Protecting Dads: Scam Awareness This Father’s Day

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This Father’s Day, we focus on scam awareness and protecting fathers from the rising threats of modern scams. Hear expert advice on spotting scam calls, texts, emails, and social media messages, plus practical safety tips for dads and their families.

We dig into why scammers target fathers in the first place: financial stability, confidence, and the instinct to protect family at all costs. Then we walk through the biggest threats we’re seeing right now, including the grandparent scam, investment fraud, romance scams, and social media traps like cloned “backup accounts” and fake marketplace listings. The twist is AI. Voice cloning and deepfakes make impersonation more believable, which means families need a clear verification plan, not just “be careful.”

You’ll hear practical red flags for phishing emails, smishing texts, and robocalls, plus the simplest habit that changes outcomes fast: the pause. We also explain why education beats fear and how a plain-English approach can help seniors and non-technical relatives build real confidence online. If you want a concrete way to start the conversation, we point you to Scam Proof for Seniors and the family steps that go with it.

If this helped, subscribe, share it with a parent or partner, and leave a review so more families find it. What’s the most convincing scam message you’ve seen lately?

Transcript

Father’s Day Gift That Matters

SPEAKER_00 0:26

And welcome to Technology Test. I'm Professor J. Rod. In this episode Protecting Guys, why every father needs help. Let's have it. Welcome to Technology Tap. I'm Professor J-Rodd, and today we're talking about something that affects millions of families every year. Scams. With Father's Days approaching, many people are thinking about gifts. Some people buy ties, tools, coffee mugs, or gadgets. But what if the best gift you can give your dad is protection? Today we're discussing scam proof for seniors and why educating dads about scam may be one of the most important gifts a family can provide. Throughout this episode, we'll explore why scammers target fathers, the most common scams affecting men over 40, financial romance, investments, and social media scams. There's now AI scams, phone texts, and email scams. We'll talk about real-world examples and how my book, Scam Proof for Seniors, Help Protect Families. By the end of this episode, you understand why scam awareness isn't just important, it's essential.

How Scams Scaled With Technology

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Scamming has become a global industry. Think about it for a moment. Years ago, scammers might have been limited to a few phone calls or fake letters. Today they have artificial intelligence, deep fakes, social media, data breaches, automated texting systems, email automations, fake websites. They can contact thousands of people every minute. The average person receives spam texts, fraudulent emails, robocalls, social media messages every single week. The question is not what when you're going to encounter. The question is will you recognize it before it's too late?

Why Scammers Target Fathers

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Then why do scammers specifically target fathers? There are several reasons. Reason number one, financial stability. Many dads have savings, retirement accounts, home equities, and investments. Scammers follow the money. Reason number two, confidence. Many fathers believe I can spot a scam. Ironically, confidence can make people less cautious. Reason number three, family responsibilities. Scammers exploit emotions. They know fathers care about children, grandchildren, spouses. If a scammer says your son is in trouble, many dads react emotionally before thinking critically.

Family Impersonation And Voice Cloning

SPEAKER_00 3:23

The grandparent scam. One of the most fastest growing scams today involves family impersonation. A scammer calls, Dad, it's me. The voice sounds familiar. The caller says, I'm in trouble. I've been arrested. I need money. I can't tell mom. Now imagine adding AI. Scammers can clone voices from Facebook videos, TikTok clips, YouTube videos. A few seconds of audio may be enough. This is why education is critical. The solution? Verify independently. Hang up. Call the real person directly.

Investment And Romance Scam Playbooks

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Investment scams. Many fathers spend years building wealth. Scammers know this. Common investment scams include crypto schemes, guaranteed profits, double your money, risk-free. No legitimate investments guarantees profit. Fake financial advisors, scammers pretend to be professionals. They create fake websites, fake credentials, fake testimonials. The goal? Gain trust, then steal the money. The romance scam. Many people assume romance scams only affect older adults. Not true. Victims include divorced fathers, widowers, professionals, retirees. The scam begins with friendship, then trust, then emotional attachment, then money request. Some victims lose thousands, tens of thousands, entire retirement accounts. Scammer winners training teaches people how to recognize warning signs early.

