About this episode
<p>A ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s oldest behaviors. We look at how the industry works, and ask the scam-fighters what they’re doing about it.</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>SOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kati-daffan-91471460/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kati Daffan</a>, former assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Marketing Practices.</li> <li><a href="https://ssw.umn.edu/marti-deliema" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marti DeLiema</a>, assistant professor of social work at the University of Minnesota.</li> <li><a href="https://www.buffalo.edu/cas/communication/research/CSC.host.html/content/shared/cas/communication/faculty-staff/faculty-profiles/frank-mark.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mark Frank</a>, professor of communications at the University at Buffalo.</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>RESOURCES:</strong> <ul> <li>"<a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/cambodian-scam-tycoon-wanted-by-u-s-extradited-to-china-b483e24c?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqf51aV6SvZziBuhLzqfuXH8FAlsq81f7fg6r1U95Y-TjRIt6b4DmOziAJgmDl0%3D&gaa_ts=69ac94e1&gaa_sig=BYK3RgQiRMrttSshZ4YoTaJ_nVUzK-bZlOM70N3h5RxL0iGhMAzzjtZSZLV9sRPyhxNUqmK6o11Ws8j_5Z95-Q%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cambodian Scam Tycoon Wanted by U.S. Extradited to China</a>," by Gabriele Steinhauser <i>(Wall Street Journal,</i> 2026).</li> <li>"<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-09/who-is-alleged-cambodian-scam-kingpin-chen-zhi-and-how-did-he-make-money?embedded-checkout=true" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Rise and Fall Of Accused Cambodian Scam Kingpin Chen Zhi</a>," by Low De Wei <i>(Bloomberg,</i> 2026).</li> <li>"<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/P144400-OlderAdultsReportDec2025.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025</a>," by the Federal Trade Commission (2025).</li> <li>"<a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show</a>," by Jeff Horwitz <i>(Reuters,</i> 2025).</li> <li>"<a href="https://longevity.stanford.edu/scamtracker/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-victims?</a>," by Marti DeLiema, Emma Fletcher, Christine Kieffer, Gary Mottola, Rubens Pessanha, and Melissa Trumpower <i>(Stanford Center on Longevity,</i> 2019).</li> <li>"<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/WhyFromNigeria.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?</a>," by Cormac Herley <i>(Microsoft Research,</i> 2016).</li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>Thinking, Fast and</i> </a><i>Slow, </i>by Daniel Kahneman (2013).</li> <li><a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer">FTC Fraud Reporting Portal</a>.</li> </ul></li> </ul><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>