Scams Targeting Creators: The Rise of Phishing and Deepfakes

Safe Squad educates the public on evolving scams, emphasizing vigilance and awareness to protect against fraud.

### Scams Evolve: The Rise of Phishing and Deepfake Fraud
* 📞 "As technology advances, scammers are getting **savvier**, and so are we," highlighting the **ongoing battle against fraud**.
* 💻 Gabby Anne Sheets, an ASMR influencer, reported **$3,000 drained from her account**, suspecting a **larger operation targeting content creators**.
* 🔍 The investigation revealed a **phishing attempt disguised as a legitimate contract signing**, where Gabby unknowingly provided her information.
* 🛡 Safe Squad emphasized the importance of **two-factor authentication** and **reporting phishing emails** to prevent the spread of scams.
* 🐶 Elliot, a new client, shared his heartbreaking story of **losing $700 to a fraudulent dog breeder**, Sable Chestnut, who **vanished after receiving payment**.
* 🤖 The team discovered that Elliot's interactions included a **deepfake video**, illustrating how criminals use advanced technology to **create trust**.
* ⚠ "Criminals are adapting," and the Safe Squad urged everyone to be **cautious and verify identities before sending money**.
* 🐾 Ultimately, they encouraged adopting shelter dogs, offering a **positive solution to Elliot's loss** while emphasizing **community awareness against scams**.

(crowd cheers and claps) Thank you. Thank you all for this wonderful honor, on behalf of Safe Squad. As technology advances, we are doubling down on our commitment. (phone vibrates) Hold on a sec. Hey Ace. Just got off the phone with a very interesting young lady,

one of those ASMR influencer types. Her name's Gabby Anne Sheets. She said she's had money drained from her account, and so have her friends. She thinks it's part of a bigger operation targeting content creators. Well, we know that criminal organizations

have new tools to operate at scale like this. This is exactly why we do what we do. Anyway, I told her to come in, see if we can track down the source. Don't you have that key to the city speech today?

- Yeah, I'm doing it right now. - [Ace] How's it going? - Good. - All right, I'll let you get back to it. - As I was saying, scammers are getting savvier, and so are we.

(upbeat music) Every morning in my studio, I check two things: my inbox and my bank accounts, and the first thing I noticed was that $3,000 had been transferred into some bogus-looking account I'd never heard of.

- Anything weird in your email? - You mean aside from the usual fan requests for my used cotton balls? Not really. - How about anything strange in the past few days? Any solicitors? Someone trying to get your information?

- There was one request from someone who said they worked for a fragrance brand. They wanted to do some spritz content with me. - Spritz content? - Yeah, it's like content where you spritz perfume from a bottle.

Anyway, this marketer said they couldn't tell me which brand they worked for unless I signed an NDA. So they linked me to a document signing website. It looked like a legitimate Cigna contract page. So when the website prompted me

to provide my information, I did. I took some screenshots just in case. - Smart idea. - So what happened when you signed in? - The next day, I checked my account and poof, $3,000 gone. - Did the marketer ask for any money upfront?

Was it a pay-to-play agreement? - No way, I'm very careful about that stuff. Advertising is how I make my work into a business. If I can't trust my ad partners, I can't make a living.

- Don't worry, Gabby Anne. We're on it. - So you've got a client who gave her info to a probable phishing website? - These days, criminals can make them look almost perfect. - Here, this is an informational viewfinder

I give to my clients. I know you older folks like things you can hold. - Hmm. The font size is a little large. - A URL is really the only way you can definitively tell if a website is legitimate or not.

A criminal can't replicate that unless they've accessed your computer. But they might use similar characters to disguise a fake URL. - Like this orange mail page? - Check out the address bar. - [Loretta] Hmm, look at that.

- I don't get how every small-town crook found time to get their programming degree. I can't even fit in a daddy-daughter pottery class. - Well, they're not. Oftentimes it's script kiddies with access to the dark web.

- Script kiddies, you mean the people without technical know-how who download and apply malicious programs? - That are made and posted by more sophisticated techies. These so-called phishing kits give anyone the tools they need to quickly spin up a faked version of a reputable website.

And at the end of the day, prevention like setting up two-factor authentication is the best form of protection from scammers getting into your account, even if they steal your login info. Also, make sure that you always report a phishing email.

