[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_03]: In today's news, new techniques help scammers target drivers around the country and pet owners
[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_03]: are being scammed into thinking their companions are endangered.
[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_03]: But we begin with a bizarre story from the South China Morning Post.
[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_03]: It reports that a 26-year-old Indonesian man learned his wife was actually a man attempting
[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_03]: to scam him out of money.
[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_03]: They had been married just 12 days.
[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_03]: The two had been dating for more than a year and they met on social media in 2023.
[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_03]: When they met in person, the impersonator claimed to be a traditional Muslim and wore clothing
[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_03]: that covered her entire face.
[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_03]: The imposter said she didn't have any family so they quickly scheduled a ceremony at the
[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_03]: groom's home.
[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_03]: He even brought five grams of gold as a dowry.
[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_03]: Because they did not officially register their marriage certificate, the marriage was not
[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_03]: official.
[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_03]: The groom grew suspicious when the imposter refused to communicate with his family and continued
[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_03]: to wear her veil attire at home.
[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_03]: Not surprisingly, the marriage was not consummated either.
[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_03]: The groom said the imposter gave excuses ranging from her menstrual cycle to feeling
[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_03]: unwell.
[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_03]: The groom located her supposedly non-existent family.
[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_03]: It was then he learned that his partner was not an orphan and her parents were
[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_03]: both alive and well.
[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_03]: He also learned that the imposter was actually a man who had been cross-dressing since 2020.
[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_03]: Police said the imposter resembled a woman, especially when wearing makeup, adding that
[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_03]: his voice is high-pitched.
[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_03]: The imposter confessed that his goal was to marry into the groom's family and
[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_03]: steal their assets.
[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_03]: Including the court chip, the groom was deceived for more than a year, lost his
[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_03]: marriage and his money.
[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_03]: You don't know if you've won a publisher's Clearing House Prize until they show up at
[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_03]: your door.
[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_03]: But a Lakeland, Florida woman didn't know that.
[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_03]: She got a call from a person saying she had won $3 million but had to pay taxes on
[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_03]: the money, an amount that came to about $477,000.
[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_03]: She borrowed against her savings and stuck in the public's grocery chain.
[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_03]: Here's Sheriff Grady Judd.
[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_04]: So it was an elaborate scheme that worked because once again a very elderly lady, who's
[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_04]: our victim, possibly with some early dementia issues, was totally scammed.
[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_03]: She tried to get more money from the public's credit union.
[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_03]: She was warned that it might be a scam.
[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_03]: She said she wanted to buy a boat.
[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_04]: These guys told her they're going to question you when you start writing these big
[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_04]: checks.
[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_04]: Don't tell them you won the publisher's Clearing House because that is a surprise.
[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_04]: Just tell them you're buying a boat.
[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_03]: Deputies were able to identify two people from the security video and made a rest.
[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_04]: Gamers are very good and very convincing at what they do.
[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_04]: They don't call them con men for nothing.
[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_03]: The Sheriff's Department has been able to recover $40,000 and they hope they
[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_03]: can get the rest.
[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_04]: Now they worked hard their entire life for their money.
[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_04]: And now they've got $477,000 worth of debt lodged against their retirement stock.
[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_03]: This is Scams and Cons News.
[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey there, I'm James, host of Dakota Spotlight.
[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00]: We're back with a new season.
[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: You killed Chris, a friend's fight for justice.
[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a chilling throwback to 1968.
[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: A college freshman, Christine Rothschild is murdered on campus during her morning walk.
[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Join us as we dive into this unsolved case and follow a friend's relentless pursuit
[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: of the truth all the way from the flower power era to today.
[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Binge you killed Chris on your favorite app or at DakotaSpotlight.com.
[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_03]: Drivers across the country are being targeted in a variety of scams.
[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_03]: In Kansas, drivers get text messages from Kansas Toll Services seeking
[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_03]: personal information such as bank accounts and credit cards.
[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_03]: They're told the information is needed to pay for outstanding tolls.
[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_03]: The actual agency that handles tolls in Kansas is the Kansas Turnpike Authority.
[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_03]: The text claims the user will be charged a late fee if the bill isn't settled immediately.
[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_03]: And it's happening in North Carolina.
