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Episode: The Scam Next Door
Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Dena Temple-Raston
Produced by: Recorded Future News & PRX
Special Guests: Elliot Williams (1A Guest Host), Selena Larson (Proofpoint), Gary Gordon (Riverton Piano Company), Amy Nofziger (AARP)

Main Theme

This episode delves into the rise of "piano scams"—online cons involving free or low-cost pianos requiring only a shipping fee—and unpacks how these emotionally targeted scams exploit human desires and trust. The episode explores the real story of a mother, Patricia, who fell victim to such a scheme, highlights the broader landscape of confidence scams, and offers insights from fraud experts on methods of prevention and awareness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are "Piano Scams"?

• Definition: A modern twist on a classic scam. Scammers offer high-value items (like a Steinway piano) for free or at a steep discount, requiring only a shipping or rerouting fee.
• Emotional Engineering: These scams work not because they're technologically sophisticated, but because they leverage hope, urgency, and plausibility.
  • Quote: “It’s not a digital hack, but an emotional one.” —Elliot Williams [00:51]
• Prevalence: Proofpoint tracked over 125,000 scam emails of this kind in the first half of last year alone.
  • Quote: “You can imagine how prevalent this is.” —Dena Temple-Raston [01:09]

2. The Anatomy of a Scam: Patricia’s Story

• Background: Patricia, a Florida mother, sought a piano for her talented son Matthew, hoping music would help with his mood regulation disorder.

  • Quote: "He had shown this unexpected musical talent and she thought that the playing might help him a little bit emotionally." —Dena Temple-Raston [02:41]

• How It Unfolded:

  • Patricia found a free Steinway baby grand on Facebook.
  • Seller claimed to be representing an older woman, Dr. Joyce.
  • Dr. Joyce explained the piano was her late husband's and she was moving cross-country.
  • Patricia was asked for $625 for rerouting via Zelle.
  • She received plausible tracking info and updates but was later asked for another "interstate fee" of $1,000.
  • Upon deeper investigation, Patricia realized the shipping website was freshly created, and all entities involved were fabricated.
  • Despite her expertise in shipping (she owns a furniture company), Patricia was still deceived.
    • Quote: “I was amazed that I somehow got swindled checking all my boxes.” —Patricia de Beer [16:58]

• Clues Missed:

  • Freshly registered shipping websites
  • Realistic but faked social media profiles for "employees"
  • Familiar and industry-standard payment requests (Zelle)
  • Legitimate-seeming tracking tools

• Emotional Outcome:

  • Lost $625
  • Disappointment for her son, Matthew, who lost interest in playing after the ordeal.
  • Patricia fought back by reporting the scammers’ email addresses.
    • Quote: “I reported every single email address that they came across so that Zelle would block all those accounts.” —Patricia [25:31]

3. Social Engineering and "Brain Hacking"

• Explanation: Scammers prey on emotion, trust, urgency, and hope; this is described as “social engineering” or “brain hacking.”

  • Quote: “They fake it. It’s social engineering at its most advanced.” —Dena Temple-Raston [03:57]
  • Quote: “The best social engineers are also the best brain hackers.” —Selena Larson, Proofpoint [19:43]

• Techniques:

  • Sob stories about lost loved ones or moving
  • Carefully crafted online presences (websites and social media)
  • Consistency between tracking, payment methods, and shipping communications

• Scalable Beyond Pianos:

  • Used cars, concert tickets, jobs, and more—all follow a similar formula.

4. Variants of This Scam & Related Fraud

• Fraud Types Covered:
  • Job scams: "We'll send you equipment if you cover shipping."
  • Event ticket fraud: "Pay a fee to get tickets sent to you."
  • Investment and crypto scams: "Pay a little, get a lot back."
    • Quote: "If you pay a little bit now, if you give me a small payment of cryptocurrency, you'll get a larger one in return." —Selena Larson [19:28]
• Crypto Scams:
  • Story of Stephanie, a teacher who lost $50,000 after being recruited into a "safe" crypto investment group on WhatsApp, mirroring other affinity fraud schemes.

