Social Media Scams THAT ALMOST FOOLED US!

Summary

Frugal Friends Podcast: Social Media Scams THAT ALMOST FOOLED US!
Episode Release Date: June 6, 2025
Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni

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Introduction to Social Media Scams

In this episode, Jen and Jill delve into the evolving landscape of social media scams, emphasizing the increasing sophistication and emotional manipulation employed by scammers. They highlight the importance of staying vigilant as scams become more nuanced, often leveraging advanced technologies like AI to deceive unsuspecting users.

Notable Quote:
Jen (03:16): "Scams are becoming so much more complex, nuanced. They're using AI and we just gotta be on top of our game."

Behind the Scenes: Operating at Full Capacity

Before diving into the main topic, the hosts share a light-hearted conversation about running their business at full capacity. They introduce their budgeting tools available at frugalfriendspodcast.com, encouraging listeners to utilize their robust budgeting spreadsheet planner to manage finances effectively.

Spotlight on Influencers Combating Scams

Jill gives a shout-out to YouTube creators Pleasant Green and Hannah Alonso, who specialize in exposing various scams. These influencers provide up-to-date information on new and evolving scams, making their content a valuable resource for listeners.

Notable Quote:
Jill (07:00): "They are new scams. They are as violent and on the rise as ever and we don't want you to lose money to them."

Primary Scams Discussed

1. "Sad Old People" Scam

   • Overview: Scammers create emotionally charged ads featuring elderly individuals to sell products deceptively labeled as handmade or part of a family business.
   • Mechanism: Utilizes AI-generated images and heartfelt stories to manipulate emotions, leading consumers to overpay for mass-produced items.
   • Example: An AI-generated video of an old man selling watches, which Jen and Jill tested to reveal the products were sourced from platforms like AliExpress at significantly lower prices.

   Notable Quote:
   Jill (09:37): "It's all kinds of things. And like what Jill said about the wreath."

2. Home Services Scams

   • Overview: Scammers pose as service providers (e.g., air duct cleaning) on platforms like Facebook Marketplace, often requesting upfront payments.
   • Mechanism: Acts as middlemen, collecting payments without delivering the promised service, sometimes using money mules to launder funds.
   • Red Flags: Unverified profiles, pressure for upfront payments via unsecured methods (e.g., Zelle, Venmo), and inconsistent communication.

   Notable Quote:
   Jill (19:36): "This could be air duct cleaning. It could be a number of home services."

3. Facebook Marketplace Scams

   • Overview: Fraudsters post listings for high-value items at attractive prices, using real photos but delivering counterfeit or inferior products.
   • Mechanism: After initial contact, scammers fabricate urgency by claiming account hacks or using counterfeit payment confirmations to extract deposits.
   • Red Flags: Requests for upfront money before item pickup, inconsistent stories, and profiles with limited activity or identical scam narratives.

   Notable Quote:
   Jen (24:45): "They are gaining access to legitimate Facebook accounts and post listings for expensive items at attractive prices."

Personal Experiences with Scams

Jen candidly shares her near-miss experience with a scam on Instagram, where she inadvertently sent money to a fraudulent account believing it was a legitimate request. This personal account underscores the ease with which even the savviest individuals can fall prey to emotionally driven scams.

Notable Quote:
Jen (46:49): "Scams can happen to anybody... they found my vulnerability."

Protective Measures Against Scams

The hosts provide actionable tips to help listeners safeguard themselves against social media scams:

• Verify Profiles: Check the authenticity of social media profiles by reviewing their activity history, account age, and number of friends.
• Use Secure Payment Methods: Prefer credit cards over platforms like Venmo or Zelle, which lack robust protections.
• Meet in Public Places: When dealing with sellers or service providers, arrange to meet in safe, public locations.
• Stay Skeptical of Unusual Requests: Be cautious of requests for upfront payments, overpayments, or urgent transactions.
• Leverage Your Network: Consult friends, family, or coworkers when uncertain about the legitimacy of a deal.
• Report Suspicious Activity: Utilize platform-specific reporting tools to flag and remove fraudulent accounts or listings.

Notable Quote:
Jill (35:38): "Always meet in public places. Go meet these people in person."

Bill of the Week: A Heartwarming Moment

In a delightful segment, a young listener named Quinn shares his generous habit of donating a dollar to church every Sunday. Jen and Jill celebrate Quinn's kindness, encouraging listeners to submit their own "Bill of the Week" stories, fostering a sense of community and shared values.

Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement

Jen and Jill reiterate the importance of collective vigilance against scams, urging listeners to not only protect themselves but also assist others in recognizing and avoiding fraudulent schemes. They also promote their book, "Buy What You Love Without Going Broke," highlighting its positive reception and emphasis on values-based spending.

Notable Quote:
Jen (37:53): "Report suspicious activity. Use Facebook's reporting tools to flag anything suspicious."

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Additional Resources:

• Budgeting Tools: frugalfriendspodcast.com/budget
• Influencer Channels: Pleasant Green and Hannah Alonso on YouTube for scam alerts and insights.

Stay Connected:
Subscribe to the Frugal Friends Podcast for more episodes on saving money, spending wisely, and living a frugal yet fulfilling life.

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Note: This summary adheres to copyright policies by minimizing direct quotes and providing paraphrased content.

