[MUSIC] How is it that someone could be so evil that they would do this to someone?

Protecting yourself and your money from the rise in digital scams and-- It's a good feeling to go back and see healthy animals growing and living and thriving.

Long Island's largest remaining duck farm making a comeback after a bird flu outbreak.

Plus... where else do you eat chicken with your hands and watch a joust?

But Medieval Times Let's go back in time.

It's your business Long Island.

I'm Newsday TV's Macy Egeland.

And I'm Ken Buffa.

We begin with some local business headlines.

A North Fork real estate investor is planning to list a recently approved 88 acre subdivision.

Judy Desiderio owns the property which runs from Oregon Road to Long Island Sound in Kutchog.

The 23 million dollar price tag comes with eight residential lots and 60 acres of farmland that must be preserved.

A West Islip pet shop is closing after nearly 60 years in business.

BTJ's Jungle is shutting down February 1st.

We're told it's partly because of health issues among the owners.

And there's a new non-stop destination out of MacArthur Airport starting in May.

Breeze Airways will fly to Myrtle Beach twice a week.

Scams are on the rise all across Long Island.

From calls, texts and emails to artificial intelligence, criminals are coming up with new ways to trick you out of your money.

83-year-old Gussie Redding of Central Islip lost $20,000 to a McAfee computer scam a week before last Christmas.

Now for her and many other victims, scams like these take a financial and emotional toll.

I felt like I had done something that was so embarrassing.

I didn't want to tell my friends.

I didn't want to tell my family.

How is it that someone could be so evil that they would do this to someone?

So what should you be on the lookout for to protect your money?

Joining me now is Newsday Business Reporter Brianne Ledda and James E. Lee, President of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Thank you both for being with us.

We appreciate your time.

We'll begin with you, Brianne.

We just heard from Gussie.

Tell us about what happened to her.

How did she get scammed?

So she basically got an email with an invoice from supposedly from McAfee, which is an anti-malware program.

And it was claiming that they had charged her around $400 for a membership that she had not purchased.

So she calls the number on the invoice and she tells them, "Hey, I didn't buy this."

And they basically instruct her on how to hand over remote control of her computer.

They said that they were going to fix the transaction.

And what they ended up doing was sort of spoofing almost this fake screen that made it look like $40,000 had been deposited into her bank account.

And that's when the threat started.

They started saying, you know, you'll go to jail, etc., etc.

You need to give us back the money.

And she goes to her bank.

She takes out $20,000 in cash and she hands it off to a courier sent by the scammers.

What was even more surprising was that the scammers actually sent her an email after this transaction with a picture of a large screen TV that said paid in cash.

So they were sort of almost gloating in the aftermath.

That's terrible.

It's something we need to be on a lookout for.

Let's talk to James, bring him into the conversation.

James, why is it that these kinds of computer scams are becoming so common?

Well, and they are common.

It's just tragic when you hear these stories.

We like to think, or maybe we're even programmed a little bit to believe that these only happen to older people, but the reality is we're all targets and we all can become victims today.

And it's happening largely because of data breaches.

There's so much information available because of data breaches over the last 20 years that it's possible to impersonate just about any business, any government entity, any individual.

And that's exactly what the bad guys are doing.

All right, so James, you kind of mentioned this, you know, older adults are not the only ones getting scammed.

Younger people are being targeted as well.

How so?

Like what types of scams are our younger people seeing?

Well in particular with younger folks it's it tends to be social media account takeovers.

So they'll they'll get locked out of their social media accounts which sometimes they rely on that for income.

Small businesses the same thing.

The other one that we're seeing right now a lot of is job scams.

Now, a lot of people may have received a text offering them, "You can work an hour, make $500 in that one hour, and all you have to do is watch Netflix videos," or something like that.

So we've seen those texts, but they're actually worse than that.

The really sophisticated ones are attacking both a business and an individual through fake websites, through spoofed websites that look like real company websites.

It is incredible to see how they've evolved over the years, these scams.

We know artificial intelligence is a relatively new Brianne.

How has AI been changing the game when it comes to these scams?

AI is making it a lot easier for scammers to send out more and more personalized scams.

So one person I spoke to made the point that a few years ago, one sign that you might be experiencing a scam is if something was written in like broken English, right?

Because it's being sent by someone from out of the country.

But now with AI, it's super easy to write something that's really convincing.

Things just look more real.

I mean, using the logos and everything too, it's definitely harder to spot these scams.

So James, tell us, how do these scammers prey on their victims other than looking convincing?

Is it fear tactics?

How are they getting their victims to give up their money?

