Hacking Humans – "It's Just Too Good to Be True"

Podcast: Hacking Humans, N2K Networks
Date: January 8, 2026
Hosts: Dave Bittner, Joe Kerrigan, Maria Varmazes
Theme: Deception, influence, and social engineering in cybercrime

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode of Hacking Humans focuses on the latest trends in social engineering, deception, and scams—particularly those preying on people during high-travel seasons, exploiting victims’ emotions, and attempting tax fraud. It mixes serious warnings with lighter moments, including a dive into AI-driven travel scams, a heart-wrenching story of charity exploitation, IRS tax scam tips, and a “Jason Momoa” scammer scambait session.

HIGHLIGHTS & KEY POINTS

1. Celebrations & Lighthearted Updates

• [00:45] SANS Institute’s “Difference Maker Award” is presented to Dave, with the team joking about editing and the glamorous reality of podcast production.
  • “I've built a career on other people's ability to edit me down, to make me sound like I can string a few words together.” – Dave [01:34]
• [02:23] Joe provides a "Chicken update" (the name of the rooster: Diesel) and debates local regulations.
• Tone: Warm, humorous, personal anecdotes transition to the core content.

2. Scams & Social Engineering in Holiday Travel

Segment Start: [06:05]

Travel Scam Explosion

• [06:11] Maria shares that the US Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and FTC/FBI have warned of a 500-900% increase in reported travel scams in 18 months, especially on booking.com.
• The spike is attributed to AI-generated scam listings, “slop” flooding the market.
  • “What do you think would be possibly contributing to such a massive increase… I just dropped a giant hint in my phrase.” – Maria [07:12]
  • “How does it end with an A, begin with an A, and end with an I?” – Dave [07:22]
  • “Yes, yes, yes, it is indeed AI causing all this slop.” – Maria [07:31]

Common Travel Scam Angles

• Fake Flight Notifications: Texts pretending a booked flight is canceled, urging victims to call a fake number, leading to data and money theft [08:12].
  • “They take your financial information and scam you out of your money.” – Maria [07:53]
• Impersonation & Info Leak Risks: Scammers appear to know travelers’ real flight info.
• Booking.com and Third-Party Listing Scams: AI-driven fake or vague vacation listings, luring pre-bookers—dangerous for major travel seasons [09:45].
  • Joe warns, “These companies need to get this under control or this is going to become a business liability to them.” [10:24]
• Vacation Rental Scams: Spoofed or nonexistent vacation properties, increasing payment requests via wire or crypto [11:30].
  • “Pay us in wire transfer or cryptocurrency—those are humongous red flags.” – Maria [11:46]

Notable Advice

• Use official airline/hotel apps whenever possible
• Don’t click links from unknown sources; contact providers directly
• If victimized, report to reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Memorable quote: "AI is making everything worse. So please be careful." – Maria [12:41]

3. Dangers of Oversharing & Phishing

Segment Start: [12:45]

• Posting boarding passes online: Dave recounts a story of a pundit who had their flight canceled by trolls who accessed their info from a shared boarding pass [13:06].
  • “Evidently, there's enough information on a boarding pass that people were able to go in and cancel this person's flight.” – Dave [13:19]
  • Advice: Stop posting personal travel info or boarding passes on social media [13:33].

4. Charity Crowdfunding Scam Exploiting Sick Children (BBC Investigation)

Segment Start: [14:33]

Disturbing Case Study

• The Khalil Story: A video of a sick 7-year-old boy, Khalil, is staged by a film crew—his mother is convinced donations will help his treatment, but only a token is paid while the rest is pocketed.
  • “A whistleblower told the BBC that recruiters were told to look for beautiful children between 3 and 9 years old without hair.” – Dave [18:47]
• Scam Outline: Emotional, English-language scripts, staged suffering, coordinated GoFundMe campaigns, high production value; parents receive little or nothing, donations misappropriated.
  • “It's blood money. And I can't disagree with that.” – Dave quoting a victim mother [19:30]

Wider Impact

• Victimizes both desperate families and well-meaning donors
• Erodes faith in legitimate charitable appeals
• “Part of what breaks my heart about this is that it makes people more cynical about giving to legitimate needs.” – Dave [21:31]

