the initial clue is when you discover that someone has accessed one of your accounts. You’re focused on your details and cannot pinpoint the issue, but you made one mistake: reusing some passwords.
Even if a password is altered to include numbers and symbols, reusing the same base word can still provide an opening for criminals to gain access to your account.
Ethical “white hat” hacker Brandin Murtagh explains that information leaked through data breaches from sites like Dropbox and Tumblr, as well as cyberattacks, has been circulating on the internet for quite a while.
Hackers often obtain passwords and check if they work on other sites, a practice known as credential stuffing.
In some instances, hackers not only attempt the exact passwords from the compromised data but also try variants of those passwords to access accounts.
A Virgin Media O2 study found that four out of five people use the same or nearly identical passwords across their online accounts.
Using slightly modified passwords, such as Guardian1 instead of Guardian, creates an inviting opportunity for hackers to breach online accounts, warns Murtagh.
Collaborating with Virgin Media O2, he demonstrates to volunteers how effortlessly passwords can be traced with just an email address, often yielding results in mere minutes.
A spokesperson from Virgin Media O2 stated: “Human behavior is quite predictable. Criminals can utilize one password and then simply add a period or exclamation point at the end.”
What does fraud look like?
Criminals utilize a series of automated processes—scripts on computers that execute password variations to attempt access to additional accounts. This can occur on an industrial scale, according to Murtagh.
“It’s uncommon to be targeted as an individual; you’re typically caught in groups of thousands being targeted. These operations scale like a business,” he explains.
You may receive a warning message indicating a change to your email address or other account details.
What to do
Change the password to something distinct from the previous variants. Murtagh suggests focusing on the four most important accounts: banking, email, work-related, and mobile.
Utilize a password manager, often integrated into web browsers. For instance, Apple provides an iCloud Keychain, while Android offers Google Password Manager, both of which can generate and store complex passwords securely.
Implement two-factor authentication or multifactor authentication (2FA or MFA), which adds an additional layer of security by requiring two steps to log into the site.
WAfter arriving in Bangkok from Nairobi last December, Duncan Okindo sensed something was amiss as he began his job as a customer service agent. The 26-year-old had previously sold cattle, borrowed funds from a friend, and used his savings to pay the recruitment agency 200,000 Kenyan Shillings (£1,150).
“I thought it was a positive step to leave [the country] and seek opportunities to support my family,” Okindo recalls.
Unfortunately, when a van collected Okindo and six other Kenyans at the airport, the driver took their passports and falsely informed Thai officials that they were tourists. After several hours of travel, they were taken to a boat to cross a river, confused and exhausted.
For the next three months, he was forced to send thousands of messages from fake social media accounts, posing as a wealthy American investor to defraud U.S. real estate agents through cryptocurrency scams.
When he failed to hit his daily targets, he faced beatings, confinement in a freezing room, and sometimes went without food for up to two days. He prayed for the safety of others who suffered at the hands of the Chinese gangsters operating the center, wishing they could avoid the electrocution and sexual torture he witnessed.
“It was hell on Earth,” says Okindo. “I felt completely shattered.”
Eventually, he was released from Myanmar’s KK Park, a compound reflecting the rising number of Kenyans, Ugandans, and Ethiopians trafficked to Southeast Asia as criminal organizations look to expand the East African labor pool.
KK Park is a rapidly growing fraud center located in Myawadi, along Myanmar’s border with Thailand. Photo: Jittrapon Kaicome/The Guardian
Since the 2021 coup in Myanmar, there’s been a surge in cyber slavery compounds, taking advantage of the country’s weakened governance and fostering illegal activities. The number of such centers along the Thai border has escalated from 11 to 26 in just four years.
Okindo considers himself fortunate. The mission to find and free trafficked individuals involves coordination among multiple governments, militias, and police forces. Thai officials have successfully promoted the release of thousands of trafficking victims, while East African governments are increasingly collaborating with Thai authorities willing to engage with Myanmar’s junta and militia forces at the border.
Victims can only be released into Thai custody if their home country agrees to take responsibility for their repatriation and the associated costs.
Since 2020, the Southeast Asian cyberslavery industry has ensnared hundreds of thousands, forcing individuals into what is colloquially termed “slaughtering the pigs,” a brutal way to build trust with scam targets before executing fraud. Initially aimed at Chinese and Taiwanese victims, the industry has expanded to Southeast Asians, Indians, and now, Africans.
“Sometimes I’m afraid to talk about it,” Okindo reflects. Photo: Provided by Duncan Okindo
This has led various human trafficking networks to search for recruits with English and technical skills, including East Africans. Estimates now suggest thousands are trapped in Southeast Asian compounds, according to Benedict Hoffman, a representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
As awareness grows among citizens in various countries, recruitment becomes increasingly challenging. “It’s much harder these days to enlist large numbers of individuals from India,” Hoffmann notes. “This is why we’re observing a rise in victims from Africa.”
