S11E31 – Scam Red Flags and the Arizona Courts Breach

Episode Summary

Mike and co-host Howard opened with the Arizona courts data breach, which reached Pima County court records, and used it to explain that most hacks are tricks played on people, not people in hoodies typing code. He then went through the common scams he sees, including fake police warrants, payments through crypto machines and gift cards, and long-running love scams.

The rest of the show built a short list of rules for protecting yourself, based on a ten-page PDF cheat sheet the show put on its website. Two callers asked about scam-baiting videos, how long businesses should keep data, VPNs and antivirus.

Topics Covered

The Arizona courts breach

Mike said roughly a million and a half people reportedly got a text saying their information was exposed, and that people who had paid restitution or been in certain court systems were affected. He said it started with a phishing link, and that attackers can steal a login token without even needing a password. His point was that hacks are usually scams that exploit the weakest part of security, which is a person clicking.

Warning signs of a scam

Mike said to treat any request to pay by gift card, crypto or wire transfer as a scam, since those payments cannot be reversed. A second red flag is being told to keep it secret, such as an active investigation, along with a hard time limit. He said a caller’s accent no longer proves anything either way, because scammers can sound like anyone.

Mike’s fake sheriff call

Mike described a call from someone claiming to be with the Pima County Sheriff, with caller ID that matched the real office, a fine he put at about $2,200. He said the giveaway was being told he could not discuss it and then being pointed to a crypto machine. When he conferenced in the real sheriff’s office and asked the caller to introduce himself, the caller hung up. Mike said Arizona recently passed a law requiring crypto machine vendors to refund people who report the scam quickly with a police report.

Love scams

Mike said love scams are the hardest to deal with because victims have often built a relationship over years and will not believe it is a fraud. He said the losses can be large and the money is rarely recovered.

Protecting yourself

Mike’s rules were to hang up if in doubt and call back on a number you look up yourself, since caller ID is easy to fake. Report and block spam numbers, consider a carrier scam shield, set up a family password that is not guessable from social media, and talk to someone you trust before sending money. Howard called that last step the most important. He added that a real agency will not care who you tell, and that the government does not call and demand payment within hours.

Calls

• Charles asked whether the YouTube scam-baiting channels are real. Mike said several are, naming Kitboga and Scammer Revolts. Charles also said he screens calls with a three-second pause rule, and argued businesses should not keep data indefinitely, a point Mike strongly agreed with, saying companies should keep digital data no more than two to five years. Charles added that scanning old court records can create false open felony records for people.
• Mark asked whether a regular person needs a VPN. Mike said mostly not, since trackers do not depend on your IP address, but one is a good idea when on public Wi-Fi at airports and cafes. Mark also asked about using Microsoft Defender, and Mike said Defender is adequate on current Windows 10 and Windows 11, but not on older versions.