Scam Rangers

Crypto Investment Scams: Why They're Winning and How We Fight Back , A conversation with Ari Redbord, Global Head of Policy and Government Affairs at TRM Labs

In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet speaks with Ari Redbord, Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs and former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor, about the rise of crypto investment scams and the global infrastructure behind them.They break down why these scams are growing so quickly, how financial grooming works in the crypto era, and what makes these schemes so effective at scale. Ari shares insights into blockchain intelligence, how investigators trace illicit funds, and why recovery remains so difficult once money moves.The conversation expands to the broader ecosystem—organized criminal networks, human trafficking, and the increasing role of AI in supercharging scams. They also explore what governments, law enforcement, and the private sector are doing to respond—and where gaps still exist.Key Topics Why crypto investment scams are accelerating globally Financial grooming and the evolution of scam tactics How blockchain tracing works—and its limitations The scale of the global scam economy Organized crime, scam compounds, and human trafficking AI’s role in making scams more sophisticated Real-time disruption and public-private collaboration Challenges in fund recovery and victim restitutionhttps://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engagedAri Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence company working with law enforcement, regulators, and financial institutions to detect and prevent illicit activity in crypto. He previously served as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice and held roles at the U.S. Treasury focused on financial crime and national security.https://www.linkedin.com/in/ari-redbord/Resources:Beacon Network (public-private collaboration initiative) - https://www.trmlabs.com/beacon-networkTRM Talks - https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/trm-talks/tracing-a-romance-scam-a-survivors-story-and-the-investigation-behind-itChairman of Prince Group Indicted for Operating Cambodian Forced Labor Scam Compounds Engaged in Cryptocurrency Fraud Schemes: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/chairman-prince-group-indicted-operating-cambodian-forced-labor-scam-compounds-engagedAbout the HostAyelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

From Diplomacy to the Frontlines: Fighting Asia's Scam Compounds, A conversation with Nils Mueller, Director, North American Chapter Global Anti-Scam Alliance

In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet Biger-Levin speaks with Nils Mueller, Director of the North America Chapter of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and former USAID Foreign Service Officer.Nils shares his unique path into the world of scam prevention after spending more than two decades working in international development and governance. During his time in Southeast Asia, he witnessed the rapid rise of industrial-scale scam operations run from organized crime compounds that target victims around the world.Together, Ayelet and Nils discuss how these scam compounds emerged, the human trafficking behind many of these operations, and why online scams have become a national security issue for governments. They also explore how global cooperation between governments, civil society, and the private sector can help disrupt these networks and protect consumers.Topics Covered How scam compounds in Southeast Asia evolved from casino infrastructure into large-scale global fraud operations The human trafficking behind many scam operations and how workers are recruited into these compounds Why scams have become a national security and economic threat, costing billions each year The role of international collaboration, sanctions, and law enforcement in disrupting organized scam networks How the Global Anti-Scam Alliance is bringing together governments, companies, and advocates to coordinate the fight against scamsAbout the GuestNils Mueller is the Director of the North America Chapter of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and a former Foreign Service Officer with USAID. Over a 20-year career, he worked across Africa and Southeast Asia on governance, anti-corruption, and development initiatives.During his posting in Thailand, Nils became deeply involved in understanding and addressing the rise of scam compounds and the human trafficking networks connected to them.https://www.linkedin.com/in/nils-m-mueller/About the HostAyelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

Pragmatically Ambitious: Breaking the Finger-Pointing Cycle to Stop Scams, A Conversation with Kate Griffin, Kate Griffin, Director of Inclusive Finance at the Aspen Institute

In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet Biger-Levin joins Kate Griffin, Director of Inclusive Finance at the Aspen Institute, to discuss the monumental work of the National Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention. Over the past year, Griffin has led a diverse coalition of 80 institutions, ranging from financial giants like JPMorgan Chase and Capital One to tech leaders like Google, Meta, and Apple, to develop a unified strategy against the global scam epidemic.Griffin pulls back the curtain on the "ambitiously pragmatic" approach required to bring competitors and government agencies to the same table. She explores the delicate balance of inclusive finance, explaining how fraud prevention measures can inadvertently create barriers for low-income households. The conversation covers the task force's strategic decision to bypass the "blame game" of liability to focus on immediate prevention, the role of cross-sector information sharing, and the emergence of the Southeast Asian Scam Center Strike Force. This episode provides a high-level look at how policy, private sector action, and human values are converging to dismantle the business model of modern scammers.Key Takeaways: A New Era of Cross-Sector Collaboration The "Yes And" Moment: Griffin highlights that while progress in private sector investment and government policy is worth celebrating, the fight requires sustained, concerted action across the entire scam lifecycle. Neutral Facilitation: The Aspen Institute’s role as a neutral third party allowed for "hard conversations" between sectors like telcos and banks that often point fingers at one another. Bipartisan Momentum: Fraud has become a rare point of total bipartisan agreement in Washington; the scammers "do not ask who you voted for," leading to the creation of the Stop Scams Caucus in Congress. The Scam Lifecycle Framework: The task force’s recommendations are organized around the scam lifecycle, focusing on suppressing activity, disrupting infrastructure, and empowering victims through better response and support. Pragmatic Policy: The episode details how the task force's work influenced the U.S.’s first-ever national strategy for financial inclusion and continues to brief Capitol Hill on drafting future anti-scam legislation.For more information about the task force visit: https://fraudtaskforce.aspeninstitute.org/Read the national strategy document: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/671a80aa4a84f2359ce4d360/t/690e1fe9c5c80642162575a5/1762533353206/FraudTFReport_Digital_Final+%282%29.pdfFollow Kate Griffin on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/katedgriffin/About the HostAyelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

