Hiring Season Is Scam Season: How Fake Recruiters Exploit Job Seekers with Trusted Brand Names

This blog post from Bitdefender explains how scammers exploit job seekers during hiring season by impersonating well-known employers and staffing companies. Scammers send fake recruitment emails promising easy jobs, fast interviews, and flexible work, often using trusted brand names. These emails include requests to confirm interviews, secure spots, or move conversations to messaging apps. Red flags include contacting without prior application, immediate profile approval, and using generic email addresses. To protect yourself, verify job openings directly on the company’s official careers website, check URLs carefully, and use tools like Bitdefender Scamio and Link Checker to assess suspicious emails and links.

AI voice-cloning scams: How to protect yourself from impersonators duping victims

This news article discusses the rise of AI voice-cloning scams, focusing on how scammers are using AI to mimic voices and impersonate individuals to defraud victims. Patty Greiner lost $15,000 after being impersonated by scammers posing as government officials. Experts warn that scammers are using AI to clone voices and images, leading to a surge in fraud. To combat these scams, experts advise verifying the legitimacy of calls and messages through official channels.

Utah man jailed for 3 years for $2.9M crypto wire fraud, unlicensed cash-to-crypto operation

Scam and corruption cases spark debate in China over cryptocurrencies’ future | South China Morning Post

The arrest of Chen Zhi, a Chinese crypto scam kingpin, and the seizure of Yao Qian, a former head of the central bank’s digital currency research institute accused of corruption, have sparked debate in China over the future of cryptocurrencies. Analysts believe that while these cases may temporarily affect bitcoin prices, long-term trends will depend on institutional capital, interest rate expectations, and potential US legislation on digital assets.

How crypto criminals stole $713 million

Cryptocurrency theft is on the rise, with criminals employing sophisticated hacks, deception, and even violence. In 2025, crypto criminals stole an estimated $713 million from individual investors, often targeting those who are more public about their holdings. The thefts are often difficult to recover from, as cryptocurrency transactions are publicly trackable but users can remain untraceable. Victims are left with little recourse, as crypto remains largely unregulated and high-risk.

The Alleged Power Players Behind the ‘Pig-Butchering’ Scams Costing Americans Billions | Kharon

The Kharon investigation reveals that Southeast Asian cyberscam operations, particularly 'pig-butchering' scams, involve Cambodia’s political elite, casino operators, and Chinese interests. The U.S., U.K., and South Korea are taking action against these criminal networks, with the U.S. House bill identifying 32 individuals and 11 entities for sanctions over their alleged roles in these scams. Key figures implicated include Chen Zhi of the Prince Group, Cambodian Senator Kok An, and Rithy Raksmei of the K99 Group. These scams, which involve building fake relationships to persuade victims to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms, have drained over $60 billion from victims worldwide since 2020.

Nigerian SEC Partners With Police To Tackle Crypto Ponzi Schemes - Details | Bitcoinist.com

The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has partnered with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to tackle crypto Ponzi schemes and other illegal operations. The SEC is focusing on investor protection and transparent market operations in the crypto ecosystem. They are forming a specialized SEC-NPF team to curb investment frauds and protect the Nigerian cyberspace. The SEC has also introduced minimum capital requirements for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and published a list of identified fraudulent crypto and financial investment businesses.

Feds Seek Forfeiture of $200K in USDT Tied to Tinder ‘Pig Butchering’ Scam - Decrypt

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture action to recover $200,000 in USDT stablecoins linked to a crypto investment fraud. The funds were traced to a 'pig butchering' scam, where a Tinder match lured a victim into transferring over $500,000 to a fraudulent trading platform. The scam involves building trust online, pressuring victims to send money, and extracting additional payments until the funds are gone. Despite efforts to target scam infrastructure, recovery of funds remains difficult.

How I almost fell for a 'pig butchering' scam. A woman named 'Gianna' nearly tricked me - Scam alert article

A Yahoo News Canada article discusses the 'pig butchering' scam, a sophisticated fraud that has claimed millions from Canadians. The scam involves scammers gaining victims' trust over months or years, often through romance, before abruptly cutting off contact and stealing all invested funds. The scam originated in China in 2016 and has since spread globally, with scammers operating from compounds in Southeast Asia, where they are reportedly subjected to forced labor. The article highlights the importance of being cautious with online interactions and recognizing the signs of such scams.

Pig butchering: Bay Area widow loses nearly $1M in crypto scheme, ChatGPT alerts her to scam - ABC7 San Francisco

A San Jose widow lost nearly $1 million to a crypto scam after being lured into a fake romantic relationship by a scammer she met on Facebook. The scammer, who went by the name 'Ed,' convinced her to invest her savings in cryptocurrency, which she wired to an overseas account. Only after consulting with ChatGPT did she realize the scam and report it to the police.

Microsoft Legal Action Disrupts RedVDS Cybercrime Infrastructure Used for Online Fraud

Microsoft has taken legal action in the U.S. and U.K. to disrupt RedVDS, a cybercrime subscription service used for phishing and BEC fraud, linked to $40M U.S. losses and 191,000 affected organizations. The service provided criminals with access to disposable virtual computers that made fraud cheap, scalable, and difficult to trace. Microsoft confiscated the malicious infrastructure and took the illegal service offline. RedVDS offered servers located in multiple countries and did not maintain activity logs, making it an attractive choice for illicit use.