Some of America’s poorest people are being targeted by cyber-scammers. Can an errant hacker find the culprits?
Mike’s encounter with these scammers began one rainy day in January of last year, he says when I call. His voice is flat and matter-of-fact; he could be an accountant discussing a company’s tax return. He tells me it started with a text message: “Do you need up to $1,600 today? It’s secure and takes only a minute at www.quickhelpfunds.com”. Mike, who is 34, was on a job for a major software manufacturer and was bored, so he signed up for a loan using a fake name, just to see what would happen.