Jul 17, 2025
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)