Cat lady confuses scammers and keeps them on the line

[00:00:04] This is Scams and Cons News with Jim Grinstead

[00:00:09] In this week's news, an AI-generated grandma named Daisy is keeping scammers busy by talking their ears off about her cats.

[00:00:19] And check-washing scams are popping up again.

[00:00:21] But we begin with the story of how a credit card-denied message on your computer could be a phishing scam determined to get personal information from you.

[00:00:31] NBC10 in Boston tells the tale.

[00:00:42] Japanese police arrested two men accused of swindling a woman out of millions.

[00:00:48] The victim, a 47-year-old, reportedly lost over 100 million yen in total.

[00:00:54] Police arrested a 52-year-old man and a 32-year-old man.

[00:00:59] The pair allegedly conned the woman out of 36.5 million yen, or approximately $242,000, with false promises of marriage.

[00:01:09] One of the men, posing as a successful businessman, met the victim through a dating app last December.

[00:01:16] He claimed to earn 50 million yen annually and pledged to marry her.

[00:01:22] In March, one of the men pretended to be a secretary and convinced the woman to hand over millions claiming they were needed to pay a contractor.

[00:01:30] When questioned, the man reportedly admitted to the fraud, stating he needed the money to clear his debts.

[00:01:37] The scam came to light in late May when the victim approached police.

[00:01:43] JPMorgan Chase has initiated legal action against individuals who exploited a technical glitch in the bank's ATM system this summer.

[00:01:50] The issue allowed users to deposit fraudulent checks and withdraw funds from their accounts, a trend that quickly spread on social media platforms like TikTok.

[00:02:01] The bank, America's largest financial institution, has filed four lawsuits so far in Los Angeles, Houston, and Miami, targeting both individuals and businesses.

[00:02:12] Chase spokesperson Drew Pusirati emphasized the bank's commitment to combatting fraud and maintaining trust in the banking system.

[00:02:21] One of the most significant cases, filed in the Southern District of Texas, involved a masked man who allegedly deposited a fraudulent check for $335,000

[00:02:31] and withdrew most of the cash before the bank detected the counterfeit.

[00:02:36] Chase is seeking to recover $290,939 in this particular case.

[00:02:43] The bank stated in its filing that it prides itself on protecting customers against fraudsters,

[00:02:49] especially in an environment where bank and wire fraud are becoming increasingly common.

[00:02:54] While fraud methods have evolved over time, the core intent to exploit and deceive remains unchanged, according to the bank.

[00:03:03] What more do I need to introduce this story?

[00:03:06] Other than popular science, found a person who invented an elderly AI woman that strung scammers along with tales of her cat.

[00:03:14] And just to make a perfect circle, we'll use AI voice Alexis to help tell the story.

[00:03:19] The holidays are right around the corner, and a lot of us will be doing online shopping.

[00:03:24] The Better Business Bureau wants consumers to be on alert.

[00:03:28] Scammers are setting up fake websites to steal more than just your personal information.

[00:03:33] So, here's how it works.

[00:03:34] You're shopping online, and you're getting ready to check out.

[00:03:37] You enter your debit or credit card number for payment, and the website tells you that your card was declined,

[00:03:43] or you've received an error message.

[00:03:45] The website then asks you to re-enter your information, and sometimes even suggests that you use a different card.

[00:03:52] You might think it's a glitch, but the BBB says it's not.

[00:03:55] It is actually people duping you into providing additional payment, and they are taking the money and the funds from your credit card or bank account,

[00:04:04] and you don't know until after the fact.

[00:04:06] When shopping online, always double-check the website.

[00:04:09] Make sure it's a legitimate business before entering any personal or payment information,

[00:04:14] and look for HTTPS in the URL, and avoid websites with spelling errors.

[00:04:20] Regularly check your credit card and bank statements for any unusual activity, especially after online shopping.

[00:04:28] And don't be fooled by those great offers, and if your card is declined more than once, don't keep trying.

