Online dating apps are colliding with cryptocurrency and human trafficking

“The most brutal thing about these scams is it preys on your vulnerability. By necessity, when you're in the dating pool, you have to open yourself up to meeting new people and experiencing new things. And that's part of how these kinds of scams work,” says Joel Khalili, crypto and tech reporter for Wired.

“The most brutal thing about these scams is it preys on your vulnerability. By necessity, when you're in the dating pool, you have to open yourself up to meeting new people and experiencing new things. And that's part of how these kinds of scams work,” says Joel Khalili, crypto and tech reporter for Wired. Photo by Shutterstock.

A recent online dating scam called “pig-butchering” is tricking people into giving away big bucks via cryptocurrency. 

President Biden heads to the Middle East on Wednesday. He’ll have to walk a fine line of supporting Israel, while advocating for humanitarian needs in Gaza.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel has been compared to 9/11. Is Israel risking a similar outcome with plans to march into Gaza to destroy the terrorist group? 

In the 1980s, RJ Reynolds and Phillip Morris bought Kraft and Nabisco, pumping their food with sugar, fat, sodium, and other additives that made people crave them. 

What comedy shows to watch this season? Consider Our Flag Means Death, Gen V, Shrinking, and Bob’s Burgers, says one critic. 

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Madeleine Brand

Producers:

Sarah Sweeney, Angie Perrin, Michell Eloy, Amy Ta, Brian Hardzinski, Bennett Purser, Nihar Patel, Sara Singer Schiff