The Rational Reminder Podcast17 Heinä 2025

Episode 366 - Avoiding Investment Scams

What happens when your favourite financial educator's identity is hijacked by scammers? In this episode, Ben and Cameron pull back the curtain on a disturbing but increasingly common reality: sophisticated scammers using Ben's name, voice, and online content to steal from unsuspecting investors. Ben breaks down exactly how these scams work—everything from fake WhatsApp investment groups and cloned emails to AI-generated voice notes and "pig butchering" scams that promise guaranteed returns. You'll hear about pump-and-dump operations, shady PDFs full of financial nonsense, and how scammers prey on optimism, credibility, and fear of missing out.

Key Points From This Episode:

(0:04) Why the Rational Reminder podcast builds connections—and unintended consequences of trust

(1:58) The hidden value of the podcast's reach: referrals and relationships that can't be measured

(4:03) How a last-minute topic pivot turned into an urgent discussion on scams

(5:24) Why investment scams are more sophisticated—and dangerous—than ever

(6:16) AI voice clones and impersonation: How deepfakes make scams harder to spot

(9:26) Why specific scam education works better than general warnings

(12:29) Source credibility: Why scammers use trusted names to win trust fast

(15:23) Ben's firsthand story of infiltrating a fake "Ben Felix" WhatsApp trading group

(19:57) Pump-and-dump in real time: How Ben tracked a fraudulent stock scam

(23:39) The email scam that used Ben's name to pitch "secret" investments

(25:08) YouTube comment scams: the "fake advisor" trap and pig butchering explained

(31:15) How scammers use financial jargon that sounds smart—but means nothing

(34:52) The classic red flag: promises of guaranteed, high returns with zero risk

(41:23) Financial planning hot takes: unconventional views from the Rational Reminder Community

(49:44) Upcoming road trips and community meetups for Rational Reminder listeners

Papers From Today's Episode:

https://zbib.org/e42750e4157e468d83fc633b40ddb0d1

Links From Today's Episode:

Meet with PWL Capital: https://calendly.com/d/3vm-t2j-h3p

Rational Reminder on iTunes — https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rational-reminder-podcast/id1426530582.

Rational Reminder Website — https://rationalreminder.ca/

Rational Reminder on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/rationalreminder/

Rational Reminder on X — https://x.com/RationalRemind

Rational Reminder on TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@rationalreminder

Rational Reminder on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/

Rational Reminder Email — info@rationalreminder.ca

Benjamin Felix — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/

Benjamin on X — https://x.com/benjaminwfelix

Benjamin on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwfelix/

Cameron Passmore — https://pwlcapital.com/our-team/

Cameron on X — https://x.com/CameronPassmore

Cameron on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpassmore/

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(449)

The Finances of Marriage | #426

In this episode, Ben Felix, Dan Bortolotti, and Ben Wilson take a research-driven look at the finances of marriage, from spending personalities and prenuptial agreements to wedding costs, joint accoun...

10 Syys 1h 8min

The Ethics Problem in Financial Services (Dr. Moira Somers & Philippa Hann) | #425

In this episode, we're joined by Philippa Hann and Dr. Moira Somers, co-authors of The Fault Lines of Finance: Understanding and Preventing Financial Misconduct, for a deep dive into why good people c...

3 Syys 1h 23min

50 Years of Evidence-Based Investing (w/ David Booth) | #424

In this episode, we welcome back David Booth, Co-Founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors and author of Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life. David reflects on his remarkable care...

27 Elo 1h 5min

The Future of AI in the Workplace | Special Episode (Mike Sullivan and Vinay Gidwaney)

In this special episode, we are joined by Mike Sullivan, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at OneDigital, and Vinay Gidwaney, OneDigital's Chief Product Officer, to discuss their new book, Workforce...

25 Elo 1h 23min

The Biggest Myths in Personal Finance

In this episode, Ben Felix and Dan Bortolotti take on 10 of the biggest myths in personal finance and investing. From the idea that young people should save every possible dollar to benefit from compo...

20 Elo 1h 13min

80 Years of Financial Knowledge in 53 Minutes | #422 (Bill Bernstein)

In this episode, we welcome back William Bernstein to discuss the final book of his longtime friend Jonathan Clements, Money and Me. Bill reflects on Jonathan's ideas about spending, happiness, retire...

13 Elo 53min

Barry Ritholtz: "90% of financial products are crap" | #421

Barry Ritholtz returns to the Rational Reminder podcast to discuss the biggest mistakes investors make—and why avoiding them may matter more than finding the next great investment. Drawing on decades ...

6 Elo 1h 28min

Answering Your Financial Questions | #420

In this Ask Me Anything episode, Ben Felix, Ben Wilson, and Louai Bibi tackle a wide-ranging collection of listener questions spanning investing, retirement, family finance, and financial planning. Al...

30 Heinä 1h 35min