Post AygLESMhWpuphuxUIa by Logical_Error@fosstodon.org
(DIR) More posts by Logical_Error@fosstodon.org
(DIR) Post #AyfNpnTrzPvkf3HiW8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-28T13:39:01Z
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I think we should treat people who get scammed and come out and talk about it like heroes. And this is important: no matter how "obvious" the scam might seem in retrospect or from the outside of the community it prey'd on. The more I look at scams the more I think this is major factor in how they keep going and keep coming back.
(DIR) Post #AyfOBLlRifol4RmcOe by suetanvil@freeradical.zone
2025-09-28T13:42:50Z
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@futurebird People should not be ashamed of being scammed. Grifters' tricks are designed to bypass your critical thinking skills, and they can get you no matter how smart you are.
(DIR) Post #AyfOGF7DroH3tjImuG by sahqon@beige.party
2025-09-28T13:43:46Z
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@futurebird We should also prosecute scammers with harder sentences. It's like, you kill someone, you might get 20 years or even life for it, but you drive a hundred people to suicide and it's maybe a fine IF someone bothers to look into it.
(DIR) Post #AyfOH44qOPftx7a6mO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-28T13:43:54Z
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@suetanvil Different tricks for different people. Yes. YOU would never have fallen for that, but there are things you would fall for.
(DIR) Post #AyfOkk6DEc46gCNBMu by jjLitke@wandering.shop
2025-09-28T13:49:15Z
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@futurebird @suetanvil And not getting scammed requires constant vigilance, which is exhausting. Anyone can have an off day where they’re careless for just a moment.
(DIR) Post #AyfPaTVy8nDAIm5XG4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-28T13:58:23Z
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@neurovagrant @pluralistic OMG I almost got got by the same scam. https://sauropods.win/@futurebird/114843584294642938
(DIR) Post #AyfQAz2UPWrMUxhxdA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-28T14:05:14Z
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@neurovagrant @pluralistic The call was very convincing and scary and I was very close to just telling them everything. But when I said I wanted to call my bank ... the way they didn't like that made me calm down and get suspicious. If they were real they would have been like "yes please call your bank first that is wonderful"
(DIR) Post #AyfR3DYIfRwl9CRpya by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-28T14:15:02Z
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@neurovagrant @pluralistic I find it curious that both of us were targeted while traveling. For me that played a large role in why I almost answered the questions. I couldn't get to my files or computer and being away from home makes you feel more helpless. Likewise when traveling getting such calls about charges is typical. And getting one about a fake charge is very scary and upsetting.
(DIR) Post #AyfRUO9PN2EVpwlFc8 by sewblue@sfba.social
2025-09-28T14:19:54Z
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@futurebird How we talk about scams needs to change. I work for my local power company. I'd seen generic notices to the public about being wary about scammer, but nothing so direct about using the threat of a power shut off to extort $$. Always thought it was people trying to gain access to homes for robberies. Which also happens.So when I got a call I almost fell for it. We are selling my aunt's property, and realtors have to pick unknown calls. Passed the call to me.They were soooo skilled at manipulation. I looked passed the first few minor mistakes. It took insider knowledge to raise my guard. Even then I wasn't sure it was a scam until after I hung up and called the legit line. I owed $75, not $900.Had I known they used power shut off as a lure, I'd have been more wary. They probably used the listing. Be wary of scams isn't enough. You need to know the basic MO, which can be really creative. Once they have you it is really hard to get their claws off.
(DIR) Post #AyfRpQVpmizBF7HZbs by DaveMWilburn@infosec.exchange
2025-09-28T14:23:44Z
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@futurebird I wonder if this also plays into why cults and political movements like MAGA are so resilient. No one wants to bear the shame of admitting they got conned because it would be like admitting they were stupid.
(DIR) Post #AyfSS2lY0Y1mt72vTM by Kerplunk@mastodon.scot
2025-09-28T14:30:43Z
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@futurebird I think we should treat people who get scammed and come out and talk about it like heroes.Agree.From a couple of days ago, a hidden number, I answer only with hello then wait. This is paypal , did not use my name about money booked from your account, 500 Euros, press 1 to connect to accounts department.I just kept quiet and waited to see if a human would try and talk me in to revealing some information.Had I answered with my name that number could be sold as confirmed.
