Scam Rangers

What makes someone vulnerable to a scam? Many people assume scams only happen to people who are uninformed, careless, or less tech-savvy. But what if the real attack surface isn't technology at all? What if it's trust? In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet Biger-Levin sits down with Tracy Hall—author, advocate, and survivor of one of Australia's most notorious romance fraud cases. After losing her life savings to a professional con artist who spent eighteen months building trust and creating a false identity, Tracy transformed her experience into a mission to educate, advocate, and drive change. Together, they explore how manipulation works, why intelligence alone doesn't protect us from scams, the dangers of victim-blaming, and what organizations, governments, and individuals can do to build scam resilience in an increasingly digital world. This conversation goes beyond romance fraud. It's about the psychology of trust, the human side of scams, and why resilience, not fear, is one of our most powerful defenses. In This Episode * How professional scammers build trust over time * Why scams are fundamentally about manipulation, not technology * The "long con" and how criminals create believable worlds * Why intelligent, successful people can become scam victims * The role of vulnerability, life transitions, and emotional context * Tracy's journey from victim to advocate * The impact of victim-blaming on reporting and recovery * The importance of lived experience in shaping scam prevention strategies * How organizations can improve scam awareness and education * Why trust has become the new attack surface About Tracy Hall Tracy Hall is an author, speaker, scam awareness advocate, and survivor of one of Australia's most high-profile romance fraud cases. Following the publication of her book, The Last Victim, Tracy has become a leading voice in scam awareness, victim advocacy, and consumer education, working with organizations, governments, and communities around the world to improve understanding of scams and fraud. Key Takeaway: Scams don't target intelligence. They target trust. And in a world where trust has become the attack surface, awareness alone isn't enough—we need scam resilience. Resources * Learn more about Tracy Hall and The Last Victim: https://a.co/d/08gE6hm4 * Connect with Tracy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyhall1975/ About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm. Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

In this episode of Scam Rangers, host Ayelet Biger-Levin sits down with Charles E. Wallace Jr., author of The Caregiver's Game: The Caregiver's Game: Unraveling Financial Deceit in the Shadows of Dementia. Charles turned into a fraud investigator after his mother fell victim to financial elder abuse. Together, they pull back the curtain on the subtle, malicious ecosystem of caregiver grooming, which drained hundreds of thousands of dollars right under the noses of family members and financial fiduciaries. Charles discusses the "paradox of modern banking", how digital transaction networks fail to capture age-based vulnerabilities or notice when an elderly person's life savings are systematically bled dry through discount retail stores and unauthorized credit accounts. From the devastating isolation tactics used to separate his mother from her family to discovering a trail of prior victims left by the very predator hired to protect her, Charles explains why the financial industry must shift away from administrative silos and move toward behavioral, real-time transaction monitoring. We also explore the gaps in standard Adult Protective Services investigations and why Charles believes banks need to give families better collaborative dashboard tools to monitor and protect generational wealth before it's too late. A link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Caregivers-Game-Unraveling-Financial-Dementia/dp/B0G322349C About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm. Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet sits down with fraud researcher and professor David Maimon to unpack some of the most alarming scam trends emerging today,  from abandoned identity fraud and synthetic identities to AI-powered romance and investment scams. They discuss how criminals are targeting former immigrants, children, and deceased individuals whose identities are no longer actively monitored, and how those identities are being sold and exploited for loans, bank accounts, and fraud rings. The conversation also dives into a disturbing evolution in romance and investment scams: criminals are no longer just stealing victims' savings, they are strategically targeting people with strong credit profiles and home equity to maximize returns through HELOC fraud and investment manipulation. Finally, Ayelet and David explore how AI is beginning to automate scam operations at scale, including experiments with conversational AI agents capable of running fully automated "pig butchering" investment scams. Key Topics Covered * Abandoned identities and identity reuse fraud * Synthetic identity marketplaces on Telegram * Romance scams evolving into large-scale financial exploitation * HELOC targeting and victim profiling * AI-powered scam conversations and agentic AI * DeepSeek guardrail concerns * The future of fraud prevention and scam mitigation About the Guest David Maimon is a cybercrime researcher focused on fraud ecosystems, financial crime, identity fraud, and online scam operations. His work explores how criminals operate across Telegram, darknet forums, and emerging AI systems to scale fraud operations. David is a Professor at Georgia State University and Head of Fraud Insights at SentiLink Listen now and stay ahead of the latest scam tactics shaping the future of fraud. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-maimon-29343632/ About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm. Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

In this episode, Ayelet Biger-Levin sits down with Jamie Simmons to explore how scams have evolved from traditional fraud into a global, AI-driven threat rooted in human psychology. From his early days as a park ranger to leading fraud prevention at Capital One, Jamie shares why fighting scams today requires a shift toward prevention before manipulation happens and not just stopping payments after the fact. 🔑 Key Takeaways * Scams are not just fraud—they're social engineering at scale * Impact spans all age groups and all financial products * The real opportunity is moving "left of boom"—before money moves * Stopping scams requires collaboration across banks, telecom, and tech * Data sharing is essential—but still limited by policy * Treating people as victims (not mistakes) is critical to progress 💡 Standout Insight: "We're not going to win by just stopping payments. That's too late." About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder of RangersAI and host of Scam Rangers, where she brings together leaders across industries to tackle the human side of scams—combining fraud expertise, psychology, and real-world prevention strategies. 🔗 Resources * Global Anti-Scam Alliance https://gasa.org/ * National Elder Fraud Coordination Center - https://www.fightelderfraud.org/ About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm. Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

Scams don't start with transactions. They start with trust. In this episode of ScamRangers, Ayelet Biger-Levin sits down with Amy Nofziger, Senior Director of Fraud Victim Support at the AARP Fraud Watch Network, to explore the human side of scams, and what's changed over the past two decades. Amy and her team receive ~450 calls a day from victims and concerned individuals. And what they're seeing is clear: The losses are bigger. The manipulation is deeper. And the emotional impact is often devastating. This conversation dives into: * Why scams are fundamentally human problems, not just fraud problems * How criminals exploit trust, emotion, and purpose * The rise of long-term relationship scams and financial grooming * What victims actually need and why trauma-informed support matters * How awareness, reporting, and collaboration are finally starting to shift the tide These are the most relevant and valuable links for this episode: * AARP Fraud Watch Network (main resource): https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/ * Fraud Watch Network Helpline (call support): https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/helpline/ * AARP BankSafe (for financial institutions): https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/banksafe/ 🎙️ About the Guest Amy Nofziger leads fraud victim support at AARP's Fraud Watch Network, where she has spent over two decades helping individuals navigate the aftermath of scams. She oversees a national helpline, volunteers, and programs focused on education, prevention, and recovery. 📣 Call to Action If you're in a financial institution, fintech, or fraud prevention role, this episode will change how you think about scams. 👉 Share this episode with your team 👉 Start thinking earlier in the scam journey 👉 And help shift the industry toward prevention About the Host Ayelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm. Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/