The United States has always been full of scammers, from snake oil salesmen promising miracle cures, to stockbrokers selling Ponzi schemes.

But now, swindlers and thieves have a new tool in their toolbox: AI.

The FBI says cybercrimes involving AI stole nearly a billion dollars from 22,000 Americans last year. And the situation is only getting worse.

On today's episode, AI has turbocharged the scam industry. So, how can we protect ourselves?

GUESTS:

Andrea Alegrett, an assistant the Washington Attorney General's office.

Yuki Ishizuka, Technology Policy Manager, Washington Attorney General's office.

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between state ferries, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle, there are a lot of reasons Hollywood directors love to cast Seattle.

But today, most feature films set in the city aren't actually shot here. That's pushed Seattle to find other ways of capitalizing on its unique on-screen charms. Instead of feature films, the city is betting big on commercials.

On today's episode: How did Seattle’s feature film industry end up on the cutting room floor? And what would it take to bring back its golden era?

GUEST: Chris Swenson, Film Program Manager, Seattle Office of Economic Development.

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Northwest has a copper theft problem. Seattle police say this type of crime has increased 300% in the city since 2016.

And it's hitting Seattle's mom and pop shops especially hard, because often they're the target of these robberies.

We're in the midst of a big shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to one powered by electricity. And that's made copper more valuable than ever.

On today's episode, why is copper theft surging in the PNW? And can anything be done about it?

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economic anxiety has reached a fever pitch.

Mortgage rates are creeping back up, there’s a war on, and companies seem more focused on investing in AI than hiring people.

Many Americans are worried about their finances, but still splurging more than they’re saving, especially the youngest generations. When they don't have savings, they're taking on debt.

There’s a name for this phenomenon – it's called "Doom Spending."

On today's episode, Gen Z is spending like never before ... and they’re not the only ones. So what happens to the economy over the long term when so many people are spending like there’s no tomorrow?

GUEST: Shikha Jain, lead partner for Simon-Kucher's consumer practice in North America. Read her report on the New American Dream here.

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not your imagination. Booking popular experiences in our national parks can feel impossible if you're a mere mortal. Going for a permit to backpack The Enchantments or a campsite on Diablo Lake is kind of like buying a lottery ticket these days.

The reason our parks are starting to feel like the Hunger Games arena comes down to bots, artificial intelligence, and the government's top cyber security contractor.

On today's episode, is there anything we humans can do to take back our public lands from the bots?

GUEST: Heather Hansman, freelance writer and editor. She recently wrote a piece for the nonprofit newsroom RE:PUBLIC and Wired titled, "The US Built a Site to Ensure Fair Access to Public Lands, Then Everything Went Wrong."

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

App fatigue is causing more and more singles to break up with online dating. Instead of swiping, people are turning to matchmakers and other ways to find love I-R-L... often spending thousands of dollars in the process.

Seattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s oldest businesses into one of the hottest new ones.

On today's episode, matchmaking is having a moment. Could it solve what some are calling the 'relationship recession' and help the economy as well?

Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset.

The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.” 

Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here—Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it’s often called the "Hollywood of video games."

For the workers who live and breathe gaming, their ability to keep or find a good job feels like an impossible gauntlet.

On today's episode, what's really going on with Xbox? And what do these mass layoffs say about the state of the gaming industry?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Statewide, Washington needs to build 55,000 new homes per year to house new residents. The state is currently producing just 75% of that.

That makes housing expensive... and it’s not just Washington state facing a long-term housing shortage.

For years, Americans have been begging politicians to do something about the high cost of housing buying an adequate place to live. In late June, something happened that almost never happens in Washington, D.C.—Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a major bill aimed at unlocking the housing supply.

The bill is called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, and it just became law over the weekend.

Some lawmakers are calling this bill the most consequential housing reform in decades. On today's episode, we look at what it can really deliver.

GUEST: Gregg Colburn, assistant professor of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington, and director of the Housing Futures Center at the University of Washington.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.