Between January and April, the Kenyan government successfully repatriated 175 citizens from Myanmar; Roseline Njogu, the Director of the Diaspora Issues Department in Kenya’s State Department, noted that a substantial group of Kenyans, about 150 individuals trafficked from across Southeast Asia, was rescued between 2022 and 2024. This issue also extends to Ethiopia and Uganda.
Recruiters exploiting modern slavery are capitalizing on government migration promotion, targeting Kenya through online job advertisements, social media, texts, and in-person visits to rural areas, states Mutuk Nguri, CEO of the Counter Human Traffic Trust.
Chinese, Vietnamese, and Ethiopians rescued in Misawadi, Myanmar. They are recognized as victims of human trafficking at fraud centers. Photo: Thanaphon Wuttison/AP
The government acknowledges its precarious position, according to Nguri. The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Issues did not respond to requests for comments.
Thailand has aided thousands, but repatriation presents its own challenges and costs. Thai officials must establish that workers are indeed victims of human trafficking before releasing them to their home countries.
When Susan Wahura* was rescued from a Myanmar romance scam operation in 2022, she spent a month moving between four Thai detention centers before realizing she was trafficked and initiating legal steps to obtain freedom.
“I spent time in a solitary cell before accepting my status as a trafficking victim which ultimately led to my freedom,” shares 32-year-old Wahura.
Neither Uganda nor Ethiopia maintain embassies in Thailand, complicating their ability to identify victims in Myanmar, currently engulfed in civil conflict. Earlier this year, several Ugandans and Ethiopians found themselves stranded at the Myanmar-Thai border as repatriation efforts stalled.
Duncan Okindo has created a TikTok video detailing his trafficking experiences in Myanmar, aiming to raise awareness about predatory agencies and bogus job offers. Photo: Carlos Mureithi/The Guardian
The fraud syndicate is exploiting vulnerabilities in East Africa’s diplomatic representation to deter victims from seeking help, asserts Jason Tower, a global initiative against transnational organized crime.
“Ultimately, that’s the objective of the scam syndicate—to transform individuals into profit-generating machines, acting as high-capacity con artists,” states Tower.
Nevertheless, despite repatriation efforts by East African nations, deceptive recruitment agencies keep advertising fake job opportunities. Both Okindo and Wahura continue to share guardian messages with Kenyans contemplating moves to Southeast Asia.
In May, Okindo, who holds a mass communication diploma, filed a lawsuit against the recruitment agency and its staff, accusing them of conscription into slavery and human trafficking. A Nairobi court has issued a temporary injunction preventing the overseas employment of labor.
Since his return, Okindo has spoken publicly about his experiences through television, TikTok, and other social media outlets, connecting stranded victims with legal support, aid organizations, and ambassadors for their recovery.
His aim is to raise awareness about malicious institutions and false job opportunities while encouraging victims to seek justice.
“I’ve enlightened many individuals,” he asserts. “Though I sometimes feel scared discussing it, I share my story, knowing that speaking out could help save others.”
oThe NA shelf between the Alexander McQueen shoes, Louis Vuitton handbags and Versace heels in the police evidence room is an 18-inch machete and a serrated zombie knife. According to DCI Paul Curtis, the tools needed to achieve that are in addition to expensive fashion purchased along with serious fraud revenue.
“These are serious criminals, and for some reason they felt the need to have these to protect themselves,” he says. Another tool is “Sim Farms” purchased from Dark Web. This is used by scammers to send many text messages at once. Laptop stack. Mobile phone and payment card reader.
The corruption of tools and crime comes from raids led by dedicated card and payment crime unit (DCPCU). observer I visited this month. Taking responsibility for revealing payment fraud across the country and charging the perpetrators, London and a group of police officers from the metropolitan police are at the forefront of the fight against fraud.
DCI Paul Curtis says fraud is “underreported and causes great harm.”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that 40% of crimes are fraud-related. It places the amount lost to billions of people each year. Revealing the criminals behind payment fraud is a difficult struggle.
There are many problems. Criminals are often based overseas and take advantage of the constant advancement in technology that dupes victims. But one difficulty is simple and common. This means that people are so embarrassed that they fell for fraud that they can’t mention it to those around them. “It’s underreported and causes great harm,” Curtis says. “And the harm is not just financial.” Victims can lose their sense of self-confidence and create mental health issues, which can even lead to suicide.
