Agriculture sustains life. It is the foundation of communities and the backbone of many economies. Yet it has also become a growing target for fraud. Criminal networks and opportunistic scammers are exploiting the trust, urgency, and vulnerability that surround farming.

The text arrived without warning. 

“We are recruiting part-time content promotion assistants for Warner Bros. Discovery. Flexible hours, high pay. Reply for details.”

For someone searching for extra income, the offer felt timely, even promising. Remote work has become a lifeline for many, and here was a household entertainment name seemingly reaching out with opportunity.

Money mules have long been part of financial fraud schemes, moving illicit funds through bank accounts on behalf of organized crime. Today, the scheme has shifted from cash to cars, with unsuspecting people tricked into financing, registering, and moving high-value vehicles. Once involved, the victim becomes the donkey carrying the load while others profit.

Small businesses thrive on orders, and large orders often mean growth, higher revenue, and new opportunities, but that very trust is exactly what scammers exploit.

For artisans, markets and fairs serve as vital platforms that provide financial support, professional exposure, and opportunities to connect with customers in a competitive creative economy.

Military romance scams are a type of online fraud in which criminals impersonate members of the armed forces to gain trust and extract money or personal information from victims. These scams have grown increasingly sophisticated, using stolen photographs, AI-generated images, deepfake videos, face overlays during video chats, and voice cloning.

There has been a recent rise in reports about vehicle warranty renewal scams, where fraudsters use false claims of expiring coverage to pressure victims into immediate action. These scams aim to steal money or personal information, and they provide a clear example of how pressure-based tactics appear across multiple online renewal scams.

🕵️‍♀️ 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗦

Earlier today I came across a post on social media where a woman described how she received a package out of the blue. The box contained generic parts for a Roomba. She had never ordered them. When she contacted the delivery company, they told her she was not alone. Others had reported the same strange deliveries.

While looking at scam trends this evening I noticed a surge in online searches for “Baby of the Year scam.” Parents around the world are starting to question whether these contests are innocent fun or if the Baby of the Year contest is indeed a scam. Recent reporting, including a 6ABC investigation, confirms the competitions are real and winners are awarded.