Last Samurai Standing begins with a familiar premise. Desperate samurai dispossessed by the restoration of the emperor enter into a deadly game for a life-changing cash prize — all for the entertainment of anonymous elites. Unlike its inspirations Battle Royale and Squid Game, however, Last Samurai Standing’s violence is chaotic, fast-paced, and kinetic, though it hides a careful choreography that makes the series a more electric proposition than its predecessors.
Technology
How cyberscams are draining Americans wallets by the billions
Cyberscams have reached alarming levels in the U.S., with nearly 30% of Americans falling victim to fraudulent schemes in the past year alone.
The financial toll is staggering — scams cost Americans over $159 billion annually, with average individual losses now exceeding $3,500 per victim. This epidemic is not just a financial crisis but also a human rights issue, as many scams originate from forced labor operations in Southeast Asia.
With nearly 90% of Americans targeted by scam attempts and 40% receiving suspicious messages daily, the question remains: how can we protect ourselves and hold perpetrators accountable in an increasingly digital world?
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The word scam with data in the background (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
The mechanics of “pig butchering”
One of the most pervasive scams today is the so-called “pig butchering” scheme. Originating in China and spreading across Southeast Asia, this scam involves criminals building trust with victims through social media or messaging apps. Once trust is established, victims are lured into fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes. These scams are meticulously crafted to appear legitimate, often involving fake trading platforms and simulated profits. Victims are encouraged to invest more until they are “slaughtered,” losing their entire savings when the scammers vanish with their funds.
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Forced labor behind these scam centers
What makes these scams even more horrifying is their reliance on human trafficking. Criminal syndicates in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos force trafficked individuals to run these operations under threat of violence. These “scam centers” operate in lawless regions controlled by rebel groups or corrupt officials, making international intervention challenging. Survivors describe conditions akin to modern slavery, with physical abuse and even torture being common.
Illustration of a scam on a computer key. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Why America is a prime target
Cyberscams have taken hold in the U.S. for several reasons that make it particularly vulnerable. As an American, you’re likely connected to the digital world through social media platforms, messaging apps and other online tools. This high level of connectivity makes it easier for scammers to reach you directly, whether through a text message, email or social media chat. The sheer number of people online in the U.S. creates a vast pool of potential targets for cybercriminals.
Additionally, the growing popularity of cryptocurrency in the U.S. has made it a prime medium for fraud. Cryptocurrency transactions are fast, anonymous and difficult to trace, which makes them ideal for scammers looking to steal funds without leaving a trail. Many scams are designed to exploit this lack of transparency, leaving victims with little chance of recovering their money once it’s gone.
Another major issue is the lack of a centralized reporting system for cyberscams in the U.S. If you’ve ever been scammed or know someone who has, you might have noticed how confusing it can be to figure out where to report the crime — whether to the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or another agency. This fragmented system not only makes it harder for victims to seek help but also prevents authorities from gathering comprehensive data to tackle the problem effectively. These factors combined have made Americans some of the most targeted individuals in the world when it comes to cyberscams.
Illustration of a scammer at work. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
FBI’S NEW WARNING ABOUT AI-DRIVEN SCAMS THAT ARE AFTER YOUR CASH
Global solutions: Lessons from other nations
Several countries have implemented innovative measures to combat cyberscams, offering valuable lessons for the U.S. Singapore, for instance, has introduced a mandatory SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) that requires organizations to register their alphanumeric Sender IDs. This system effectively blocks unregistered SMS senders, significantly reducing impersonation scams. In fact, cases involving scam SMSes in Singapore fell by 70% over three months after mandating the SSIR.
Britain has taken a different approach by establishing a dedicated “159” hotline, allowing residents to instantly verify suspicious calls. This simple yet effective system provides a quick way for individuals to check the legitimacy of unexpected communications, potentially preventing many scams before they occur.
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Many nations have also implemented stricter authentication measures, such as biometric checks and in-app verifications, which have proven highly effective in reducing fraud. For example, Singapore has required facial verification for higher-risk transactions through Singpass since 2022, resulting in no further reports of malware-enabled scams involving unauthorized CPF withdrawals since its implementation in June 2023.
Some countries are exploring ways to slow down cryptocurrency transactions or cap transfer amounts, which could significantly hinder scammers who rely on quick, anonymous transfers. These measures, combined with a coordinated global response involving major victim nations like the U.S. and China, could prove instrumental in dismantling criminal networks more effectively. By learning from these international examples and adapting them to the American context, the U.S. could significantly strengthen its defenses against the rising tide of cyberscams.
