Podcasts about nomorobo

Finding a solution to stop spam calls to you, your family, or your business isn't easy. We may not win this war, but we don't want the government making this decision for us. We can make it more manageable in the meantime. Today's guest is Aaron Foss. After winning the FTC Robocall Challenge in 2013, Aaron started Nomorobo. Since then, Nomorobo has stopped billions and billions of unwanted robocalls and spam texts from reaching our phones, and it was acquired by Applause group in August 2023. Aaron has been featured in The New York Times, Wired, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, and countless other media outlets. He has testified in front of Congress, not once, not twice, but three times. Show Notes: [1:14] - Aaron shares his background as a serial entrepreneur in the intersection of technology and business. [3:57] - At the beginning, Aaron didn't even know what a robocall was. [6:47] - Robocalls have this negative connotation. They can actually be good. But there are many that are unwanted. [8:13] - There are different types of robocalls and there is a differentiation between spam and scam calls. [10:08] - Aaron explains why spam emails are easier to block than robocalls. [12:20] - There are some robocalls that are necessary and helpful for some people. That is one reason why not all robocalls can be blocked. [13:40] - Not answering the phone is not a plausible solution. [15:50] - Nomorobo is basically a series of bots talking to other bots. [16:50] - Aaron describes caller ID and how spoofing a number is possible. [19:42] - This is such a big problem because the barrier of entry is low. [21:08] - It is amazing that we can call anyone in the world. But that also means that scammers can, too. [22:53] - This is a complicated problem, and the future solution is a combination of government regulation, companies like Nomorobo, and AI. [26:29] - We are never going to win the war, but we can keep it manageable. [29:45] - What is the role of the carriers when it comes to robocalls? [31:47] - Keeping scammers on the phone does not make the problem go away. [33:52] - Some scams are seasonal and some are evergreen, like Medicare calls. [36:26] - Aaron explains the different ways these scams can be done and the range of damage they can do. [39:56] - At best, this is an annoyance. But there are people in our lives that are vulnerable and less protected. [44:42] - Sometimes, Nomorobo users have to turn it off for specific reasons and specific calls they're waiting for. [47:56] - This problem is an example of “death by a thousand papercuts.” [49:30] - There are some red flags and things you might notice if you answer robocalls that could indicate that they are scams. [50:46] - This seems like an easy problem to solve, but it is far more complicated than most people think. [52:00] - Aaron describes what it was like to testify in front of Congress. [56:43] - Listen and educate yourself. Talk to other people about these things. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.  Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Nomorobo Website

Some scammers love the challenge of deceiving those they target while others are forced to scam. Those that thrive off of destroying others try to heighten your emotions very quickly. Both excited and angry responses can get you into making irrational decisions.  Today's guest is Doug Shadel. Doug is a former fraud investigator and special assistant to the Attorney General at the Washington State Attorney General's office. He served as state director for AARP Washington and Strategy Director for AARP's national anti-fraud efforts. Doug has collaborated on numerous educational videos and academic studies and co-authored five books about fraud. He also co-authored the AARP Fraud Frontier 2021 Report. He is currently Managing Director of Fraud Prevention Strategies LLC, a Seattle-based consulting firm. Show Notes: [1:08] - Doug shares his background and career in fighting fraud. [2:43] - Robo-calls have been a long lasting problem that Doug has been working on with AARP and Nomorobo. [7:11] - Over the years, Doug has interviewed numerous scammers. They all say their primary goal is to get a victim in a heightened emotional state. [9:07] - Doug describes the research that shows when people are in a heightened emotional state, they are more likely to fall victim to a scam. [10:57] - Block the incoming robocalls to begin with to help avoid a scammer manipulating you into a heightened emotional state. [13:17] - It still is very dangerous to answer these phone calls because a lot of them are really persuasive and really good at what they do. [14:34] - There isn't a specific demographic profile. Doug explains what people who fall victim to a scam have in common. [16:49] - The FCC has come down hard on robocallers, but this has just caused scammers to be more careful and even more skilled. [18:09] - Have you recently received calls asking for a donation? Doug describes how these work. [21:12] - The number one red flag of a robocall is the threat of loss. [25:22] - Caller ID is not reliable. It is very common and easy for scammers to spoof a call. [27:48] - There are some legitimate needs for people to be able to spoof a call. [29:42] - Assume it is a scam if you did not initiate the contact. [33:08] - By and large, scammers will not cause violence on a victim, even if they threaten them. They follow the path of least resistance. [36:02] - Doug describes some software he uses to edit videos that incorporates AI. These tools are great, but are also used by scammers. [39:26] - Grandparent scams are really common. Doug describes what people have said after falling victim. [40:40] - There is an illusion of invulnerability. If you are convinced that you are not vulnerable to something, you won't do anything to prevent it. [43:04] - There's a lot more money for scammers to make in scamming an employee of a large company than individuals. [46:10] - The pandemic also had a big impact on the scamming industry. [50:50] - The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline is 1-877-908-3360. [53:00] - Always report a scam when you know of one. It helps more than you know. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.  Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest

On the podcast: The ultimate freemium strategy, making low-risk bets with potentially asymmetrical outcomes, and how Aaron bounced back after almost running out of money.Top Takeaways

What's poppin' Con-gregation? In a first in Scam Goddess history, we have the scammer who was a part of the scam on the show! Sam Lipman-Stern, Creator, Executive Producer and Director of the HBO hit Documentary “Telemarketers,” recounts the wild story of how he worked for Civic Development Group (CDG) who used fraudulent telemarketing practices to get money for charities and police organizations. Stay Schemin'!  @ 1:22:14 Sam mentions  Nomorobo.com, an app that helps catch scamming telemarketing calls.  This was recorded on September 18th, 2023.  Follow on Instagram:Sam Lipman-Stern @sam_lipmansternLaci Mosley @divalaci Scam Goddess Podcast @scamgoddesspod Research by Kaelyn Brandt SOURCES:HBO's docuseries “Telemarketers”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fundraisers-scampacs-side/how-scam-pacs-fall-through-the-cracks-of-u-s-regulators-idUSKBN1ZS29Bhttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/03/nj_telemarketers_hit_with_reco.htmlhttps://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/will-high-society-boca-couple-keep-their-mansion-after-legal-loss-6439765https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/arts/television/telemarketers-hbo-documentary.htmlhttps://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2010/03/new-jersey-based-telephone-fundraisers-banned-soliciting-donations-will-pay-188-million-violatinghttps://www.music-jobs.com/usa/jobtypes/orchestra-assistant-jobs-408212.php