[00:04:34] Instead, contact your bank or credit card company directly.

[00:04:37] And if you can, try to use the same credit card for all of your online purchases.

[00:04:42] Credit cards offer more protection against fraud, and it can help you track any unexpected charges made on your account.

[00:04:49] This is Scams and Cons News.

[00:04:56] Scams and Cons is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[00:04:59] Scammers say tis the season to be taking, but the rest of us like to show gratitude to others by giving.

[00:05:05] We should be giving to ourselves as well.

[00:05:07] A massage, an ice cream might be nice, but why not give yourself something very important?

[00:05:14] Peace.

[00:05:15] BetterHelp's licensed therapists can help you find peace as you go into the new year.

[00:05:20] Anxiety brought on by the bustle of the season, or overly critical relatives are lousy things to carry into 2025.

[00:05:28] My therapist has been invaluable during times of high stress,

[00:05:32] and helped me find a better perspective on the challenges we all face in life.

[00:05:37] BetterHelp is fully online, and you can schedule appointments when it's convenient for you.

[00:05:42] In just a few minutes, BetterHelp can match you with a therapist,

[00:05:46] and if you find you're not a good match, you can switch without cost.

[00:05:50] Find comfort this December with BetterHelp.

[00:05:53] Visit betterhelp.com slash scamscons today to get 10% off your first month.

[00:06:00] That's betterhelp.com slash scamscons.

[00:06:15] No, you don't need to break out a new bottle of Dawn to deal in check washing.

[00:06:20] Check washing, if you don't remember from an earlier episode,

[00:06:24] is when con artists remove data from checks such as the person you want payment to go to

[00:06:29] and replace it with their information.

[00:06:31] They also replace the amount.

[00:06:34] What they don't change is your signature, because of course they want to check the clear.

[00:06:40] In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, police say scammers are working in their area

[00:06:44] and are asking residents to avoid check washing by using black gel ink pens that soak into paper.

[00:06:51] Checks should also be mailed from blue collection boxes close to pickup times.

[00:06:56] Security checks when matched with the pens also prevent washing.

[00:07:01] The pigeon drop is back, so it's a good idea to keep your greed in check.

[00:07:06] Four suspects are facing charges in Maryland,

[00:07:09] accused of scamming an elderly woman out of nearly $40,000.

[00:07:13] This con involves tricking victims into handing over money as collateral

[00:07:17] for a share of supposedly found cash.

[00:07:21] Police say the suspects, all from Birmingham, Alabama,

[00:07:24] along with a woman from Antioch, Tennessee,

[00:07:26] were arrested just in time to prevent another potential victim in Clinton.

[00:07:32] Prince George's County Police say the scam began on October 21st,

[00:07:37] just outside a District Heights business.

[00:07:40] Two suspects approached the elderly woman,

[00:07:42] claiming to have found a bag of cash and asking if it was hers.

[00:07:46] They then convinced her to help donate the money to charity,

[00:07:50] but only after withdrawing funds from her own account as collateral.

[00:07:54] Over the course of two days, the woman handed over nearly $40,000.

[00:08:00] Detectives from the Financial Crimes Unit used advanced investigative techniques

[00:08:04] to track the suspects to a Clinton shopping center on October 24th.

[00:08:09] Police say they were caught red-handed,

[00:08:12] allegedly attempting the same scam on another elderly victim.

[00:08:15] An Australian woman dated a man for two years,

[00:08:18] and she expected to marry him.

[00:08:21] It turned out he was a scammer and things didn't work out as planned.

[00:08:25] She was divorced and ready to try dating again,

[00:08:28] so she went online.

[00:08:30] She told her story on Australia's Good Morning.

[00:08:34] Just, he seemed a really genuine nice guy.

[00:08:36] Said he was divorced with two daughters,

[00:08:39] had a bit of an acrimonious relationship with his ex,

[00:08:41] as many people do,

[00:08:42] but just no red flags whatsoever.

