Victim As a Service: Designing a System for Engaging with Interactive Scammers

Pig butchering, and similar interactive online scams, lower their victims' defenses by building trust over extended periods of conversation - sometimes weeks or months. They have become increasingly public losses at least $75B by one recent study. However, because of their long-term conversationa...

FBI issues warning as scammers target victims of crime

The FBI has issued a warning about an ongoing fraud scheme where criminal scammers are impersonating FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 employees in order to scam people. Between December 2023 and February 2025, the FBI received over 100 reports of scams involving people posing as IC3...

Massive utility scam campaign spreads via online ads

For many households, energy costs represent a significant part of their overall budget. And when customers want to discuss their bills or look for ways to save money, scammers are just a phone call away. Enter the utility scam, where crooks pretend to be your utility company so they can threaten...

Consumer cyberthreats: predictions for 2024

In our previous summary of consumer predictions, we delved into tactics that we expected scammers and cybercriminals to use in 2023. As anticipated, they capitalized on major events and cultural crazes, using tricks that ranged from fake Barbie doll deals to exploiting the buzz around long-awaite...

Up to 10 million people potentially impacted by JD Sports breach

Were at the start of February, and news of breaches keeps on coming. In this case, though, while the news that 10 million JD Sports customers may have been impacted by a cyber attack has only just arrived, the data potentially accessed in that attack is already several years old. The danger zone ...

LinkedIn scams are a “significant threat”, warns FBI

Digital currency fraud is a growing issue on social media, and LinkedIn is no different. In fact, according to according to Sean Ragan, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the San Francisco and Sacramento, California, field offices, cryptocurrency scams are big business on LinkedIn. "It’s a...

Phishers make a date with your calendar apps

Calendars are a rich source of bad behaviour for scammers and spammers. They’re one of the most prolific tools the workplace has for collaborative actions and general cross-purpose messaging. They’ve been misused by bad actors for many years now, most commonly spamming unwary potential victims an...

Romance scams: FTC reveals $304 million of heartache

In 2020, reported losses to the FTC for romance scams went up by 50% from 2019, totalling $304 million. And things werent exactly good before: Romance scams have cost people a fortune for 3 years running, according to the FTC. Their latest report suggests a steady rise in these kind of scams...

Beers with Talos Ep. #66: I Choose YOU! Attackers view of targets, RLAs, scam season

By Mitch Neff. Beers with Talos BWT Podcast episode No. 66 is now available. Download this episode and subscribe to Beers with Talos: If iTunes and Google Play aren't your thing, click here. Recorded Nov. 8, 2019 Joel is out on PTO, so Mitch, Matt, Nigel, and Craig carry the banner this episode...

Fake Voicemail/Office 365 Attack Targets Enterprise Execs

A phishing campaign is making the rounds that uses fake voicemail messages to lure victims into revealing their Office 365 email credentials. The targets are “high-profile companies,” according to researchers, mainly in the tourism, entertainment and real-estate industries. A wide range of...

Sextortionists Get Past Defenses with Cryptocurrency Shift

A sextortion campaign is making the rounds that attempts to evade detection by demanding payment in cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. Sextortion operators typically send emails out claiming to have harvested webcam footage or browser histories related to adult content from the recipient’s...

Tech support scammers GeeksHelp caught again, two years later

Many researchers have noted an increase in tech support scam activity during the past few months. This trend, facilitated by browser lockers, is not surprising considering that other web-based infection methods are not as effective. While people are still receiving cold calls from alleged Microso...

Coupon fraud could be costing your business millions

Customers are always looking for good deals with their purchases and a coupon could be the defining factor for a buyer completing his or her transaction. In fact, a 2015 survey by CreditCards.com found that paper coupons were used by 63 percent of respondents. This is followed by discounts for...

Breaking down a notably sophisticated tech support scam M.O.

Note: Our Tech support scams FAQ page has the latest info on this type of threat, including scammer tactics, fake error messages, and the latest scammer hotlines. You can also read our latest blog, New tech support scam launches communication or phone call app. The cornerstone of tech support sca...