In this episode of Unspoken Security, host A.J. Nash sits down with Erin West, Founder at Operation Shamrock. They explore the “scamdemic” and the scams draining wealth at industrial scale. Erin explains why business email compromise, government impersonation, and romance scams work so well: they use fear, trust, urgency, and loneliness.

She then breaks down pig butchering, a long con that starts with a stray text and grows into a fake relationship and a fake crypto investment. Victims think they are building love and wealth at the same time. Instead, scammers push them to empty savings, tap retirement accounts, and borrow more.

Erin also exposes the system behind the fraud. Many scammers are trafficking victims forced to work inside compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, and beyond. She argues this is both a financial crime and a human rights crisis, and she calls for stronger reporting, public awareness, and international pressure.