The fact that they can make it look and seem so real is an important part.

But more than anything else, they too follow some tried and true kind of patterns.

First of which is, it is fear and urgency.

And the best thing you can do is to do the exact opposite.

To take a minute, take a beat, and think about, does this really make sense?

Is this really the business I'm talking to?

Is this really the individual I'm talking to?

Are they really asking me to do this?

Just think about it and do a little due diligence and go to the real company.

Go to the actual source that that person is claiming to be.

And more times, more often than not, it's not going to be real.

It's going to be really obvious it's not real very quickly.

You almost have to second guess kind of everything that comes into your email, your text messages.

We've listed a few of them James, the types of scams we're seeing, but could you mention a few common scams that you're seeing lately for people?

Well we've already talked about the social media account takeovers which is very prevalent, particularly on younger people.

Where job scams are the kinds we are seeing very frequently.

We're also seeing just a wide variety of some form of scam delivered by text.

- Before we end, I wanna go back to Gussie Redding.

She has a piece of advice for all of us.

Let's take a listen.

- I would just like to say to anyone that's hearing this, just be careful.

Be careful about who you talk to.

Don't let people intimidate you to do something that you don't want to do.

My thanks to Brianne Ledda and James E. Lee for this conversation.

We appreciate your time.

Joining us now is Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

Let's talk about the rise of scams here on Long Island.

What are you seeing?

More?

Oh yeah, it's increasing unfortunately every year.

I think last year in 2024 the FBI reported 16.6 billion dollars in losses nationwide.

That's a 33 percent increase from the previous year.

And as your previous guests have talked about, the introduction of AI is only going to increase the number of scams and their complexity.

So how difficult is it to actually find these suspects?

And do you ever?

Yeah, we do.

It's difficult, but we do find them.

Most of the scams originate not only from outside of Suffolk County, outside of New York State, but really outside of the country.

So really what it is, the most important thing, is finding out about it quickly and the victims communicating with not their financial institutions, their family members and law enforcement as soon as possible.

Let's talk about that.

So maybe in Gussie's case, who we just heard from, is there anything she could have done differently when she was getting these threats to send in the money?

I think unfortunately there was and you know the problem is these scammers are experts at manipulating people's emotions.

So in this instance they're threatening, they're threatening you know jail or some sort of severe consequence if you not only comply but comply immediately.

So had you sort of pulled yourself out of the scenario, called a family member, called law enforcement, that scam would have unraveled rather quickly.

Law enforcement could have came and intercepted the courier, for instance.

So if you do catch a suspect, how do you prosecute a case like that?

So there's, you know, you could charge him.

It's usually driven by the amount of the loss.

You know, the jurisdiction, even if it's coming from out of the country, the jurisdiction will be, you know, based on the crime occurring in Suffolk County.

The problem with us is because they're foreign actors, getting access to these individuals, oftentimes they're coming from countries, so that's why we oftentimes work with our federal partners, where they have extra-territorial jurisdiction, and sometimes they could reach into these countries and bring these scammers to justice.

So if people do lose their money to scammers, do they ever get that money back?

Yeah.

There was one instance with we had a Bitcoin case and the victim realized rather quickly after losing the money that they had been scammed.

They contacted us.

We worked hand in glove with the Suffolk County PD.

So we got the necessary subpoenas out.

And we were able to claw back over $90,000 of the money that was taken.

So it's about really the speed.

Because the whole thing, that courier, as soon as that money comes to the scammers, it's transferred out of the account into other accounts and it's gone.

So we all know we need to protect our information, right?

We were talking earlier about people have our phone numbers, our emails, so easily accessible.

What else can we do to protect ourselves?

I mean, we are just inundated with these scams, the texts, the emails constantly.

I get multiple a day.

So what can people do other than trying to limit their personal information being out there?

Number one is if someone, if you get an unsolicited email, you should always be very skeptical of anything that comes to you unsolicited.

The other thing is if someone says, you know, there's a problem with your bank account and click here and we'll fix it, well, get yourself out of that email, get yourself out of that text, get yourself out of that phone conversation and call your bank directly.

And then call your bank and say, hey, is there anything wrong with my account?

You've mentioned how important it is to report these scams that you, that you're seeing.

Do you think it's possible that these scams are underreported because people are frankly just embarrassed and kind of feel that shame?

Absolutely, absolutely.

I gave that $16.6 billion.

That's a portion of what's actually happening out there because there's a lot of embarrassment, mortification, and there's a lot of people out there who get scammed and say, "All right, I'm just going to move on," and it goes unreported.