Illustration of scamming techniques. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Tips to protect yourself and your loved ones
Recognizing red flags is essential to avoid falling victim to scams. Here are some important red flags to be aware of:
- Unsolicited calls or emails: Be wary of anyone asking for personal or financial information. Legitimate organizations will not ask for sensitive information in this manner.
- Urgent requests for payment: Scammers often demand immediate action to avoid scrutiny. Take a moment to verify the request through official channels before responding.
- Unfamiliar contact information: Be cautious if the contact information provided does not match the official contact details of the company or organization.
- Untraceable payment methods: Requests for payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers are major warning signs. Reputable companies will not ask for these types of payments.
- Too good to be true offers: If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is. Research and verify any claims before proceeding.
10 ways to protect yourself from being scammed
Protecting yourself and your loved ones from scams requires vigilance and awareness. Here are eight effective ways to safeguard against scammers:
1. Verify before you act: Always verify the identity of the person or organization contacting you. Use official contact information to reach out directly and confirm the legitimacy of the request.
2. Limit personal information sharing: Avoid sharing personal or financial information over the phone, email or online unless you are certain of the recipient’s identity and legitimacy.
3. Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts: A robust password should include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid reusing passwords across multiple platforms, and consider using a reputable password manager to store and generate complex passwords securely.
4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible: 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a secondary verification method, such as a code sent to your phone or biometric authentication. This ensures that even if your password is compromised, unauthorized access remains highly unlikely.
5. Keep your devices and software up to date: By regularly installing the latest updates and security patches, you can ensure your devices are equipped with the latest security features and bug fixes, reducing the risk of becoming a target for cyberattacks. Many cyberattacks exploit unpatched vulnerabilities, so enabling automatic updates for your operating system, apps and antivirus software can significantly reduce your risk.
6. Invest in personal data removal services: Consider using a service that specializes in removing your personal information from the internet to reduce your exposure to potential scammers. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
7. Monitor financial accounts: Regularly check your bank and credit card statements for any unusual or unauthorized transactions. Promptly report any suspicious activity.
8. Be skeptical of unsolicited requests: Treat unexpected requests for money or personal information with caution. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly.
9. Be vigilant against phishing attempts and use strong antivirus software: Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unsolicited emails or messages. Ensure your devices are protected with strong antivirus software that can detect and block malicious activities. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
10. Report Suspected Scams: If you suspect you’ve encountered a scam, report it to your local authorities, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and any relevant financial institutions.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
The rise of cyberscams is not just an economic issue but a moral one that demands immediate action. With billions lost annually and countless lives disrupted, we cannot afford complacency in addressing this crisis. By learning from global best practices and fostering international collaboration, we can begin to dismantle these criminal networks. Be sure to follow the steps I outlined to keep yourself safe.
What do you think should be done to tackle cyberscams more effectively? Should governments focus on stricter regulations or public education campaigns? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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Viewers have Junichi Okada to thank for that. As well as starring in and producing Last Samurai Standing, he serves as the series’ action planner. Many will be familiar with the results of an action planner’s work — sometimes called an action director, elsewhere a “coordinator,” and even “choreographer” — though perhaps not what the role entails. In the case of Last Samurai Standing, it’s a role that touches on nearly every aspect of the production, from the story to the action itself.
“I was involved from the script stage, thinking about what kind of action we wanted and how we would present it in the context of this story,” Okada tells The Verge. “If the director [Michihito Fujii] said, ‘I want to shoot this kind of battle scene,’ I would then think through the content and concept, design the scene, and ultimately translate that into script pages.”
The close relationship between the writer and director extends to other departments, too. Though an action planner’s role starts with managing fight scenes and stunt performers, they also liaise with camera, wardrobe, makeup, and even editorial departments to ensure fight scenes cohere with the rest of the production.
Image: Netflix
It’s a role which might appear a natural progression for Okada, who is certified to teach Kali and Jeet Kune Do — a martial art conceived by Bruce Lee — and holds multiple black belts in jiujitsu. Though the roots of his progression into action planning can be traced back further, to 1995 when he became the youngest member of J-pop group V6.
“Dance experience connects directly to creating action,” he says. “[In both] rhythm and control of the body are extremely important.” Joining V6 at the age of 15, that experience has made Okada conscious of how he moves in relation to a camera during choreography, how he is seen within the structure of a shot, and, critical to action planning, how to navigate all of that safely from a young age.