[00:08:44] Nice, chatting guy.

[00:08:46] And we'd just exchange messages for a while.

[00:08:48] Well, you started doing the messaging.

[00:08:50] It was a dating app,

[00:08:50] so everybody's looking for everybody.

[00:08:52] So you're exchanging messages,

[00:08:54] then you meet up for a coffee and face-to-face.

[00:08:57] What was he like in person?

[00:08:58] What made you click?

[00:08:59] He was quite an outgoing character,

[00:09:01] much chattier than I would be.

[00:09:02] I'd say I was more on the shy side.

[00:09:04] Just funny, kind,

[00:09:07] just a nice guy,

[00:09:08] not Brad Pitt looking,

[00:09:09] or just your average,

[00:09:11] you know,

[00:09:12] divorced dad or two.

[00:09:13] But he was affectionate.

[00:09:14] He'd buy you flowers.

[00:09:15] He'd sometimes buy you flowers twice a day.

[00:09:18] I mean,

[00:09:18] even in the office,

[00:09:19] he'd bring them,

[00:09:20] and your colleagues would sort of laugh,

[00:09:21] probably a bit jealous

[00:09:22] of what was going on.

[00:09:23] So,

[00:09:25] no red flags,

[00:09:26] as you said.

[00:09:27] And this,

[00:09:28] I mean,

[00:09:28] even to the point when you realise

[00:09:29] it's deception,

[00:09:30] but at the time,

[00:09:31] walking through your door,

[00:09:32] dressed in full uniform

[00:09:34] as a firefighter,

[00:09:35] smelling of smoke,

[00:09:37] knowing now what you know,

[00:09:39] but all part of this big ruse

[00:09:40] to make you believe.

[00:09:41] the lengths he went

[00:09:42] to manipulate everyone.

[00:09:43] I mean,

[00:09:43] he had a lot of knowledge

[00:09:44] about the fire service.

[00:09:45] His father was in the fire service,

[00:09:47] so he was around stations

[00:09:48] growing up,

[00:09:49] he knew all the lingo,

[00:09:50] but then I would hear him

[00:09:52] on the phone

[00:09:52] to his station manager,

[00:09:54] and I would get text messages

[00:09:55] from Durham and Darlington

[00:09:56] fire service emails.

[00:09:58] He went to such,

[00:09:59] the elaborate details,

[00:10:01] and how carefully,

[00:10:02] he just pulled everyone

[00:10:04] into his lies.

[00:10:04] Wow.

[00:10:05] Well,

[00:10:05] six months into the relationship,

[00:10:08] you fell pregnant,

[00:10:10] and you'd had complications

[00:10:12] in the past,

[00:10:12] so you decided not to keep

[00:10:14] that pregnancy.

[00:10:16] Because he had two girls,

[00:10:17] and I had,

[00:10:17] well,

[00:10:17] supposedly had two girls,

[00:10:18] and I had two girls,

[00:10:19] and I didn't want to have

[00:10:20] any more children

[00:10:20] because I had had complications.

[00:10:22] We came to the difficult decision

[00:10:23] that it was probably best

[00:10:24] that we,

[00:10:25] yeah,

[00:10:25] it wasn't easy.

[00:10:26] And I'm sure,

[00:10:28] and so he then went

[00:10:29] and had a vasectomy,

[00:10:30] showed you the scar

[00:10:32] that he'd had the vasectomy.

[00:10:33] it's like gauze,

[00:10:34] and he was moving around

[00:10:35] just so it was really painful.

[00:10:36] Did you ever see a scar

[00:10:37] or anything like that?

[00:10:38] No,

[00:10:38] I saw some,

[00:10:39] what looked like bruising.

[00:10:40] I didn't get right up

[00:10:40] and have a close look,

[00:10:41] but there was a little bit

[00:10:42] of gauze padding,

[00:10:43] but he was in discomfort.