Transcript

[Jen]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Jill]

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NBC Nightly News legacy isn't handed down or NBC News. I'm Tom Brokaw.

[Jen]

Hope to see you back here.

[Lester Holt]

I'm Lester Holt.

[Tom Brokaw]

It's carried forward.

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Tom Yamatz is there for us. Firefighters are still working around the clock.

[Tom Brokaw]

As the world changes, we look for what endures. We are coming on the air with.

[Lester Holt]

Breaking news right now.

[Jill]

Now we look for a constant and.

[Ryan Seacrest]

From one era to the next, Trust.

[Tom Brokaw]

Is the anchor for NBC Nightly News, I'm Tom Yamas.

[Jill]

A new chapter begins. NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Evenings on NBC Social media scams that almost fooled us.

[Jen]

Welcome to the FRUGAL Friends podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life. Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[Jill]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast. My name is Jen.

[Jen]

My name is Jill.

[Jill]

And today we are talking about the latest scams on social media that were not as evident as we thought they would be.

[Jen]

This is such an important topic because scams are becoming so much more complex, nuanced. They're using AI and we just gotta be on top of our game. So we're helping to equip you today.

[Jill]

But first, this episode is brought to you by being at the end of your rope. Today, Jill and I were talking about how I think we're both at the end of our rope. We like to. I'll let you on a little behind the scenes. We like to say how we each have 75% of a brain and together we create one business owner with 150% capacity. And this week we're operating at a combined hundred percent capacity.

[Jen]

You know what? Some people would say you're still doing great and that person's me. I don't know if anybody else would say it, but you know what? We're together, we bring 100.

[Jill]

But me, I'm saying I'm at the end of my rope.

[Jen]

Both at 50.

[Jill]

The only thing that is saving me is having things written down before I descended that row. Kind of like in the real world having a budget or at least some kind of loose plan for your finances because there's no shame in hitting the end of your rope. It's the end of the school year, summer's about to hit and you can turn your brain off. But before you descend into chaos, you should write down things like that you want to remember once you're already in chaos. If your spending is one of those things, which we think it should be. Head to frugalfriendspodcast.com budget we have a really robust budgeting spreadsheet planner that I think you're really going to enjoy. I think it's going to be very helpful for you and always be checking our social media and things because we often will have some, some sales, some legitimate sales, sometimes that are not scams, sometimes they're sales because I'm at the end of my rope right now. I didn't write down what our current one is or if we even have one. I don't know.

[Jen]

We do, actually. We are running a sale currently.

[Jill]

You know what, how you can find.

[Jen]

It being in our friend letter. Yeah, friend letter.

[Jill]

It's going to be in there 100%. So the people who write for us shout out Kim, Misty, Goldie. They're still operating.

[Jen]

Yep. Frugalfriendspodcast.com, sign up for the newsletter. You'll get the code that for the sale for this blessings spending planner. I will say it is a spreadsheet. So it's not an app. We're not that fancy. But it is a super beautiful spreadsheet and it's mobile optimized. So if you're one of those people that you're at the end of your rope and you're on the go, this is for you.

[Jill]

You're swinging on the end of your road in your car doing drop offs and that's who we made this.

[Jen]

I mean, don't text and drive and don't budget and drive, but with your parked, you know, you can, you can be looking at your finances.

[Jill]

Absolutely. All right, let's get into some social media scams and I want to make a major shout out to Pleasant Green on YouTube. He was really the inspiration for this episode because sometimes I get enthralled in something and I get hyper fixated on it and I don't. Surely there's a neuro something title for that that I could be diagnosed with but I don't know what it is. I don't want to know what it is. Don't tell me right now.

[Jen]

Hyper fixation is good.

[Jill]

Hyper fixation and his YouTube channel has been that hyper fixation for me for a little bit. That and Hannah Alonso, Pleasant Green, he gets the scams. Hannah Alonso, she covers MLMs and influencers and so those are two YouTube channels that I am loving this one. He is going into all of these scams that we're covering today because I checked. And not only are the videos he's doing recent, the scams are also continually updating. So right now these are new scams. They are as violent and on the rise as ever and we don't want you to lose money to them.

[Jen]

So keep your money.

[Jill]

The first one is sad old people.

[Jen]

That's the first scam. That is the first scam playing upon the elderly, pretending to be the elderly to get you to spend money.

[Jill]

So these are AI generated ads for old people's businesses and there are of old people and they're saying, either I have, times are changing, I have to close my shop, I'm doing a closing sale or my grandma is or grandfather's struggling in his business, nobody's buying these things. And then cut to sad old AI generated man.

[Jen]

It's hard to tell that they're AI generated though. That's part of the difficulty now and how on high alert we have to be. Yes.

[Jill]

So Pleasant Green we will link to these the inspiration YouTube videos from the channel. But so he found one of a watchmaker. And so the video is of an older man who is selling his watches.

[Jen]

And luxurious high quality handmade and so.

[Jill]

Is either going out of business or isn't getting sales. And I also wanted to put in Chalene Johnson is somebody who I followed for like probably a decade in the fitness world. She also posted a video on her social media which we will also link. She almost fell for an old person selling slippers. Same story. It's nobody's buying my grandmother's or grand grandfather's slippers. Slippers.