Canadians lost $530M to scams in 2022, per the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. To take advantage of unsuspecting consumers, some fraudsters target the energy industry. In thinkenergy episode 104, Jared Lawrence, Founder & Executive Committee Chair of Utilities United Against Scams, discusses how to protect yourself from scams and what to do if you've been duped. Jared is also the Vice President of Revenue Services & Metering at Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power holding companies in the U.S.A.    Related links Utilities United Against Scams: https://www.utilitiesunited.org/  Duke Energy: https://www.duke-energy.com/home  Jared Lawrence, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredalawrence/   To subscribe using Apple Podcasts To subscribe using Spotify To subscribe on Libsyn --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: YouTube Check out our cool pics on Instagram More to Learn on Facebook Keep up with the Tweets on Twitter Transcript:   Dan Seguin  00:06 This thinkenergy, the podcast that helps you better understand the fast changing world of energy through conversations with game changers, industry leaders and influencers. So join me, Dan Seguin, as I explore both traditional and unconventional facets of the energy industry. Hey everyone, welcome back. Chances are you've either been a victim of a scam, or you know someone who has. According to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre, there were more than 90,000 reports of fraud in 2022. This resulted in $530 million lost to scams in Canada last year alone. Of that 530 million, only 2.4 was recovered. That's how successful these criminals are. The most common method fraudsters are using to scam Canadians email and telemarketing. It may or may not be surprising, but the energy industry is no stranger to the world of scam artists looking to make a quick money from unsuspecting energy customers. And we've seen an increase in their efforts to call, text, email and even show up in person at a customer's home and place of business to intimidate and threaten. Since the pandemic began in 2020, the Canadian RCMP have seen a significant increase in fraudulent activity with approximately 70% done through cyber attacks. And as we've seen firsthand in the energy industry, fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated, evolving with the times. Yep. According to a recent survey by Chartered Professional accountants, Canada 62% of Canadians are actively taking steps to protect themselves from scammers. But is it enough? So here's today's big question. How can we better protect ourselves from scams? And what are your options if you've been scammed by fraudster joining me on today's show is Jared Lorenz, Vice President of Revenue Services and Metering at Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power holding companies in the US. Duke Energy provides electricity to 7.7 million customers in Florida, the Carolinas and part of the Midwest. Jared is also the founder and Executive Committee Chair of an organization known as utility united against scams. Jared, welcome to the show. Now, scams are such a big problem in our industry that there's a utility scam Awareness Day and a National Scam Awareness Week. That's how big problems gotten. What can you tell us about the utility united against scams and your vision when you started it?   Jared Lawrence  03:28 That's an excellent question. And there's actually a Hydro Ottawa connection that I will get to in a second Dan. Really, utilities unite against scam started as a result of an internal investigation at my company. We were hosting our CEO, actually in our call center where both our customer care agents as well as the back office employees who report to me we're having a Q&A session with our CEO. And one of the Customer Care Specialists raised her hand and said, Miss Good, I'm really concerned. We have a lot of customers calling up about scammers, and they're convinced that these scammers actually have their information. What are we doing about this? And this was back in 2015. So, this was in the context of a number of high profile breaches with major retailers that were in the media. And so this was something we were definitely heightened, had a heightened sensitivity to. And she actually looked at me, as as one of the two leaders in the room and said, Yes, Jared, what are we doing about that? I said, Well, we're not doing anything right now. But we're going to start tomorrow. And so we actually commissioned a SWAT team internally to make sure that there were no data breaches, no breaches with our vendors, no inside, you know, bad actors who were sharing information with scammers, and it became apparent very quickly, that these scammers did not actually have customer information. They were just brilliant social engineers and in all of our net, our information networks were completely secure. So we got to the end of that effort. It took about, you know, three weeks to do that intensive investigation. And then I said to the team, well, now what? We're not going to leave these folks, you know, our customers out there to fend for themselves against these criminals. What did we learn from this? And what can we do about it? And it became apparent to me pretty quickly that this is a problem of international scale, but each utility was attacking it as an individual entity. And we would have so much more presence, so much more of a voice in the public policy space, if we joined together as the influential industry that serves the public, and use our cloud to basically push for change and better protect our customers. So that's not the concept of utilities, but scams were born. I made the pitch to a number of attendees at CS Week. And so far, you know, many folks in the utility industry are aware of CS Week, it is the Customer Service focused Conference for utility professionals. This was back in the spring of 2016, then, and immediately, the cars essentially sold themselves. There were 25 utility organizations represented in the room and every single one of them came up to me afterwards, and expressed interest in becoming part of this vision of this industry effort. But it was actually an A breakfast conversation later on during the conference with David McKendree, who's retired from Hydro Ottawa, who's become a friend of mine through our board work on CS Week. And he pulled me aside he said, Jared, I've been thinking a lot about your utilities united against scams effort. And I suggest maybe you consider a national campaign. And, and the fact that utilities across North America are coming together, to, to work together for this specific event, this specific campaign that's newsworthy in and of itself. And I think, Jared, that if you take that approach, you will be able to attract so much more interest in this cause, and, frankly, so much more membership and he was spot on. I thought it was a fantastic suggestion. We made that kind of the centerpiece of our first few months of existence back in 2016, culminating with our National Utility Scam Awareness Day and National Utility Scam Awareness Week in November of 2016. The US House of Representatives, of course, recognized us with a declaration of national utility scam Awareness Day. And we went from 25 utility organizations that expressed interest in that first conference to 89 members by the time we got to that campaign in November, and since then, we've grown to where we are today at exactly 150 across the US and Canada. So it's grown beyond what I honestly could have expected or hoped for, but certainly not beyond that vision of the industry coming together to protect our customers against us, against this very important surge.   Dan Seguin  08:01 Okay, Jared, what types of scams are appearing most often? Can you maybe provide some real life examples? And has the global pandemic altered scam activity? And its frequency?   Jared Lawrence  08:18 Excellent question. And so at the core, the scam that was the main focus of utilities back in 2015, when I started our investigation to Duke Energy and, and it remains today. It's that classic disconnection threat scam. So a customer gets a call out of the blue from somebody purporting to be a representative of the utility. And they state that due to some sort of problem with the account or some sort of problem with a payment being returned by a bank or some, you know, some fabricated excuse like that. The customer's account is now overdue, and there is a disconnection technician in route to turn off the customer's power. Usually it's power. Sometimes it's other utilities, but it's almost always powered within the next 30 to 45 minutes. And so the customer needs to act. They need to purchase a prepaid card and call the scammers back with that information within the next 30 to 45 minutes to prevent this connection. That was their bread and butter back in 2015. It's still their bread and butter today. What's interesting is that we've seen little variations in scammers. They are attuned to what's happening in their market, so to speak, and how utilities and law enforcement and others are reacting to their tactics. And so they've tried certain things. So for example, one of the things that we saw at Duke Energy was that when our smart meters were being deployed in each of our territories and in our six electric states. The scammers at various times would attempt to kind of change the tactic and focus on a meter deposit that the customer had failed to pay something that wouldn't typically show up on a bill and that kind of thing. Kind of trying to capitalize on that, on the headlines associated with utility. And with utility at that particular time, those didn't work very well. So we tend to see the attempt to collect that meter deposit, that scam fell off pretty quickly. We've seen the scammers attempt, text and email sporadically; those don't seem to work very well either, because they don't have the same level of immediacy that a phone call has. So those tend to flare up at times and then die out on their own. We've seen the scammers explore different payment channels. So we've had some customers report that the scammers have asked them to pay in Bitcoin, which, of course is absurd, because I don't know about. But Duke Energy certainly does not accept Bitcoin. We've seen them request Zell transfers, which are actually traceable. So that would work very well. For the banks. We've seen several skimmers recently try and use a cash app. But their bread and butter has historically been prepaid cards and you know, one or two prepaid cards in particular brands of which I won't mention on this podcast. But there are one or two that stand out above all the rest that are particularly susceptible to fraud. Oh, I'm sorry. Then you also asked me about the global pandemic, if you address that. So there was a fascinating cycle that we observed during 2020. So our utility, and utility is all across the world, probably we're announcing suspensions of the credit collections policies and suspensions of disconnections. We saw the scammers initially attempting to kind of plow through that and and continue to attempt their disconnection scams. But we just saw customers weren't falling for it. Customers were completely attuned to the fact that you had disconnected and suspended their disconnection practices. And so the scammers that after attempting for a little while, the volume really started to taper off. But immediately when we started talking about a reinstitution of some of our credit Collections Practices, even though we were working with customers still letting customers know that they were going to have to get onto a payment arrangement. In order to avoid this connection toward the end of the year, the scammers were clearly paying attention to the meeting around us and other utilities. And immediately they started ramping up as if they had gotten behind on their annual revenue goals. And they felt that they needed to ramp back up their activities. And so it turned out that 2020 as a whole ended up being one of the highest volume years in terms of scan since we created our database through energy. And where there were over 20,000 scan reports of the year the vast majority of them happened in late summer, throughout the remainder of the year when scan was new that we had started to in modified form reinstate some of our credit collections policies.   Dan Seguin  13:18 Okay, thanks, Jared. Are there any specific population groups who are frequently targeted? How can we as a community offer better support to these groups? What's the best line of defense?   Jared Lawrence  13:32 So, you know, again, as with everything that I've seen, in the six years that I've been heavily engaged in this topic, they tend to go in cycles. And so in the beginning, it seemed to be random, the victims, the target seemed to be random. And so since it was random, there was you know, statistically, the vast majority of utility customers are residential. And so there was a heavy focus on residential customers. What we started to see is obviously, I've never spoken with a scammer to validate this. But what we started to see was that the scammer started to use tools, probably online maps, you know, simple tools like Google Maps, etc. To determine what were the businesses in a particular area and How close were they to some of the retail outlets sold the prepaid cards that they like to use? And the reason they were focusing on businesses is if they caught up with a residential customer, and they and they would say to the residential customer, you're behind on your bill. Yeah, that was two months. Well, they really couldn't ask for more than, you know, a couple 100 bucks because a typical residential customer knows that they're your average utility bills, not going to be that much more than 100 bucks unless it's the heat of the summer or the or the depth of winter. But they recognize that they started calling restaurants, veterinary clinics and, and others that are fairly energy intensive that they could ask for 1000s of dollars. And it would work because at the same time they would they would get into a rhythm where they would come All these particular businesses during what they knew to be, for example, a restaurants busiest part of the day during the lunch hour, a veterinarians busiest type of day, right mid afternoon when they might have had dogs and cats under sedation, a dry cleaners, busiest time of the day, right around five o'clock in the, you know, post the rush hour period when people are dropping in to pick up their dry cleaning, things like that. The scammers became very intelligent about, again, the social engineering aspect of focusing on the times when their victims were most vulnerable. What we've seen, what we tend to see and I do think that these scammers are, are paying attention and noticing the impacts of YouTube from utilities united against scams, in that over the course of the last few years, we have forged a partnership with in with an organization called somos, which is the toll free administrator that toll free number administrator for basically all toll free phone lines across North America. And, what started happening was that we were getting there, you know, through this partnership, we were having the scammers when 100 numbers disconnected. And the scammer started to recognize this. And so they have migrated toward more of a robo calling model now, where they call up and they say instead of asking the customer to call back, they say press this number to speak to press one to speak to somebody about your delinquent bill, for example. And because they're using robocalls. Now, it's much more random again, and so we're seeing a shift back toward a higher preponderance of residential customers. Now all along, we have seen particularly with utility scam, that Spanish speaking populations and Spanish speaking businesses in particular have been more vulnerable. And I think there's two reasons for this. The first of which is that in my conversations with law enforcement and my direct conversations with the scammers, because I talk to them a lot when I'm calling up to validate that they're using fraud numbers, I call them up and try to play along and pretend I'm a victim. They tend to be they seem to be originating from Spanish speaking countries, most likely in Latin America, and law enforcement has corroborated that. And sometimes when I call them up, they're actually answering the line in Spanish, meaning that they are targeting Spanish businesses in particular, at that particular time, and they seem to be much more fluent in Spanish than they are in English at times as well. And, and so the reason that we think that this customer group is more vulnerable is because there is a, you know, there's a natural language barrier between the routine communications that they would receive from utility, versus the communications that they're receiving from these scammers. And therefore, that might cut through some of the awkwardness that a native English speaker might pick up on if they were being contacted by somebody who isn't an eight native English speaker, originally versus being a native Spanish speaker. And the second two is that there just seems to be a little bit less of a of a reflex of distrust amongst, amongst Spanish speaking businesses and Spanish speaking community a little bit and a little bit of a greater a greater trust in official communications, or official sounding communications rather than a reflex to immediately distrust something that is that hits them out of the blue. And so we have seen a disproportionate number of Spanish speaking businesses being targeted and showing up on our victims list.   Dan Seguin  18:52 So, in general, Jared, is there anything customers can do to proactively guard themselves and their loved ones? Against scams?   Jared Lawrence  19:03 Great question. So I am a big fan of these anti robocall services such as Nomorobo. It's the one that we use at our house. I'm not a paid spokesman. But I do actually have through the scam work come to know the founder and president of Nomorobo. And so that, and from the car registries that he shared with us, we are seeing that they're doing a good job of blocking a lot of these scam calls that are coming from, they're coming from these criminals. So I recommend that because that'll just reduce the likelihood that householder or businesses that these calls are making it through the searches in the first place. The second thing is really just to know the signs. So you know, the basic signs are that a utility, the first communication you get from a utility about a potential deal delinquent bill or a problem with a payment is not going to be 30 minutes before you're disconnected. And a true utility representative is not going to insist on one particular type of payment, they're not going to make you drive down the street to a local retail outlet, get a specific thing, tell you not to talk to the club clerk and then force you to come back to me that payment quickly. And if you express any doubts at all about the legitimacy of the call, a legitimate utility representative will be more than happy to have you contact the utility directly using the published number, the public contact channels on your actual bill versus what they give you. Whereas a scammer is going to resist all of those because they know what to do when the gig is up. So that's really the key there, you want to reduce your vulnerability or your exposure to scam communications in the first place. And then if they do get through just be highly educated on the signs.   