Protecting Customers Without Losing Them: The Cost of Getting Scam Protection Wrong, A Conversation with Marti DeLiema

Fraud prevention is often framed as a battle against criminals, but what happens to the customer along the way?In this episode of Scam Rangers, host Ayelet Biger-Levin sits down with Marti DeLiema, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, to explore the human impact of scam prevention and fraud interventions and the unintended consequences that can emerge when protection efforts aren’t designed with empathy and care.While fraud teams work tirelessly to stop money from flowing to criminals, this conversation shines a light on what happens after an intervention is triggered: how customers experience account restrictions, investigations, and confrontational moments and how those experiences shape trust, retention, and long-term relationships.This episode is a must-listen not only for fraud and frontline teams, but also for digital banking, customer experience, marketing, growth, and retention leaders who may not always see what happens on the fraud front lines, yet own the customer relationship that follows.What You’ll Learn Why scam prevention is a cross-functional customer experience moment, not just a fraud decision How well-intended interventions can make victims feel blamed, criminalized, or pushed away The emotional impact of scam prevention on individuals and families How trust, dignity, and autonomy factor into fraud decisions Why the way institutions intervene can influence attrition and long-term loyalty What digital, CX, and marketing teams need to understand about fraud moments they don’t always seeFeatured GuestMarti DeLiemaMarti DeLiema is an Assistant Professor and Gerontologist at the University of Minnesotawhose. Her work focuses on aging, financial exploitation, scams, and the human impact of fraud prevention efforts. Her research examines how individuals experience fraud interventions and what institutions can do to protect people while preserving trust and dignity.https://www.linkedin.com/in/marti-deliema-95323535/About the HostAyelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

From Ads to Atrocity: How Investment Scams Scale Online, A Conversation with Jim Browning, Scam Investigator and YouTuber

Investment scams are no longer clumsy or obvious. They’re professional, polished, and engineered to look legitimate. In this episode of Scam Rangers, we’re joined again by Jim Browning, renowned scam investigator and YouTuber, to unpack how modern investment scams scale online, why even smart and cautious people fall victim, and how platforms, ads, and recovery scams fuel a devastating cycle of harm.Drawing from firsthand investigations, undercover work, and real victim stories, Jim reveals how today’s scams operate as full-blown business models, from lead generation through online ads, to fake investment platforms, to secondary “recovery” scams that exploit victims all over again.This conversation goes beyond tactics to expose the systemic failures enabling scams at scale — and what it will actually take to slow them down.What We Cover in This Episode How online ads have become the primary on-ramp for investment scams Why modern investment scams are designed to look realistic, not “too good to be true” The hidden ecosystem behind scam ads, lead sellers, and scam operators How fake investment platforms manipulate trust, timing, and withdrawal rules Why victims are often allowed to withdraw small amounts — until they can’t The rise of recovery scams and why they’re often more cruel than the original fraud How scammers exploit crypto wallets, remote access tools, and psychological pressure Why attribution, enforcement, and cross-border accountability remain so difficult What Jim is seeing change — and where there’s real reason for cautious optimismKey Takeaways Scams don’t look like scams anymore — they look like regulated products, advisors, and platforms Online advertising is a force multiplier, dramatically lowering the cost of victim acquisition Recovery scams are a second wave of victimization, targeting people at their most desperate moment Technology alone won’t fix this — coordination across platforms, banks, regulators, and law enforcement is essential Awareness helps, but intervention earlier in the scam lifecycle is critical to preventing irreversible harmAbout the GuestJim Browning is a scam investigator and one of the most recognized voices in exposing online fraud. Through technical expertise and investigative work, he infiltrates scam operations, reveals how they function, and works to disrupt their impact. His work has helped raise global awareness of how modern scams operate , and why they continue to succeed.Follow Jim on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimBrowningAbout the HostThis podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin, who spent the last 15 years building technology to help financial institutions authenticate their customers and identify fraud. She believes that when it comes to scams, the story starts well before the transaction. She has created this podcast to talk about the human side of scams, and to learn from people who have decided to dedicate their lives to speaking up on behalf of scam victims and who take action to solve this problem.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/ScamRanger: https://scamranger.ai/