[Jen]

Cut to video of an older man by a sewing machine making slippers. And it's just tugging on your heartstrings like I gotta give grandpa some money to keep making his slippers.

[Jill]

So here's the anatomy of the scam. It is a paid ad on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok, any social media platform. It's a paid ad. It's going to be manipulating your emotions. So maybe it's not as extreme as the old person, but it is something that is making you feel bad for the person or for the person's grandfather or whatever to buy what they are selling. And Jill, tell us what they're selling.

[Jen]

Oh, they're selling anything from watches to slippers to wreaths apparently. And really what this is is from these larger mass produced factories where you could be getting these products for 99 cents to a couple of bucks and they are upcharging it, which is this is a way that people make money. I mean this really is the whole fast fashion industry. Drop shipping is a thing where they will bulk order a bunch of stuff from a site like Alibaba and then mark up the price and you purchase it. That's not necessarily what's a scam. It's the marketing that is super scammy and exploitive. Trying to claim that this item was handmade by somebody's grandfather or it's a family business and they're just being super secretive and manipulative in their marketing of it to you when really they're just getting it at bulk order pricing and then driving the cost up.

[Jill]

Yeah. So in the pleasant green YouTube video what he did was he tested it. So what this and this is a way that you can test to see if the product is Alibaba Temu AliExpress, stuff like that. She and is he captured the image on the website and then Google Image searched it and found it on AliExpress. And so what he did and they were selling it the watch for a dollar. So he actually bought the watch for a dollar. He literally paid A$6, no shipping costs.

[Jen]

So crazy.

[Jill]

Got it immediately. And he same day bought the, you know, custom the watch made by somebody's grandfather. That one took a little longer to get there. Ended up coming in a nice blue box. So that's something that's for dropshippers. That's very common. They'll get the, you know, the $1 just came in a bag, no padding, no nothing. And this one that he spent $40 on came in something that you would imagine its packaging would look like that's very common for dropshippers is to upcharge for better packaging. Opens it up. It is the same exact watch down to the brand name is on the face of the watch and it is a Chinese retailer of mass produced watches. Both of them felt like basically hollow inside. The strap was not adjustable and it was very much a dollar watch from AliExpress. And like Joel said, the drop shipping is not the issue though it could be another issue in and of itself. It is the manipulative marketing making you think you're getting something that is custom and not, not even custom, making you think you're getting something high quality, making you think you're helping someone. And we'll talk about quote unquote helping in one of our, you know, later scams. But it's manipulating on your goodness. So. And we also saw some commenters on the video saying that they saw this with leather goods small like purses, which you'll actually see in his video if you watch it too. It's not just watches or purses. It's it's all kinds of things. And like what Jill said about the wreath. One commenter said I purchased what was supposedly supposed to be a huge beautiful wreath for $40 from a quote unquote family business that was forced to liquidate due to the economy. That's a standard. That is a very standard across the scams. Forced to liquidate due to the economy. What I got a month later, that's another thing. It is not two day shipping. It's not Amazon was a very small plastic wreath that would have cost me $3 at the dollar store.

[Jen]

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[Jill]

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[Jen]

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[Jen]

And fees, extra fee, full [e-mail] horsepower.

[Tom Brokaw]

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[Jen]

Okay, the next social media scam is around home services, so this example that also came from Pleasant Green talked about an air duct CLE service and how this company would pretty much act as a third party. Generally they are in another country and they will try to find leads for various home services. So in this example, again, it's air duct cleaning, where they're going onto sites like Facebook marketplace, joining local Facebook Marketplace groups and posting really sometimes like, recommendations for these types of services. So it's like the eighth page of Google air duct cleaning service. They will go on and say, oh, this cleaning service was so good. If anybody's looking for to get their air ducts clean, I highly recommend them. And a lot of times there's just trust in local Facebook Marketplace groups or just on Facebook.

[Jill]

And it's usually city groups, like, you know, St. Pete, Florida, Facebook group.

[Jen]

Yeah, yeah, sorry, not Marketplace. And so people will see, oh, yeah, you know what? I might need my. My air ducts cleaned. I'm going to reach out to them. And then they will often charge you, like, an upfront payment and act as the middleman. They will then find somebody to come do the thing. Maybe it's an air duct cleaning service, maybe. Or maybe it's just some dude that they're able to find on fiverr, which we learned from the Pleasant Green, who gave some examples from other people where they said that they had somebody come out, they called the company, a guy showed up. So somebody will show up. It's not gonna be the people that you had given the money to.

[Jill]

Right. It's gonna be some rando from another, like, Facebook group for St. Pete, Florida, looking for work.

[Jen]

Facebook group and then said that they did no work, sent pictures to that person that they had been in contact with of this guy showed up, there was a real person here, but no work got done. Thankfully, they were able to file a charge back with the bank so that they would get their money back. That's not going to always be the case, depending on how you end up paying. Because a lot of times they want Zelle, they want Venmo. There's different ways that they might do something that is not FDIC insured or doesn't have some of the same protections that maybe using like a credit or a debit card might provide to you. So that's another one to be super aware of who you're actually hiring and whose referral you're taking that we can't be as trusting, even on these local groups on Facebook, of who's being recommended.

