In recent years, fires, storms, floods and even pandemics have threatened lives and caused extraordinary damage for millions of people. The good news is that governments, disaster relief specialists, and even ordinary, kind people always move in to help. The bad news is that in many of these emergency situations, scammers see an opportunity to pounce. Disasters create a surge of vulnerable people, which, unfortunately, means easy picking for fraudsters. Victims are often overwhelmed, exhausted, and not thinking straight, and relief agencies are trying to help everyone all at once… and this is when the influx of fake charities, identity thieves, insurance scammers, and other nefarious actors arrive on the scene. In this episode, we’re examining the calculating crooks behind disaster scams. We’ll look at the many ways scammers capitalize on the chaos of disaster, and how they steal financial support when people need it most. About the Show Take a deep dive into today’s most devious scams, as we expose the psychological tactics and surprising methods used to drain thousands of victims of billions of dollars every year.  At a time when financial crime is increasingly sophisticated, we go behind the schemes to understand the often brilliant – and sometimes foolish – crooks at work, so you can stay alert and avoid becoming their next victim.  In season 3, Nickel & Crime returns with new mind-twisting stories… and something more. We’re also taking a peek behind the curtain to see how Early Warning helps keep the U.S. financial ecosystem healthy using technology that can stop these bad actors before they strike. With more focus on what you need to know to spot a scam, alongside our signature immersive storytelling, Nickel & Crime is back to dissect the deception, for your protection.  About Early Warning Nickel & Crime is the award-winning financial true crime show brought to you by Early Warning®, a financial services technology leader that has been empowering and protecting consumers, small businesses, and the U.S. financial system with cutting-edge fraud and payment solutions for more than three decades. Through unmatched network intelligence and partnerships with more than 2,500 bank and credit union brands, we increase access to financial services and products, and protect financial transactions. We are the company behind Zelle®, and PazeSM online checkout solution. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com. What financial crimes fascinate you? What questions do you have about risk and security? Connect with Nickel & Crime by commenting in the reviews.

Successful scams never quite disappear – they just shift and change over time, becoming new, slightly different versions of themselves as time goes on. But they all have to start somewhere, and in this episode we’re examining the evolution of one of the most famous scams of all: the Nigerian Prince scam.  The Nigerian Prince scam is an old, confidence scheme where the fraudster promises a big reward for a small, up-front price. But while that legendary con is now mostly a punchline, it has a fascinating history that goes back more than 100 years. It’s also the framework for more sophisticated and dangerous scams that are draining billions from victims every year. Today, we’ll dive into the timeline of the Nigerian Prince scam, and how it has evolved into modern lucrative romance scams. We’ll also get a closer look at the enormous community of perpetrators: Nigeria’s hundreds of thousands of “Yahoo Boys”. About the Show Take a deep dive into today’s most devious scams, as we expose the psychological tactics and surprising methods used to drain thousands of victims of billions of dollars every year.  At a time when financial crime is increasingly sophisticated, we go behind the schemes to understand the often brilliant – and sometimes foolish – crooks at work, so you can stay alert and avoid becoming their next victim.  In season 3, Nickel & Crime returns with new mind-twisting stories… and something more. We’re also taking a peek behind the curtain to see how Early Warning helps keep the U.S. financial ecosystem healthy using technology that can stop these bad actors before they strike. With more focus on what you need to know to spot a scam, alongside our signature immersive storytelling, Nickel & Crime is back to dissect the deception, for your protection.  About Early Warning Nickel & Crime is the award-winning financial true crime show brought to you by Early Warning®, a financial services technology leader that has been empowering and protecting consumers, small businesses, and the U.S. financial system with cutting-edge fraud and payment solutions for more than three decades. Through unmatched network intelligence and partnerships with more than 2,500 bank and credit union brands, we increase access to financial services and products, and protect financial transactions. We are the company behind Zelle®, and PazeSM online checkout solution. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com. What financial crimes fascinate you? What questions do you have about risk and security? Connect with Nickel & Crime by commenting in the reviews.

You know Nickel & Crime as the award-winning financial true crime show where we dissect the inner workings of modern fraud cases…but what do you know about Early Warning, the company behind the show?  In this episode, we’re stepping away from our usual format to tell you all about our origin story. Early Warning is a financial services technology leader that has been providing cutting-edge fraud and payment solutions for more than three decades, but what does that actually mean? The company has been around for 35 years but the average person has never heard the name. So, today, Deb chats with Tracy Cheney, General Counsel at Early Warning, Member of the Executive Team, and self-described “original intern”. With 27 years of service, Tracy is the company’s third longest tenured employee, starting out as an intern all those years ago. Tracy and Deb will wade into the history of Early Warning, the evolution of technology in fraud prevention, and how the organization works in tandem with financial institutions to bring trust to the U.S. financial system. About the Show Take a deep dive into today’s most devious scams, as we expose the psychological tactics and surprising methods used to drain thousands of victims of billions of dollars every year.  At a time when financial crime is increasingly sophisticated, we go behind the schemes to understand the often brilliant – and sometimes foolish – crooks at work, so you can stay alert and avoid becoming their next victim.  In season 3, Nickel & Crime returns with new mind-twisting stories… and something more. We’re also taking a peek behind the curtain to see how Early Warning helps keep the U.S. financial ecosystem healthy using technology that can stop these bad actors before they strike. 

With more focus on what you need to know to spot a scam, alongside our signature immersive storytelling, Nickel & Crime is back to dissect the deception, for your protection.  About Early Warning Nickel & Crime is the award-winning financial true crime show brought to you by Early Warning®, a financial services technology leader that has been empowering and protecting consumers, small businesses, and the U.S. financial system with cutting-edge fraud and payment solutions for more than three decades. Through unmatched network intelligence and partnerships with more than 2,500 bank and credit union brands, we increase access to financial services and products, and protect financial transactions. We are the company behind Zelle®, and PazeSM online checkout solution. To learn more about Early Warning, visit www.earlywarning.com. What financial crimes fascinate you? What questions do you have about risk and security? Connect with Nickel & Crime by commenting in the reviews.