I met someone tonight who was the target of a sophisticated social engineering scam. I’ve seen a lot over the years, but this one was still kind of shocking. It involved an in-person con artist, a fake exchange, and a life-altering of money. Based on what I could figure out from the conversation, there were a lot of victims involved, and there’s also a language and culture element that would probably make it a difficult crime to report and solve. I didn’t have much useful advice to offer.
All that just to say: Don’t trust, verify.