[Jill]

Yeah, this could be air duct cleaning. It could be a number of home services. But the scammer themselves is either making money on selling the lead to a person in one of these, you know, willing to work groups, or to one of these companies that's not getting Any leads? Because you know they're on the eighth page of Google. So it's. It's going to be one of those. So. And they're not. There's a reason they're going to be on the eighth page of Google and you can't even be sure if they're in one of these generic working groups that they even know how to do the service or have the tools to do the job. Under the comments for the video, we saw a couple that were interesting. One is I moderate a local Facebook group and the number of scammers I ban from requesting is ridiculous. Glad you mentioned the red flags. Always posting public news, same people who like the posts. So that's another thing. When you're looking to verify is this a legitimate recommendation, go to the person's page who's recommending it. If you're seeing they are only posting public news and if you're looking the people who like the post of the public news, go to their profile. If they are also only posting public news and the same person's liking their post, that's an incestuous little hacker scammer group of profiles. So that is going to be a really key indicator that that was either that profile was either farmed, whether. So they make the profile, they set it up, hold it for a couple years to make it look like it's an older profile and then use it or it was hacked from somebody. This happened to my mom's. She couldn't get her Facebook profile back and they changed the name. And it looks like you've got all of her posts from years and it looks like a legitimate thing. But then the only thing in the last few years has been scam posts.

[Jen]

Whoa.

[Jill]

So, yeah, so this happens quite frequently. Another one is I'm a locksmith and get calls from people with very heavy accents asking if I'm available for a job. I didn't know what was going on and found out they were using my website the same way. So it's not just air duct cleaning, it's also locksmith services. Just got done talking to a scammer on Facebook. They used a fake photo and profile. They said they were from Texas, but I got them to click on Grabify and it turns out they were using a vpn but the time zone was the same as Nigeria and they said, I learned that from you. Pleasant Cream. He has all kinds of tips on his videos on how to identify if somebody who you're talking to on social media is a scammer.

[Jen]

So again and grabify is one of those resources. So he will talk about some of these ways to be able to check. And I think all of this can sound so overwhelming and it makes me want to reach for all right then, what can be done? If I don't feel like I've got the time to dig in on this profile page and identify whether or not it's real or fake, or if I even feel like I've got the skillset for that, I honestly think it's turning to your actual network. And we talk about this a lot, about building our network and community and how important that is. And I think all the more reason to kind of live in the real world in the places where it's going to matter. Asking our friends and family, hey, who do you use for this service? It's not as if we can't entirely trust Google. I think some of it then would just be to then go onto Google itself, look for some of these places, look at their reviews rather than kind of these third party sites like Instagram or Facebook where you're not entirely sure is this a third party? Because it's a lot easier to kind of intersect as a third party.

[Jill]

It may seem overwhelming and something like you wouldn't do, but it's important to have this information in the terminology and know how to explain it in case somebody, you know it might become susceptible to it. And you're like, oh, I can tell that's a scam, but I don't know how it's a scam, so I can't help you avoid it because you know, you're not going to believe me. But like, if you know how it's a scam, then you can more easily help other people. And when you see it, because I was searching for these things, I'm like, surely after, you know, this has been up for a couple months, people are catching on. They're not doing this literally within the last two hours of us recording, getting the same word for word posts. And it's, it's going on sometimes, you know, it changes from, you know, grandpa to grandma to uncle to in laws, whatever. But it's the same scam.

[Jen]

That's why this third one is extra important. It has to do with Facebook Marketplace scams. And you know why Marketplace? Because we tell you to buy on Facebook Marketplace, we tell you to buy secondhand. We think Facebook Marketplace is one of the best spots to do that. So here we go, this one's important. They will gain access to legitimate Facebook accounts and post listings for expensive items at Attractive prices. These are real photos of real things that other people have sold before. But again, often being run from other countries. They are not who they say that they are. You can't actually go and pick up that item from that person. So here's how it then ends up working. They will post. You will say, hey, I'm interested in this thing. Well, I'll start off first. A lot of the postings are very similar language, so that was a helpful. Here's what to do to be on the lookout for this scam. A lot of times it'll be like, my elderly father is moving into a retirement community. I'm trying to liquidate his items. I am able to deliver to you for a small fee. Let me know if you're interested in anything. And it's kind of like a whole lot that they're selling. And they've got different prices listed for a variety of things, but all reasonable prices. So it looks like, oh, man, that looks like a nice house. Those are good products. Even the staging of the thing looks good. Like if I'm looking for a KitchenAid, yeah, I want it to come from a kitchen with that kind of backsplash and countertop. That's amazing. So then you say, is this still available? Can I. Can I grab it? They say, yeah, when do you want to come get it? Then you might list a day and a time, and they're inevitably going to say, I'm not available. What had happened in this example scam was that they then sent pictures back to the guy asking for the item with a screenshot of all of the people who are interested. Now, this is a fabricated screenshot, but easy to create. It just looks like a ton of people are asking about the item. And so then he's like, well, put down a deposit. I'll hold it for you. Then you'll be able to pick it up and be able to pay the full price. So that's where they get you for. That's the thing we have. I haven't. I know it's a trick that Travis will do, although in his circumstance, he'll do it like, he is the one offering that, hey, I'm so interested in this. I'll give you. I'll Venmo you 25 bucks if you hold it for me so that I.

[Jill]

Hate it every time he does it.

