By Jim Calloway

No, it’s not your imagination. You are most likely receiving more phishing emails and strange phone calls with people talking in the background this year. Attempted fraud is on the rise and the schemes are increasingly sophisticated. Soon we will see more artificial intelligence-aided scams, such as a deepfake voice message from a voice well known to you.

The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger is Charlotte Cowels’ account of how she was scammed. She is an experienced journalist who has written about personal finance for years. She even had a brother who was a lawyer, but she was scared to talk to anyone.

For a good overview of today’s scams, see The Latest Scams You Need to Be Aware of in 2024 from Experian.