Why Resolutions Fail with Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps
Easy Prey
We often put off changes and schedule them to start on January 1st. Many of these idealistic resolutions fail shortly after beginning, so it is important to be thoughtful when planning so that you can set yourself up for success. Today’s guest is Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps. Leslie is a noted psychologist who authored a number of books, including Insecure in Love, The Insecure in Love Workbook, and Bouncing Back from Rejection. She writes the Authentically You Blog and the Psychology Today Making Change Blog. Additionally, she is a national speaker and hosts a YouTube channel. Show Notes: ...
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Erasing Your Digital Footprint with Jeff Jockisch
Easy Prey
Data is continuously being collected and this information can lead to misleading conclusions about an individual. Without proper context, behavior can be misinterpreted. This underscores the need for data privacy laws and stronger protections against data brokers. Today’s guest is Jeff Jockisch. Jeff is a passionate data privacy researcher dedicated to exploring the evolution of technology, our search behaviors, trust dynamics, and safeguarding of our information. As Managing Partner at ObscureIQ, he specializes in advanced data removal and privacy risk mitigation for enterprises and...
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Executive Recruiter Scams with John Sidoti
Easy Prey
When a recruiter contacts you, it’s essential to do your homework, verify their sources, and trust your instincts. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. While it can be frustrating to be this skeptical, being cautious can protect you and your finances. Today’s guest is John Sidoti. John is the Senior Director of Information Technology at Social Current. He has over 30 years of experience as an IT generalist with wide and varied experience across all aspects of the IT spectrum. Show Notes: [0:50] - John shares his background and discusses his extensive and varied...
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Human Hacking with Peter Warmka
Easy Prey
Today’s threat actors and social engineers leverage social media to observe individuals’ patterns and habits. They encounter you at a coffee shop or another familiar spot. They begin to establish trust, which makes you more susceptible to their tactics. Today’s guest is Peter Warmka. Peter is a retired CIA officer with over two decades of breaching the security of organizations overseas in pursuit of intelligence. He is the founder of The Counterintelligence Institute, author of two books, conference speaker, consultant, and educator on the dangers of human hacking. Show Notes: ...
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Digital Deception: What Lies Ahead with Perry Carpenter
Easy Prey
Creating habits of healthy skepticism when receiving texts or emails can prevent you from clicking on phishing links. Everybody is vulnerable online, especially when distracted or in a hurry. But cultivating critical thinking and self-awareness can enhance protection against manipulation. Today’s guest is Perry Carpenter. Perry is an award-winning author, podcaster, and speaker with over two decades in cybersecurity, focusing on how cyber criminals exploit human behavior. As the Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4, Perry helps build robust, human-centric defenses against social...
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Rethinking Online Anonymity with Lance Cottrell
Easy Prey
In a world of cybersecurity and online privacy, anonymity seems to be the key. VPNs are often promoted as the cure-all to our internet needs. Let’s talk about some of those misconceptions. Today’s guest is Lance Cottrell. Lance founded Anonymizer in 1995 and is an internationally recognized expert in cryptography, online privacy, and internet security. He is the principal author on multiple internet privacy and security technology patents. Lance stayed on as Chief Scientist as Anonymizer was acquired by Intrepid, and now advises start-ups through his platform. Show Notes: [1:09] - Lance...
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AI: Double-Edged Sword for Cybersecurity with Vincent LaRocca
Easy Prey
Cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. It’s essential that we proactively safeguard our data and recognize that no one is immune to attacks. We are all vulnerable. As malicious actors continually enhance their tactics, we must stay one step ahead by consistently improving our defenses. Today’s guest is Vincent LaRocca. Vincent is the CEO of CyberSecOp with the commitment to protecting sensitive data and mitigating cyber threats. With over two decades of experience, Vincent has successfully steered CyberSecOp to become one of the world’s fastest growing managed security providers,...