Dan Seguin  21:05 This next one is important. What are some ways to identify a utility scammer over the phone via text message and the scariness of the mall at your door? What are the red flags to look out for the best way to deal with them?   Jared Lawrence  21:26 So again, Dan, I think that the number one thing to keep in mind is that it is very rare that you will get an urgent communication from your utility about a billing problem. That's it with disconnection being imminent. Out of the blue, within the next 45 minutes, that will be the first communication. So a utility scammer typically is somebody who contacts you with a sense of urgency, and there's a lot of pressure built into that communication. They will then resist, they will try and talk you out of seeking independent verification of identity. So whether it's a call or a call that you get, if you say Well Do you mind if I just hang up and call the number back on your official website just to validate this, a scammer will try and talk you out of that they'll say something like the driver is already on his way. Or if it's even worse, if they're at your door. And and you open the door and you are not expecting him, a utility representative will be more than happy to allow you to take the time to call the Customer Care Center to validate their legitimacy. Whereas a criminal will try and convince you that something is very urgent and you don't have the time to do so. Those are some of the some of the most obvious signs of a criminal who's trying to pressure you into taking action before you have time to think and get the facts straight. You know, again. The other thing to keep in mind, too, is and we've seen that we saw this from the very beginning when going back to that first customer care ever raised that concern because she felt that she was relaying the customers felt that their that their information had been compromised when in fact it wasn't just because a a somebody posing as utility rep seems to have your info, it does not make them legitimate. Unfortunately, most information about us as individuals, as consumers is available out there on the web. It's just one of the sad facts about modern life. Additionally, though, these scammers are brilliant social engineers, and they're very good at making you think that they have legitimate information. So even if a scammer calls up and they quote something that sounds like your legitimate balance, don't trust them. In fact, one of the early cases that we research that first month when we when we deployed that SWAT team I was talking about that really convinced me of the nature of this problem was we had one particular customer who had reported that the scammer had their balance their actual balance. And we looked at the account. And sure enough, the information that the customer had reported to us did align with what their most recent bill was. So we talked to the customer and we said well tell us how the conversation went. And they started to think about it. And what they finally recalled was that the scammer called them up and said there was a problem with your last payment. Your payment did not go through and the victim then said well wait a minute. Let me go. I happen to be on my online banking system right now. Let me look right here. And I see my payment for $271.30 or whatever it was. It went through on October 4 or whatever it was. And then the scammer says no, I see your payment for $271.30 and it actually got rejected the next day, October 5 by your bank. And so now the person who was caught off guard by this call in the first place is thinking, Oh, this person must be legitimate because he has a system right there and my payment is in it. And he knows all about my transaction. Well, now, you told them, they tricked you into giving them that information. And so that's the other key is to never ever volunteer account information or personal information. If somebody calls you up out of the blue, and they are legitimate, they will understand if you don't want to volunteer information, they will invite you the opportunity to call back their official customer Carolina. But if somebody calls you out of the blue and starts asking for some information about you, that is another clear sign that that scam is likely you're likely the victim of a scam.   Dan Seguin  25:48 Now, let's say I'm a customer who fell victim to a scam losing money and possibly personal information on the process. What are my options? Is there anyone or anywhere specific that customers can turn to for help?   Jared Lawrence  26:05 Well, so there's some good news, but a lot of not good news to share on that front down. So the first thing I would recommend is if you have fallen victim, and if you have made a payment using any sort of prepaid card or electronic payment channel, immediately call the fraud line associated with the payment method that you use and do it quickly. The reason is that, and I'm speaking about the prepaid cards in particular, the way these scammers work is that they're targeting multiple victims, you know, across the country at any given time across the continent at any one time. And what they do is they call you up, they trick you into making that payment. And, basically in doing that they transfer your money from the card number you provide to a destination card that they're using to collect, and I'll use in quotes launder the funds. And then every few minutes, they sweep the money off of those cards. So there's typically a small window, where if the scammers have not liquidated those funds into the ether, that if you happen to call back, you might be able to get your money back. But you've got to move quickly because a lot of these payment channels that they use are attractive to scammers, particularly because they're non reversible. And, and so your timing has to be very quick and very spot on with those. So that's the first thing to do. The second thing to do, is to file a police report. Now, sadly, because these criminals are typically perpetrating their crimes from offshore, they are not going to be reachable with local law enforcement. But nonetheless, it's important that you follow the police report so that it enters the law enforcement database that helps the various folks in law enforcement at the national level who are trying to create, you know, enough of a body of evidence to investigate these cases and investigate these syndicates that are running these scams. And, and also to mention that, for example, in the United Way to one one service here in North Carolina, and there are other organizations, they actually have resources that are available for victims of cybercrime and other fraud. So I would reach out to your local community assistance agency, if you have suffered any financial hardship as a result of being targeted to determine what resources they have. I'm not aware of any that can restore the funds that you've lost, but they can maybe help you cope with any financial hardship that you're suffering in the near term as a result of being targeted. And then finally, you know, report the attempt to your utility because the utility united against scams. We use this information to refine our strategies. We use this information for our engagement with our telecom partners, our engagement with law enforcement and government officials to support law enforcement efforts and to try and better shape public policy to protect customers against these types of scams.   Dan Seguin  29:16 Now, maybe we could look at prevention. What our utility companies and police force are doing to help deter and fight against scammers. Can you tell us any success stories of scammers being deterred or better yet caught?   Jared Lawrence  29:36 Okay, well, I can actually share with you a couple of instances. These weren't directly related to the utility imposter scam. But the larger using the Canadian revenue associations that would CRA stands for yes. So larger CRA scams we celebrated when we read articles back in the fall of 2018, and again in 2019, where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police executed successful stings of, of scam call centers, basically running those texts, those tax scams against Canadian citizens. And in those time frames. In one case, I believe they arrested 32 Indian nationals who were executing these scams out of a fraudulent call center. And another one, it was 28. criminals who were apprehended in those busts. And really the key there is again, you know, just countless reports of victims, each one a small victim of crime just building up to this very large case, there was also a recent case, in the US with the Internal Revenue Service scam, where I believe that the individual was arrested back into that I can't remember 2017 or 2018, but he was just convicted back in November of 2020, the ringleader, again another Indian call center operation that was running this IRS scam. And the ringleader there was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $9 million. So there are there are people in law enforcement at the national level, both in the Canada and the US, who are who are paying attention and are specifically focusing on these, you know, very lucrative scans these very lucrative criminal operations and building cases and seeking international partnerships to, to to bust these operations. I think that those two are an example of, of operations that were that were claiming hundreds of millions, if not more, dollars in ill gotten gains. And so they're probably slightly bigger fish in these utility scans. And I think these utility scammers are probably collecting millions of dollars a year but not hundreds of millions of dollars, which is why these other tax related scams are gaining or gaining more attention.   Dan Seguin  32:15 Jared, tell me what is at the heart or lack thereof of a scammer's intention? What are some behaviors that are evidence of this?   Jared Lawrence  32:26 So, you know, one of the things that we have spent a lot of time understanding is what is this is the utility imposter scammers Mo, are they spending a lot of time researching their victims to create a really, you know, compelling story that increases their hit rate, or are they really they're going for high volume, low yield, but making their money off of volume. And it's really the latter. And so what I noticed very quickly, in the various countless times that I've called these fraud numbers to validate their phone numbers to get them shut down, frankly, is that the scammer has very quickly tried to ascertain whether you are a likely victim. So if you want to talk with them about anything about address change, sometimes I make up that I'm calling about an outage. They will immediately try and turn it into a conversation about an outstanding debt that is supposedly going to trigger a disconnection. And if you don't, the signal is sort of gullible toward it at that particular time, they're going to end the call really quickly. They'll try and do it in a way that makes it seem polite enough that you'll still walk away from that thinking that it was legitimate utility interaction. But in reality, once you step back, you realize they didn't give me any customer service at all. They were just trying to figure out if I was, if I was unlikely to be marked for them or not. That's the biggest one. The second biggest one is that, you know, we see our customer care agents go through countless hours of training in order to maintain professionalism, and how to be attentive to customers to listen to their needs. The scammers, they get frustrated really quickly and if you attempt to call them out, they will very quickly turn on you and say some things that are very rude, things that can't even be repeated on a podcast. So that is another obvious giveaway is that if the person you're talking to starts to become rude or aggressive, or exerts pressure in any way, they're not utility representatives, okay?   Dan Seguin  34:40 Now, in contrast, tell us what's at the heart of any utility as they engage with customers. How can customers use these contrasting intentions as a legitimate test?   Jared Lawrence  34:53 So recognizing that these scammers might listen to this podcast I'm always a little bit careful to give away all The strategies I use to validate that when I'm calling them up that they're in the, in these cameras, however, the obvious signs of a of a, of a trained utility rep are number one, they're going to be attentive to your needs. Number two, they are not going to try and pressure you into anything. Because our goal is to make sure that you are a happy customer that you're getting the service that you need. And if you happen to be having facing financial hardship or difficulty paying, we're not going to threaten you with this connection, we're going to offer up payment arrangements, ways to structure your utility debt so that you can maintain service with us, the last thing that a utility professional is to do is to see your account, be disconnected for non payment, our goal is to try and work with you as much as we can, to keep you engaged and to work within your means with different payment arrangements and things like that. So. So if the person on the line is not really working with you, then that is a and they had called you first. And that is, you know, a pretty obvious sign right there that they're not a legitimate utility representative. Secondly, also, as I mentioned before, a scammer is not going to want to spend any time talking with you about anything other than you're making a payment to them quickly. So if you have questions about say value added products and services, or if you, you know, are having service, you had a service disruption due to a storm or something like that. You can always ask a question about that and see how they handle it. And if they handle it with knowledge, and they actually are able to show a willingness to take the time to understand your issue, then that's a more than likely legitimate utility. Utility representative. If, however, they constantly bring it back to your fictitious outstanding debt, then you know, you're dealing with a scammer.   Dan Seguin  36:53 Finally, Jared, what does success look like for utilities united against scams? What is your hope for the next 5-10 years?   Jared Lawrence  37:05 So, you know, I read my original instead of this dad kind of changes I thought about a little bit more, especially as we have our five year anniversary of Utah united against stamps coming up, but just in just next week, actually. And, you know, I was thinking the knee jerk reaction would be to say, well, I'd like, I'd like us to basically put these scammers out of business so that we don't, so we can disband so that there's no need for utilities united against stamps. I think that that is a you know, a little bit too rosy eyed. Of course, I think that I do like to make these utility imposter scams go away. And then just maintain kind of a, you know, maintain the collaborative, but maintain it in such a way where we're just touching base sharing information about anything that might be looking suspicious in our markets, and making sure that we are keeping scam activity at a minimum and keeping law enforcement and policymakers fully engaged so that scams don't flare back up to the problem that they are right now. So my goal really is to achieve that combination of policy solutions, as well as share operational tactics with partners in telecom and the prepaid card space and the other financial mechanism that the scammers use to shut down the loopholes so that this utility imposter scam goes away. And then utilities, unite against scams is an organization that just means periodically to keep tabs on the market and make sure that things aren't flaring up again.   Dan Seguin  38:44 Jared, this is it. Are you ready to close this off with some rapid fire questions?   Jared Lawrence  38:52 Sure. Hit me Dan.   Dan Seguin  38:53 Okay, let's start with the first one. What is your favorite word?   Jared Lawrence  38:58 My favorite word this year is 'Yes." It's a nice say that is because we accomplished so many things on the fly, responding to the pandemic, and the important, things that we as utilities had to do to help take care of our communities last year, that previously the answer would have been either No, or it's going to take us a long time to figure that out. So I feel like I and the rest of the industry have been opened up to the power of possibility. And so this is the year of answering all those possibilities with 'Yes.'   Dan Seguin  39:35 Now tell me Jared, what is one thing you can't live without?   Jared Lawrence  39:40 My morning workout!   Dan Seguin  39:42 Okay, moving on. What habit or hobby have you picked up during shelter in place?   Jared Lawrence  39:49 Started making mead. I find it delicious. I'm not sure that those of my family or my wife have the same things.   Dan Seguin  40:01 If you could have one superpower, Jared, what would it be?   Jared Lawrence  40:07 The ability to sleep through the night without waking up for a variety of reasons.   Dan Seguin  40:11 Okay, if you could turn back time and talk to your 18 year old self, what would you tell them?   Jared Lawrence  40:18 I would tell them not to be so shy I was, I was fairly shy. In my pre professional life, and, and even the early years of being in the professional world, and I've come to learn that you miss out on a lot by being shy.   Dan Seguin  40:34 And lastly, what do you currently find interesting in your sector?   Jared Lawrence  40:41 So there are so many interesting things going on. But I think what is most interesting to me, and the reason why I'm excited to be in this industry for at least another 15 years before I'm ready to retire, is that societies have made it one of their central goals to achieve carbon neutrality. And utilities are at the center of that not only in terms of hitting our goals within our companies, but being the ones best positioned to offer solutions to help major industries that are our customers help achieve their carbon neutral goals. And so I think the amount of opportunity and the number of interesting challenges that we face in the utility industry on that front is very exciting to me, and one of the reasons why I'm thrilled to continue to be a utility leader.   Dan Seguin  41:30 Again, thank you for joining us today. I hope you had a lot of fun. Cheers.   Jared Lawrence  41:35 I did. This was fantastic. Dan, I hope as you can tell I am really passionate about fighting scammers fighting criminals to take advantage of utility customers and so I welcome any opportunity to talk about this topic.   Dan Seguin  41:48 Thanks for tuning in to another episode of The thinkenergy podcast. And don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review wherever you're listening! And to find out more about today's guests or previous episodes, visit thinkenergypodcast.com. I hope you'll join us again next time as we spark even more conversations about the energy of tomorrow.

