Episodes

July 22, 2025

When in doubt, call your friend

What would you do if a friend sent you an email asking if you would be willing to buy them a gift card? For most of us, our default reaction would be to say yes and help out our friend. Because most of us are generally nice f...

July 15, 2025

Don't panic when your computer wails

Recently, I was about to start a fraud prevention presentation when my mom called to tell me she was having some computer issues. I drove over to her place. Upon arrival, her computer had a pop-up on the screen that made her ...

July 8, 2025

Five signs you are being scammed

This week, we will share top five telltale signs you are being scammed. • Someone you don’t know is calling you incessantly and creating a sense of panic. • Someone is telling you not to talk to anyone else. • If you are at your bank withdrawing cash...

July 7, 2025

Scammers Don't Leave Voicemails, Or Do They?

Last week Brian Watson talked about phone scams and it is okay to hang up. Something we hear a lot is - I do not answer the phone unless I know who it is as scammers do not leave voicemails. Or do they? We are starting to hea...

July 1, 2025

Scams Broken Down Into Three Parts - Anatomy of a Scam

We discussed this four months ago and it is worth revisiting, our Anatomy of a Scam Infographic where we discuss the three parts of a scam. We have some examples of scams that we will break down using the Anatomy of a Scam. T...

June 17, 2025

It’s OK to hang up on scammers

I like to show a photo of a yellow rotary dial phone circa 1980. I ask my audience to raise their hand if they ever had a similar phone. After I show the photo of the phone, I always ask “what did we do when that phone rang?”...

June 10, 2025

What in the world is pig butchering?

Pig Butchering Romance Scams Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk Radio...

June 3, 2025

Data Breaches and Scammers Go Together

Data breaches give scammers a chance to orchestrate social engineering attacks against unsuspecting victims. The data can be purchased in bulk, and is then used by scammers as a token of credibility to gain trust. Several dif...

May 27, 2025

We All Make Mistakes - How to Determine the Safety of a Website Take 2

We all make mistakes, and last week I made a mistake with sharing my screen. So, here is a redo on how to determine the safety of a website. Last week you saw my notes for the episode and today you will see how I use R.O.S.E....

May 20, 2025

How Do You Know If You Are On A Legitimate Website?

Last week we discussed a few of the scams that had a profound effect in 2024 on the 60+ year old population in the United States. The type of crime that had the most impact on this population, with almost 195,000 victims, is ...

May 13, 2025

Investment & Tech Support Scams - Top 2 Scams in 2024 Losses for Older Adults

The last two weeks we talked about the 2024 FBI IC3 report and the related statistics in addition to how scams have evolved over the years. In this episode we are going to dive into the top two scams with the most amount of l...

May 6, 2025

“We’re Not Dealing with Your Father’s Scammers Anymore”

Scams have changed so much over the past 20 years. Scammers are no longer lone wolves, but part of organized criminal gangs that will take everything you have. They are truly ruthless financial predators. Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live...

April 29, 2025

FBI's IC3 2024 Statistics - Not Good!

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center 2024 annual report is out. The statistics are not good and going in the wrong direction. Losses increased by 33% in the United States and 43% increase in losses with the 60+ year old population. Tune in while...

April 22, 2025

FBI PSA: FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3

New FBI Public Service Announcement on April 18, 20205. Criminal scammers are impersonating the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) employees. Almost all the reports filed reflect that the scammer claims to have recovered the victim's lost funds...

April 15, 2025

IRS Identity Protection Pin, Why Should I Have One?

Today is tax day! Do you have your IRS IP Pin? Do you know what an IRS IP Pin is? Joyce will discuss her experience with tax related identity theft when someone filed a tax return in her name and social security number. A six digit IP Pin could have...

April 8, 2025

USB Cables - How to Know if They Have Malicious Hardware

We all use USB cables for charging and data transfer. How do you know if the USB cable you have is good or does it have malicious hacker hardware? Tune in to learn the signs that a USB cable has malicious hacker hardware, how to protect yourself,...

April 1, 2025

Antivirus, Malware, and EDR - Part 2 - How AI Affects These Protections

Lynn is back for Antivirus, Malware, and EDR - Part 2 - How Artificial Intelligence Affects These Protections. Tune in to learn how AI can affect these protection tools. These cyber-criminals are working overtime to bypass these protections. Tune in...

March 25, 2025

Antivirus, Malware, and EDR - not just for your desktop.

Antivirus, malware and EDR are not just for your desktop. It is important to have this on all of your devices, including your mobile phone. How easy is it to accidentally click on a malicious link on your mobile phone? Very easy! Joyce and Lynndel...

March 18, 2025

Pig Butchering Scam & Persuasive Psychological Techniques

Joyce talks with Dr. Martina Dove about Pig Butchering Scam and persuasive psychological techniques. Learn how scammers conversations elicit commitment and consistency by using social norms and visceral influence to their advantage. Dr. Martina Dove...

March 11, 2025

Text Messages and Phishing Scams

How many text messages do you get in a day? We are all busy with life and text messages add to this. We are deep into work, your phone pings, we immediately look at the text. The message seems official and has a sense of urgency. We click on the...

March 4, 2025

Are you on Social Media? Tune in to learn about Scams on Facebook

Are you on social media? Scammers are on social media too hijacking and cloning accounts wanting to be your friend. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the friend request is a real account or a scammer's account. In this episode we talk about different...

Feb. 25, 2025

Fraudulent Tax Returns and How to Protect Yourself

Has someone filed a tax return in your name? What a mess! Joyce talks about her current experience with a fraudulent tax return filed in her name and social security number. The process she is going through and how long it could take to resolve. What...

Feb. 18, 2025

Impersonating Publisher's Clearing House - A Real Life Example

Scammers love to impersonate Publisher's Clearing House and a lot of other well known companies. This week Joyce is talking with Brian Watson, Community Outreach Specialist with R.O.S.E., who shares a real life experience of someone he met who fell...

Feb. 11, 2025

Anatomy of a Scam

In this episode, Joyce will breakdown scams into three different parts using the Anatomy of a Scam Infographic. There are so many scams out there and scammers are constantly changing their tactics and techniques which makes it very difficult to keep...