(DIR) Post #AyfSb997ei0LHYPiWO by noplasticshower@infosec.exchange
2025-09-28T14:32:21Z
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@futurebird it's American to pretend you have not fallen for a scam...even when the scammer is President
(DIR) Post #AyfTkhqQ7KQrSQmvse by Jorsh@beige.party
2025-09-28T14:45:17Z
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@futurebird You have to have an awful lot of humility to admit to being scammed.
(DIR) Post #AyfUKbm89xeR3jtwEy by DamonWakes@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-09-28T14:51:44Z
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@futurebird @suetanvil I found that recently. I get tons of "📢 ZOMG‼️YOUR SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRED SO WE WILL DELETE ALL UR PHOTOS 📵🚨🔔" spam which is painfully obvious, but then just recently there was a "Our new online system for NHS repeat prescriptions" one that may well have slipped by if it were at all relevant to me.
(DIR) Post #AyfUgnDeIBfEvGLpWy by scrummy@jawns.club
2025-09-28T14:55:47Z
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@futurebird The thing that worries me personally is trying to fight these things as I age, and my cognitive abilities inevitably decline. And it's not just the big scams, but also more mundane things - BS upsells from a car dealer, Solar leasing agreements, etc. Things that are legit, but often bad deals.
(DIR) Post #AyfVS9IS1i1d0NB7dQ by sgharms@techhub.social
2025-09-28T15:04:20Z
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@futurebird this was the plot of an episode of “Silver Spoons.”
(DIR) Post #AyfWiHyRdFpuVM53bc by minmi@sfba.social
2025-09-28T15:18:27Z
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@futurebird I was **inches** away from being scammed by someone pretending to be animal control and saying they had my dog who had run away and needed a deposit for surgery, claiming she’d been hit by a car. I absolutely would have given them my cc number. I was so scared and sad and relieved — just such a rush of emotions. But they asked for Zelle and it was just…off. Like with you, part of what made it clear it was a scam was when they got mad that I tried to hang up and call them. I was like “dog people are not this mean.” Cause wow they were so, so mean. But truly they would have had me.
(DIR) Post #AyfX0PMitBWWdr4nrM by Robo105@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T15:21:44Z
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@futurebird That is a good point
(DIR) Post #AyfXSSrhTGaNbVwb4q by jessicaddooley@infosec.exchange
2025-09-28T15:26:49Z
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@futurebird I agree emphatically.Thinking about the org context: It's impossible to build a culture of better security while also reinforcing a culture if personal fear and shame for being scammed. It's not your fault someone lied to you. Compensating controls are the responsibility of the organization; the staff responsibility is to follow procedures, and the procedure should invoke the compensating control. That is a completely different concept than "don't get scammed or it's your bad."
(DIR) Post #AyfYdKgaK0D9NNUW0W by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2025-09-28T15:39:34Z
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@futurebird Scams especially phishing attacks rely on ignorance as much as a lapse in attention or a moment of inattention. And I have seen the email accounts of friends, get hacked and be used to spread the attack. Somebody I’ve worked with got snared by phishing. And that account was linked to the major sources of his income online.It’s crazy not to make use of two factor authentication the very least for the family jewels so to speak
(DIR) Post #AyfZ94cjZkTwpKpEES by cy@fedicy.us.to
2025-09-28T15:45:22Z
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Straight out of Huckleberry Finn...I think this should also apply to people who voted wrong.
(DIR) Post #AyfdeGXxhBxobDiq1Y by sbourne@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T16:36:10Z
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@futurebird My father-in-law fell for the "hi grandpa I've been arrested send money" scam years ago. It obviously pained him terribly, but he did tell others so they could be aware. (The good news, he got a little suspicious and called the police - who were actually very helpful - before the money actually left his account.)