It's the best way to keep the scam from spreading. - We always do. - Test, test. - Okay, so Tanny thinks I might be able to ID the maker of the phishing package and software. So you just make soothing noises for money?

- 900,000 followers can't be wrong. Also, I get to work from home. - Do you mind entering your password? I'm going to see if I can use the scammer's email, find some type of back door.

- I keep thinking, I found that phony transfer right away, but not everyone is as vigilant as I am. We're all just trying to make a living. (Gabby Anne stutters) - I'm in the wrong business. - Like and subscribe.

- Okay, I'm going to send the source code to the authorities. - What about all the other creators who are being targeted? - Awareness is key. Talk to your family about it. Talk to your community about it. Make sure they know to always check

that a URL looks right before they open a link. You should make sure it uses the HTTPS protocol, too. The 'S' means the site is secure. - I'm also installing ad blockers on your computer. And done. - I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.

- Just keeping you safe. - Uh, yeah. - I don't know why we couldn't just drive to Gabby Anne's. - My kid's trying to get me to walk more. - Which kid, Ace Junior? Jima?

- No, Kimmy. - How is Ace Junior? - He's on his own journey. (phone beeps) - Holy moly! - What? - We just got 65 emails in the last 20 minutes. They just keep pouring in.

- Why? - I can't thank you enough! - It looks like we're about to be very busy.

- Yes, we do ASMR. (dramatic music) - I'm here with Skip Neighbors, the youngest member of the Safe Squad, a local organization dedicated to exposing fraud and scams. The Safe Squad has seen a surge in recent interest

after a high-profile fraudulent transfer case. Skip, can you tell us more? - Well, Don, as you know, scams begin well before money is ever exchanged. And as technology like generative AI becomes easier for criminals to access,

it's all about awareness. And that's why... - Excuse me, hello, this could be someone in need of the Safe Squad right now. Let's get a little closer, huh? Excuse me, sir, are you looking

to engage the Safe Squad's services? - Uh, are you the Safe Squad? - No, I'm Don Divonton, EWZ News. He is, though. - How can I help you? - Well, it's about my puppy. Well, it's the puppy I don't have yet,

but now my money is gone and my new best friend is missing. I haven't slept all night. - I'm sorry to hear that, but how about we go into my office and we'll see how we can figure things out?

What's your name? - [Elliot] Elliot. - Elliot. - This is a picture of my new apartment that allows dogs. I brought the lease, too. Oh, here's a collar I got. I'm not sure if there's any useful information there.

- Well, here, how about
we start from the top? What happened? - Well, when I was born, I decided I wanted a Dalmatian. My whole life I've wanted one. When I saw a digital marketplace ad

for Dalmatian puppies at a
crazy low price, I reached out. Here, I printed out the ad. - Did it seem like a reputable breeder? - Reputable? It's Sable Chestnut, a local dog van hero.

- So you see, the negative stimuli creates a positive association. - She's a living legend. At first, I thought it
was too good to be true, but then we started
exchanging video messages, and it really was her. She told me about her extra
large Dalmatian litter,

and I showed her pictures
of the nursery I set up. Jim Jim, I'm going to name him Jim Jim. Oh, this has all the videos
Sable sent in our chat. Look at the last one. - Jim Jim is so excited
to meet you, Elliot.

As soon as you can, send me $700, and we'll arrange for you
to pick up your baby boy. - That's her all right. What happened next? - What happened? What happened is I sent her the $700,

basically every penny I had saved, and then the next day
the post was taken down, and I never heard from her again. Do you think Sable's okay? Do you think Jim Jim's safe? I don't even know her address or anything.

I tried guessing phone numbers, but... Just sit tight. We're gonna look into it. You two are at it early. Are we renting the couch out now, or is this a new client? New client. I don't think the poor guy slept in a while.

How was the panel? Productive. I think everyone is starting to understand that scams aren't as cut and dry as they used to be. Tell me about it. All right, so I just spoke to someone from the next town over

with the exact same story. Got promised a purebred Malamute puppy from Sable Chestnut, and after she sent over the deposit, Sable disappeared. Check it out, man.

