Amazon’s Rigorous Remote Work Policy for Disabled Employees Sparks Backlash, Sophisticated Cyber Threats Target Online Holiday Shoppers, Report Reveal, O2 Uses AI “Grandmother” to Waste Scammers’ Time with Rambling Conversations
Welcome to Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
Amazon’s Rigorous Remote Work Policy for Disabled Employees Sparks Backlash
One of the side-benefits of the pandemic was that it created, maybe for the first time, a level playing field for disabled workers. It resulted in the highest percentage of employment for people with disabilities since tracking began by the Bureau of Labour statistics in 2008. 22.5% of those with disabilities were employed. Working from home was a huge benefit to people with a range of disabilities, not just mobility or sight related, but other things that we don’t often think of like chronic allergies or anxiety disorders.
Now, critics say that Amazon’s new policy for remote work accommodations may be the start of undoing that progress. Amazon is the second largest private employer in the US and what it does can have a big impact.
Amazon’s new process is drawing criticism for its complexity and perceived rigidity. Disabled employees seeking permission to work from home now face a “multilevel leader review” process, including consultations with Amazon’s disability team and, in some cases, month-long in-office trials. The policy aligns with Amazon’s company-wide requirement for employees to return to the office five days a week by January, a move CEO Andy Jassy says is intended to strengthen company culture.
However, employees have voiced concerns that the process is overly complex and invasive, with some expressing fears that the hurdles are designed to discourage approvals. Affected employees report prolonged wait times, redundant documentation requests, and probing questions from so-called accommodation consultants, such as how they navigate their disability outside of work.
Disability advocates caution that Amazon’s stance could influence other major employers and potentially erode progress made during the pandemic toward accessible remote work options. Ariel Simms, CEO of Disability Belongs, noted that “it sets a dangerous precedent with other employers,” as complex processes may drive some workers to leave rather than endure lengthy accommodation procedures.
Although this is a gray area in terms of regulation, employees could file discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which could require Amazon to justify that in-person presence is essential for white-collar roles. Given how effective remote work has been, this might be difficult to prove.
Bloomberg article on Amazon’s revised remote work policy for disabled employees
Sophisticated Cyber Threats Target Online Holiday Shoppers, Report Reveals
As the holiday shopping season ramps up, cybercriminals are getting creative with new methods to lure online shoppers into scams. A recent report by BforeAI sheds light on the latest tactics targeting the retail sector, analyzing roughly 6,000 new retail-related domains registered in recent months. It’s a sneak peek into how these cyber threats are evolving, just as online shopping traffic is expected to surge.
Key Findings from the Report:
Brand Spoofing and Domain Manipulation: Nearly 4,000 of the domains used recognizable names like Walmart and Amazon, often paired with terms like “deal” or “shop.” Leveraging cheap, familiar domains like .com or .shop, scammers create URLs that are deceptively similar to legitimate retail sites.
-Fake Apps Disguised as Popular Retail Platforms: Among 185 confirmed malicious sites, many linked to fake apps imitating Amazon and Flipkart. These apps, often hosted on unofficial sites, steal credentials and credit card information once installed.
-Fraudulent Sites Advertising Major Sale Events: Over 1,500 sites echoed seasonal promotions, such as “Biggest Sale of the Year” themes, mimicking trusted brands to prompt shoppers to enter sensitive information on cloned payment pages.
Chatbots on Phishing Sites for Added Realism:Some fraudulent sites now feature chatbots to simulate live support, guiding users to phishing links and further enhancing the illusion of legitimacy.
Cryptocurrency Wallet Scams:Cybercriminals are taking advantage of growing interest in crypto payments by encouraging users to link their wallets on fake retail sites, ultimately draining funds in untraceable transactions.
Investment Scams Masquerading as Retail Offers:New scams use trusted brands as a front for investment schemes. Victims are lured via apps like WhatsApp, convinced to invest, and later find themselves locked out of group chats once funds are transferred.
The BforeAI report captures how these scams are rapidly evolving to meet the moment, especially as the holiday shopping season drives more people online. While BforeAI offers its own solutions to counter these threats, the report is a valuable insight into what shoppers should expect in the coming months.
For a deeper dive, check out the report linked in the show notes.
Link to report https://bfore.ai/2024-online-holiday-retail-threat-report/
O2 Uses AI “Grandmother” to Waste Scammers’ Time with Rambling Conversations
Many of you will have seen the videos from YouTube showing people who engage phone scammers. But of course these individuals, while providing great entertainment, can only frustrate a small number of the thousands of people who are engaged in this nefarious process.
But the UK’s largest mobile network, O2, has brought AI and automation to bear to catch a wider group of phone scammers. They have introduced an AI tool named “Daisy” designed to trick phone scammers by posing as a talkative grandmother. Daisy, or “dAIsy,” engages fraudsters in lengthy conversations that lead nowhere, imitating an elderly persona that scammers often target. Using a character personality layer, Daisy responds in real time, often rambling and misdirecting the conversation to frustrate the scammers.
Created with assistance from popular scambaiter Jim Browning, Daisy is skilled at convincing fraudsters it’s a real person. In some instances, it has kept scammers on the line for up to 40 minutes, reading out fake bank details and names to waste their time. Daisy operates 24/7, interacting with callers listed as “easy targets,” ensuring scammers spend less time reaching real victims.
Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud at Virgin Media O2, emphasizes the broader effort to combat scams, stating, “Daisy is a reminder that no matter how persuasive someone on the other end of the phone may be, they aren’t always who you think they are.”
Interestingly, while Daisy fights scam calls, similar AI technologies are also being exploited by scammers to impersonate relatives, underscoring the double-edged nature of conversational AI.
And that’s our show for today.
Reach me at editorial@technewsday.ca
I’m your host Jim Love, have a Fabulous Friday