Social Media Cons And Deepfakes

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Social media scams. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn. Scammers are everywhere. Common tricks include fake giveaways. You've won a prize. Fake marketplace listing. Amazon products, impossible pricing, amazing products, impossible pricing, no delivery. Fake friend requests. Scammers clone real profiles. They impersonate people you know. Education helps people recognize these tactics before becoming victims. Yeah, and the friend one is what they do is they let's say you just make a comment on somebody's post, right? And then they they will request you saying, Oh, this is my backup account. You may just say something like, Oh, this is a wow, this is so funny, or you know, nice jacket or something. And then they they see that you commented the scammer, and then they'll take that person's account, make a duplicate account, and call it their backup account. And then they'll text you, say, Hey, I want to be your friend, right? I mean, let's be real. We've got to be realistic, right? What, you know, 25-year-old woman wants to be friends with, you know, 54-year-old guy, right? Not too many. AI and deep fake scams. Artificial intelligence is changing everything, including scams. Deepfake technologies can generate voices, videos, and photos. Imagine receiving a video call from your child. The face looks real, the voice sounds real, but it's fake. This is no longer science fiction, it's happening today. Family need education to understand this threat. Alright, let's pause for a moment. How many scam attempts have you seen this year? Probably more than you realize. Many people ignore them, some respond. A few lose money. Knowledge makes a difference.

The Dexter Morgan Scammer Story

SPEAKER_00 6:52

I remember during COVID, I used to get a lot of scam calls. It's not, you know, I still do, but this during COVID, it was insane. And, you know, every now and then I will be like, well, you know what? Let's let's play. You want to play? Let's play. One day I get a call from a scammer, and he tells me that he wants to, you know, the credit card one, right? Where they want to lower your interest rates. And I'm like, okay, I'm game. I have $10,000 in credit card debt. He goes, Yes, you qualify. All I need is your credit card number. So I just made up a number. And apparently it was a good, it was like a legit credit card number. Wasn't mine, but it was somebody else's. And I guess he's trying to get on the account. So he comes back and he says, Where do you live? I said, Miami, Florida. I don't live in Miami, Florida. Right? I said, Miami, Florida. And he he puts me on hold, comes back a few minutes later, and he says, What's your last name? I said, Morgan. He puts me on hold. Comes back. He says, Hey, Mr. Morgan, what's your what's your first name? I said, Dexter. My name is Dexter Morgan. Now, those of you who don't know who Dexter Morgan is, Dexter Morgan is from the show Dexter. He's a serial killer that kills serial killers. So I told him that my name was Dexter Morgan. Puts me on hold. Comes back. He says, Is there a is is it possible that you can send me your driver's license? I said, I'm cooked. So I'm stalling him and I'm Googling. I Googled Dexter Morgan's driver's license. And believe it or not, somebody had it on Pinterest. I don't know, like maybe the show was selling, you know, like when they the show ends, they sell their stuff, the props. Somebody had the prop, his driver's license prop. So I copy, paste, right, you know, right-click, save as picture, created a like a different email account, and I sent it to him. And I I the guy also had the prop for the for the ID. Dexter Morgan's ID in the show. He he he's a was that crime scene investigator, blood, blood analyst, right? Blood splatter analyst, I think that's what he is. He had that too. And I said, Do you want my job ID? He goes, Yeah, yeah, send that. So I sent it. This whole thing is like 35, 40 minutes deep in this conversation. Right? I'm just sitting here, just like I am now, just like, yeah, I don't have anything to do. It was COVID. About 35, 40 minutes into it, he comes back and he says, Oh, you think you're funny, right? Oh, you think you're funny. So he says, You don't know, you think I don't know who Dexter Morgan is? I'm like, no, it took you 40 minutes to figure out who Dexter Morgan is. So no, you don't know who Dexter Morgan is. And he called me every name in the book and hung up on me. But that's just one of many. I used to pull out all the time during um COVID. All

Email Text And Phone Red Flags

SPEAKER_00 10:16

right. Email scams. Email remains one of the most effective attack methods. Scammers create messages that appear to come from banks, Amazon, credit card companies, government agencies. What are the warning signs? Urgency. Threats, suspicious links, unexpected attachments. Always verify before clicking. The text message scam. Text messages continue to increase. Examples include your package is delayed, toll payment overdue, account suspended. Many appear legit. The safest option never click links from unexpected text. Visit the website directly. I just got one today, earlier this morning. Talking about our Medicaid account. Medicaid, Medicare account. I'm not 62 or 63, whatever the age it is that you're supposed to get it. I'm not that old. Stop texting me. That my Medicaid or Medicare, something's wrong with it. Stop. Scammer. Phone scams. Phone scammers use fear. Common examples, RS scams. You know, you may owe taxes. Jewelry duty scam, you missed jewelry duty or bank fraud scam. Your account is compromised. Remember, legitimate organizations rarely demand immediate payment over the phone.