[Ace] Oh, she really loves this angle. And listen to this.

As soon as you can, send me $800. Now watch the training video. So a quick tug on the leash helps dogs remember that sniffing joggers is no bueno. What do you hear?

Dog noises. Something's off. Tanny. Our victim received this video message from someone alleging to be that dog breeder. Could it be a deepfake? Walk with me. Now, on top of the missing background audio,

there are some tells. Play it. "Jim Jim is so excited to meet you, Elliot. As soon as you can..." Look, you can still see the teeth when she opens and closes her mouth, and see, the tongue goes missing here.

Where did that tongue go? And her tone is totally flat. AI models can't easily reproduce emotion.  How difficult is something like this to make? With the basic web-based tools, not hard at all. See, first you produce an image

and a voice based on available videos of the person. Then you write out what you want them to say and use TTS, or text-to-speech, and you put the script in their voice. Then there's just a lip-syncing tool

and you're off to the races. Any decently skilled person can do this in 20, 30 minutes. Just look at my affirmation bot. - Vibes are immaculate, Tanny. You're giving off boss energy today.

Vibes are immaculate, Tanny. - Now, the danger with deepfakes is that psychologically, when you hear a person's voice and see their face, it creates a lot more trust than just some nobody sliding into your DMs.

- Oh, well this is some really scary stuff. - That's why we should be sharing it with friends and shouting it from the rooftops. - You better break the bad news to Elliot. Delete that video. - Can't believe I poured my soul out to a robot.

- Now come on, something like this could happen to anyone. Criminals are adapting. We have to adapt too, by being more cautious than ever when someone asks you to send money. - Next time, try asking the person to get on a live call.

That way, you could ask them to wave a hand in front of their face or do something else that would be extremely hard for AI to replicate. I know it all sounds strange, Elliot, but we're in strange times. One French toast chocolate latte, please.

You want the same?  No, I'll just have a regular coffee, please. How about you, man? No thanks. I'm still sick about losing my savings in a scam. I'll never have a dog.

You know there are plenty of good shelter pups that need a home. You should check out Tales of Resilience. It's a shelter that we sponsor. They'll find the right mutt for your hut. And they cost a fraction of their pedigreed brethren.

Thanks. (barista clears throat) Oh, sorry about that, thanks. (dog whimpers) Tales of Resilience really came through.

Oh, I know. I think he found his Jim Jim. So what are we gonna do with the rest of these babies?

Oh. (upbeat music) That's what I thought. Oh, Janine's gonna kill me. Good boy, yes you are. Yes you are, you're a good boy. (gentle music)

Christina Ricci Leads A Scam-Stopping Power Team [Partner content from Zelle®]

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ASMR Influencer Gabby Anne Sheets reports a scam targeting content creators.

Gabby Anne reports a significant amount of money stolen from her and her friends' accounts.

She suspects a large-scale operation targeting content creators.

The scammers are becoming more sophisticated.

Gabby Anne describes the events leading to the theft.

Analysis of the scam and preventative measures.

Safe Squad analyzes the phishing website used in the scam.

They explain how to identify a legitimate website using the URL.

They discuss the technical skills of the scammers.

They explain the use of phishing kits by less skilled individuals.

They emphasize the importance of two-factor authentication and reporting phishing emails.

Further investigation and awareness campaign.

Safe Squad attempts to identify the creator of the phishing software.

They stress the importance of awareness and checking URLs.

They advise checking for the HTTPS protocol in URLs.

They install ad blockers on Gabby Anne's computer.

Interview with Safe Squad member about the surge in scams.

Don Divonton interviews Skip Neighbors from the Safe Squad.

Skip emphasizes the importance of awareness in preventing scams.

A new potential client approaches them with a scam story.

Elliot's story of being scammed by a fake dog breeder.

Elliot explains how he was scammed into paying for a non-existent puppy.

He describes the interaction with the scammer, Sable Chestnut.

He shows the advertisement and communication with the scammer.

He explains the consequences after sending the money.

Another similar case is discovered, involving the same scammer.

Analysis of the video message reveals it's a deepfake.

Technical details about the creation of the deepfake are discussed.

The ease of creating deepfakes with readily available tools is highlighted.

The psychological impact of deepfakes is discussed.