Hoax-Slayer - Issue 7
Advance Fee Scams, Milk, AI Image Generators and more!
Advance Fee Scams Still Gaining Many Victims
Just about every Internet user on the planet has likely received those annoying scam emails claiming they have won a million-dollar lottery prize or have been identified as the beneficiary of a “lost” million-dollar inheritance. You know, the ones that want you to send money in advance to get the promised funds.
These scam attempts may seem transparently fraudulent—even ridiculous—and it can be hard to believe anyone would still fall for them. They may even seem like a joke.
But, the statistics are sobering.
According to the 2024 Global Financial Crime Report, global losses to advance fee scams during 2023 totalled a staggering $8.2 billion.
These scams are no longer just the rather laughable investment, lottery win, or fund beneficiary emails that we all know and hate (example included below). They take many forms and have become increasingly sophisticated.
Advance fee scams can be defined as fraudulent schemes in which a victim is convinced to pay money upfront for a service or product that is never actually delivered.
The key characteristic of these scams is that the victim is asked to pay a "fee" in advance for something that promises to follow, such as a loan, investment opportunity, job, or prize. However, once the victim pays, the scammer disappears, and no service or product is provided.
These scams all share the same premise: the victim is led to believe that paying a fee upfront is necessary to receive a larger benefit, only to find out that the promised product, service, or opportunity does not exist.
Examples of advance fee scams include:
Fake loan offers, where the victim is asked to pay processing fees before receiving a loan that never materialises.
Fraudulent job offers, where the victim is asked to pay for training, background checks, or other expenses in advance.
Fake investment schemes, where individuals are asked to pay upfront fees to secure high returns that never come.
Bogus lottery or prize scams, where victims are told they have won something but must pay taxes or other fees before collecting their "winnings."
Fake “beneficiary” or “next of kin” scams where victims are told that they are eligible to receive a large sum of money from a distant relative or benefactor.
The scammers often use high-pressure tactics and promises of large rewards to convince victims to make the requested payments upfront.
This is certainly an effective tactic for criminals. Such scams have been around for decades. In fact, I remember receiving a scam letter quite similar to the email version below via snail mail long before I’d ever been near a computer. (Yes, I AM that old.)
They worked then, and they continue to work. If you know people who may be vulnerable to advance fee scams, it’s worth initiating a conversation to educate them. A brief conversation might prevent somebody from getting ripped off and deny a criminal an ill-deserved payday.
A Typical Example:
Can a Glass of Warm Milk REALLY Help you Sleep?
My mum always told me that having a glass of warm milk before bed would help me sleep. Many magazines, books, websites, and even some reputable medical publications have also told me this.
If milk does help you sleep, and you regularly use it for that purpose, then, that’s great.
Best not to jinx it by delving into the details too deeply, so you may wish to read something else instead of this report. If it works, stick with it and good luck to you.
But, if the old remedy has never worked for you, or you’re just curious, read on.
Does a glass of warm milk help you sleep or is the advice just an old piece of folklore?
The Tryptophan Connection
Conventional wisdom maintains that milk's insomnia-beating benefits are due to the amino acid tryptophan. Milk does contain tryptophan, and there is evidence that tryptophan can sometimes help people get to sleep more quickly.
James Lake, MD notes in Psychology Today:
l-Tryptophan, 1 g, at bedtime reduces time to sleep onset in mild situational insomnia, and doses up to 15 g at bedtime may be necessary for severe insomnia. Case reports suggest that nighttime use of 5-HTP at 300 to 600 mg may improve mild to moderate insomnia and lessen sleep disturbances related to obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
Michael J. Breus, PhD notes on WebMD that:
Studies of tryptophan’s impact on sleep have found only one phase of sleep — the first one when you’re falling asleep — is enhanced by tryptophan. Other aspects of sleep, such as the amount of deep-sleep reached during the night, can be harmed by tryptophan, especially if it’s taken in supplemental form.
However, health experts have questioned the ability of tryptophan in milk to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Simon Young, Ph.D., a research psychologist at McGill University, notes in a 2016 Psychology Today article that “a glass of warm milk at bedtime will not raise the level of tryptophan entering your brain”.
Young discusses the claim that tryptophan in turkey can make you sleepy. He notes:
[…] tryptophan uses the same means of transport into the brain as other amino acids, and has to compete against them to cross the blood-brain barrier. As it happens, tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid. Forced to fight for access against the more common amino acids, it’s left waiting at the gate: the amount of tryptophan entering the brain decreases.
This blood-brain barrier factor applies to milk and many other foods containing tryptophan.