[00:10:44] Yes.

[00:10:45] There were some other

[00:10:46] odd occurrences,

[00:10:47] like becoming pregnant again.

[00:10:49] He's had a vasectomy

[00:10:50] 15 months into the relationship.

[00:10:52] Are you full pregnant again?

[00:10:53] He showed me

[00:10:54] the medical report

[00:10:55] showing he had

[00:10:55] a nil sperm count,

[00:10:56] because prior to that

[00:10:58] I was so scared.

[00:10:59] I mean,

[00:10:59] we'd been careful,

[00:11:00] I'd fallen pregnant,

[00:11:01] it could happen again.

[00:11:02] So,

[00:11:03] he was just off the table

[00:11:04] and he did that,

[00:11:05] which I thought

[00:11:05] was such a selfless thing to do.

[00:11:07] He was 34 years old.

[00:11:08] Showed me the results

[00:11:09] and then two months later

[00:11:10] I fell pregnant again.

[00:11:11] And you're thinking

[00:11:12] at the time,

[00:11:13] oh my God,

[00:11:14] he's going to think

[00:11:14] I'm having an affair.

[00:11:15] I was horrified.

[00:11:16] His family,

[00:11:17] his friends

[00:11:17] are all going to think

[00:11:18] I've cheated on him,

[00:11:19] because,

[00:11:19] well you would,

[00:11:20] wouldn't you?

[00:11:20] You'd have questions.

[00:11:21] You definitely would have questions.

[00:11:22] No,

[00:11:23] and I thought,

[00:11:24] what a loving man.

[00:11:25] He just never doubted.

[00:11:26] He's saying,

[00:11:27] it's a miracle.

[00:11:29] It was meant to be.

[00:11:30] He said to my mum

[00:11:31] that it was the original baby.

[00:11:33] We'd made a mistake

[00:11:33] and this was the original baby

[00:11:34] coming back.

[00:11:35] He actually said that to my mother.

[00:11:37] The gift from God

[00:11:38] was his words.

[00:11:38] During the pregnancy,

[00:11:39] then he comes out

[00:11:40] with a marriage planner.

[00:11:41] I mean,

[00:11:42] he's got the whole thing

[00:11:43] sorted out.

[00:11:44] Yeah,

[00:11:44] yeah.

[00:11:46] December,

[00:11:46] about a week before Christmas,

[00:11:47] went into the living room.

[00:11:49] My girls are there.

[00:11:50] You know when something's different

[00:11:51] and there's a bit

[00:11:52] spark of excitement

[00:11:54] and then he said,

[00:11:55] have a look at the Christmas tree.

[00:11:57] So I got up heavily pregnant,

[00:11:58] waddled to the tree

[00:11:59] and there's this little black book

[00:12:01] and it just said,

[00:12:02] Colleen Scott's wedding diary.

[00:12:03] I need to plan chapter and verse

[00:12:05] the entire wedding,

[00:12:06] cake tasting,

[00:12:07] wedding dress fitting,

[00:12:08] the venue,

[00:12:09] the honeymoon.

[00:12:10] So had it all planned

[00:12:11] and yet then

[00:12:13] has an excuse for it

[00:12:14] not to happen

[00:12:15] because he says

[00:12:16] that he's unwell.

[00:12:17] He discovers a lump

[00:12:18] on his testicle

[00:12:19] so the wedding

[00:12:20] can't go ahead.

[00:12:21] In fact,

[00:12:21] that's not the first wedding

[00:12:22] but there's a second wedding

[00:12:24] that's then planned

[00:12:25] and he backs out of that.

[00:12:26] Your sister becomes

[00:12:27] to get a bit suspicious

[00:12:28] at this time

[00:12:29] and they had,

[00:12:29] they'd been working together.

[00:12:31] She owned a few properties

[00:12:32] with boilers

[00:12:33] and he'd gone in

[00:12:34] and replaced the boilers

[00:12:34] for new.