No one likes getting those annoying robocalls. This episode begins with a simple way to stop robocalls for free – and it really works. In fact it is so effective, it won a contest held by the Federal Trade Commission looking for the best way to stop robocalls. Source: Interview with Aaron Foss founder of www.Nomorobo.com Everyone breathes. However, we don't all breathe correctly. It turns out that when you DO breathe the right way, amazing things can happen according to journalist James Nestor, author of the book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (https://amzn.to/36MehbD). While you might think you you breathe just fine, listening to this segment will change your mind. And you will breathe better. Although you have to make decisions all day long, do you feel like you are a good decision maker? Can you train yourself to make more good decisions? Listen to my guest Ralph Keeney. Ralph has been studying decision making for a long time. He is Professor Emeritus at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California He is also author of the book Give Yourself a Nudge: Helping Smart People Make Smarter Personal and Business Decisions (https://amzn.to/2XOwrWi). Listen and become a better decision maker for those important decisions in your life. You likely have a box with old VHS video tapes that you said you were going to have transferred one day. Listen as I explain how time is running out. In fact the time may have come and gone. https://nostalgicmedia.com/blogs/media-conversion/how-long-do-vhs-tapes-last PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://Indeed.com/Something to claim your sponsored job $75 credit to upgrade your job post! Plus earn up to $500 extra in sponsored job credits with Indeed's Virtual Interviews. See for yourself why teams at Airtable, Dropbox, HubSpot, Zendesk, and thousands of other companies use Zapier every day to automate their businesses! Try Zapier for free today at https://zapier.com/SYSK We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  If you're the type of person who's always thinking about new business ideas or wondering “What's the next side hustle I should spin up?” — check out the podcast My First Million! Today is made for Thrill! Style, Power, Discovery, Adventure, however you do thrill, Nissan has a vehicle to make it happen at https://nissanusa.com Listen to Curiosity Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. With prices soaring at the pump, Discover has your back with cash back! Use the Discover Card & earn 5% cash back at Gas Stations and Target, now through June, when you activate. Get up to $75 cash back this quarter with Discover it® card. Learn more at https://discover.com/rewards Get all of the supplies & tools you need to get your job done! Visit https://ferguson.com With Avast One, https://avast.com you can confidently take control of your online world without worrying about viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, & other cybercrimes! Search Dell Technologies Small Business Podference on Audacy.com, Spotify or Apple podcasts! Please buckle up! Don't risk it and remember, Click It or Ticket. Brought to you by NHTSA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, we've been promised that new technology would stop those annoying robocalls. But the phones keep ringing—and now, we're being flooded with spam texts. Fraudsters use these bogus calls and texts to steal our money and personal information. In this episode, we talk how to spot a robocall scam, how con artists use them to trick you, and ways to protect yourself. Special Guests: Aaron Foss, president and founder of Nomorobo, one of the oldest call-blocking services, and Amy Nofziger, director of victim support, AARP Fraud Watch Network. Additional resources: FCC: Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts CNET: Are Spam Calls Actually Getting Worse? There Are a Few Things You Can Do About It PC MAG: How to Block Robocalls and Spam Calls