A 2007 New York Times health report on the supposed benefits of warm milk as a sleep-aid, concurs, noting:
To have any soporific effect, tryptophan has to cross the blood-brain barrier. And in the presence of other amino acids, it ends up fighting — largely unsuccessfully — to move across.
And, a 2016 HuffPost report that discusses whether warm milk can help you sleep asked Central Queensland University sleep expert Drew Dawson for advice on the issue:
Despite milk’s tryptophan content, Dawson says the amount present in a glass of milk is lower than what would be contained in a melatonin supplement and that, for the average person, the dose is probably too low to feel the effects.
Given this evidence, it seems unlikely that tryptophan is the element in milk that helps you sleep.
Psychological Factors
Warm milk may simply provide a comfort connection that can help you drift off to sleep.
I have vivid childhood memories of my mum preparing warm chocolate milk and giving it to me in my “special cup” at bedtime. Just before my dad read me my nightly stories.
These are comforting memories that evoke feelings of safety, nurturing, and love. Many people likely share such childhood memories.
It may be these pleasant thoughts and memories rather than the milk itself — or its temperature — that helps you relax and nod off at bedtime
And, of course, there is always the placebo effect. If you have been told from childhood that drinking warm milk helps you sleep and the idea has been reinforced over and over from many different sources in the years since then it may work for you for that reason alone.
In a discussion of the placebo effect, a Harvard Medical School report notes that:
Although you may have learned later in life that there isn’t much scientific evidence to support the practice [of drinking warm milk to help you sleep], you may still sleep better after a cup of warm milk at bedtime.
The ingrained belief that the remedy will work may be self-fulfilling. It works because you believe it will work.
Is There an Ideal Bedtime Snack?
There are many recommendations for sleep-inducing bedtime snacks.
Those who use them will often extoll their virtues and swear that they work. Some may have properties that likely do aid sleep. Many of the snacks probably work for the same psychological and placebo factors that I describe above.
But, the health expert consensus appears to be that, if you are going to partake of a bedtime snack, foods high in carbohydrates are probably a good choice.
Michael J. Breus notes:
The trick is to eat foods high in carbohydrates because the insulin released will make it easier for tryptophan to nudge itself into the brain. And for this very reason, I recommend combining an ample dose of carbohydrate together with a small amount of protein (which contains the amino acid tryptophan) as the ideal bedtime snack.
And, Woman’s Health writer Leah Fessler reports:
Researchers from Japan’s Yamaguchi University found that eating a carbohydrate-rich snack in the evening may help reset your circadian clock. Why carbs? In the study, researchers found that insulin influences the crucial sleep-regulating gene PER2 in mice; this led them to conclude that ingredients that promote insulin secretion might also help promote healthy circadian patterns in humans. And since carbs in particular increase insulin secretion, they should also help to regularize your body’s PER2 cycles so you’re drowsy when you should be.
I wish you good sleep and sweet dreams.
Tess - An AI Image Generator That Actually Pays Artists For Their Work
I keep swinging from awe to trepidation regarding AI.
In a very short time, this emerging technology has infiltrated virtually every facet of our lives. It’s an amazingly powerful tool. Love it or loath it, AI is here to stay, and its influence on our lives will only grow stronger.
However, its use has ethical issues that cannot be ignored. One major issue is the question of intellectual property rights. This is true for AI in general, but here, I’m focusing on AI image generation.
Since AI models generate images based on vast datasets of existing artwork, there is a growing debate about whether the creators of those original works should be compensated or credited for their contributions. To me, using AI to generate images when I know it is taking the work of artists without permission or compensation just seems wrong.
Enter Tess. Tess is an AI image generator that actually pays artists for the use of their work. To use Tess, you first choose one of the artists featured on the platform and then enter a prompt describing the image that you want. Tess will then generate images using the style of your chosen artist.
If you download and use the image, the artist will receive a royalty. The platform also has licensing and attribution guidelines, which means artists receive credit and visibility for their work.
Another advantage of using Tess is that you can generate images for a website or publication that all have the same style because they are based on the original work of the same artist.
I feel much better about using Tess than I do using other AI image generators, and I’ve signed up for a monthly subscription.
You can check out Tess here.
Internet Service Provider Phishing Scams
A favourite scammer ruse is to send out emails falsely claiming that there is a problem with your Internet service or email account. Typically, the emails claim that your account needs to be upgraded or that a recent payment failed.
They foster a false sense of urgency by claiming that your service will be suspended or terminated if you don’t take action to fix the supposed problem.
Clicking the link opens a bogus website that asks you to provide sensitive information such as your account password and credit card numbers. Scammers will harvest any information entered on the fake site and use it to hijack the targeted accounts, commit credit card fraud, and steal the identities of victims.
A screenshot of one such scam email:
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