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Understanding and Avoiding Triangulation Fraud with Soups Ranjan
Easy Prey
As consumers, we may realize the need to be vigilant by using two-factor authentication and password managers, but there are so many scams out there that can impersonate legitimate organizations, websites, and people. We really can’t let our guard down. Today’s guest is Soups Ranjan. Soups has over 18 years of experience in software engineering, data science, and risk management. He is the co-founder and CEO of Sardine. This behavior-infused platform offers fraud prevention, compliance, and payment solutions for various industries including banking, online marketplaces, FinTech, crypto,...
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Finding Small Business Fraud with James Ratley
Easy Prey
There are a shocking amount of businesses that ultimately fail because of fraud. Many managers and business owners are unaware of their losses because they do not have the systems in place to look for fraud and it may not be their primary concern. Today’s guest is James Ratley. Jim graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. In 1971, he joined the Dallas Police Department as a police officer. He was on numerous task forces with a concentration on major fraud cases. He joined a major forensic accounting practice and was in charge of...
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Truth and Lies with Mark Bowden
Easy Prey
Now that so much of our communications are digital, such as texts, emails, and chats, we miss out on the tone and facial expressions to help us understand the intent and content in communication. It’s important to know ourselves well enough to know what areas we’ll be more easily influenced and are susceptible to being deceived. The greater our desire for something to be true, the easier it is for us to be scammed. Today’s guest is Mark Bowden. Mark is a world-renowned body language expert, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. He is the founder of the communication training company,...
info_outlineScammers have gone from postal mail and faxes to email and phone calls where you never see the person, but now with AI, you can even have a live video call that seems completely real with deep fake technology. It’s no longer safe to just see a person, but there are other things you can do to know if you’re communicating with the individual they claim to be.
Today’s guest is Anna Rowe. Anna is the founder of Catch the Catfish and co-founder of LoveSaid. She is a Subject Matter Expert in Romance Fraud and Victim Support.
Show Notes:
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[0:55] - Anna shares her background as a teacher and describes how she was catfished in 2015.
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[2:52] - How can you make genuine informed consent when someone is deceiving you at that level?
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[3:45] - A therapist’s suggestion of researching narcissists and psychopaths started her healing journey.
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[5:35] - Anna learned that this type of scam commonly comes from West Africa and the scammers are known as Yahoo Boys.
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[7:44] - Romance fraud can be in person, like with Anna’s experience. But there are romance scams that are online only.
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[9:32] - It is common for romance scammers to also be perpetrating other types of fraud at the same time.
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[11:44] - Pig butchering includes another problem, where scammers themselves are also trafficked.
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[13:59] - A lot of victims don’t realize they are interacting with a scammer for a long time because they aren’t asking for money.
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[17:51] - In years past, Photoshopping an image to appear realistic wasn’t as easy as it is now with AI.
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[19:26] - Blending a new face onto an existing photo can even be used in video.
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[21:15] - Voice cloning is also often used and apps to do this are free.
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[24:24] - Deep fake scammers use content on social media stories and live streams to record long pieces of video.
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[26:20] - This technology is improving quickly, but Anna shares some of the ways you can tell if something is a deep fake.
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[28:51] - There are simple things to check on profiles that you can notice as red flags before getting involved with someone.
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[33:01] - Scammers also really like using cryptocurrency because it is unregulated.
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[34:14] - Scammers build a reality typically by using the 5 C’s of reasons why their spouse is gone.
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[37:30] - There are different strategies to look for certain things as you “become your own detective” on various social media platforms.
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[40:57] - When scammers know that you are “onto them” they know what they can change.
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[43:36] - Every decision a scammer makes is premeditated.
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[46:50] - Scammers will keep you hooked and space away from them could get you in a space of trusting your gut.
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[53:32] - Reverse image searches are extremely helpful.
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[57:50] - Anna describes some of the ways she was able to determine what her scammer was doing.
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[61:10] - Anna was put into an open relationship without her consent.
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[63:05] - Future faking is common in narcissists and psychopaths.
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[64:26] - These scams are really damaging and it is important to not use victim shaming language when discussing it.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.
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