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Myanmar’s proliferating scam centers

'Modern slavery' Human trafficking victims, pictured in Thailand's Tak province in February, show scars left by electric shocks and beatings. (Reuters) Criminal networks amassed such enormous profits that they were able to sustain -- and even expand -- these sprawling compounds. One man who claimed to have perpetrated scams recalled that a deep, resonant beat from a Chinese-style drum would echo through the compound each time a deposit of over $100,000 was received. The profits are built not

Prime Day Shopping: How to Get the Deals Without Getting Scammed

Amazon's Prime Day sale is officially here, but shoppers looking for great deals need to be careful that they don't get scammed in the process. Amazon is warning consumers to be on the lookout for cybercriminals attempting to use the massive online event, which runs Tuesday through Friday, as an opportunity to con them out of their money and personal information. According to Amazon, reports of email impersonation scams, where cybercriminals tried to pass themselves off as Amazon or another re

Meet the AI Fraud Fighters: A Deepfake Granny, Digital Bots and a YouTube Star

It was almost an hour into our Google Meet call. I was interviewing Kitboga, a popular YouTube scam baiter with nearly 3.7 million subscribers, known for humorously entrapping fraudsters in common scams while livestreaming. "I assume I'm talking to Evan Zimmer," he says with a mischievous glance, his eyes exposed without his trademark aviator sunglasses on. We were close to the end of our conversation when he realized that my image and audio could have been digitally altered to impersonate me t

arPrime Day: How Cybercriminals Are Getting a Boost From AI (and How to Avoid Them)

Amazon's Prime Day sale is officially here, but shoppers looking for great deals need to be careful that they don't get scammed in the process. Amazon is warning consumers to be on the lookout for cybercriminals attempting to use the massive online event, which runs Tuesday through Friday, as an opportunity to con them out of their money and personal information. According to Amazon, reports of email impersonation scams, where cybercriminals tried to pass themselves off as Amazon or another re

Prime Day: How Cybercriminals Are Getting a Boost From AI (and How to Avoid Them)

Amazon's Prime Day sale is officially here, but shoppers looking for great deals need to be careful that they don't get scammed in the process. Amazon is warning consumers to be on the lookout for cybercriminals attempting to use the massive online event, which runs Tuesday through Friday, as an opportunity to con them out of their money and personal information. According to Amazon, reports of email impersonation scams, where cybercriminals tried to pass themselves off as Amazon or another re

PayPal's AI-powered scam alert system might intercept your transactions now - here's why

Getty Images / SOPA Images / Contributor Cybersecurity is a cat-and-mouse game, with new technologies providing more sophisticated protections -- and threats. That has only accelerated with generative AI, which has led to even more advanced attacks, but PayPal is now leveraging it to stay ahead. PayPal, which also owns the digital payment platform Venmo, has added a new, dynamic, AI-powered scam alert system to its fraud prevention initiative, which is meant to keep its worldwide ecosystem of

Topics: ai new paypal said scam

Zelle needs to fix ‘significant scams and fraud,’ lawmakers say

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Banks are facing renewed pressure to protect their customers from scams on Zelle, the payment network owned by JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Capital One, and other big banks. In letters to the banks, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) asked them how often their customers report Zelle

Singapore police can now seize bank accounts to stop scams

Singapore police can now seize bank accounts to stop scams Singapore has seen a worsening problem with scams, which surged to a record S$1.1 billion ($860m; £630m) in 2024 in the island-state. The law was passed earlier this year by lawmakers, though some members of parliament have described the measure as intrusive. The move is aimed at addressing a common issue faced by the police where victims often refuse to believe they are being scammed despite warnings, authorities have said. Police i

Got a suspicious UPS text? Don't reply - it might be a scam. Here's how to tell

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET I've been anxiously expecting a package from UPS. That's why a text I received the other day caught my eye. Claiming to be from UPS, the message said that the carrier attempted to deliver the package on June 27, but the delivery couldn't be completed. The date was one when my wife and I were away, so this seemed legitimate at first glance. Also: Got a suspicious E-ZPass text? Don't click the link (and what to do if you already did) However, I've written plenty of