[Jen]

Could be a strategy. It's not, yeah, we don't advise it. But anytime they are asking for upfront money before picking it up, your red flag should be going off because there is no. You then actually meet up and you get your item.

[Jill]

Yeah, it's, it's a little. If they're just selling one thing, like if you go to their Facebook marketplace profile and they are legitimately only selling one thing, it could still be legitimate. That's why it so hard. Like that's why this is. This episode is like social media scams we would almost fall for, right? Yeah, but it's just getting to a point where it's better safe than sorry. But a telltale sign is if the person has it's, you know, they're saying something like hey, hey guys, we're clearing out stuff from my dad's house. He got moved to aged care. You can literally copy and paste that verbatim. And it was posted 2 hours ago by somebody. 3 hours ago by somebody. It's ridiculous. And they're just posting it on their profile. Sometimes they're posting it in a group but most of the time they're just posting it on their profile because it's a hacked account. So they just want the person's, you know, thousand five hundred, whatever, how many followers to see this and believe them. They're not doing a large scale scam like somebody in a local Facebook group. This is more targeted so it'll look like someone, you know, they may have tagged a hundred people. That's another thing. If that's 100% red flag if they've tagged the maximum amount of people. But I'm seeing that they're not always doing that. So that's another thing. And yeah, so I've seen dad's house, uncles in laws. They just want, they're trying to. They're in no longer need because they're moved to aged care and they want to make some extra money. We have a truck and can deliver at a small extra fee. Send a DM if interested in any item.

[Jen]

But then they typically would have you venmo somebody who is not them. It would be a different. And then if you ask about it like in the example they're giving it was well who is Tiffany? Why am I Venmoing? And then the person was like, oh, that's my cousin, they live with me. There's something wrong with my Zell so hers is easier.

[Jill]

And that's another red flag. That's another red flag in a different direction.

[Jen]

But that's another potential. This is a maybe deeper scam that ends up happening is they're using money mules. So a lot of times they are in other countries where Zelle and Venmo doesn't work. So they have to use someone in the United States to be their money mule, whose Zelle Venmo does work to then be able to, in the example they were giving, buy Bitcoin and be able to send bitcoin to whatever nation the scammer is actually in. And the way that a money mule, they are also being scammed into this as well, often, again, pulling on your heartstrings. This one woman had received a DM from somebody claiming that they were in the military and their child had cancer, and he's not able to get, you know, money to his kid. And she. She needed to be able to get the money and then transfer it to him so that he would be able to help his child, but he's overseas and blah, blah, blah.

[Jill]

It wasn't even a romance scam. It was just. She thought she was friends with this soldier and that he was telling her a sob story and she felt bad for him and she was trying to help him because she's a kind person.

[Jen]

Yeah. So playing on patriotism, you know, appreciation for the military, for a child with cancer, and it's not really costing her any money.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

So she can kind of say, well, they're not taking from me. Not. And she. It's not that she knows that she's scamming somebody else. She's just, yeah, I received some money. This is meant for you. I'll get it to you. No big deal. And so when this guy who was uncovering the scams was actually able to reach out to her, and he's like, hey, am I supposed to Venmo you for this Kitchenaid? She's like, I don't have a Kitchenaid. What are you talking about? And he's like, oh, okay. Have you ever received money and then sent bitcoin to somebody? And that's when she described, yes, I have, but it's for a child with cancer. And then they dug in deeper, and the child with cancer was actually no longer alive anymore. This child had passed away nine years ago. These photos had been taken from an account that still kind of lived on in memorial to this child that they took those pictures from. I mean, really gross stuff happening that these scammers are doing. So she thought she was doing something legitimate. Her emotions and kindness and good naturedness is being preyed upon to then, like, this other person's just thinking that they're buying a Kitchenaid, and the whole thing's just all messed up.

[Jill]

Yeah. And so these are how complex these scams are getting and so we want you to be able to identify them and be able to protect yourself. A few of the other Facebook marketplace scams are fake payment confirmation scams. So scammers will pose as buyers, send counterfeit payments via email or screenshots claiming to have paid through sell Venmo or PayPal and assert that the seller needs to. If you're so you're selling something and they send you a screenshot that they paid but you're not getting it because they never paid and they say, oh, you just need to upgrade to a seller account to get my payment. Well then you pay for a seller account and you're out that money. And then also they just didn't pay so you're not going to get it. So you've got that and then they just are banking on that you'll send them the thing other is overpayment and refund scams. This one's been around for a while. The scammer sends a fake payment exceeding the price and requests the seller to refund the difference. And then once the seller sends the refund, they discover the original payment was fraudulent or never processed and then you're out that money. So I don't think a lot of people would fall for that anymore, but it's actually still something that is going on right now.

[Jen]

Yeah. And it can seem so legitimate. And they'll also use a sense of urgency making you feel bad like you've done something wrong. So depending on your awareness of what's going on in the moment, sometimes it's just I can't even think straight. And that's their goal, is for you not to have an awareness, to even be able to give full thoughts to this. But just push, push, push, making you feel bad. And that's what can kind of lead, lead people to fall for this. So here's some overall tips to protect yourself. Verify profiles. So checking when you're on social media, the user's profile for activity history reviews, the age of the account, how long has it been around being very cautious of newly created accounts, those with limited information, those with limited friends, or weird requests from somebody that you are friends with. Always be aware that accounts can be hacked. Use secure payment methods. Avoid transactions outside of trusted platforms. This is one of the reasons that we do like credit cards because of the protections that they offer and the ability to get refunds when payment doesn't go through. It's also why we say do not have a Venmo credit card, do not have a PayPal credit card. You can use these platforms to pay your friends. Do not keep money in them. Don't get the credit card. They do not offer the same protections as some aspects as a Visa, MasterCard, something like that.

