Tausi Insider

Photo : CHIRATH PHOTO ( Shutterstock ) Imagine you get this random text from an unknown number out of the blue: “My dog needs to be seen by a vet right away. Can you help me?” Do you respond to let the person know they have the wrong number? Do you ignore it? What do you think most people would do? 02:15 How to Steam an Egg Wednesday 11:19AM This type of message is one of the many used by scammers to hook people into in what’s being called “ Pig Butchering,” a scam that led to victims losing $429 million in 2021, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s press release about online safety earlier this year. What is “ Pig Butchering ?” ‘Pig Butchering:’ A Text-And-Crypto Scam Costing Victims Millions | Tech News Briefing Podcast | WSJ Pig Butchering is a scam where scammers target victims and form a friendly relationship for days or weeks, presenting themselves as financially stable individuals, eventually encouraging them to invest in crypto before convincing them to t...

Photo : HakanGider ( Shutterstock ) It’s no secret Instagram is plagued with fake accounts, bots, and impersonators. Just take a look at any comments section on any trending post and you’ll see it’s swarmed with thirst traps and crypto “moguls. ” But there are far more elaborate fake accounts out there that have mastered the art of seeming genuine on the social network, and it can be difficult to tell whether they are real— or not, and out to scam you . Most of these offenders offer some kind of “service” that requires you to place an order or give away sensitive information, from the more innocuous (you email address or phone number so they can add you to a spam list), to the potentially damaging ( a two-factor verification code or banking information) . Some of these accounts are crafted with such precision that the conventional rules of thumb—look at their profile pics, check their frequency of posts, consider their follower to following ratio, and general   level of act...

Photo : r.classen ( Shutterstock ) As unlikely as it is to happen, every parent can imagine the horror and helplessness they would feel if they discovered their child had been kidnapped. The rush of emotions you’d experience—especially if you received a call from your child begging you for help—might overwhelm you, leading you to act rashly and do whatever it took to get them back. And that’s just what the engineers of a new “virtual kidnapping” scam are counting on. Here’s what you need to know about “virtual kidnapping” schemes, including how to spot one before you become a victim. How does the“virtual kidnapping” ransom scam work? According to the Los Angeles Times , the perpetrators of these schemes will call parents and attempt to get them to believe their child has been abducted, and demand an immediate ransom payment. All the while, the child is still safe at school or with the babysitter—but the scammers are hoping you don’t find that out until after you’ve paid up. As FB...

Photo : Nitiphonphat ( Shutterstock ) These days, I get so many spam calls I hardly pick up the phone anymore. However, if I see a call from someone I kno w, whether they’re a friend or family member, I, of course, answer them (usually) . Unlike a random number, I know the person on the other end of the line, because I have their contact in my phone, right? Unfortunately, that’s not 100% true, and scammers are using that to their advantage. Take this TikTok from creator Citylivingsoutherngirl , for example. In the video, the creator describes getting a phone call from her mom. The call came through as any other call would: Her mom’s contact popped right up, nothing nefarious or suspect about it. She answered the call, only to hear what sounded like her mother’s voice far away from the phone, and sobbing. A man’s voice then answered, and demanded money from the girl or else he’d kill her mother. Of course, the creator was terrified, and eventually agreed to the demands. She talked...