A game of loans.
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In this episode of Hacking Humans, hosts Dave Bittner, Joe Kerrigan, and guest Michelle Kellerman explore a range of social engineering scams and systemic vulnerabilities. The episode opens with a lighthearted segment on chicken psychology, where Joe shares his experience taming an aggressive rooster using a submissive handling technique, highlighting how even seemingly simple animal behavior involves complex social dynamics. The main stories focus on high-profile fraud schemes: a $19.8 million loan scam involving NFL and NBA prospects, where two men impersonated athletes using fake identities, wigs, and fabricated financial documents; a predatory scam targeting families of recently incarcerated individuals, exploiting their emotional distress and lack of legal knowledge; and a critical examination of Amazon’s self-published 'Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report,' which the hosts question for its lack of transparency, context, and verifiable metrics despite claims of AI-driven fraud detection and counterfeit suppression. The episode closes with a satirical 'catch of the day' from Reddit, a scammer impersonating Paul McCartney using fake social media tactics, underscoring the enduring human vulnerability to impersonation and emotional manipulation.
Scammers exploit emotional vulnerability—especially during crises like incarceration or family distress—by offering false hope and urgent solutions.
Impersonation scams in high-stakes environments (like professional sports) are possible even with strict eligibility criteria, revealing systemic gaps in identity verification.
Corporate self-reports on trust and security often lack transparency and meaningful metrics, making it hard to assess real effectiveness.
Even trusted platforms like Amazon have significant issues with counterfeit goods, misleading product claims, and poor enforcement, despite public-facing claims.
Social engineering works best when it leverages pre-existing fears, trust in authority, and cognitive shortcuts—making education and skepticism essential.
Chicken Psychology and the Rooster Problem
Joe Kerrigan shares his experience taming an aggressive rooster using a submissive handling technique involving holding the bird upside down and petting it daily. The method, recommended by a listener, aims to establish human dominance and reduce aggression by mimicking natural chicken social dynamics.
The $19.8 Million Athlete Impersonation Scam
“These guys are probably going to do some time. I wonder how they got caught. Well, I was looking at the Sure Sports website... There are only a certain number of people that can get these loans. It seems like a really unusual path to fraud. Highly identifiable, highly traceable.”
Scammers Targeting Families of the Incarcerated
“The emotional duress is already there. They have to do next to nothing to make all the circumstances that are required to make somebody give money away. It already comes pre-installed into the situation.”
Amazon’s Trustworthy Shopping Report: Marketing or Reality?
“These numbers just mean nothing to me. I have no frame of reference for what these numbers mean. And do they list 10 trillion items on Amazon? Because we can't fathom the volume of what Amazon does.”
Catch of the Day: Paul McCartney Impersonation Scam
The episode concludes with a satirical reading of a Reddit post where a scammer impersonates Paul McCartney, using fake social media accounts and emotional manipulation to build trust. The host’s deadpan delivery highlights the absurdity and danger of such impersonation tactics.
“The emotional duress is already there. They have to do next to nothing to make all the circumstances that are required to make somebody give money away. It already comes pre-installed into the situation.”
“These guys are probably going to do some time. I wonder how they got caught. Well, I was looking at the Sure Sports website... There are only a certain number of people that can get these loans. It seems like a really unusual path to fraud. Highly identifiable, highly traceable.”
“These numbers just mean nothing to me. I have no frame of reference for what these numbers mean. And do they list 10 trillion items on Amazon? Because we can't fathom the volume of what Amazon does.”
Hosts
Guest
amazon
organization
michelle kellerman
person
joe kerrigan
person
dave bittner
person
threatlocker
organization
sure sports
organization
n2k
organization
paul mccartney
person
c.j. evans
person
luther davis
person
The fine print of fraud.
Hacking Humans • 41m • 4/2/2026
When “opportunity” knocks, don’t answer.
Hacking Humans • 49m • 4/9/2026
Who is winning the scam game?
Hacking Humans • 57m • 4/16/2026
SLAM, scam, thank you ma’am.
Hacking Humans • 51m • 4/23/2026
DeepFake it till you make it.
Hacking Humans • 46m • 5/7/2026
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