Protect Yourself from Cybercriminal Impersonation Schemes

Splashing the Cash on Juan Soto or into Cybercriminal Accounts.

Armand here, your sporty RPost product evangelist. Today, I am going to split my armadillo mind, one part to show you how real it is, these cybercriminal lures. The other, to explain, in my sporty way, how real it is that you may be the next target.

We’ve spoken about how cybercriminals are using GenAI to rapidly spin up a persona to lure people into sending them money (Read recent impersonation scheme blog and RPost impostor detection AI news). One of these impersonation schemes is called seller impersonation, or vacant lot fraud. This is just one example of an impersonation crime – rather than have me explain the step by step on how it happens again, here is a CBS news interview with a couple who discovered that a mansion was being built on their lot in New Hampshire; a lot that they did not sell, yet the builder bought. Huh?

Now, when you read this, CBS focuses on the mental anguish of the true property owners finding a house built on THEIR lot, and how they missed the trees that were cut down. They don’t focus at all on the poor buyer (literally now poor) who splashed about $1 million for the property into the cybercriminal account and then another $1 million to build their dream home on (not) their lot!? Either the buyer is out the $1 million or their title insurance company is out the money; but surely, they are out the $1 million cost they incurred to build their dream home on the property that is not theirs -- that they have now discovered was sold to them by someone impersonating the true owner. Watch or read the CBS segment here.

You might be thinking, what are the chances of getting fooled in some sort of cybercriminal impersonation scheme (note, common categories are seller, supplier, invoice, payroll, staffing, customer impersonation fraud, so this is broader risk than only for property buyers).

Is it 0.2% chance? This may seem unlikely. But wait – things with a 0.2% chance CAN happen. And if it happens to you, you’ll be splashing YOUR cash into cybercriminal accounts.

(Now for my sporty side, I couldn’t resist)

On October 3rd, the Major League Baseball playoffs started, and upsets had already begun unfolding prior to this. It all started with the wildcard round that led to some unexpected victories. From starting the season with a whopping 0.2% chance to even make the playoffs to defying all odds, the Detroit Tigers managed to secure a wild card spot with the chance for playoffs; later clinching a playoff spot. This season was no easy ride for the Tigers as they had many ups and downs, such as having numerous valuable players missing time due to injuries. 

The Detroit Tigers have shown that anything is possible and there is always a chance. Take note. Cybercriminals have shown that anything is possible – even targeting an obscure vacant lot in the woods outside of Concord, New Hampshire of all places; as a way to get a buyer to splash cash into their account.

0.2% may sound obscure, unlikely. Yet it can happen. Every 37 seconds in the United States, the Secret Service reported normal folks are splashing on average $150,000 cash into cybercriminal accounts (accidentally mis-sending it)!

On October 1st, the Tigers came out with a 3-1 win, defeating the Astros. The following day, the Tigers showcased their dominance and came out on top once again with a score of 5-2, putting an end to the Astros season. This came as a shocker, as the Astros had a successful season and had many star players like Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and Alex Bregman who ultimately couldn’t manage to make it to another postseason.

So, you see, you may be targeted to splash cash into cybercriminal accounts and may just fall for the scheme. In my humble armadillo opinion, I believe that the New York Yankees and the LA Dodgers have the potential to go far in the postseason and will end up facing off against each other in the World Series as both teams have proven their talents this season. Both teams are known for their star players, as neither team is scared to splash the cash on players (a better use of proceeds, as compared to splashing it into cybercriminal arms). I believe this is finally the year that the money pays off for the Yankees, as I predict (yes, you heard it here first, my armadillo prediction) that the Yankees will end up winning the World Series.

The Yankees haven’t won a world series in 15 years, but they currently have a strong lineup consisting of dominant hitters such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleybor Torres who will look to end that dry streak and bring back a championship to New York. They are on top of baseball and have been for years but were always missing their final piece of their puzzle of success. I believe they found that puzzle in their new young star, Juan Soto, whom they traded for earlier in the year. This guy is the real deal, and by adding him to an already stacked lineup, it pains me to say it (full disclosure, it pains me since I am a true Red Sox fan), I believe they win the World Series and bring it back to the Bronx.

Bottom line… Whether you’re the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers looking to splash cash around, or you are simply YOU, looking to splash cash on a purchase, no one wants the cash to end up in the wrong place, irrevocably. And, if the Detroit Tigers could make the playoffs with a 0.2% chance, however unlikely you think it may be, you WILL be targeted by cybercriminal impersonation schemes.

If you agree, you really ought to get started with RPost’s PRE-Crime cybersecurity services, to identify impersonation lures before they ramp up, to pre-empt the steal.

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