Narrator/Denise Chan

Yeah, I think that's a really good question. It's almost like the first stage of the scam is always research, which is like you find somebody and you're looking for context clues to know what kind of person they are. A lot of times they're looking for older people who might have a higher net worth. They'll look at your LinkedIn contacts. They'll look at the pictures that you post.

Yeah, I think that's a really good question. It's almost like the first stage of the scam is always research, which is like you find somebody and you're looking for context clues to know what kind of person they are. A lot of times they're looking for older people who might have a higher net worth. They'll look at your LinkedIn contacts. They'll look at the pictures that you post.

Are you posting about nice places that you travel to? Are you posting about your bags? Things like that. Any signals to show how much money you might have. And then they start to chat with you. And part of the chatting process in the beginning is really just to get as much information as possible. One individual I spoke to who...

Are you posting about nice places that you travel to? Are you posting about your bags? Things like that. Any signals to show how much money you might have. And then they start to chat with you. And part of the chatting process in the beginning is really just to get as much information as possible. One individual I spoke to who...

actually fell for a LinkedIn scam, the way that the person, the scammer started talking to him was saying, hey, I went to the same school as you or I know somebody who worked at the same company as you. So like they start to build trust in that way where it's like, oh, they're probably running in the same circles as me. And so therefore, like I can trust them.

actually fell for a LinkedIn scam, the way that the person, the scammer started talking to him was saying, hey, I went to the same school as you or I know somebody who worked at the same company as you. So like they start to build trust in that way where it's like, oh, they're probably running in the same circles as me. And so therefore, like I can trust them.

And so like the entire time they're talking to you, it's all to fish this type of personalized information so that they can really tailor whatever scam they're going to do to hook you in that way.

And so like the entire time they're talking to you, it's all to fish this type of personalized information so that they can really tailor whatever scam they're going to do to hook you in that way.

It makes you think a little bit about... How much information we just kind of casually put on the Internet. You know, it's all fun and games to put our travel or the things we like on Instagram. But all of that gives clues to who you are, what would make you respond, what your interests are. So really, my advice is to just be skeptical and try and verify things.

It makes you think a little bit about... How much information we just kind of casually put on the Internet. You know, it's all fun and games to put our travel or the things we like on Instagram. But all of that gives clues to who you are, what would make you respond, what your interests are. So really, my advice is to just be skeptical and try and verify things.

If there's a stranger reaching out to you on text message, if they're sliding into your DMs on LinkedIn, they claim to know someone or they claim to be from your alma mater, try to check it out. Try and verify things before engaging in conversation. You know, sometimes people will reach out from a certain company, double-check the email address, make sure it's actually real.

If there's a stranger reaching out to you on text message, if they're sliding into your DMs on LinkedIn, they claim to know someone or they claim to be from your alma mater, try to check it out. Try and verify things before engaging in conversation. You know, sometimes people will reach out from a certain company, double-check the email address, make sure it's actually real.

If in actual doubt, try calling the company just to double-check if it's real. And another big red flag is... If you're in a conversation with someone and they're asking you to set up some sort of crypto account, that's super fishy, no matter what context it's coming from. So just have that in the back of your mind. And the other thing I think is just to spread awareness.

If in actual doubt, try calling the company just to double-check if it's real. And another big red flag is... If you're in a conversation with someone and they're asking you to set up some sort of crypto account, that's super fishy, no matter what context it's coming from. So just have that in the back of your mind. And the other thing I think is just to spread awareness.

Let everybody know that these scams are happening and these are some of the tactics. I think that if more people are aware that this is a possibility that they could fall victim to, then more people will stay vigilant.

Let everybody know that these scams are happening and these are some of the tactics. I think that if more people are aware that this is a possibility that they could fall victim to, then more people will stay vigilant.

It really was kind of a roller coaster. I mean, obviously, even from the beginning, we thought she was just Max's sister who helped to rescue her brother. And then to learn the full scope of her involvement in getting Max there in the first place, and then her other brother, Josh, then all these others as well, which is why it makes her one of the most complex sources that I've ever worked with.

It really was kind of a roller coaster. I mean, obviously, even from the beginning, we thought she was just Max's sister who helped to rescue her brother. And then to learn the full scope of her involvement in getting Max there in the first place, and then her other brother, Josh, then all these others as well, which is why it makes her one of the most complex sources that I've ever worked with.

You know, it's hard because I don't know if I would have made... the same decisions that she made. So for me, it was really critical to try and figure out what that motivation was and to pin down the truth of all of it.

You know, it's hard because I don't know if I would have made... the same decisions that she made. So for me, it was really critical to try and figure out what that motivation was and to pin down the truth of all of it.