5. Industry Expert Perspectives

• Gary Gordon (Riverton Piano Company):

  • Pandemic led to a surge in instrument demand.
  • Outlined the "overpayment" piano scam targeting stores.
    • Quote: "If you're dumb enough, they take your piano and they take $1,000, and the check turns out to be bogus." —Gary Gordon [22:55]
  • Tips for buyers: Always verify model, serial number, and provenance with an expert.

• Selena Larson (Proofpoint):

  • Noted how scams are underappreciated in cybersecurity since they rely on social, not technical, vulnerabilities.
  • Emphasized the power of emotional manipulation over technical exploits.

• Amy Nofziger (AARP):

  • No age group is immune—everyone is a target.
    • Quote: “If you have a dollar to your name, there is a criminal trying to steal it from you.” —Amy Nofziger [32:48]
  • Identifies top scams: identity theft, business imposters, romance/dating scams, tech support, government imposters.
  • Discussed the rise of cryptocurrency ATM scams and new consumer protections.

6. Prevention & Takeaways

• Slow Down: Scams thrive on urgency. Pause before acting.
  • Quote: “Two words are key: slow down.” —Dena Temple-Raston [06:43]
• Verify Independently: Check addresses, urls, and identities outside of the info provided in communications.
• Ask Questions: Demand serial numbers and additional photos for big purchases.
• Check Website Registrations: Freshly created sites are a red flag.
• Be Skeptical with Crypto: Payments in crypto are high risk and usually non-refundable.
• Human Weakness: Ultimately, the weakest security link is human desire and emotion.
  • Quote: “The weak link here is humanity, which makes it nearly impossible to stop.” —Dena Temple-Raston [20:01]
• Young or Old, All Are Targets: Recent examples span generations—from 21-year-old Enrique falling for a fake toll bill [31:12] to long-time online shoppers.
• Emotional Hooks: Effective scams use hope, guilt, and urgency, exploiting moments of need or excitement.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Emotional Manipulation:
  • "It's the human piece of the cybersecurity puzzle that you can't predict and you can't patch." —Selena Larson [20:11]
• On the Longevity of Confidence Scams:
  • “Con artists our whole life long have always used those emotions against us.” —Dena Temple-Raston [37:04]
• On Why Even Experts Fall Victim:
  • “Patricia had done just about everything she could to make sure Matthew's free piano was on the up and up.” —Dena Temple-Raston [15:01]
• On Victim Psychology:
  • “The road to hell is paved with a whole host of these kinds of scams. Most of them are oldies but goodies.” —Dena Temple-Raston [19:04]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• What is a Piano Scam? [01:42–03:57]
• Patricia’s Story Begins [10:11–18:00]
• How Social Engineering Works [04:34–05:05]
• Variants of the Scam (Cars, Jobs, Crypto, Tickets) [06:06–19:38]
• Proofpoint’s Data & Perspective [17:14–20:27]
• Piano Industry Perspective (Gary Gordon) [20:27–23:58]
• Crypto/Affinity Scams & Stephanie’s Story [33:44–35:48]
• Expert Tips on Avoiding Scams [06:43, 22:58, 35:03]
• Human Factor: Why Scams Work [19:38–20:27, 37:04]

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a narrative, conversational tone—empathetic yet pragmatic. The hosts avoid heavy technical jargon, focusing instead on relatable stories, expert testimony, and practical, actionable advice.

Final Takeaway

Scams like the “piano scam” are more about manipulating trust and emotion than exploiting digital vulnerabilities. Even diligent, experienced people can fall victim because these scams are tailored to sound "just plausible enough." The primary defense isn’t technical—it's human: slow down, be skeptical, verify everything, and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it almost always is.