[00:12:35] When she went back

[00:12:36] and looked at it

[00:12:37] and did some investigation,

[00:12:38] they were old boilers

[00:12:39] so red flags for her

[00:12:40] was starting to show.

[00:12:42] She came to you with this

[00:12:44] at which point

[00:12:45] there were some other things

[00:12:46] that she discovered.

[00:12:48] She came with this worry

[00:12:49] but then again

[00:12:50] James talked around

[00:12:51] because he was so manipulative.

[00:12:52] He said they'd been let down.

[00:12:54] He believed the boilers

[00:12:55] had been changed.

[00:12:55] She'd got all this paperwork

[00:12:56] to back up

[00:12:57] that there had been

[00:12:57] and she was alarmed

[00:12:59] because there were rental properties

[00:13:00] and she wanted them to be safe.

[00:13:01] So she started looking

[00:13:03] into other jobs.

[00:13:04] He'd said she'd taken payment

[00:13:05] for her.

[00:13:06] It'd been helped

[00:13:06] because she had her own

[00:13:07] property business

[00:13:07] and the jobs hadn't been done

[00:13:09] and she'd invested some money

[00:13:11] into a business

[00:13:12] he was setting up.

[00:13:13] She started to get a little bit,

[00:13:15] you know,

[00:13:16] Suspicions here.

[00:13:17] So I started to dig a bit deeper.

[00:13:19] Couldn't get returns

[00:13:20] from phone calls

[00:13:21] from people

[00:13:22] that were dealing with it.

[00:13:24] So then she just decided

[00:13:26] this was actually

[00:13:26] on what would have been

[00:13:27] my second wedding day

[00:13:28] that he'd postponed

[00:13:29] because his girls

[00:13:29] couldn't come to the wedding.

[00:13:31] She rang the wedding venue

[00:13:32] and they'd never heard of her.

[00:13:33] Then came the big reveal.

[00:13:35] At that point

[00:13:36] he was still trying

[00:13:36] to talk everyone around.

[00:13:37] It was his mother

[00:13:38] that didn't want him

[00:13:39] to get married.

[00:13:39] It wasn't his fault

[00:13:40] at this point.

[00:13:42] So he then disappears.

[00:13:43] Well we actually

[00:13:44] drove back up home.

[00:13:45] My sister phoned up

[00:13:46] and said

[00:13:47] I'm not happy

[00:13:48] I want to confront him

[00:13:48] I want the truth.

[00:13:50] We're driving up.

[00:13:51] At this point

[00:13:51] he pulled onto my drive

[00:13:53] dumped the shopping

[00:13:54] on the drive

[00:13:54] passed our baby

[00:13:55] to my youngest daughter

[00:13:57] through an open window

[00:13:58] got in the car

[00:13:59] said I'll be back

[00:13:59] in a minute

[00:14:00] and I'm going to see him.

[00:14:01] And you never saw him again.

[00:14:02] Well you contacted

[00:14:03] the police

[00:14:03] with his registration number

[00:14:04] you discovered then

[00:14:05] that his name

[00:14:06] was actually Greg Wilson.

[00:14:08] One of your daughters

[00:14:08] found him on Facebook

[00:14:09] they found out

[00:14:10] that he was married

[00:14:11] to another woman

[00:14:11] had three sons

[00:14:13] so he was living

[00:14:13] a completely double lie.

[00:14:15] He wasn't a firefighter

[00:14:16] at all.

[00:14:17] That was a complete lie

[00:14:18] as well.

[00:14:20] Because of the

[00:14:22] it's not a fraud

[00:14:23] to lie to somebody

[00:14:24] about their life

[00:14:24] there's nothing

[00:14:25] you can do about that

[00:14:26] but because of

[00:14:26] with your sister

[00:14:27] and there was

[00:14:28] this connection

[00:14:28] to your work

[00:14:29] he was sentenced

[00:14:29] to six years

[00:14:30] in prison in 2020.