That J-pop stardom also offered avenues into acting, initially in roles you might expect for a young pop star: comic heartthrobs and sitcom sons. But he was steadily able to broaden his output. A starring turn in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Hana followed, as did voice acting in Studio Ghibli’s Tales From Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill. A more telling departure was a starring role in 2007’s SP, in which he played a rookie in a police bodyguard unit, for which he trained for several years under shootfighting instructor Yorinaga Nakamura.
“What I care about is whether audiences feel that ‘this man really lives here as a samurai.’”
In the years since, Okada has cemented himself as one of Japan’s most recognizable actors, hopping between action starring roles in The Fable to sweeping period epics like Sekigahara. Those two genres converge in his Last Samurai Standing role of Shujiro, a former Shogunate samurai now reduced to poverty, working through his PTSD and reckoning with his bloodthirsty past in the game. These days, it’s less of a concern that the character butts up against his past idol image, he suggests. “What I care about is whether audiences feel that ‘this man really lives here as a samurai.’”
For Okada’s work on Last Samurai Standing, as both producer and action planner, that involved lacing high-octane but believable action with the respect for history and character studies of the period dramas he loves. “Rather than being 100 percent faithful to historical accuracy,” he adds, “my goal was to focus on entertainment and story, while letting the ‘DNA’ and beauty of Japanese period drama gently float up in the background.”
A focus on what he defines as “‘dō’ — movement,” pure entertainment that “never lets the audience get bored” punctuated — with “‘ma,’” the active emptiness that connects those frenetic moments. Both can be conversations, even if one uses words and another communicates dialogue through sword blows. This is most apparent when Shujiro faces his former comrade Sakura (Yasushi Fuchikami) inside a claustrophobic bank vault that serves as a charnel house for the game’s less fortunate contestants.
“The whole battle is divided into three sequences,” Okada says. The first starts with a moment of almost perfect stillness, a deep breath, before the two launch into battle. “A fight where pride and mutual respect collide,” he says, “and where the speed of the techniques reaches a level that really surprises the audience.” It’s all captured in one, zooming take with fast, tightly choreographed action reminiscent of Donnie Yen and Wu Jing in Kill Zone.
So intense is their duel that both shatter multiple swords. The next phase sees them lash out in a more desperate and brutal manner with whatever weapons they find. Finally, having fought to a weary stalemate, the fight becomes, Okada concludes, “a kind of duel where their stubbornness and will are fully exposed” as they hack at each other with shattered blades and spear fragments.
Image: Netflix
It’s a rhythm that many fights in Last Samurai Standing follow, driven by a string of physical and emotional considerations that form the basis of an action planner’s tool kit: how and why someone fights based on who they are and their environment. Here it is two former samurai in an elegant and terrifyingly fast-paced duel. Elsewhere we see skill matched against brutality, or inexperience against expertise.
“I define a clear concept for each sequence,” Okada says, before he opens those concepts up to the broader team. From there, he might add notes, but in Last Samurai Standing, action is a collaborative affair. “We keep refining,” he says. “It’s a back-and-forth process of shaping the sequence using both the ideas the team brings and the choreography I create myself.”
There is a third factor which Okada believes is the series’ most defining. “If we get to continue the story,” he says, “I’d love to explore how much more we can lean into ‘sei’ — stillness, and bring in even more of a classical period drama feel.”
As much of a triumph of action as Last Samurai Standing is, its quietest moments are the ones that stay with you. The charged looks between Shujiro and Iroha (Kaya Kiyohara) or their shuddering fright when confronted with specters of their past. Most of all, Shujiro watching his young ward, Futaba Katsuki (Yumia Fujisaki), dance before a waterlogged torii as mist hovers. These pauses are what elevate and invigorate the breathless action above spectacle.
The pauses are also emblematic of the balance that Last Samurai Standing strikes between its period setting and pushing the boundaries of action, all to inject new excitement into the genre. “Japan is a country that values tradition and everything it has built up over time. That’s why moments where you try to update things are always difficult,” Okada says. “But right now, we’re in the middle of that transformation.”
That is an evolution that Okada hopes to support through his work, both in front of and behind the camera. If he can create avenues for new generations of talent to carry Japanese media to a broader audience and his team to achieve greater success on a global stage, “that would make me very happy,” he says. “I want to keep doing whatever I can to help make that possible.”
The first season of Last Samurai Standing is streaming on Netflix now, and a second season was just confirmed.
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If your iPhone keeps warning you about low storage, your Messages app may be part of the problem. Photos, videos and documents saved inside your text threads can stack up fast. The good news is that you can clear those big files without erasing entire conversations.