Facilitators: Maria & Sandhya Topics: iBUG announcements; volume of VoiceOver is getting lower; triggering proximity sensor in ear piece of the iPhone; can disable proximity sensor; use headphone to avoid proximity sensor issues; toggle VoiceOver on and off; VoiceOver making announcements and reduces volume of other app; if on a call, turn off speech with three-finger double tap; can turn off always speak notifications to reduce VoiceOver chatter while on a call; can also turn off audio ducking; when using Alexa app, VoiceOver volume drops significantly and sound only comes through ear piece of iPhone; toggle VoiceOver on and off will restore speech through speaker when using Alexa app; text from unknown sender- report as junk?; add to contact, then block it; app to reduce robo calls – Nomorobo; carriers may offer service to block robo callers; how to block a text from an unknown sender; Robo Killer another app; labeling unlabeled button in an app; label a button by two-finger double tap and hold, enter name in text field; new labels will last until the app is updated; use VoiceOver recognition to get information about the button; whether to use screen protector for Apple Watch; screen protector versus a rubber guard that protects only the edges of the Apple Watch; is it possible to use VoiceOver to read map to track package in Amazon app?; not able to use VoiceOver to see pinpoint on a map; use Aira so they can see your screen and tell you the location; also take screenshot of map and text it to someone; using Siri to get distance information; iBUG Bytes – how to program back tap gesture to go to the status bar; benefits of being able to quickly go to status bar – e.g. when on a call, quickly return to call in progress; quickly go to top of long list of e-mails; customizing gestures for rotor; using handwriting input; invoking the back tap; can edit back tap command; back tap gesture available on iPhones with glass back; double tap on time in status bar will take you to the top; back tap gesture to status bar saved on finger movements; reading a table in Google Sheets; losing focus in list of e-mails; sorting files in DropBox app; listening to audio message in a text thread.

