Scams and Frauds
Strangers are no longer your only problem. Moreover, celebrities and ‘influencers’ are now bankrupting you, financially and even morally. Society has always been a cesspool of degenerates, but made worse by the introduction of social media platforms and pseudo celebrities like Meghan Markle.
“Ponzi” is what we refer to as financial scams, named after Charles Ponzi the Italian swindler in the 1920s. These schemes continue, but they now involve celebrities, financial pundits and “influencers”. This combination makes it worse. Would you trust paid spokespeople like Jennifer Lopez, Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady or Gisele Bündchen? What about Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid involved with promoting Fyre Festival, which imploded into a social media scam?
Bears Sterns was once a trusted company who went under in 2008 during the housing meltdown. They notably praised Enron, without doing any due diligence. Additionally, no one was looking at Bernie Madoff, not even A-List celebrities who cared more for double digit returns. Further, no “legitimate” broker or financial consultant can “promise” that. Now Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX is the latest “cautionary tale”.
The problem with all these examples are that people haven’t learned. Instead, they chase fame, the money and the glory. And collect the fake likes and follows. However, what they should have done was due diligence. They should have been the Defenders of the Public Trust and Rights.
Scams & Frauds: FTX Sam Bankman-Fried Money Scheme
GB Media | 9th November 2022
Black Lives Matter Via ActBlue 2.0? US Republican PAC received upwards of $4M from Co-CEO Ryan Salame who launched, “American Dream Federal Action”. However, the “lion-share of donations went to elect Joe Biden in 2020 and to bolster Democrats mid-term in 2022. Gabrielle Bourne Media will continue to follow the money and update, as needed.
WALLETS EXPLAINED
Whilst Gabrielle Bourne Media does not advise on investment matters, here is something of significant note. FTX created their FTT tokens “out of thin air” meaning, it never existed. Some Investors also kept their digital “hot” wallets on the exchange, which was custodial in nature. In addition, any private key to access the account was part of the exchange.
Here is the cautionary tale. The Exchange is a custodial account. That means you don’t really own it. Moreover, Cryptocurrencies are NOT SIPC or FDIC insured.
One of the safest ways to secure Bitcoins and Crypto is in a cold wallet or paper wallet. However, it is always best to create barriers. Be aware that the internet is not your friend. Don’t be daft and don’t “live” on social media. For these reasons, GB Equity Investments rely on encrypted verification and systems not associated with the internet. On the short, these wallets may be less “convenient” but on the long, they are the most secure ways to safe guard your cryptocurrencies against hacks and theft. ~ GB Equity Investments
$1BUSD Pledge to Democrats
Connect the Dots: FTX + Bankman-Fried + Ukraine + US Dems 🤔🤥
Connect the Dots: S.E.C. + Alameda + FTX
Scams and Frauds – Phishing and Spoofing
Stay alert and be smart to the scams and frauds every year. Additionally, recognise the two common scenarios used by thieves, phishing and spoofing ploys. Phishing rhymes with fishing, but you are the catch. Please take note that Hackers dangle the bate — by whatever means necessary — to reel you in.
The only way not to fall prey is to be proactive and not to react. In other words, give scammers the opposite of what they want. They want that knee jerk reaction, so they can get you to pay them. So don’t give in to them. Think of it this way, the whole point of sending an email, text or even calls that sound “life threatening” is to get a reaction out of you. So don’t give them a reaction. Instead, use your spam filters, block features and report phishing. You can also forward these messages to Google and Apple.
The phishing and spoofing scammer’s main objective is to get your money, account information and personal data. They start by sending a “notice” that looks legit, but it’s FAKE. The first line of an email or text tries to establish trust. It might have the name of a real person, i.e. “Joe Miller”. The next line will have a legitimate email address, i.e. info@domainregistration.com. The rest of the email is all made up.
In 2020, Carter Newhouse, our tenacious phishing expert penned an exciting thriller called ‘To Catch a Phish’. He loves fishing for PHISH. The new edition is out and will undoubtedly become an instant best seller! In this edition, Newhouse tracks down “Joe Miller” the chameleon PHISH. This scammer has been using the same ploy. No imagination! Creativity is not their strong suit. The payment links are always to some FAKE domain address. It really is that obvious.
Scams & Frauds: Optus HACK Compilation
Optus hack exposes laws leaving millions of Aussies vulnerable to data breaches.
Don’t answer the door to strangers
The old adage applies here too. Never open the door to strangers. Never answer a call from a number you don’t know. Don’t automatically respond to texts. Whilst we have more control in our homes, we have less control on the internet. That’s because it’s a cesspool. Treat it like one.
Here’s what’s in store
The New Year will bring a Fresh Start. In addition, check out what’s in store. Interested in connecting with us? Contact us.