[Jill]

Always meet in public places. Go meet these people in person. Do not deal in Internet. If you're buying something on the Internet, go to the website. Don't do it over Facebook Marketplace. If you're going to buy something on Marketplace or get a service done, deal with the website directly or deal in person. Always be skeptical of unusual requests. So deposits, overpayments, urgent transactions, anything with urgency, red flags. It's so hard because you want to be able to make a blanket statement and be like every account that's new is going to be a scam. But we know accounts get hacked and people create new accounts because their old accounts got hacked. So sometimes they are real people you just don't know. So you have to just put on your thinking cap a little longer to verify.

[Jen]

And when in doubt, ask somebody else to help you suss it out. You don't have to be the expert on all of these things. Somebody else who maybe does Facebook Marketplace a lot, ask them, hey, what do you think about this? There's something that feels a little off, but I can't quite pinpoint it. What do you think? You don't have to know it all.

[Jill]

Ask people in real life. Don't assume that you're ignorant because and that everything. That's usually what I do, I'll go with something because I just assume I'm ignorant and everybody else knows it. Don't ask people in real life. If you work in an office, ask coworkers or get in your slack and ask people. Ask people that you know are real.

[Jen]

People and finally, report suspicious activity. So use Facebook's reporting tools to flag anything suspicious. The listings, the users, they, they want to be a platform that continues to exist. So it only helps them if you're able to identify and kind of just weed out these people. But they are cropping up every day.

[Jill]

And you've gotta be won't do anything about them. But you should still report them. You should still.

[Jen]

And you should still be aware. You know what else you should be aware of that is never suspicious?

[Jill]

You should always be doing it the.

[Jen]

Bill of the week. That's right.

[Jill]

It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William.

[Lester Holt]

Maybe you paid off your mortgage, maybe.

[Jill]

Your car died and you're happy to.

[Lester Holt]

Not have to pay that bill anymore?

[Jill]

Ducks?

[Jen]

Bills?

[Lester Holt]

Buffalo Bills?

[Jen]

Bill Clinton?

[Lester Holt]

This is the Bill of the Week.

[Jill]

Hi Johnny Tube. My name is Queen and I'm four.

[Jen]

Years old and.

[Jill]

My pillow the week.

[Jen]

I take a dollar to church every.

[Jill]

Sunday and then I take a tour to church every Sunday.

[Lester Holt]

Love your podcast.

[Jen]

Thanks.

[Jill]

Bye. Love your podcast. Thanks. Bye.

[Jen]

Oh my God, we're losing our sounds.

[Jill]

I'm losing my mind.

[Jen]

She's already at the end of her.

[Jill]

Rope, but all right, I'm gone. I'm so sad for your ears you had to hear that pitch. I'm so sorry. Oh, my goodness. I am done.

[Jen]

This is amazing. Quinn, we are so thrilled that you're listening to our podcast and that you've got a very cool adult taking care of you and helping you be able to hear this podcast. What a cool thing to be connected and friends with you and what an awesome bill of the week you have. It sounds like you are very generous taking a dollar to church every Sunday. How fun.

[Jill]

So fun, Quinn. So happy for you.

[Jen]

I'm sure you are helping so many people with your weekly dollar that you're giving and we just love the generosity that you're showing. We hope that you continue to cultivate that generosity and keep listening. We hope that this ends up being so helpful for you in your life. Quinn. Thank you so much. If you all listening, have a bill you want to submit. If you're 4 years old and you want to talk about your generous giving, or you're 88 years old, your name is Bill and you want to talk about a time you did not get scammed or just what your life is like. Frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill we can't wait for it.

[Tom Brokaw]

Horsepower zero to 60 times. These are among the benchmarks when considering a new vehicle. But Lexus believes there are some things, immeasurable things that matter more. Awe. Exhilaration. Joy. How a cabin feels like it was crafted with you in mind. The way an engine note resonates with your soul. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing. That's the standard of amazing Lexis experience.

[Lester Holt]

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[Jen]

We're leaving today and entering a world.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Of Cinderella, Castle, sightseeing, Tron Light cycling.

[Tom Brokaw]

Jungle cruising, bunning, pirate swashbuckling, Everest climbing, Dapper Danning, Dunning, soaring, soaring.

[Jill]

Fireworks show. I'm not crying.

[Tom Brokaw]

You're crying.

[Jill]

World of Favorites for whatever you love.

[Tom Brokaw]

Infinite worlds await at the most magical place on earth.

[Jill]

Walt Disney World Resort.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway. Now through June 17th. Shop in store or online for your favorite personal care Items and save $5 when you spend doll more. Stock up on items like Dove Body Wash, Degree Motion Sense Deodorant, Tresemme, Hairspray, Dove Shampoo, Dove Bar Soap, Dove Men's Body and face Wash and Dollar Shave Club blades, and save $5 when you spend $15 or more. Hurry in before these deals are gone. Offer ends June 17. Promotions may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Jen]

And now it's time for the lightning round. I actually spit a little.

