Crypto Scams
06/08/24 • 47 min
Cryptocurrency has made many people very wealthy. There are more than 88,000 millionaires who got rich through crypto investing. In fact, there are even 17 "crypto billionaires."
But for every person who makes it big in the world of cryptocurrency, there are many times more who either never grow their investment or who lose money.
In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman returns to the studio to help Rich make sense of the extremely complex environment of cryptocurrency.
Brian runs through some examples of cryptocurrency scams with the goal of pinpointing the red flags to watch out for.
Rich takes a more holistic view by examining the common question of whether or not cryptocurrency is actually a decentralized Ponzi scheme.
This is an episode that covers many angles. On the fraud side, we look at a variety of frauds, from pig butchering scams to phishing attacks. Globally, we break down how cryptocurrency actually works to better understand what it actually is.
Is cryptocurrency really a currency? Is it an unregistered security? Or, is cryptocurrency just a decentralized Ponzi scheme?
Links Referenced:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2024/04/02/the-richest-crypto-and-bitcoin-billionaires-in-the-world-2024/?sh=1e04cfab726b
https://dfpi.ca.gov/crypto-scams/
https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORdWE_ffirg
OUR SPONSORS:
Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com
MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com
MySudo VPN - No personal information required to sign up. You don't even need a username and password. Finally, a VPN that is actually private. https://mysudo.com/mysudo-vpn/
Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com
Cryptocurrency has made many people very wealthy. There are more than 88,000 millionaires who got rich through crypto investing. In fact, there are even 17 "crypto billionaires."
But for every person who makes it big in the world of cryptocurrency, there are many times more who either never grow their investment or who lose money.
In this episode of Privacy Files, Brian Tillman returns to the studio to help Rich make sense of the extremely complex environment of cryptocurrency.
Brian runs through some examples of cryptocurrency scams with the goal of pinpointing the red flags to watch out for.
Rich takes a more holistic view by examining the common question of whether or not cryptocurrency is actually a decentralized Ponzi scheme.
This is an episode that covers many angles. On the fraud side, we look at a variety of frauds, from pig butchering scams to phishing attacks. Globally, we break down how cryptocurrency actually works to better understand what it actually is.
Is cryptocurrency really a currency? Is it an unregistered security? Or, is cryptocurrency just a decentralized Ponzi scheme?
Links Referenced:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2024/04/02/the-richest-crypto-and-bitcoin-billionaires-in-the-world-2024/?sh=1e04cfab726b
https://dfpi.ca.gov/crypto-scams/
https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORdWE_ffirg
OUR SPONSORS:
Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com
MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com
MySudo VPN - No personal information required to sign up. You don't even need a username and password. Finally, a VPN that is actually private. https://mysudo.com/mysudo-vpn/
Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com
Previous Episode
Securities Fraud
According to the United States Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $10 billion to fraud in 2023 alone. In that same year, Americans were defrauded $4.6 billion via investment scams.
In this episode of Privacy Files, we talk to Val Harkless, a government contractor who assists with fraud and analysis for the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Enforcement. She works tirelessly to uncover a variety of crimes, including insider trading, pump and dumps, Ponzi schemes, unregistered soliciting entities, and cryptocurrency investment fraud.
Val provides insight into how she investigates potential fraud cases, including going back to her time working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In all, Val is an extremely seasoned fraud investigator who has seen more than her fair share of scams. It's an enlightening discussion about the many dangers people face daily.
It's also a reminder of why it's important to stay vigilant when protecting your personal information and financial assets.
And if you're wondering what Val does to unwind from the realities of a stressful job...she sings and plays guitar! You can check out her music here:
https://acaciagrace.com/home
https://open.spotify.com/artist/47iXlfc6a21sIgHWawJA0D
Links Referenced:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/02/nationwide-fraud-losses-top-10-billion-2023-ftc-steps-efforts-protect-public
https://www.linkedin.com/in/valehark/
OUR SPONSORS:
Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com
MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com
MySudo VPN - No personal information required to sign up. You don't even need a username and password. Finally, a VPN that is actually private. https://mysudo.com/mysudo-vpn/
Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com
Next Episode
Nonprofits and Cybersecurity
There are approximately two million nonprofit organizations operating in the United States alone, accounting for one out of every ten private-sector workers.
It's an industry that's literally measured in the trillions of dollars.
Yet when it comes to business operations, due to shoestring budgets, many nonprofits run their entire operations using software like Google Workspace or similar low-cost (or free) tools. And they typically don't employ any IT staff. This leaves nonprofits extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks.
In fact, according to Microsoft's 2021 Digital Defense Report, nonprofit organizations have become the second most-targeted sector by cyber criminals, accounting for 31% of all notifications of nation-state attacks against organizational domains (as detected by Microsoft).
In this episode of Privacy Files, we speak to Kim Collier, Owner and Principal Consultant at COMO Solutions. Kim helps nonprofits grow funding and improve their cyber defenses.
In our conversation, we cover a few examples of cyberattacks on nonprofits, including one food bank that lost one million dollars, and a hospital that was shuttered due to multiple attacks.
We also address the top seven reasons why nonprofits must make cybersecurity a top priority.
To close out the interview, we offer some tips on what nonprofits can do to better protect themselves against threat actors.
To contact Kim at COMO Solutions:
Links Referenced:
https://thenonprofittimes.com/legal/blackbaud-settles-with-sec-for-3m-on-donor-data-breach/
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/01/ftc-says-blackbauds-lax-security-allowed-hacker-steal-sensitive-data-thats-just-beginning-story
https://www.statista.com/topics/1390/nonprofit-organizations-in-the-us/#topicOverview
https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-nonprofits-are-there-in-the-us/
OUR SPONSORS:
Anonyome Labs - Makers of MySudo and Sudo Platform. Take back control of your personal data. www.anonyome.com
MySudo - The world's only all-in-one privacy app. Communicate and transact securely and privately. Talk, text, email, browse, shop and pay, all from one app. Stay private. www.mysudo.com
MySudo VPN - No personal information required to sign up. You don't even need a username and password. Finally, a VPN that is actually private. https://mysudo.com/mysudo-vpn/
Sudo Platform - The cloud-based platform companies turn to for seamlessly integrating privacy solutions into their software. Easy-to-use SDKs and APIs for building out your own branded customer apps like password managers, virtual cards, private browsing, identity wallets (decentralized identity), and secure, encrypted communications (e.g., encrypted voice, video, email and messaging). www.sudoplatform.com
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