Pixel setup could soon include a key step to keep scammers off your phone calls (APK teardown)

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR Google seems to be planning to integrate Scam Detection and Call Screen features into the Pixel device setup process. Currently, these protective features need to be manually enabled by users, so there’s a fair chance many people don’t know these features exist on their phones in the first place. This change could thus increase user adoption of these crucial security features. Google announced Scam Detection features for Pixel devices through the Goog

How Avast's free AI-powered Scam Guardian protects you from online con artists

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET Online scammers will use all kinds of tricks to steal anything -- from your money to your identity. And not all security products are able to fully defend you against their tactics. Now, Avast has beefed up its free security software with a new feature that aims to thwart scams no matter what the source. Known as Scam Guardian, the protection tries to do more than just detect malicious or suspicious URLs. Trained on scam data, Scam Guardian uses AI to analyze

DuckDuckGo scam blocker detects fake stores, crypto sites, virus alerts, more

The privacy-focused web browser DuckDuckGo has boosted its anti-scam features. It can now detect and block fake ecommerce stores, crypto sites, virus alerts, and more. The new security feature is completely free for all users on both Mac and iOS browsers, with no Privacy Pro subscription needed … DuckDuckGo already had the ability to detect common phishing and malware attacks, as well as malicious ads, but these features have now been boosted and branded as Scam Blocker. There are the two new

DuckDuckGo's browser now protects you from fake crypto exchanges and scareware

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused web browser and search engine, has expanded the scope of its Scam Blocker tool. In addition to being able to protect you from standard phishing and malware attempts, Scam Blocker now also covers fake e-commerce storefronts, survey sites and cyptocurrency exchanges, as well as "scareware" pages falsely claiming that your device is infected and want you to click a button or a link to clean it. If the tool determines that you've clicked on a link leading to one of t

DuckDuckGo beefs up scam defense to block fake stores, crypto sites

The DuckDuckGo web browser has expanded its built-in Scam Blocker tool to protect against a broader range of online scams, including fake e-commerce, cryptocurrency exchanges, and "scareware" sites. DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused web browser and search engine that doesn't track users' searchers or browsing history. The browser, which became available as a public beta for macOS and Windows in October 2022 and June 2023, respectively, blocks all trackers by default, does not engage in personali

DuckDuckGo Can Now Warn You About Fake Crypto Exchanges and Other Online Scams

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine, announced Thursday that it updated its browser's Scam Blocker to guard you against more online threats. The company said online that its Scam Blocker can now warn you about fake crypto exchanges, scam e-commerce storefronts and fraudulent virus warnings. Scam Blocker could previously help protect you against phishing sites, malware and other common online scams. Read more: DuckDuckGo Offers a VPN and More in New Privacy Subscription Service Accord

The DMV Isn't Texting You To Ask for Money. That's a Scam

CNET/Getty Images Nobody likes waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles. But it could be worse. You could be scammed out of money by someone pretending to text you from the DMV. There's a growing nationwide trend of cybercriminals trying to convince people that they owe the DMV money for a traffic violation via text. If you don't pay, they threaten to revoke your license or suspend your vehicle registration. "There's usually some sort of urgent action required in order to avoid hav

Topics: dmv norman said scam text

A cryptocurrency scam that turned a small town against itself

Online scams are as old as the internet, but the rise of crypto has given con artists a valuable new tool — digital coins that can be transferred instantly, without oversight from banks legally obligated to monitor transactions for malfeasance. In 2023, crypto fraud cost American investors an estimated $4.8 billion, according to the F.B.I. The scams are so common that law-enforcement authorities have taken to calling them by a pithy name: Pig butchering, a rough translation of an expression wide