Simple Education That Prevents Loss

SPEAKER_00 11:37

Real victim stories. Every victim says the same thing. I never thought it could happen to me. Scammers don't succeed because victims are foolish. They succeed because they are professional manipulators. Awareness changes outcome. What makes scam proof for seniors different? Scamproof focuses on education. It teaches readers how scam works, how scammers think, warning signs, verification techniques, safe online behavior. The goal isn't fear. The goal is confidence through knowledge. The financial cost of ignoring scams. Consider the cost. A Father's Day gift might cost $20, $30, $50. A scam can cost $500,000, $5,000, $50,000. Education is an investment. One lesson can prevent years of regret. Giving the gift of protection. Many gifts are forgotten. A scam prevention book can create lasting impact. When you give scam proof for seniors, you're not simply giving a book. You're giving awareness, knowledge, confidence, protection. For many families, that might be the most valuable gift possible. As we wrap up today's special Father's Day episode, remember, scammers are becoming more sophisticated. Artificial intelligence is making scams harder to detect. Families must become smarter, more informed, and more prepared. Whatever your father, son, daughter, husband, or grandfather, scam awareness matters. And this book is written so simple. And you know what? I'll be honest with you. I got a review on Amazon where the guy says, oh, this this book is simple. Yeah, that's what it's meant to be simple. Right? Why why would I want to make a book that I want to sell it to people that's gonna have a lot of computer ease in it? That's not the purpose of the book. The purpose of the book is not to get you, the reader, someone who doesn't really know a lot about IT, confused. No, it's very simple, very plain. Right? And try to write it with as normal language as possible, right? No, you know, you can't write a book about scam to help people and then get all with the mumble jumbo of technology. Kind of want to write it back to the person and say that, right? Yeah, it's a simple book, but that's it's meant to be simple, right? It's it's not meant to be getting to the the granular of how scams are are are done. This is that's not if that's the book you're looking for, this is not the book. That's not the book for you. Right? This book is not for you. This book is for, you know, if you have somebody, an older relative, right? Parent, grandparent, uncle, and you want to buy him a gift, this this is you can, and you're worried about them possibly being scammed. Right? I'm worried about my own dad being scammed. My dad is still alive, thank God. And and I worry about him being scammed all the time. But my my dad is very savvy, so I don't worry too much about him. Even the romance scams, I'm not worried about. He's very, he's very savvy, my dad. He has a lot of common sense. But not that people who who have scams don't have common sense. No, you just listen, the scammers are professional. Right? This is what they do, this is what they do for a living, and they're very good at it. Right? It's they say, you know, never going to never talk to the police without a lawyer, right? Because the police are very, very good. And so is your lawyer, so are lawyers, right? It's the same thing, right? Buy this book to protect yourself, just like you will protect yourself any other way. And it's written in simple, plain English that you would understand. It doesn't have a lot of tech babble. That's that's this is the kind of book that anybody who you don't have to know computers to to read this book. You just, you know, right? You just want to gift it to someone for it to protect them. A single conversation can prevent a disaster, a single lesson can stop a scam. Right? One of the most important things in the book that I write is the pause, right? If you pause and think, wait a minute, right, and trust your instincts, most of the time, they're right. And most of the time, you will not get scammed. And the minute that you start pausing and start questioning whoever's on the other side of the phone or the other side of the text or the other side of the email, that's when desperation starts in. And they start, you know, getting upset or wanting you to do it quickly. Listen, the guy that I just told you about the Dexter Morgan scam, the reason why he was mad, and this this is a story that I like to tell my students, is that when he punched in that credit card number and he saw that it was a good number, right? He had spent that money. That money was spent in his brain. Right? He spent that money. He was gonna buy his his he was gonna take his girlfriend out, he was gonna pay his rent. Right? He had plans with that money. Then when he realized that it was fake, that I was counting him, that's why he got mad. And that's the worst thing you can do with a scammer is waste their time. You know, if you if you got nothing to do, right, and you really want to piss off a scammer, keep them on the phone. Keep him on the phone for as long as you can, and then just you know, give them as much fake information as you can, then hang up on them. That's the worst thing you can do because you just wasted your time. And you gave them