(DIR) Post #AyffcWVvYiEvRx4FDk by cobalt123@beige.party
2025-09-28T16:58:15Z
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@futurebird So you remember end of April when I had a scammer supppsedly part of the (Name of my bank) Fraud Unit latch on. I posted about it then. It was a shocking experience. The scammer had my legal name, address and knew I did my banking there and had a money market account. They did not ASK me to reveal anything. I thought it was for reals. They told me only 14 money market accounts there in different branches were involved. That it was an inside job with one staff arrested. They were quietly looking to see if there were accomplices. Yes I did what was requested. Withdrew my money at bank and started a new account there but used a special acct # as requested “that would be masked” so an employee couldn’t discover it for a week. This was retired protect me. I felt really uneasy but well , my money was saved from fraud. Drove out of parking lot and still felt really bad so called son who was traveling on business. He called the bank and guess what, there’s no Fraud department. Drove back to bank 20 minutes later. Was able to stop transfer. Started all 4 brand new accounts. Froze my credit at 3 big credit bureaus. I was told likely need at least a year because the scammer had enough added info now they likely sold my info. I’m damn lucky to have saved my money and no loss. Yikes.
(DIR) Post #AyfgSi7Lf7LyUoSJBA by Vincarsi@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T17:07:40Z
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@futurebird Agreed! There shouldn't be anymore shame around getting scammed than there is in being robbed by someone who claims to have a gun that turns out to be a toy. So many of them make threats that it's hard to tell in the moment if they're credible. And even the ones that don't start with a threat come so frequently that one is bound to catch you with your guard down eventually. Hell, I fell for a phishing scam when I was tired and knew my netflix actually needed a new payment method
(DIR) Post #AyfhnJvOuBCPV0G5fU by sillyplasm@cyberpunk.lol
2025-09-28T17:22:36Z
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@futurebird yeah, that's how I was roped into a "commission" for "art" by some really pushy asshole. it was obviously just touched-up ai after the fact. they even called me their "premium customer" which is where I should've turned back 😭
(DIR) Post #AyfibXNj9AY1iKSAVs by kludgekml@sunbeam.city
2025-09-28T17:31:41Z
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@futurebird have you listened to Scam Goddess? She has the exact same position: you can't shame people who get scammed because being ashamed of being scammed makes you even more susceptible to being scammed and stops the rest of us learning. About scams.
(DIR) Post #AyfikBjZ0CUrBGnAxs by springdiesel@spore.social
2025-09-28T17:33:15Z
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@futurebird I like the word "exposed" for this. It's heroic to expose a scam, especially for those who had been victims. We should applaud this.
(DIR) Post #AyfmIUeXT5PrZ6UWye by huntingdon@mstdn.social
2025-09-28T18:13:05Z
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@futurebird Being able to talk about it is one reason private arbitration should never be mandatory, barring disputes between businesses of similar size. People are entitled to know how large businesses serially abuse them.
(DIR) Post #AyfoIzEtwqP4KsrYBM by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2025-09-28T18:35:16Z
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@futurebird I have a question for you. The person that I know that just had their email hacked apparently had two factor authentication on his YouTube channel.As a matter of curiosity, what are the ways TFA can be cracked?
(DIR) Post #AyfoZRHJT4OlvjpsYK by leberschnitzel@existiert.ch
2025-09-28T18:38:33Z
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@futurebird The message should always be that scams are dangerous, not that people being scammed are stupid.
(DIR) Post #AyfobkGXqLkhOlZmi0 by Chancerubbage@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T18:38:58Z
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@futurebird @cmthiedeHad an interesting discussion regarding why so much spam is OBVIOUSLY fake.It is because they are also building a contact list of the more easily fooled.