So, Suffolk DA Ray Tierney, thank you so much for your time speaking about this important matter with us.

We really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Now experts say you should always verify URLs or web addresses by checking the company's home page.

Be cautious of links promising deals sent to your phone or email.

And pay really close attention to video or images on a website or attached to online offers.

If there's something strange about them, if the details just aren't quite lining up, it could be AI.

And many Long Islanders are looking to get their finances in order in the new year.

Newsday Business Reporter James T. Madore tells us how to find the right financial advisor.

Choosing a financial planner is as important as finding a doctor or a mechanic because the decisions you make with this advisor are going to determine whether or not you can buy a house, send a child to college, or retire in your 60s.

We spoke to North Port Attorney Timothy J. Denon, who has been representing victims of securities fraud for decades, about how you should start your search for a financial advisor.

I'd start first with your own circle, your family, your friends, co-workers, neighbors.

Most people within that circle, they're going to have at least one or two people that have a financial advisor, and I'd speak with them and see what their track record is, see whether they're comfortable with that financial advisor.

And it's important to start, I think, with people that you trust, that you have relationships with.

So that's a good place to start.

And then once you get a couple of names, you can start an internet search.

Mr.

Denon and two finance professors that I interviewed suggest that you go to these websites to vet the names that you've gotten from your friends and your close associates.

These websites will give you information about the qualifications of the financial advisor, if they've ever been in trouble with a regulatory agency, if they've ever had complaints from their customers.

For Newsday TV, I'm James T. Madore.

Long Island's largest remaining duck farm is starting to thrive again after a devastating setback.

Newsday's Virginia Huey has the story in Aquabog.

You're listening to the sound of a comeback at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquabog.

It's a good feeling to go back and see healthy animals growing and living and thriving.

Owner Douglas Corwin can't help but smile when he sees his flock, now 12,500 strong, after suffering a devastating setback following a bird flu case in January.

It totally shocked us at that point in time.

After the mandatory slaughter of nearly his entire flock of 99,000 birds, Corwin's farm fell silent for the first time in its 117 years.

He was forced to lay off most of his workers.

That was total silence, you know.

We were in quarantine.

You couldn't go up there.

All these barns had to be totally, totally sanitized.

It was a very eerie feeling.

The future of the last commercial duck farm on Long Island was in question.

But the 67-year-old lifetime duck farmer felt failure was not an option.

I'm the 14th generation on the land.

I don't want to be the last person doing this.

Fortunately, New York State allowed us to save some very old eggs.

We got a few baby ducks from it.

We've reproduced those baby ducks.

The next six months will be critical in the rebuilding process.

Corwin is now growing the second generation of 10,000 ducks to the point where they can lay eggs starting next year.

The second generation is the key.

The second generation is what breeds, gets us up to a level of breeding that we can get the offspring from that third generation to restart again.

Corwin has also been able to hire back some 30 workers part-time.

And while the threat of another big bird flu outbreak worries him, Corwin is hopeful he'll be back in business 100% by the 2026 holiday season.

It's like spring in the fall.

There's that rebirth that's coming, which is a great thing.

For Newsday TV, I'm Virginia Huey.

Good to see there now experts say the rise of streaming services and increased operational costs are leading to the decline of movie theaters But some Long Island mom-and-pop cinemas are innovating to survive We are a family theater.

It's been around as it is right now 70 years Well, it's just the games changed what we try to focus on is how we can do it differently We do movie premieres.

We do a lot of private events We do fundraisers for charities where we get a certain amount per person We have tickets between seven and ten dollars And so you can take your kids and family to the movie theater and spend like fifteen dollars a person Everything included the price is good.

The movie is just as good and the atmosphere is kind of even better.

Theater like this it works well for us and not too many people and it's right in the middle of town It's a good location Smaller, It's more family-oriented It is affordable for us as a family of five and you know plus so we do enjoy coming here.

It's homey It's in our local neighborhood.

I absolutely love what I do community loves us And we give them love back and it's just an all-around good vibe great experience I've talked to people in their 30s and 40s who still remember their favorite birthday party they've had here.

So there's just a magical experience that you can have here that you're never going to get anywhere else If you're looking for a quick getaway, let's go with Newsday Travel Reporter, Carissa Kellman.

[Music] Where else do you eat chicken with your hands and watch a joust, but Medieval Times?

It's a really unique appeal here where you get to be entertained by something you've never seen before.

Before the show, I got a behind the scenes peek at the stars of the night, the horses.

They're so cute.

They are indeed.

Then it was time to check out the weapons.