[Jill]

Did that earlier. Oh, wow. Okay. Last time you felt like you got scammed or you've been scammed or really were scammed.

[Jen]

You know that. You know I was. You just want to make me talk about it again and again.

[Jill]

I didn't do this one, Jill. I couldn't even remember if I'm the one who wrote the outline for this episode. Okay, I'm gonna be very honest. When we got into the office this morning and I looked at the outline, I was like, did I write this or did Goldie write it?

[Jen]

And we don't know.

[Jill]

I figured out that it was me who wrote most of it, and Goldie did add some things.

[Jen]

I'll tell you again. So you know what? The more the merrier. And if my faux pas can help you all, then I'm here for it. But sorry if this is a Repeat story for you all. This is very recent, too recent. And again, this was when Jen and I were not in person together. So again, that 50% brain. 50% brain. I didn't have her 50% to think this all the way through.

[Jill]

It was on social media.

[Jen]

Uh huh. I was on Instagram. Cause now I handle our Instagram account and responding to DMs and this woman had reached out saying, hey, I know this seems really weird, but I am just reaching out to anybody that I'm friends with, letting them know about my friend who's going through a really tough time. Their child is in the hospital looking for donations and we had already exchanged DMs, so she, her account at least was a listener who had reached out in the past. We had talked to them about a product that we were selling. So to me the account seemed legitimate because we had been in communication in the past. I clicked on the link, I read through the whole thing and I even had the thought, I don't know this person, this child might not actually have cancer. These people might not actually exist. However, I was like, what's the big deal though? If I'm out 20, $30 I've given if it is legit and if it's not legit, nbd. So I did do that. What? I didn't. Okay, well I'll finish the story and then I'll tell you what I didn't realize. So gave a little bit of money, then responded to the person. I was like, hey, I'm so sorry this is happening. Like, yeah, we did just send some money. I hope, I hope, I hope the best for you and your friend. The next day that person reaches back out, they're like, oh my gosh, you guys are so sweet, but my account was hacked. Hope you can get your money back. And. And we were able to because thankfully we gave through a credit card. But what I didn't think about was that we had put down an address like we gave. So I'm thinking we're protected by the credit card nbd. If this is a scam, who cares? But we put down a billing address and at the time the billing address was Jen's house. Now we have a real office, so we are like a little bit protected. But that was the flaw in my thinking and I'm so sorry.

[Jill]

It's fine.

[Jen]

I felt, and that's the thing too that we have mentioned here. Scams can happen to anybody and like there might be some where you are, you are locked up, you're not gonna fall victim to that. But then there's others that you know what you might be a little bit more vulnerable to. So they found my vulnerability and I was like, yeah, sure, what could go wrong? Thankfully nothing really actually did go that wrong with it. But I did feel like such a dummy.

[Jill]

And I hope that that story helps our listeners.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Because you've got usually 75% of a break.

[Jen]

Usually. Yeah. You know, and then between you and Eric, you make up the rest.

[Jill]

It's. And that was the problem is that you didn't consult with.

[Jen]

Yeah, I know. I just sent money to somebody on Instagram because I just think that everyone truly is my friend. We are Frugal Friends podcast. We have an Instagram account of people are dming me. Like it is us responding and you all feel like my friends. Although I hate to break it to you now, I'm jaded and if you ask me for money, I'm not giving it to you. Yeah, there was a small window of time where I might have given you money, but it's over now of like.

[Jill]

8 years or however long we've been doing this. I don't know, just stinks.

[Jen]

Like can you never give to a GoFundMe again? I mean you can because you just have to know them. Yeah, but sometimes it's a co workers. You know there still can be some layers where it's like do you know that? Do you actually know that?

[Jill]

Yeah, that's. You can Google image search. That's a really good way to. To help verify or just ask a question. Don't think your questions are dumb. Like yeah, trust but verify.

[Jen]

Okay Jen, how about you? Your turn to be vulnerable. Almost scammed. Do you feel like marketing ever kind of scams you? Have you gotten scammed in any trends?

[Jill]

Maybe a fashion trend? I am at the end of my rope. So I'm sure there is a scam and maybe I just don't realize that I have been scammed yet. I am actually super cynical and I don't fall for. And maybe that's why I get hyper fixated on scams because I think everything's a scam and I just like to be verified in that.

[Jen]

So I would say as an observer, the only thing that really does get you is marketing. Good marketing for something that's going to solve a problem for you. You will do. That's not. It's scam adjacent.

[Jill]

Okay, so here is one. I had been following this digital marketer for quite a while in the printable market space and I wanted to get into selling downloadable printables. And she was selling a course on how she had made a million dollars selling these really robust printable packets, but really doing a lot of them for free. And that was a form of marketing. And I wanted to buy the course. It was $2,000. And found out that my friend Caroline, our friend Caroline Bensel, she actually had the course, but she hadn't spent $2,000 on it. And so I had told her I wanted to take. And she's like, oh, I'll give you the login. You're not. And you're going to know why as soon as I give it to you. Because typically that's not a good thing. You want to respect somebody's intellectual property and purchase it. But I understood why when she gave me the login, it was the worst course I've ever purchased or not purchased. I'm so glad I did it. It was so bad. And like half of the course was about trusting God with your business. It wasn't about printables. She said her sex success was due to that. And so I'm really glad I didn't pay for it. I wanted to email her and just give her some constructive, like, criticism. I realized later that she had a mental break. She was actually featured in a couple, in a couple places for doing illegal things because of her psychotic break. And so because of her psychosis, she thought she was a successful printable business owner who'd made a million dollars and she was not.