(DIR) Post #AyfpctfOTcqynYJPTk by PattyHanson@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T18:50:23Z
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@futurebird My former SIL was scammed a few yrs ago. He's a very smart person, but has little common sense and, for better or worse, he completely trusts other humans Shortly after he & my daughter divorced he decided he wanted a Yorkie. He answered an online ad from an out of state breeder. He was sent photos & heard the entire spiel ~ pedigree, health of the puppy etc. He sent the initial deposit. Then the real shakedown started. When all was said & done he sent over $3K & didn't get a puppy
(DIR) Post #AyfqqaNb5A7GzN4xn6 by Fragarach@social.vivaldi.net
2025-09-28T19:04:02Z
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@futurebird I think you have a good point there.It's a long time since I've worked in an A&E department, but for quite a number of people, one of the most painful aspects of their injuries was explaining how it came about."Well, I was just..."“You didn't! What on earth were you thinking of?"The embarrassment of being scammed very likely means that a new angle continues to be useful for longer than it should.
(DIR) Post #AyfrOtSQeoo80IhM7k by CStamp@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T19:10:16Z
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@futurebird And never say never. I once got caught off guard by a bank calling on a Saturday morning. As I gave out info over the phone that I shouldn't have given over the phone, my fellow looked at me in horror. We immediately went to my bank, which fortuanelty was open, explained what had happened, & I got a new bank card & scrutiny of my accounts. Fortunately all was well.Turns out the scam the phone person was informing me of was real, but the actual bank person thought the call odd.
(DIR) Post #Ayfru5dHROdWk0eKXo by rinmari@urusai.social
2025-09-28T19:15:54Z
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@futurebird Really, a lot of what we say in support of domestic and sexual abuse can also apply to people who are victims of scams (be it shaking money out of them, seizing control of their accounts, etc.)Like yeah for sure, the consequences of falling for such tricks can affect those beside themselves. But hurling abuses at them for being victims makes them less likely to speak up about their experiences in the future and get help, making it less likely that their perpetrators will be held accountable.They already suffered enough by having something stolen from them - why make them suffer more out of a sense of "I'm smarter than this" pride?
(DIR) Post #Ayfwt4k3lZoVSa9kGm by dey@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T20:11:41Z
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@futurebird adulting is a scam tbh :-(
(DIR) Post #Ayfz7GAWHKLArVQLPU by Npars01@mstdn.social
2025-09-28T20:36:41Z
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@futurebird Scams are embedded in the very fabric of society. Republicans are stirring up Trans panic to get evangelicals to vote. Evangelicals have a worldview that women must remain underpaid or unpaid labor to society. Just as they were "outraged" by a black president and the possibility of female presidential candidates, they were "outraged" by blacks who could "pass as white" and Latinos who were perfectly bilingual.You can't do wage suppression without superficial bigotry.
(DIR) Post #Ayg55uUbz0j54RYs9Q by davidbenque@mastodon.ie
2025-09-28T21:43:42Z
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@futurebird agreed! also expose the people who avoided a scam by being like "no I won't send $100 to my nephew in distress"
(DIR) Post #Ayg5TPFlmXZt8Kp5nc by Vonskinnback@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T21:47:56Z
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@futurebird I head of a scam the other day and immediately thought "oh shit, I think that might have very well caught me out...!" 😬
(DIR) Post #AygDkzNXWNkhjLLugi by MartinTaudio@mastodon.scot
2025-09-28T23:20:46Z
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@futurebird compassion for the conned, contempt for the conmen; I think James O’Brien coined this during brexit
(DIR) Post #AygLESMhWpuphuxUIa by Logical_Error@fosstodon.org
2025-09-29T00:44:32Z
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@futurebird i always find it funny when people think they’re smarter than the scammershttps://youtube.com/@JimBrowning makes videos on how the scammers operate and how he stops scamming operations, but even he has been scammed beforeits only a matter of time before someone is scammed
(DIR) Post #AygUF3c5wJYGonWJ3g by Jshor@mastodon.social
2025-09-29T02:25:28Z
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@futurebird @alice we’re all capable of beings scammed. All it takes is the right bit of information at the right time. The more we move to de-stigmatize it, the better we all will be.
(DIR) Post #AygstStxjgAjjPg7X6 by Drspawndisaster@mastodon.social
2025-09-29T07:01:36Z
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@futurebird my grandpa, who is literally one of the smartest people I know and knows quite a bit about computers professionally, got scammed because someone was able to use the email of a close friend of his. It can happen to literally anyone and people should talk about that more.