Below, you will find simple steps that work on the latest iOS 26.1. These steps help you clean up storage while keeping your messages right where you want them.
If you haven’t updated to iOS 26.1, go to Settings > General > Software Update to install the latest version.
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‘CLOUD STORAGE FULL’ SCAM STEALS YOUR PHOTOS AND MONEY
An iPhone displays a low-storage alert as large photos, videos and documents saved in Messages fill device space, prompting users to remove files without deleting entire conversations. (Cyberguy.com)
Why clearing attachments helps your iPhone run better
Removing large attachments gives you quick breathing room on your iPhone. It can free up gigabytes in seconds, especially if you text lots of photos or videos. Clearing old files also keeps your message threads tidy and helps your device run more smoothly by reducing the amount of storage your system needs to manage. The best part is that you can clean up everything without losing a single conversation.
How to delete attachments but keep your conversations on iPhone
These quick steps help you clear large files from Messages while keeping every conversation intact.
- Launch the Messages app on your iPhone
- Open the conversation thread that holds the attachments you want to delete.
- Tap on the name of the contact(s) in the text thread.
To the right of Info, click on Photos or Documents; you may need to swipe over other tabs to see these. Photos will also contain videos and GIFs, while documents will contain Word documents, PDFs and other types of files.
- Hold your finger and long-press on a photo, video or document until a menu appears.
- Tap Delete to remove that single file.
Then confirm Delete when asked.
How to delete multiple files on your iPhone at once
To clear out several attachments at once, follow these quick steps on your iPhone.
Deleting attachments in Messages quickly frees space without losing your conversations. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
- Go back to the Photos or Documents tab.
- Tap Edit.
- Click Select documents or Select Photos
- Tap on the photos or documents that you want to remove. You will see a blue checkmark appear in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the trash icon in the bottom right corner.
Confirm you want to delete the selected attachments by clicking Delete Photos.
These steps work almost the same way on an iPad. After you finish, you will often see an instant boost in available storage.
How to review large attachments in settings and delete them
If you want to clear the biggest files on your device, you can check them from your iPhone’s storage screen and delete them:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Choose iPhone Storage
- Tap Messages
- Click Review Large Attachments to see photos, videos and attachments taking up storage in Messages.
- Click Edit.
- Select items to delete by clicking the circle next to the attachment you want to delete. A blue checkmark will appear.
Then, tap the trash can icon in the upper right to delete it.
APPLE RELEASES IOS 26.1 WITH MAJOR SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW FEATURES FOR IPHONE USERS
This method gives you a quick overview of what takes up the most space and lets you delete it quickly.
IPhone users can clear large photos, videos and files from Messages using built-in storage tools, helping free space, keep conversations intact and improve device performance. (Cyberguy.com)
Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?
Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Freeing up storage doesn’t have to be confusing. A few quick taps can remove bulky files and keep your conversations intact. With these simple steps, your iPhone stays organized, runs smoothly and is ready for more photos, videos and apps.
What is the one type of attachment that takes up the most space on your iPhone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
The Federal Communications Commission has banned new drones made in foreign countries from being imported into the US unless the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security recommends them. Monday’s action added drones to the FCC’s Covered List, qualifying foreign-made drones and drone parts, like those from DJI, as communications equipment representing “unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons.”
DJI is “disappointed” by today’s action, Adam Welsh, DJI’s head of global policy, says in a statement. “While DJI was not singled out, no information has been released regarding what information was used by the Executive Branch in reaching its determination.” Welsh adds that DJI “remains committed to the U.S. market” and noted that existing products can continue operation as usual. Other items on the FCC’s list include Kaspersky anti-virus software (added in 2024) and telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE (added in 2021).
The FCC says it received a National Security Determination on December 21st from an interagency body saying that “uncrewed aircraft systems” (UAS) and critical UAS components produced in a foreign country could “enable persistent surveillance, data exfiltration, and destructive operations over U.S. territory” and that “U.S. cybersecurity and critical‑infrastructure guidance has repeatedly highlighted how foreign‑manufactured UAS can be used to harvest sensitive data, used to enable remote unauthorized access, or disabled at will via software updates.”
If you already own a drone made outside the US, you will still be able to use it, according to the FCC’s fact sheet. Drones or drone components can be removed from the Covered List if the DoD or DHS “makes a specific determination to the FCC” that it does not pose unacceptable risks.
“Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones, offer the potential to enhance public safety as well as cement America’s leadership in global innovation,” FCC chairman Brendan Carr says.
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