[00:14:31] Such a situation

[00:14:32] would be traumatic

[00:14:33] for anyone

[00:14:34] but she landed

[00:14:35] on her feet.

[00:14:36] I'm happy now

[00:14:37] I've gone on

[00:14:38] to remarry

[00:14:39] the nicest guy

[00:14:40] I could have

[00:14:41] ever wanted

[00:14:41] I mean

[00:14:42] I won't lie

[00:14:43] it's changed me

[00:14:43] as a person

[00:14:44] could not do

[00:14:45] and when I met

[00:14:46] my husband

[00:14:47] I had to see

[00:14:47] his birth certificate

[00:14:48] his passport

[00:14:49] meet all his family

[00:14:50] and friends

[00:14:50] but I'm happy.

[00:14:53] A scam ring

[00:14:54] that conned

[00:14:55] 150,000 Americans

[00:14:56] out of

[00:14:57] 300 million dollars

[00:14:58] over 20 years

[00:14:59] has been broken up.

[00:15:01] One Colorado man

[00:15:03] who was part of the ring

[00:15:04] was ordered

[00:15:04] by a court

[00:15:05] to pay

[00:15:05] 19 million dollars.

[00:15:07] CBS Colorado

[00:15:09] explains it.

[00:15:10] A scam from Golden

[00:15:11] has to pay

[00:15:11] 19 million dollars

[00:15:13] back to more than

[00:15:14] 150,000 Americans

[00:15:15] who were victimized

[00:15:16] by a massive

[00:15:17] telemarketing scheme

[00:15:19] earning 300 million

[00:15:20] over the course

[00:15:21] of two decades.

[00:15:22] The scam deceptively

[00:15:23] pressured older adults

[00:15:25] into renewing

[00:15:26] magazine subscriptions.

[00:15:27] According to the indictment

[00:15:29] the telemarketing companies

[00:15:30] would use a so-called

[00:15:31] cancellation script

[00:15:32] on people

[00:15:33] who were known

[00:15:33] to other companies

[00:15:34] to have fallen victim

[00:15:36] to sales scams.

[00:15:37] Five other people

[00:15:38] from Colorado

[00:15:39] were involved.

[00:15:40] This is Scams and Cons News.

[00:15:46] Hi, this is Amy and Vanessa

[00:15:48] from She Goes By Jane

[00:15:49] where we shine light

[00:15:50] on the stories

[00:15:51] of missing

[00:15:51] and unidentified women.

[00:15:52] On November 7th

[00:15:53] we're sharing Nahida's story

[00:15:54] for the first time

[00:15:55] in a podcast

[00:15:56] and this is a story

[00:15:57] that I thought I knew

[00:15:58] but after reading

[00:15:59] police reports

[00:16:00] became more complicated

[00:16:01] than I thought.

[00:16:01] When investigators

[00:16:02] are called

[00:16:03] in Nahida Khatib's house

[00:16:04] everything looks fine.

[00:16:05] Her purse

[00:16:06] is on the kitchen table

[00:16:06] her cup of coffee

[00:16:07] is on the counter

[00:16:08] and her two-year-old niece

[00:16:09] is in her playpen.

[00:16:10] The only thing amiss

[00:16:11] Nahida is missing.

[00:16:13] Every week we feature

[00:16:14] a poem written

[00:16:14] in honor of the person

[00:16:15] we're talking about.

[00:16:16] This week we're joined

[00:16:17] by one of our favorite actresses.

[00:16:18] You might know her

[00:16:19] from Sister Act

[00:16:20] or King of the Hill

[00:16:21] or The Descendants

[00:16:22] but if you're like us

[00:16:23] you'll know her

[00:16:23] from Hocus Pocus.

[00:16:25] She's the much beloved

[00:16:26] Kathy Najimy.

[00:16:27] Join us November 7th

[00:16:29] to hear Nahida's story.

[00:16:30] The Descendants