(DIR) Post #AyguswtIwyhuMQFhQW by andrea_smandrea@zirk.us
2025-09-29T07:24:00Z
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@futurebird and as LLM/AI gets more sophisticated(?), it’s only going to get worse.
(DIR) Post #Ayh3eGkriJaXD9Nc3s by qqmrichter@mastodon.world
2025-09-29T09:02:12Z
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@futurebird I largely agree, but I can't help but remember the virus age in the '80s.I worked at a company where a business VP (not a techie) wanted to introduce unnecessarily convoluted rules to protect the company from viruses. His justification was that he'd been infected five times in the past month and KNEW how these things worked.I pointed out that I'd not ever suffered a virus infection and that perhaps we should be listening to the people who didn't get infected for policy.🧵 (1/n)
(DIR) Post #AyhUA6czUzBJsTXQYK by JoBlakely@mastodon.social
2025-09-29T13:59:14Z
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@futurebird it’s also the love bomber & the hobosexual, the person abusing your love and best qualities against you. There should be a special place in hell for people like that.They rob you of so much. Often money, but it’s the trauma from its impact on your ability to even date or open up to love or trust your own judgment after that, that is most harmed by the betrayal. Guard your heart!
(DIR) Post #AyhhRd7XFBNsykVlmy by TerryHancock@realsocial.life
2025-09-29T16:28:05Z
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@futurebird ANYONE can make a dumb mistake. Especially on one bad day.And there's a lot of bad behavior from "legit" sources that makes scamming easier.The IRS *DID* call me once. I assumed it was a scam, and got into some trouble over it that took months to resolve.One of the utilities I rely on actually *DOES* send invoices by email. They haul trash. They're not infosec experts.This obviously makes one think twice about "obvious scam" messages, even if you're careful.
(DIR) Post #AykjNWfy2tSzDPfRZo by FeloniousPunk@beige.party
2025-10-01T03:33:55Z
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@futurebird @falcennial This so hard. I got scammed* for $10k a couple years ago. Me - a grizzled code miner who has seen it all. The very last person you would expect to get scammed is yourself.
(DIR) Post #AykmIovB5AFEDVEImu by va2lam@mastodon.nz
2025-10-01T04:06:40Z
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@futurebird I had this weird experience last week where I got an email on my work account from the Ville de Montréal about an impending tax sale on a property. That must be a scam right? I forwarded it to soc@, the expert IT staff, and they said "no it actually looks legit". I did look at it and it does seem to not be a scam. Certainly, though, I have no ownership interest in the property cited, which is a hotel (though I did take the bus past it every day when I went to high school).
(DIR) Post #Ayl7lE57EEKzObGRZA by cynthiarose@sfba.social
2025-10-01T08:07:07Z
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@futurebird they cloned the website perfectly, one missing dot in the URL was the only clue and I realized it too late 😔 But….I am hero 😌
(DIR) Post #AylHAg35HcfcxgWbbs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-10-01T09:52:36Z
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@c0dec0dec0de @neurovagrant @pluralistic If the bar for not getting scammed is being more savvy than @pluralistic fediverse software devs... NOBODY except for maybe a professional spy is going to meet that bar. We can learn from each other and talk often about how these things work.
(DIR) Post #AylHboUY063MxwJHw8 by draken@masto.nyc
2025-10-01T09:57:28Z
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@futurebird @neurovagrant @pluralistic I never answer the phone unless I know the caller. Most people have the good sense to message me anyway.
(DIR) Post #AylKY0URkTrGsl8i3c by leftyknowitall@mastodon.social
2025-10-01T10:30:24Z
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@futurebird @c0dec0dec0de @neurovagrant @pluralistic This is a well-researched and -reported episode of the podcast Criminal, outlining how a woman from the Philippines was trafficked to a compound in Myanmar and forced to work scams. These compounds generate millions of dollars a day via forced labor of folks who are working the scams. A vast economy that is constantly evolving. https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-331-this-is-phoebe-judge-from-the-irs-9-5-2025/