“It’s really challenging to overcome people’s own embarrassment and shame,” he says. “It’s about getting comfort and communicating to people from that network around you, like from your family. [and] From your social network. And if people have that support, it can be very empowering to them [they can] They then report and engage with law enforcement. ”
Guardian Recently, we have revealed details of sophisticated mercenary tactics used by scammers in an elaborate business based in Tblisi, Georgia. Many were called again and again by criminals, and more and more persuaded to hand over money.
Curtis says criminals in fraud cases use similar methods to criminals who are sexual predators when grooming victims. “It works exactly the same as a scammer. They have to build confidence with the victim. They have to build that trust. So this may not be a quick process to become a victim of a scam,” he says.
Louis Vuitton’s bag was seized in the assault
Technological advances present a continuing problem with the DCPCU. Money can now travel across borders at a much faster rate than before, leaving it out of reach of law enforcement, and ads for fake investment vehicles are often praised for being supported by celebrities like those that happened in MoneySavingexpert’s Martin Lewis.
According to Bendaldson, managing director of economic crime for the UK Finance Association, a banking organization that funds the DCPCU, artificial intelligence can use patterns to create text, images or videos on existing data – the development of a generation AI that gives criminals new opportunities.
“I think it gives [criminals] There are a variety of features they didn’t have before, and… some of this technology is easy to use and easy to use.
“It’s much easier to do that [fraud] In a very convincing way [as] There are now a variety of capabilities available to criminals, changing the nature of the threat. Admission bar [with] That type of technology is always low,” Donaldson says.
Which of the UK’s finances and consumer groups this month? I wrote a joint letter to the British government They ask technology companies to “robust action” to offset the increased costs of fraud.
Donaldson says the majority of approved push payments (APP) scams involve training someone to voluntarily send money from a bank account. The decision announced in January to remove fact checkers and reduce censorship by Facebook raises concerns that it will make it even easier for criminals to exploit people, he says.
Police are seeking more effective user verification to prevent criminals from operating anonymously, and to share more information that can identify them.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, says it has begun mutual exchanges of fraudulent information. This allows banks to share information about fraud. This has deleted 20,000 accounts. Tiktok says each request for data from police will be investigated and evaluated before data is disclosed.
So, when scams swell and come to people through emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, and many social media channels, what can people do to stay safe?
Donaldson handles your personal information the same way you handle keys in your home. “Please do not hand over any aspect of your personal information unless you trust someone with the door key.”
exterior: The cable that connects to your phone and connects to your home.
I haven’t had a landline phone for years. Oh, young whipsnapper! You are really missing out.
What exactly? So many! Give your complete phone number to the caller when you answer the phone, and lock yourself in a room where all family members can clearly hear your side of the conversation. It’s the best.
I don’t think it’s the best. You won’t understand. My landline still receives a lot of calls.
From whom? Oh, all my new friends. This is the man who promised to give him millions of pounds in return for loaning him 10,000 pounds. The woman at the bank who kept asking for all my personal information. They are all very nice works.
I don’t want to say it, but this is what I think Maybe you are being deceived. Yes, you are almost certainly being scammed. It has recently been discovered that more than half of all calls are made to landlines. It’s from a scammer.
why? That may be because fraudulent numbers are harder to screen and block on landlines than on mobile phones. It may be because someone who legitimately wants to talk to you just rings your cell phone. Or maybe it’s because it’s mainly older people who have landlines these days.
How is it related? Scammers famously like to target the elderly, with 80% of seniors owning a landline, compared to only 50% of 18-29 year olds. Because it is.
So if you’re a scammer and you dial a landline… You’re more likely to get a kind senior who may not realize you’re about to empty your bank account.
terrible. This must be the end of landline telephones. Landlines are now coveted by Gen Z, so don’t talk too soon.
why? It looks like a cassette player and is retro and cool. Listen, if you’re 20 years old, you’ve probably lived your entire life using your cell phone as your laptop, camera, book and food ordering system. Isn’t it refreshing that it can only be used as a phone?
Ah, I see. It’s imaginary nostalgia. Maybe it will stick. After all, nothing makes a phone conversation more enjoyable than the actual phone call.
Wait a minute, what do you mean by conversation? when talking to someone.
Via text? No, it’s from your mouth.
I in fact you would have to Do you want to tell someone? Vocally? By phone? that teeth my biggest fear. Well, you might die alone with that kind of attitude, but the good news is you’ll never get scammed.
Please say: “Landline phone users are more susceptible to fraud.”
Please don’t say things like: “But please give us all your bank account details and we will tell the scammers to stop.”
A scammer calls and asks for a passcode, leaving Malcolm, an older man with a British accent, confused.
“What business are you talking about?” Malcolm asks.
Again, I received a scam call.
This time, Ibrahim, cooperative and polite with an Egyptian accent, answered the phone. “To be honest, I can’t really remember if I’ve bought anything recently,” he told the scammer. “Maybe one of my kids did,” Ibrahim continued, “but it’s not your fault, is it?”
