top of page
Scam Alerts
The scams I'm tracking and taking down, from fake tech-support pop-ups to YouTube lures and phishing emails, and how to spot them before they spot you.
The Video Is the Bait: How YouTube Scam Lures Work, and How I'm Cutting Them Off
"Free" game cheats, cracked software, and crypto trading bots on YouTube often hide malware. Here's how these lures work, the red flags to watch for, what to do if you already clicked, and how I cut off nearly 800 of them this week.
Jay Maier
20 hours ago6 min read
How to Spot a Fake Tech-Support Pop-Up or Phone Call
A frozen screen, a scary warning, and a phone number to call. Or a friendly caller from "Windows Support." Here's how to spot fake tech-support scams, what to do when one appears, and how to recover if you've already engaged.
Jay Maier
Aug 275 min read
Don't Take the Bait: What Everyone Needs to Know About Phishing
Suspicious emails, fake delivery texts, and calls from "Microsoft" are all phishing. Here's what phishing is, how it grew from 1990s AOL scams into AI-powered attacks, how to spot it, and what to do if you've been phished.
Jay Maier
May 266 min read
I Traced a Single Phishing Email to a 188-Domain Criminal Operation Across Four Countries
A DocuSign phishing email from a real insurance agent's hacked account fooled me, an IT professional with 30+ years of experience. Two-factor authentication saved my account. Then I traced the attacker to 188 domains across four countries.
Jay Maier
May 169 min read
bottom of page