And yes, they're real.

When two knights are swinging them at each other, they'll shave off the edges and those are going to be the sparks that you'll see in the show.

Yeah, you got to be ready for some fireworks.

Yeah, this is a very senior weapon.

This is the double ball bola.

This is the most dangerous thing that we use in the sand.

It has to move fast, it has to hit hard, it's the safest way to use it.

Next, it was my turn to suit up and let me tell you, becoming a knight is harder and heavier than it looks.

Oh my god, how do you do this?

Those are small on my head, so they make me feel better.

Oh god, okay.

How does it look?

You look like you, with some, you know, a lot of eating, you might be ready for it.

I need to eat a little bit more.

Good thing it's time for the feast.

This is so exciting and I'm getting hungry.

And eating with your hands has never felt more medieval or more satisfying.

Finally, the joust begins.

Knights, sparks, and swords flying with front row seats to all the action.

And one lucky royal is crowned queen.

Oh wait, it's me.

I swear I didn't know this was going to happen.

So my first time at Medieval Times, it lived up to its hype.

I met the horses, wore the armor, handled the weapons, ate like a royal, and survived it all.

From Lyndhurst, New Jersey for Newsday TV, I'm Carissa Kellman.

It is a lot of fun if you've never been.

All right, so pothole season is here, and in this month's LI Work, we're taking a look at what it takes to change your tires.

Behind the sounds of drills and pops, Zima Tire owner John Muraldo says you can hear the sound of hard work.

Grab your lug nuts, we're changing tires!

I'm John Moraldo, owner of Zima Tire.

I've been doing this 40 plus years and I love the fact that customers are happy with the work that we do and that's what keeps me going.

As a tire mechanic, Meraldo says you have to be a jack of all trades.

You need to be able to jack up all cars to not only fix their tires, but find any other ailments.

How to fix the TPMS sensors, how to reset the vehicles when the lights are on, and also what cars have air shock, don't have the air suspension, and you got to change, make sure you shut that off when you work on it.

And if you're good enough, there's plenty of work to be done and plenty of hours to fill.

50 to 60.

50 to 60 hours a week?

How many tires a week do you think you change?

I'd say about 200 to 250.

A week?

>>Yes So with that in mind, let's see if I can service like the best of them.

Alright, that's the spot?

I'm going up and down.

Look a I'm exhausted.

Just a lot muscle man luckily I got plenty of it.

You see that?

Only took about 45 minutes.

Ha ha.

Alright, you might not want me as your fixer.

And Moraldo says if you're not willing to bend, lift, or sweat, he might not want you either.

>> Somebody that's not going to want to labor.

It's a laboring job.

>> But if you can tough it out, you can be the one people count on after rubber meets road.

>> All right.

I know who I'm calling next time I'm stuck on the side of the LIE.

>> Someone else.

It was back breaking work.

I was there for like two hours and it was exhausting.

Big ups to those guys who did it because it was exhausting.

Alright, so let's take a look now at one Long Islander helping to keep our waterways healthy.

My name is J Capone and volunteering to me is using my actions and my talents to have a profound effect on my community.

I volunteer with Friends of the Bay doing water quality research.

We collect water samples and test them to see how clean they are and the conditions of our bays.

The great thing about Friends of the Bay is that I'm helping my local waterways and my local seashores.

Volunteering isn't entirely self-sacrificial.

I do get a lot out of it.

I get a lot of camaraderie hanging out with the people on the boat.

And I learn a lot about our local waterways, what we're doing, why we're testing the things that we're testing.

I grew up here in the town of Oyster Bay.

I spent summers swimming in the waters and kayaking.

I spent winters combing the sands.

Finding a way to give back to the place that has shaped my childhood, it just feels right.

By volunteering my time, listen, I love kayaking.

I love swimming in the water.

And I want to make sure that other people get to enjoy leisurely recreational activities on it as well.

But it's not just humans who enjoy it.

It's the horseshoe crabs, it's the fish, it's the birds that eat the fish.

They get to enjoy this just as much as we do.

Volunteering to me, it's about keeping Long Island wild and beautiful.

It's about getting your feet wet, and it's about working with your own community and helping that out.

Well, there's that saying, you know, a man doesn't plant a tree for himself, he plants it for the future generations that will live under its shade.

By doing research and observing the trends and the water quality, I can make sure that we help keep the water clean for future generations.

All right, that's your business, Long Island.

For the latest local business news and how it impacts you, go to Newsday.com.

I'm Ken Buffa.

I'm Macy Egeland.

Thanks for watching.

[MUSIC]