Scammers are real, but Malcolm and Ibrahim aren’t. They’re just two of the conversational artificial intelligence bots created by Professor Dali Kaafar and his team, who founded Apate, named after the Greek goddess of deception, through his research at Macquarie University.
Apetto’s goal is to use conversational AI to eradicate phone fraud worldwide, leveraging existing systems that allow telecommunications companies to redirect calls when they identify them as coming from scammers.
Kafal was inspired to strike back at phone scammers after he told a “dad joke” to the caller in front of his two children as they enjoyed a picnic in the sun. His pointless chatter kept the scammer on the line. “The kids had a good laugh,” Kafal says. “I thought the goal was to trick them so they would waste their time and not talk to other people.
“In other words, we’re scamming the scammers.”
The next day, he called in his team from the university’s Cybersecurity Hub. He figured there had to be a better way than his dad joke approach — and something smarter than a popular existing technology: Lennybot.
Before Malcolm and Ibrahim, there was Lenny.
Lenny is a rambling, elderly Australian man who loves to chatter away. He’s a chatbot designed to poke fun at telemarketers.
Lenny’s anonymous creator posted this on Reddit. They say they created the chatbot as “a telemarketer’s worst nightmare… a lonely old man who wants to chat and is proud of his family, but can’t focus on the telemarketer’s purpose.” The act of tying up scammers is called scamming.
Apate bot to the rescue
Australian telecommunications companies have blocked almost 2 billion scam calls since December 2020.
Thanks to $720,000 in funding from the Office of National Intelligence, the “victim chatbots” could now number in the hundreds of thousands, too many to name individually. The bots are of different “ages,” speak English with different accents, and exhibit a range of emotions, personalities, and reactions; sometimes naive, sometimes skeptical, sometimes rude.
Once a carrier detects a fraudster and routes them to a system like Apate, bots go to work to keep them busy. The bots try different strategies and learn what works to keep fraudsters on the phone line longer. Through successes and failures, the machines fine-tune their patterns.
This way, they can collect information such as the length of calls, the times of day when scammers are likely to call, what information they are after, and the tactics they are using, and extract the information to detect new scams.
Kafal hopes Apate will disrupt the call fraud business model, which is often run by large, multi-billion-dollar criminal organizations. The next step will be to use the information it collects to proactively warn of scams and take action in real time.
“We’re talking about real criminals who are making our lives miserable,” Kafal said. “We’re talking about the risks to real people.”
“Sometimes people lose their life savings, have difficulty living due to debt, and sometimes suffer mental trauma. [by] shame.”
Richard Buckland, a cybercrime professor at the University of New South Wales, said techniques like Apate were different to other types of fraud, some of which were amateurish or amounted to vigilante fraud.
“Usually fraud is problematic,” he said, “but this is sophisticated.”
He says mistakes can happen when individuals go it alone.
“You can go after the wrong person,” he said. Many scams are perpetrated by people in near-slave-like conditions, “and they’re not bad people,” he said.
“[And] “Some of the fraudsters are going even further and trying to enforce the law themselves, either by hacking back or engaging with them. That’s a problem.”
But the Apate model appears to be using AI for good, as a kind of “honeypot” to lure criminals and learn from them, he says.
Buckland warns that false positives happen everywhere, so telcos need a high level of confidence that only fraudsters are directing AI bots, and that criminal organisations could use anti-fraud AI technology to train their own systems.
“The same techniques used to deceive scammers can be used to deceive people,” he says.
Scamwatch is run by the National Anti-Fraud Centre (NASC) under the auspices of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and an ACCC spokesman said scammers often impersonate well-known organisations and use fake legitimate phone numbers.
“Criminals create a sense of urgency to encourage their targeted victims to act quickly,” the spokesperson said, “often trying to convince victims to give up personal or bank details or provide remote access to their computers.”
“Criminals may already have detailed information about their targeted victims, such as names and addresses, obtained or purchased illegally through data breaches, phishing or other scams.”
This week Scamwatch had to issue a warning about what appears to be a meth scam.
Scammers claiming to be NASC officials were calling innocent people and saying they were under investigation for allegedly engaging in fraud.
Meanwhile, there is a thriving community of scammers online, and Lenny remains one of their cult heroes.
One memorable recording shows Lenny asking a caller to wait a moment. Ducks start quacking in the background. “Sorry,” Lenny says. “What were you talking about?”
“Are you near the computer?” the caller asks impatiently. “Do you have a computer? Can you come by the computer right now?”
Lenny continues until the conman loses his mind. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.”
“Can we wait a little longer?” Lennie asked, as the ducks began quacking again.
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