Nomorobo blocks annoying robocalls, telemarketers, and phone scams. Bring peace and quiet back to your phone.

Do you like getting robocalls on your phone? Of course you don’t. So this episode begins with a simple way to stop robocalls for free – and it really works. Source: Interview with Aaron Foss founder of www.Nomorobo.comYou are breathing now – and that’s a good thing. However, you are likely not breathing correctly. When you DO breathe correctly, amazing things can happen according to journalist James Nestor, author of the book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (https://amzn.to/36MehbD). While you might think you don’t need to learn about your breathing – listening to this segment will change your mind. And you will breathe better.You likely have a box with old VHS video tapes that you said you were going to have transferred one day. Listen as I explain how time is running out. In fact the time may have come and gone. http://www.audioholics.com/audio-technologies/cd-and-dvd-longevity-how-long-will-they-last and http://conservativecommandosradioshow.com /facts_about_old_video_tape_deterioration_why_you_should_transfer_and_convert_nowWhat makes a good decision? And how do you make more of them? That’s the topic tackled by Ralph Keeney. Ralph has been studying decision making for some time now. He is Professor Emeritus at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California He is also author of the book Give Yourself a Nudge: Helping Smart People Make Smarter Personal and Business Decisions (https://amzn.to/2XOwrWi). Listen and become a better decision maker for those important decisions in your life. This Week’s Sponsors-Kong Box. Got to www.KongBox.com/something to make a $1 donation to help less fortunate dogs and your first Kong Box is free!-Stroke of Genius. Listen to Stroke of Genius podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stroke-of-genius/id1438440166--Pindrop. Listen to the new podcast Pindrop https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pindrop/id1514010062