Advice

• Donate only to local or reputable national organizations with a proven track record [22:01]
• Approach viral charitable appeals with skepticism

5. IRS Tax Scams

Segment Start: [27:09]

Common Tactics & Red Flags

• Joe discusses new IRS scam guidance at the start of tax season.
  • Big promised paydays or bad advice: False claims about tax refunds or deductions [28:43]
  • Demands or threats: IRS impersonators demand immediate payment—sometimes threaten arrest or deportation [30:32]
  • “They don't want you in jail… they want you to continue working, and worst comes to worst, they will attach your wages.” – Joe [31:24]
• IRS Contact Methods:
  • First contact is almost always by postal mail
  • IRS doesn’t ask for payment via social media, gift cards, or cryptocurrency [34:49]
  • Only goes to irs.gov (never odd links or social media)
  • May send emails only with permission, rare exceptions (e.g., criminal investigations) [33:46]
• Advice:
  • If contacted, remain calm; real IRS representatives are generally professional (Dave shares his own audit story [37:09])
  • Don’t trust demands for crypto or wire payments
  • When in doubt, consult a tax professional

6. Catch of the Day: The “Jason Momoa” Scammer

Segment Start: [40:53]

The Scambait Conversation

• The hosts perform a dramatic reading of an online scammer impersonating actor Jason Momoa, attempting to build rapport and eventually move the conversation to a less traceable app (Zangi).
  • “Thank you for your love and unflinching support towards my movie industry...” – “Jason” (scammer) [41:22]
  • “Do you have Zangi? I do like us to communicate better in private.” – “Jason” (scammer) [45:31]
• Script is filled with awkward, generic compliments and copying ChatGPT-like motivational lines.
  • “I'm a fun loving man. Jovial, lovely and passionate. I think of myself as being clever but harmless.” – “Jason” (scammer) [42:53]

Hosts’ Reactions

• Maria: “Not exactly the words of a humble person…” [43:47]
• Joe: “They keep using the term openness or open and openness. I’m wondering if that’s like some kind of hypnotic thing…” [47:12]
• Dave: Entertains the idea that real Jason Momoa should come on the show to talk celebrity impersonation scams

NOTABLE QUOTES

• “AI is making everything worse. So please be careful.” – Maria [12:41]
• “It’s blood money. And I can't disagree with that.” – Dave [19:30]
• “I'm still shocked by the disgusting depths to which these people will go for a buck, you know?” – Joe [19:39]
• “Don't lie on a tax form.” – Joe [29:54]
• “IRS will not call you with an automated message that threatens, then directs to websites that aren't IRS.gov.” – Joe [36:14]
• “Thank you for your love and unflinching support towards my movie industry.” – “Jason” scammer [41:22]
• “I think of myself as being clever but harmless. I'm supporting, caring. I own a thesaurus.” – “Jason” scammer [43:06]

TIMESTAMPS FOR MAJOR SEGMENTS

• Award & Chicken Updates: 00:45 – 05:07
• Travel Scam Alert: 06:05 – 12:43
• Boarding Pass Oversharing Story: 12:45 – 14:33
• Charity Scam Exposé: 14:33 – 26:06
• IRS Tax Scams: 27:09 – 40:36
• Catch of the Day – Jason Momoa scam: 40:53 – 48:19

TONE & ATMOSPHERE

• The episode blends sobering, sometimes disturbing scam stories with practical advice and genuine camaraderie, interspersed with humor and banter, especially in the “Catch of the Day” segment.

CONCLUDING REMINDERS

• Always verify before acting on travel, charity, or tax-related communications.
• Use official websites and contacts.
• Report scams to the FTC.
• Approach emotional appeals—especially for donations—with healthy skepticism.
• Don’t overshare travel information online.
• “If it’s just too good to be true—it usually is.”

LISTENER TAKEAWAYS

• Scams are evolving rapidly with AI, especially around holidays.
• Emotional manipulation is at the core of the most damaging scams.
• Staying vigilant, skeptical, and verifying sources is your best defense against social engineering.