hope. Right? You gave them hope that they got you, and then they end up not getting you. And there's people that they would stay on for hours with you, trying to see if they can get you. And if you can, you know, again, if you don't have anything to do. I I I used to do this during COVID. You know, I would say, oh, call me back later, you know, and then call me back. You know, and this is like two, three in the morning, like where they live, right? And they're trying to get you, and then you just pull the rug from underneath them. That's the best feelings in the world. You know, go go watch these videos with uh scammer payback in them, they the way they they deal with them. They the the people get mad. Yes, they get mad because they've been scammed and and uh scammer payback deletes their stuff, but they're mad because they just spent a lot of time and investment in someone, right, who they thought that they had. And then now they don't have them anymore. That's the worst, worst thing you can do to a scammer. Because they work on time, right? They they and some of them, if they don't scam, they don't get paid. So they've been there all day, 10, 12 hours, right? And and if they think they got you on the line, right, on the fishing line, right? And you're just like, oh, call me back in half an hour, or could, you know, and you just, you know, you they think they got you, but it's not, they're not even close. Right? It's like it's like you I if I tell you, oh, come here, I'm gonna give you a thousand dollars, right? And you're driving here, waiting, you know, thinking about what you're gonna do with the thousand dollars, and then you get here and I say, Oh, I don't have a thousand dollars. Right? That's that same feeling that that person, that that feeling of disappointment, when you come here and I tell you I don't have the thousand dollars, right? That's the same feeling that their scammers are getting when you tell them, like, oh yeah, this is I'm not giving you any money. This is I know this is a scam. So, you know, those those those are the things that, you know, you want to waste the scammers' time, yeah. You know, and then and then I think I think you get put on an a-hole list because after I did that Dexter Morgan scam, I didn't get called for a while, for a good while. Like they, I don't know if my number got put on some list, but for a while I didn't, I didn't, yeah, I didn't get a I didn't get a single call or text. Now what I'm getting is those AI text messages, like, hey, uh, do you want me for brunch tomorrow? And you're like, no. And then it's like, oh, I'm sorry. I was looking for Susan. You Susan? I'm like, no. It's like, oh, this is me, blah. And it's always like a gorgeous girl, right? Beautiful picture of a beautiful woman that they send you. I like to say when I reply to that picture, I I like to say, wow, and then send it, and then type, you are so ugly. Just just you know, just to get a reaction out of them. Sometimes I get like, oh my god, that's so rude. Sometimes I get some really, you know, they end up cursing me out. Which is fine. I love it. That means I got out of their skin. They know that I know that this is a scam. So it's not like they'll or they'll say something, oh, I definitely have the wrong number. Sorry to bother you, right? They'll try to get try to get out of it. And you can see like the numbers are really weird. Like they'll start with like 262 area code. Like, there's no such thing as 262 area code. Even something as simple as that, right? That you can do, right? They you get a text message and text and you see like the area code, just go to Google and type the area code. What area code is you know, whatever? Probably won't come up. If it doesn't come up, then you know that yeah, this is fake. But some of them they've they've gotten really good. You know, I get a lot of 415s, San Francisco area code, and 312, which I think is LA. I get a lot of those area codes. And I'm not in the West Coast, I'm in the East Coast, so yeah. So a single lesson can stop a scam, and a single book can protect a family.

Where To Buy And Follow

SPEAKER_00 21:59

So this Father's Day, go to Amazon and pick up my book, Scam Proof for Seniors by Dr. Juan Rodriguez, right? You look it, you can look it up. Or you can go to my website, Professor J Rod. That's J-R-O-D. It's like a rod ball player, but J Rod dot com slash books. And then you can order it from there. The ordering from my you know, it's Father's Day is almost approaching, so you know you gotta order it now, right? It's in uh a couple of weeks, Father's Day. So, you know, everybody's getting busy with the NBA playoffs and the World Cup is coming, right? Should be here in a few days. So buy the boat before you get busy. Give it to your dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, right? If you can't find a book, everybody has a tie. Does everybody have this book? All right, thank you. Thank you for listening to Technology Tap. I'm Professor J. Rod. Until next time, keep tapping into technology. This has been a presentation of Little Cha Cha Productions, art by Sarah, music by Joe Kim. We are now part of the Pod Match Network. You can follow me at TikTok at Professor J Rod at J R O D, or you can email me at Professor J Rod, J R O D at Gmail dot com.