One recent study reports a record 5.7 billion robocalls were made in Oct. alone, up 25% from the month before. That translates into 182 million robocalls per day, or over 2 thousand per second. Experts predicts by year’s end, Americans will have received about 60 billion for the year. Phone companies make money from robocalls. The FCC is putting heat of telecom to address the problem by the end of the year. The industry solution – Shaken/Stir, could take years to meaningfully remedy the problem. Shaken/Stir will reduce robocalls at best but the problem will not go away. Filters like NoMoRobo can only block numbers known to be spam, while robocallers & scammers keep switching lines to get around filters, or commit spoofing. Most workers don’t receive pensions anymore, except for many state and local employees, many of whom are underpaid. Generous pensions are promised in return for years of service. The Economist reports state and local pension plans are underfunded. Either pension promises will be broken or taxes will have to go up. The real solution is better pay for state and local workers and 401K plans like workers in the private sector. Underfunded pension don’t work for taxpayers or government workers. About 1/4 of Christmas shopping is being done online.That means a massive number of packages circulating. Criminals are engaging in porch piracy on a scale never seen before. Many homeowners are putting in cameras. For theft prevention, several companies are selling connected package receiving boxes, accessed by delivery workers via one-time use codes, able to alert the owner to a delivery. The boxes can be at the street or at the front door. It’s become a burden for apartment and condo staffs to handle packages. Amazon is pushing their lockers in Whole Foods locations. Walmart and Target have package pickup. FedEx and UPS stores have pick up locations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Foss, developer of Nomorobo, discusses how his free app blocked 1.2 billion robocalls and what consumers can do to protect themselves from being victims of these scammers.

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes Aaron Foss, founder of Nomorobo.com to #ConversationsLIVE to discuss how he his addressing the robocall problem plaguing so many---and how you can get help for your landline or mobile device. FInd out more at www.nomorobo.com. 

Robocalls today are a fact of life. Americans now receive an average of about 5 billion of them a month, according to YouMail, a robocall blocking service. From just 2017 to 2018 alone, we saw a nearly 60 percent jump overall. How did robocallers go from an occasional nuisance to an all-consuming scam? This week, a history of robocalling and a look at solutions being explored. Guests: Aaron Foss, founder, Nomorobo; David Holley, national correspondent, XConomy; Paul Muschick, columnist, The Morning Call

When face meets pole; changing Facebook privacy settings; installation of NoMoRobo app, Barry’s gift items and random play in the VLC media player.

Aaron Foss is the founder of Nomorobo, the most popular service for blocking robocalls and telemarketers, is making some major upgrades. In light of the recent privacy news about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, Nomorobo is expanding it’s consumer protection to include social media. In version 2.5 of the Nomorobo app, users will be better protected from potential scammers, data thieves, and malware. Aaron Foss, the founder, has worked hand-in-hand with the FTC and FCC to roll out this new update.On this episode we dive deep into privacy concerns on the internet, start ups, Silicon Valley (show) and much more.

In today's episode of The Art of Passive Income—Round Table edition, Mark is joined by: Jeannie Morem Cynthia Tripathi Erik Peterson Aaron Williams Tate Litchfield Just returning from a week-long getaway in the South Pacific, recharged and ready to go with a dry new phone, Tate shares how easy it was to step away from the business and unplug—partially due to the fact that he took his phone swimming in the warm waters off of Aitutaki, but unplugged nonetheless because as he explains, there are no land emergencies. We also welcome coaching student, Jeannie Morem to the group today. Jeannie talks about the podcast she hosts with her husband, Kurt… who is also going through our coaching program. Their podcast is based on a subject that, umm well, has a blush factor to it. Jeannie also shares how she found us then purchased the toolkit, but it wasn't until attending the Bootcamp in Scottsdale that it all came together. Since attending Bootcamp, Jeannie and Kurt have signed up for coaching which leads us into the discussion—why are people afraid to invest in coaching? Cynthia compares the investment for coaching to returning to school to get a Masters Degree… “When I compared the cost of coaching to the cost of a Masters Degree, where I wouldn't be making any money and would graduate with all this debt, versus the small cost in comparison to actually learn how to run a business and create passive income, there was just no comparison. I made a huge ROI on my coaching investment in the first year of business than I ever made out of my 4 year college degree.People will go spend 100k on a college degree and get into all this debt, but then when it comes to learning a skill where you can literally make a one time sale and create recurring revenue every month, they don't think it's possible.” Cynthia also shares the details of the incredible deal she posted about in the Mastermind Group this week, where the property she was considering appeared to be so undesirable that she considered passing on it but ended up giving a take-it-or-leave-it offer that the seller took and it ended up being her most popular property to date. Everyone shares their take on it and why there are “a lot of levels of lessons” to be learned from her deal. Marks big takeaways: Fearlessness of negotiating Tenacity of marketing Realization of reality—Hey, I have something people want, I'm going to up the price. Listen in for the details and why a picture can be worth a 2100% ROI! TIP OF THE WEEK Aaron:  Check out Nomorobo.com. It's an extensive blacklist to stop robo-callers and it's updated every hour. Isn't it time to create passive income so you can work where you want, when you want and with whomever you want?

Dealing with aging iPhone battery issues. A listener seeks advice on finding help and advice in purchasing a new computer and smartphone. Using Google Project fi could lower the cell phone bill for some users. A dual-monitor laptop user is looking for a better solution to hook up a wireless keyboard an mouse; a device called a port replicator may be a viable option for this connection. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sues several Bitcoin currency operators, alleging fraud. An e-mailer wonders what services to use in addition to Microsoft Security Essentials to keep a computer secure; we recommend running Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware on a monthly basis. To stop robocalls and calls from telemarketers; we recommend a service called Nomorobo. Get a Star Wars drone for under $75. A caller wonders if there is any way to add a full screen monitor to a smartphone to view a smartphone screen without eye stain. A caller wonders how to deal with a "Fatal Error in HP Connection Manager." An e-mailer seeks recommendtions for a small laptop he can take on vacation.

