fool to find out why we’re all much easier marks than we like to think. 

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Many romance scams are smash-and-grab operations, but some scammers play the long game. Author, actress, life coach and cabaret singer Donna Hayes met her dream man online, but after a seemingly perfect courtship and almost $200K in cash changing hands, she discovered the truth.

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Ten years after Hurricane Sandy destroyed his beach house on the Jersey Shore, Adam was finally ready to sell the vacant lot. The only problem: It was already on the market. In this whodunnit, we go hunting for the bad guys.

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