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Few of us open an unfamiliar email these days without a sense that someone, somehow, might be trying to scam us. And that’s not an unreasonable fear. In the U.S. alone, nearly a third of people were targeted by fraudsters between 2021 and 2023. And the worst part for the unsuspecting consumer – the scammers operate in the knowledge that they’re highly unlikely ever to be caught.
Much of the fraud we’re at risk of is international, with criminals often targeting people in countries thousands of miles from where they are. This is part of what makes the job of apprehending them so challenging. As a result, say Mark Button and Branislav Hock of Portsmouth University, anti-scam efforts so far have mainly been defensive. That means priming consumers to be on their guard and tightening bank and telecoms systems.
Button and Hock argue that this leaves a more offensive approach to fighting fraud underutilized. Their research looked at disruption tactics used by the private anti-scam community and concluded that some of these more radical techniques, combined with greater cooperation with industry and police across borders, is now needed more widely if we’re going to have any hope of staying one step ahead of the criminals.
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Mark Button, University of Portsmouth; Branislav Hock, University of Portsmouth
The focus should move from telling consumers how to avoid scams to hurting the criminals themselves.
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Labor
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Isabelle Dostaler, Université de l'Ontario français
The Air Canada dispute may mark a turning point for labour standards in the airline industry and result in unpaid ground time being a thing of the past.
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Deborah Widiss, Indiana University; Rachel Arnow-Richman, University of Florida; Stephanie Bornstein, Loyola Law School Los Angeles; Tristin Green, Loyola Law School Los Angeles
There are many legal ways for employers to advance their commitment to equal opportunity without discriminating against anyone.
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Trade
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Nargess Kayhani, Mount Saint Vincent University
Canada has lifted many of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States. Here’s why that was likely a smart move by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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Technology
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Stuart Mills, University of Leeds
What consumers need to known about OpenAI and Shopify working together.
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Environment
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Jonatan Pinkse, King's College London
It’s fine if steps towards circularity are small – but progress must be consistent.
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Work
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Soon Hyeok Choi, Rochester Institute of Technology
A new study of 40,000 real estate agents suggests that the first professional connection you make can boost your odds of success by 25%.
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