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An AI Bot Army is Taking Scam Centers Down 🤖
Frank McKenna
March 18, 2025
Heya đź‘‹
Who is getting ready for the Fraud Fight Club in Charlotte? From what I hear, hundreds of fraud fighters will be there in person, so I look forward to meeting many of you there.
Let’s check out the top stories this week.
This Week’s Top Fraud Snippets
SSA Crackdown - 170,000 Social Security checks are reportedly going to be blocked for fraud because recipients don’t have social security numbers. Read More
Despicable Banana - Hong Kong has released a new anti-scam campaign featuring an innocent banana that turns into an alien-looking beast when a phishing link is clicked. Read More
Stripe Doubles Down - For merchants that have a dispute on Stripe, each one will cost them $30 now instead of $15. Pile that on with Visa’s new VAMP program, and fraud will be costly for merchants this year! Read Post
Instant Arrest - A four-year-old boy called 911 and demanded his mother be arrested for stealing his Ice Cream cone. Read More
Do They See Dead People? - DOGE has ten staffers actively investigating the Social Security masterfile, looking for dead people to identify fraud. The SSA, however, say less than 1/3rd of 1% of all claims are impacted. Read More
Telegram Danger ⚡️ - Lured by promises of quick money on Telegram, some teenagers became de facto suicide bombers for Russia. Read More
Loan Raider - This woman with four different tax companies helped people defraud the PPP program for over $12 million. She took a cut of the proceeds. Read More.
Telegram Founder Released - France has released Pavel Durov and he has returned to Dubai. He still faces 10 years in prison in the country and may have to return. Read More
Cap One Dodged A Bullet - Cap One narrowly avoided a $125 million fraud, pulling out of the bidding for a student finance startup, Frank. Chase didn’t and took the hit. Read More
Turned The Tables - A man in India was contacted by a scammer who tried to extort him. Throughout three calls, back and forth, the victim managed to outsmart the scammer and extract over 10,000 from him. Read More
Call Merge Trap - How Scammers Eavesdrop On Victims’ Bank OTP Codes
A new OTP in a scam may provide glimpses of what could happen soon in the US. While we have been focused on OTP codes texted to victims’ phones, scammers have found a workaround: the option to have OTP codes delivered via phone call to customers.
The "Call Me My Code" scam sweeping across India tricks victims into merging calls with their bank's automated systems, allowing scammers to overhear one-time passwords. Victims report devastating losses ranging from $10,000 to $114,000 as fraudsters exploit this forgotten verification method that bypasses text-based security measures.
Kitboga Launches Robot Army That Scams Scammers
This week, there has been a significant advancement in anti-scam warfare. Kitboga, an internet vigilante who entertains viewers while wasting scammers' time, has launched the first-ever army to take on scammers.
Kitboga’s AI Bot army doesn’t sit idly by waiting for scammers to call them. The bots actively dial scam operations identified through fake emails and advertisements. When a scam center is targeted, multiple bots call the location simultaneously to tie up all available operators in the center.
What It Takes To Be An AI Model In A Pig Butchering Scam Compound
AI models are promised $72,000 yearly to travel to Cambodia for video calls and messages with “clients.”
Check out what the recruitment ads are looking to find with this job attracting good-looking people from all over the world.
Watch Locals Loot A Pig Butchering Call Center
A video of Pakistani locals looting a call center in Islamabad after authorities raided the fake call center, which had been scamming people. The center was run by Chinese nationals suspected of running the operation in Pakistan.
The video shows men smiling and laughing while they flee the call center with laptops, desktop,s and keyboards.
High Anxiety In Merchant Land: Visa’s New Fraud Program Means Big Changes Coming
After MRC, all the buzz about Visa’s new VAMP program is making the rounds, and anxiety levels are high as merchants and acquirers try to figure it all out. 🚀
Visa continues updating the program rules (they announced changes as recently as last week) and is taking a tough line on fraud, but merchants and acquirers don't seem to understand the impact entirely. You might have to have a PhD in calculus to figure out how to calculate your fines and penalties! 🧑‍🔬
Karisse Hendrik told me she would explain everything in Fraudology this week, but in the meantime, check out this great breakdown here.
It’s Happening: OpenAI’s Operator Can Carry Out Autonomous Phishing Attacks
AI Agents can be programmed to carry out phishing attacks - even legit AI like OpenAI.
In a demo created by Symantec, researchers created an agent that successfully identified a target, found their email address, created a malicious PowerShell script, and sent them a convincing phishing email.
Watch the AI agent carry out an attack below. Thanks to Ken Palla for the tip.
Is Wells Fargo Planning A New Scam Interdiction Strategy Like Australia?
Wells Fargo recently notified customers, including me, that the bank will now decline suspicious transfers and delay questionable transactions as part of its enhanced security protocols. However, it will also push back and hold customers accountable.
With Australia slowing payments and Chase recently blocking certain Zelle payments, I expect this trend to continue worldwide.
Telegram Scam Kits Sold Online Are Fueling Epic Toll Scam Wave
The US is being flooded by toll scam text because Chinese cybercriminals are selling kits online that help anyone pull off the scam. There is no single group behind these scams now, but potentially many hundreds of scammers.
The kits are essentially “Fraud In A Box,” containing realistic webpages that can mimic EZPass, FastTrak, and PeachPass. The packages include the ability to send mass text messages, host fake payment sites, and capture victims' personal and financial information in real time as they are entered.
Imposters! How to Spot AI Fakers Infiltrating Your Company
North Korean tech workers are infiltrating US companies by using AI deepfakes during Zoom interviews.
Gergely Orosz provides 15 AI Hiring Defense Tactics every HR department and hiring manager should do to avoid hiring one of these would be fraudsters from infiltrating your organization.
Desperate Plea: They’re Hiding Us In The Mountains Under Brutal Conditions
Myanmar's crackdown is devastating for scam workers who were not rescued.
On Telegram, dozens of scam workers report being forcibly transported to hidden scam operations in mountainous regions of Myanmar as scam bosses flee police.
The victims describe being handcuffed and moved under armed guard to an isolated facility approximately 40 kilometers into a forested area.
"We were transferred from Wanhai in Myanmar two days ago. Dozens of us were handcuffed and followed along," one victim recounts in a desperate plea for help.
CHP Insider Used Law Enforcement Database To Find Kids SSNs For $3.3 Million Fraud
A law enforcement insider, Erica Robins, used her position as a CHP dispatcher to steal Social Security numbers of children and prison inmates, helping orchestrate a $3.3 million COVID benefits scam that filed 169 claims for minors and 17 for incarcerated prisoners.
The fraud ring claimed the kids were “Self-employed” but out of work. 🙄
Fake Receipt Site Helps First-Party Fraudsters Get Reimbursed Or More
People can fake anything online these days, and I noticed scammers posting advertisements on this site for use in scams.
Receipt Maker allows users to choose a receipt template for virtually any business, edit the details, and download the fake receipt.
I guess these are for “novelty” purposes right?
That concludes another week of interesting trends and stories in fraud.
I hope you have a fantastic week ahead fighting fraud.