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StitcherIt’s a different kind of heartbreak having to fall into scams especially when your intentions were pure. We can’t stop scammers from being shady, but we can learn how to spot the signs and steer clear. In this episode, we’re talking about the latest scam trends and how AI is making them sneakier and we’re sharing easy ways to protect yourself so it doesn’t happen again.
Better be safe than sorry.
Sponsors:
- Being at the end of your rope. The only thing that’s saving me is having things written down before I descended that rope – kinda like, in the real world, having a budget – or at least some kind of loose plan for your finances. Because there’s some shame in hitting the end of your rope and you can turn your brain off. But, before you descend into chaos, you should write down things that you want to remember once you’re already in chaos. If spending is one of those things, head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/budget which is our robust budgeting spreadsheet planner that’ll be helpful for you.
Check out some relevant episodes
Latest Scam Trends
This episode is inspired by Pleasant Green Watch and Chalene Johnson’s story about one of the most prevalent scam schemes emerging today which involve the use of AI to manipulate your emotions.
What Jen + Jill have to say:
These days, you’d be surprised at how much scammers have leveled up their game. Now, they’re even using AI to pull people into their schemes. One of the biggest trends are sad AI-generated old people, looking vulnerable, pretending to sell handmade items that target your emotion but it’s just mass-produced goods.
Then there are fake home services and Facebook Marketplace scams, where someone claims they’re “selling stuff from their dad’s house” and they’ll fake payment confirmations or pull the old overpayment and refund trick to scam you. Jen and Jill point out that dropshipping itself isn’t the problem—it’s the manipulative marketing behind it. The real issue is when you’re led to believe you’re supporting a small maker or getting something high-quality, when really, it’s just manipulating your kindness.
How to Protect Yourself From Scam
- Verify Profiles. Check the user’s profile for activity history, reviews, and account age. Be cautious of newly created accounts or those with limited information.
- Use Secure Payment Methods. Avoid transactions outside of trusted platforms. Be wary of requests to use unfamiliar payment methods or to pay fees upfront.
- Meet in Public Places. When possible, arrange to meet in safe, public locations to exchange items and payments.
- Be Skeptical of Unusual Requests. Requests for deposits, overpayments, or urgent transactions should raise red flags.
- Report Suspicious Activity. Use Facebook’s reporting tools to flag suspicious listings or users.
Last time (you felt like) you’ve been scammed?
Jill retells the story on how she got scammed on Instagram DM for $ by someone who is pretending to be her friend. While Jen almost got scammed for buying a $2k printable course.
Bill of The Week
Thank you Quinn for sharing your bill about taking $1 to church
Thanks so Much for Listening!
Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews of our book Buy What You Love Without Going Broke and we especially loved this one from:
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Buy What You Love Without Going Broke is unlike other personal finance books I’ve read, and only in good ways. Jen & Jill wrote this book to “show the work” on the things you can do to (without selling a course or coaching program like so many) to achieve our goals using values-based spending. Instructions, stories, applicable statistics, and funny anecdotes are sprinkles throughout the knowledge they present on simplifying finances (and life) for average people and families. I love their focus on community and contentment: “When we can buy ourselves out of our problems, what happens to belonging, sharing, knowing, and supporting?” 👏👏👏 With the new but much needed trend on social media of underconsumption, along with more people trying out no spend challenges, this book is perfectly timed and could make such an impact in anyone’s life. I am a longtime listener to their Frugal Friends Podcast and this book conveys the the foundational messages of many of their 400+ episodes.
If you want to check out our monthly challenge community head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/club to see what challenge we have coming up next.
Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to reviews@frugalfriendspodcast.com. And don’t forget to share your favorite quote from the episode by using the hashtag #FrugalFriendsNote. 😉