Erik and Bob take your questions. Apple pledging $350 billion in investments in the United States's economy in the next five years. Amazon will charge more for monthly Prime service vs. annual fee for Prime. An error in Google Max and Google Chromecast devices chokes home WiFi networks. Plus the latest news from the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A listener has problems using OpenDNS when his Internet "address" keeps changing. A listener gets a suspicious telephone call claiming to be from Microsoft's "Security Department"; we tell you how to avoid such scams by using common sense and by using services like Nomorobo (link available on our Computer Talk With TAB website.) Electronic Frontier Foundation and a mobile security firm uncover Android spyware. We offer buying advice for a caller who wants to stop renting a cable modem and pay for her own modem. Plus, we give information on how to check your Internet speed, with a link to a speed test on the Computer Talk With TAB web site.

With Devin taking some time off, Peter kicks off his takeover with an interview with Aaron Foss, founder of Nomorobo. They play the 5 Second Rule and run down their top inventions of all time. Send us your Top 5:  Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Email | Voicemail | Website

Aaron Foss is the creator of Nomorobo, a service for blocking robocalls and telemarketers. On this episode Aaron chats about how he won a contest from the Federal Trade Commissions to create NOMOROBO, testifying in front of congress, startups and more.  

Configuring new Wi-Fi router, expanded Ooma blacklist (Nomorobo), Endless Computers (great Kickstarter initiative), hard reboot on iPhone (when iOS stops), safely storing digital pictures (on the cloud, with USB hard drive), kickstarting a tech career (learn Swift, create a few apps), Profiles in IT (Hiroshi Mikitani, co-founder and CEO Rakuten), Virginia decommissions voting machines (poor design may hve compromised results), security expert exposes aircraft vulnerability (accessed critical systems from laptop, arrested by FBI), Moores Law turns 50 (will require 3D chips to continue much further, limited by yield and quantum effects), Listening Table takes notes (developed by NY Times to help editorial staff), iRobot to make authomated lawn mower (will used wirelesss beacons that may interfere with astronomony observatories). This show originally aired on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Configuring new Wi-Fi router, expanded Ooma blacklist (Nomorobo), Endless Computers (great Kickstarter initiative), hard reboot on iPhone (when iOS stops), safely storing digital pictures (on the cloud, with USB hard drive), kickstarting a tech career (learn Swift, create a few apps), Profiles in IT (Hiroshi Mikitani, co-founder and CEO Rakuten), Virginia decommissions voting machines (poor design may hve compromised results), security expert exposes aircraft vulnerability (accessed critical systems from laptop, arrested by FBI), Moores Law turns 50 (will require 3D chips to continue much further, limited by yield and quantum effects), Listening Table takes notes (developed by NY Times to help editorial staff), iRobot to make authomated lawn mower (will used wirelesss beacons that may interfere with astronomony observatories). This show originally aired on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Ooma multi-ring (can be used for NoMoRobo), Wi-Fi hotspot virus (Chameleon, infects hotspots with default admin password), receiving large files using Dropbox inbox (dbinbox.com, very convenient), techniques for learning Salesforce (set up free developer account, create a new app using workbook, avoid cert classes, join user group), share PDF flipbook (Youblisher.com, free, very elegant), Profiles in IT (Ali and Hadi Partovi, co-founders Code.org and serial Internet entrepreneurs), Bitcoin exchange MtGox goes dark (security flaw allowed users to withdraw bitcoins more than once, shoddy accounting, over $360M lost). SanDisk releases 128GB microSD (16 cells stacked vertically), Website of the Week (someecard.com, vintage drawings combined with deadpan humor, 7 million unique views a month, crowd-sourced captions), and Windows XP retirement (April 8, end of securit updates, expect an attack surge, exploits selling for $50K to $150K). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Ooma multi-ring (can be used for NoMoRobo), Wi-Fi hotspot virus (Chameleon, infects hotspots with default admin password), receiving large files using Dropbox inbox (dbinbox.com, very convenient), techniques for learning Salesforce (set up free developer account, create a new app using workbook, avoid cert classes, join user group), share PDF flipbook (Youblisher.com, free, very elegant), Profiles in IT (Ali and Hadi Partovi, co-founders Code.org and serial Internet entrepreneurs), Bitcoin exchange MtGox goes dark (security flaw allowed users to withdraw bitcoins more than once, shoddy accounting, over $360M lost). SanDisk releases 128GB microSD (16 cells stacked vertically), Website of the Week (someecard.com, vintage drawings combined with deadpan humor, 7 million unique views a month, crowd-sourced captions), and Windows XP retirement (April 8, end of securit updates, expect an attack surge, exploits selling for $50K to $150K). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM). This show originally aired on Saturday, March 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Watching Netflix movies in India using VPN, setting up Wi-Fi hotspot using Windows 7, configuring Chromecast in hotel room, setting up a Wi-Fi webcam with pan and tilt (low cost cameras, port forwarding must be allowed in router), NoMoRobo update (not all carriers support it), Ooma VoIP pricing reveiwed (despite taxes still a good deal), Moon worm attacks older Linksys routers (disable remote administration, install firmware updates), Profiles in IT (Paul Muret, father of Google Analytics), Stratford graduation in New Delhi (American education with an Indian soul), Fanbox spam scam (offers rewards, seeks identify info, delete immediately), and Instapainting (turn digital photos into hand painted oils). This show originally aired on Saturday, February 22, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Watching Netflix movies in India using VPN, setting up Wi-Fi hotspot using Windows 7, configuring Chromecast in hotel room, setting up a Wi-Fi webcam with pan and tilt (low cost cameras, port forwarding must be allowed in router), NoMoRobo update (not all carriers support it), Ooma VoIP pricing reveiwed (despite taxes still a good deal), Moon worm attacks older Linksys routers (disable remote administration, install firmware updates), Profiles in IT (Paul Muret, father of Google Analytics), Stratford graduation in New Delhi (American education with an Indian soul), Fanbox spam scam (offers rewards, seeks identify info, delete immediately), and Instapainting (turn digital photos into hand painted oils). This show originally aired on Saturday, February 22, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Disappearing iMac apps, blocking robo calls (NoMoRobo.com), eBook readers (Kindle vs. Nook), VoIP options (Vonage, Skype, Ooma), controlling TV with Wi-Fi (Logitech Harmony Link reviewed), data backup revisited, Profiles in IT (Sheryl Kara Sandberg, Facebook COO), Chromecast (stream media to your TV with mobile control, $35), and eBook readership (dominated by the younger and wealthier). This show originally aired on Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).

Disappearing iMac apps, blocking robo calls (NoMoRobo.com), eBook readers (Kindle vs. Nook), VoIP options (Vonage, Skype, Ooma), controlling TV with Wi-Fi (Logitech Harmony Link reviewed), data backup revisited, Profiles in IT (Sheryl Kara Sandberg, Facebook COO), Chromecast (stream media to your TV with mobile control, $35), and eBook readership (dominated by the younger and wealthier). This show originally aired on Saturday, February 1, 2014, at 9:00 AM EST on WFED (1500 AM).