Understanding Scams 101

"In this 2022 episode, host Bob Sullivan welcomes special guest Alexis Conran. Conran’s insight into the mind of a con man comes from acting as one on the popular BBC show The Real Hustle. On the series, Conran, an actual trained magician, and his team perpetrate scams on unsuspecting consumers and then reveal the crimes to the victims (now in the hundreds), all in the name of educating the public. Conran discusses what he’s learned about the criminal mindset and what he has identified as the elements of deception."

Click on this link for the podcast.

Dentistry: Understand ALL Of The Motives

Dental care is a necessity for health. Unfortunately, it is a profession whose practitioners are under pressure to perform unnecessary procedures. I have been to several different dentists in my life and can personally attest to the problem. Click on the links below for examples:

https://brighterimagelab.com/top-3-dental-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them-2021/

https://www.wcax.com/video/2022/06/08/dental-scams-take-bite-out-consumers-wallets/

https://decisionsindentistry.com/2022/05/better-business-bureau-warns-consumers-dental-scams/

https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/27083-bbb-scam-alert-spot-red-flags-when-looking-for-deals-on-dental-work

https://www.wcax.com/video/2022/06/08/dental-scams-take-bite-out-consumers-wallets/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVzU8ZUYwq0

How To Tell If A Photo Is AI-Generated

"Manipulated images and fraudulent photos generated with artificial intelligence are proliferating online — and the problem will surely grow. Fifty-eight percent of Americans think that AI tools will increase the spread of false information during the 2024 election, according to a poll released in November by the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy." ​​

"And fakes can be hard to spot. In a 2022 study in the journal Vision Research, participants not only struggled to distinguish real faces from fake faces but sometimes “believed fake faces to be more real than real faces.” ​​

"And in an October survey by the Canadian Journalism Foundation, more than half of boomer and Gen X respondents confessed they weren’t confident about distinguishing between AI- and human-generated content.​ Here are ways to tell what’s real — and ensure that you aren’t sharing false images with others.​"

Click on the link below for the information:

How to Use Reverse Image Search for Fake Photos

Smishing: A New Scam

"It sounds like bad British slang but “smishing” could take all of your money, Thom Hartmann explains how not to fall for it."

Click on the link below for the details:

Is "Smishing" a Scary New SCAM?

Scams: None Of Us Are Immune

 AARP is a noted not-for-profit social welfare organization commonly viewed as basically an organization serving the retired. However, they have an excellent series of podcasts that apply to anyone using any media. Thus, all of us are essentially exposed to wide and deep scams. Click on the link below for the website presenting the entire series, which is ongoing, thus, you may want to bookmark it for future episodes:  

Podcast: The Perfect Scam

Cryptocurrency Exposed

I have posted several times on the facts surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Click on the link below for one of the clearest exposes of this vapid financial scheme:

Crypto Represents the “Golden Age of Fraud”

Suze Orman And Her Ilk: Let The Buyer Beware

One of the most popular financial gurus on TV for decades has been Suze Orman. However, her educational qualifications for giving such advice are zilch and her history is more consistent with a scam artist than a trustworthy financial advisor. The "advise" about which she is correct is no better than the very common and common-sense advice widely available in the media for free. Essentially, she is like popcorn: there is a kernel of truth, but most of it is hot air. Click on the links below for the full picture:

How Suze Orman SCAMMED the Poor and Middle Class

14 Reasons You Should Not Listen to Suze Orman

6 Reasons I Will Never Trust Suze Orman

The Personal Finance Industry Is A Scam

Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry