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Fraud and Scams

61 episodes · Page 2 of 3

#3844: Front Companies vs Shell Companies: What's the Real Difference?

Front companies have real employees and offices. Shell companies are just paper. Here's how to tell them apart.

sanctionsbanking-and-paymentsfraud-and-scamsintellectual-propertytaxes

#3843: Tracing the Grey Economy's Hidden Pipes

How journalists trace fraud from Tel Aviv boiler rooms to trafficking networks using public records and patience.

fraud-and-scamssanctionscyberattacksosintinternational-law

#3842: The Moving Scam That Holds Your Belongings Hostage

How a Tel Aviv call center runs interstate moving scams on Americans — and why it's still happening.

fraud-and-scamsshipping-and-freightconsumer-protectioninternational-law

#3840: Record VC But a Founder Drought? Inside the Split

Record $330B VC quarter, yet founders say fundraising is brutal. Here’s how AI concentration and LP shifts split the market.

startups-and-venture-capitalfraud-and-scamsinvestingmarket-competition

#3834: How Celebrities Hide Their Phone Numbers

The three-layer system of tech, legal, and social defenses that keeps celebrity phone numbers private.

cyberattacksdigital-privacyauthenticationfraud-and-scamssurveillance

#3692: Authorization Holds vs. Actual Charges: How to Tell

Pending transactions look like charges but aren't. Learn the three structural tells that reveal the difference.

banking-and-paymentsfraud-and-scamsconsumer-protection

#3560: Virtual Cards vs. Reimbursement: Consulting Expense Guide

Virtual cards, advances, or reimbursement? How consultants should handle client expenses without tax or legal traps.

taxesbanking-and-paymentsfraud-and-scamsworkplace-culture

#3385: The Book as Stage Prop: Pay-to-Publish Unpacked

When anyone can buy a publisher's logo, what happens to the signal a book is supposed to send?

workplace-culturefraud-and-scamsimpact-investing

#3342: The Half-Billion Dollar Industry of Fake Crowds

How paid attendees, enthusiasm pricing tiers, and AI scoring create the illusion of organic excitement at events worldwide.

fraud-and-scamsmarket-competitionelectionsjournalism-and-mediaconsumer-protection

#3305: Ghost Towers: Jerusalem's Empty Luxury Apartments

18% of units in new Jerusalem towers have zero electricity use. Who buys apartments no one ever lives in?

housing-affordabilityzoningfraud-and-scamsinvestingisrael

#3184: The Prank That Fooled Us All

How a sophisticated hoax exploited emotional vulnerability and what it reveals about deception in the AI age.

deepfakesfraud-and-scamsrelationshipscognitive-biases

#2827: Why People Still Pay for SSL Certificates

Free DV certificates are everywhere, yet paid SSL still thrives. Here’s what commercial CAs actually provide that free ones don’t.

cyberattackscryptographyauthenticationdigital-privacyfraud-and-scams

#2319: The Rise of the Dodgy Box: Streaming Piracy’s New Era

How the dodgy box became the go-to device for streaming piracy, and why authorities are cracking down now.

intellectual-propertycyberattacksdigital-privacyfraud-and-scamsinternet-infrastructure

#1911: Crowdfunding Open Source: Savior or Trap?

The web is built on code funded by tips. Can platforms like Patreon stop extremists from hijacking the money?

open-sourcefraud-and-scamsfree-speechbanking-and-paymentsrelationships

#1892: Trust vs. Math: The Hybrid Finance of Hawala and Crypto

How hawala networks and crypto merge to fund covert operations, and why intelligence agencies are struggling to track the money.

cryptocurrencybanking-and-paymentsintellectual-propertysanctionscyberattacks

#1518: The Bedroom Bottleneck: Housing vs. The Biological Clock

As the age of first-time buyers hits 40, a new crisis emerges. Is the three-bedroom house becoming the world's most effective birth control?

housing-affordabilityurban-designzoningfraud-and-scams

#1494: The Billion-Dollar Beep: Inside the Financial Cascade

Explore the complex "cascade" of credit card processing and why your morning coffee tap triggers a multi-billion dollar journey.

banking-and-paymentsmarket-competitionconsumer-protectionfraud-and-scams

#1486: Why Governments Are Putting a Price on Literacy

Are we commodifying social change? Explore the shift from boutique social bonds to massive $500M funds targeting global literacy and poverty.

impact-investingpublic-healtheducationprocurementfraud-and-scams

#1443: The Golden Truth: Buying and Storing Physical Bullion

Is physical gold still a viable investment? Learn how to buy, verify, and store bullion without falling for fakes or losing your shirt.

investingbanking-and-paymentspersonal-securityfraud-and-scams

#1442: Shadow Logistics: The $150 Billion Trafficking Industry

Explore how modern trafficking operates as a sophisticated logistics business and the global efforts to dismantle its financial architecture.

supply-chainshipping-and-freightfraud-and-scamsinternational-lawmaritime-security

#1441: Washing Trillions: The Modern Art of Money Laundering

Explore how trillions of dollars move through the shadows using shell companies, trade tricks, and high-tech digital mixers.

fraud-and-scamsbanking-and-paymentscryptocurrencytaxes

#1421: The Death of the Bank Box: Inside Private High-Tech Bunkers

Banks are ditching safe deposit boxes. Discover the high-tech private bunkers replacing them with iris scanners and six-sided protection.

banking-and-paymentsconsumer-protectionsurveillancedigital-privacyfraud-and-scams

#1360: The Resilience Pivot: Impact Investing’s New Language

As ESG labels vanish, "Resilience" is the new buzzword. Is this a strategic evolution of finance or a surrender of core values?

investingimpact-investingfraud-and-scamslegislation

#1341: Can You Save the World and Get Rich Doing It?

Is impact investing a revolutionary tool for scale or a threat to genuine kindness? We dive into the tension between profit and purpose.

investingimpact-investingfraud-and-scamsstartups-and-venture-capital