[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_03]: WCNC talked with security researcher Truman Kane.
[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_02]: In this particular attack, we're seeing an alert
[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_02]: that's being sent from a local looking area code letting the victim know
[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_02]: that they have an outstanding balance on their toll account.
[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_02]: They're also going to bundle up that data and sell it to the highest bidder.
[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_03]: It's the same scam in Colorado, but with a twist.
[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_03]: In Colorado, they have expressed lanes with a toll that simply build to you.
[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_03]: The lanes are convenient, so many drivers just hop onto them.
[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_01]: We've noticed an outstanding balance of eleven
[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_01]: dollars sixty nine cents on your record
[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_01]: to prevent a late fee of fifty dollars.
[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Please visit sonpasstoll.com to settle your invoice.
[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_03]: The woman named Mary acknowledges that she used the toll road
[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_03]: but remembers paying for it.
[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_03]: Fortunately, she didn't click the included link
[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_03]: but called the state office responsible for the tolls.
[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_03]: They said she owed nothing.
[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_03]: These phishing scams are also being reported in Maryland,
[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_03]: Utah and many other states.
[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_03]: You may have heard of or even used the app next door.
[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_03]: It's software designed to allow neighbors to communicate with one another.
[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_03]: They may recommend plumbers, advise others about zoning changes
[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_03]: or missing pets.
[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_03]: Pet owners receiving messages are getting phone calls saying
[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_03]: their pets are in need of medical care and that money is urgently needed.
[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_03]: In Palm Beach County, Florida, callers claim to be from the animal care
[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_03]: and control office.
[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_03]: Officials there say they will never ask for money over the phone.
[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_03]: It's a common and growing scam around the country.
[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_03]: And officials say the best thing to do is to check with police
[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_03]: and not send money to anyone making such a claim.
[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_03]: Those on Medicare should be aware of a scam that offers them
[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_03]: free services, medical equipment or gift cards in exchange
[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_03]: for the target's Medicare number.
[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_03]: The offers come by phone, text or email.
[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_03]: Once scammers have their number, they order
[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_03]: products you don't need like knee braces, but then they build
[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_03]: Medicare for the service.
[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_03]: If in doubt, call your insurance provider for guidance.
[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_03]: We've told you about check washing, the practice of chemically
[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_03]: removing your handwriting from a check.
[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_03]: The con artist then writes in any name or amount they want.
[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_03]: It happened to an Alabama business and it cost them
[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_03]: $1.5 million.
[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_03]: The company typically writes checks for $10,000 up to $100,000
[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_03]: then mails them to vendors.
[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_03]: The vendors say they never receive their money.
[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_03]: To stay safe, avoid public mail drops.
[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_03]: Try to put your mail inside a physical post office.
[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_03]: Also use security checks and a gel pen.
[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_03]: Those can't be washed.
[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_03]: So when the writing doesn't disappear, the scammers will
[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_03]: probably put the check in the trash.
[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_03]: The good news is that you won't lose any money.
[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_03]: This is Scams and Cons News.
[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_01]: Scams and Cons is part of the Killer Podcast Network.
[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_06]: Hi, this is Amy and Vanessa from She Goes by Jane, where we
[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_06]: shine light on the stories of missing and unidentified women.
[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_06]: On November 7th, we're sharing Nahida's story for the
[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_06]: first time in a podcast.
[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_06]: And this is a story that I thought I knew.
[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_06]: But after reading police reports, became more complicated
[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_06]: than I thought.
[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_06]: When investigators are called to Nahida Koteb's house,
[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_06]: everything looks fine.
[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_06]: Her purse is on the kitchen table, her cup of coffee is
[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_06]: on the counter, and her two-year-old niece is in
[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_06]: her playpen.
[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_06]: The only thing a miss, Nahida is missing.
[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_05]: Every week we feature a poem written in honor of the person
[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_05]: we're talking about.
[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_05]: This week we're joined by one of our favorite actresses.
[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_05]: You might know her from Sister Act or King of the Hill
[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_05]: or The Descendants.
[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_05]: But if you're like us, you'll know her from Hocus Pocus.
[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_05]: She's the much beloved Kathy Najimi.
[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_05]: Join us November 7th to hear Nahida's story.