[Jen]

So telling everybody that everybody would believe her. No reason to not. No way to really verify. No. Crazy.

[Jill]

Yeah. So that was the closest I've been to being scammed from marketing that I can remember off the top of my head. Again, I think I'm dumb on the Internet and I assume that I don't know and I just go along with it.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

So that is. That's my story. And I hope that this episode has helped you avoid some potential scams and you can be that real life person that helps other people avoid scams.

[Jen]

It doesn't stop with you avoiding scams. You need to also help others to avoid scams. It takes a team and a community. Thank you all so much for listening. We love being a part of your community and we love reading your kind reviews on the book, which that's not a scam.

[Jill]

We actually wrote a book that you.

[Jen]

Can buy and here's an example of a review on our book from Teagan. Five stars says buy what you love without going broke is unlike other personal finance books. I've read and only in good ways. Jen and Jill wrote this book to show the work on the things you can do without selling a course or coaching program like so many to achieve your goals using values based spending instructions, stories, applicable statistics and funny anecdotes are sprinkled throughout the knowledge they present on simplifying finances and life for average people and families. I love their focus on community and contentment. A quote from the book she loved we can buy when we can buy ourselves out of our problems. What happens to belonging, sharing, knowing and supporting? With the new but much needed trend on social media of under consumption along with more people trying out no spend challenges, this book is perfectly timed and could make such an impact on anyone's life. I am a longtime listener to Frugal Friends podcast and this book conveys the foundational messages of many of the episodes.

[Jill]

Yes. Thank you so much Tegan. This is so nice to hear and and I'm really glad that our listeners have been jiving with the book. I want everybody to jive with it, but it is truly a love letter for anybody who enjoys the podcast that I think you will enjoy and get a lot out of the book and it'll save you some time. You won't have to listen to 500 other episodes. You can just read the book and get the gist.

[Jen]

Yeah. And if you liked the book, please leave us a review. If you like this podcast, please leave us a rating and review and we'll see you next time.

[Jill]

Bye. Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni. So this episode releases on June 6, which is 0606 I I graduated high school in 2006 and I remember after I graduated I went on a Europe trip with some people from it was like school sponsored. But we left on June 6, 2006.

[Jen]

Wow. And it's about to be in a year. 0606 26.

[Jill]

Right. But I remember being on a plane over the ocean on 666.

[Jen]

And you're like this feels right.

[Jill]

I live to tell the tale.

[Jen]

Wow. You graduated high school two years before me.

[Jill]

I graduated high school a year early, so I know I'm only three months older than you.

[Jen]

Yeah. And my parents held me back so I graduated a little bit later.

[Jill]

So that's how we got there.

[Jen]

Yeah. Wow.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Similar age, but you're just. You just got work done so much faster than me and that's why I fall for scams in Utah.

[Jill]

Wow. That's. I guess, I guess like that, but wow.

[Jen]

Well, happy June.

[Tom Brokaw]

Horsepower. Zero to 60 times. These are among the benchmarks when considering a new vehicle. But Lexus believes there are some things, immeasurable things that matter more Awe. Exhilaration. Joy. How a cabin feels like it was crafted with you in mind. The way an engine note resonates with your soul. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing. That's the standard of amazing Lexus experience. Amazing.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons N Safeway this spring, Stock up on all your personal care favorites and earn four times points. Now through June 17, shop in store online for deals on all your favorite personal care items like Pantene Shampoo, Native Body Spray Deodorant, Secret Body Spray, Venus Razors, Always Pads, Head and Shoulder Shampoo and Native deodorant and earn 4 times points. Then use those points for discounts on groceries or fuel. You don't want to miss these deals. Offer ends June 17th. Promotions may vary. Restrictions apply. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Jen]

Behind every successful business is a vision. Bringing it to life takes more than effort. It takes the right financial foundation and support. That's where Chase for Business comes in. With convenient digital tools, helpful resources and personalized guidance, we can help your business forge ahead confidently. Learn [e-mail] business chase for business make.

[Jill]

More of what's yours the Chase Mobile.

[Jen]

App is available for select mobile devices.

[Jill]

Message and data rates may apply. J.P. morgan Chase Bank NA Member FDIC.

[Jen]

Copyright 2025 J.P. morgan Chase & Co.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You're great at protecting your own personal information. You probably even use things like two factor authentication, strong passwords and a vpn. But as much as you try to be in control of how your information is protected, there are lots of places that also have it, and they might not be as careful as you are. That's why LifeLock monitors millions of data points every second for identity threats. If your identity is stolen, a LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus, all LifeLock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning LifeLock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan. If you lose money due to identity theft, you might not be able to control how others handle your personal information, but you can help protect it with LifeLock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELock and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.

[Jill]

This is an iheart podcast.