The Ransomware War
Easy Prey
Ransomware isn’t a lone hacker in a hoodie. It’s an entire criminal industry complete with developers, brokers, and money launderers working together like a dark tech startup. And while these groups constantly evolve, so do the tools and partnerships aimed at stopping them before they strike. My guest today is Cynthia Kaiser, former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division and now the Head of the Ransomware Research Center at Halcyon. After two decades investigating global cyber threats and briefing top government leaders, she’s now focused on prevention and building...
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Opportunistic Crimes
Easy Prey
Criminals are always adapting. Whether it’s copper wiring stripped from job sites or porch pirates grabbing deliveries in broad daylight, they keep finding new ways to take what isn’t theirs. But maybe prevention isn’t about harsher punishment or more cameras. Maybe it’s about smarter design and understanding what drives people to steal in the first place. My guest today is Dr. Ben Stickle, a professor of criminal justice at Middle Tennessee State University and one of the country’s top researchers on property crime. Before entering academia, he worked in law enforcement, which gives...
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Post Scam Guidebook
Easy Prey
Fraud usually gets talked about in numbers like how much money was stolen, how many people were affected, how many cases got filed. But behind every one of those numbers is a person who’s been blindsided, manipulated, or left trying to rebuild trust in others and in themselves. This episode shifts the focus back to those human stories and the fight to protect them. My guest, Freddie Massimi, has spent more than a decade helping scam victims find both financial and emotional recovery, bringing empathy and understanding to a field that too often feels cold and procedural. As a certified...
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Can You Trust Anything Online
Easy Prey
You think you’d never fall for a scam until you meet someone like Kitboga. He’s a software engineer who’s turned his curiosity about online fraud into a full-time mission to outsmart scammers and protect the people they target. His YouTube channel, The Kitboga Show, has millions of followers and nearly a billion views, thanks to his mix of humor, empathy, and clever ways of exposing how scams really work. In our conversation, Kit opens up about how this all started, what it’s really like to spend hours pretending to be a scam victim, and how organized crime has turned fraud into a...
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Real Time Fraud Detection
Easy Prey
Everywhere you turn, someone’s trying to fake something like an image, a voice, or even an entire identity. With AI tools now in almost anyone’s hands, it takes minutes, not days, to create a convincing fake. That’s changed the game for both sides. The fraudsters have new weapons, and the rest of us are scrambling to keep up. The real question now isn’t just how to stop scams, but how to know who or what to trust online. My guest today, Bala Kumar, spends his days on the front lines of that battle. He’s the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Jumio, a company working to make...
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Child Predator Tactics
Easy Prey
Kids spend more time online than ever, and for the most part it feels normal. They’re gaming, watching videos, and chatting with friends. But hidden in those same spaces are adults who know how to pose as kids, build trust, and push conversations into dangerous territory. Parents might think it couldn’t happen to their child, yet detectives see how quickly an “innocent” interaction can turn into grooming or extortion. That’s the world Detective Seth Cockerham works in every day. He’s been in law enforcement in Texas for close to a decade, and the last few years have been dedicated...
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Identity Trafficking
Easy Prey
Some people are willing to hand over their identities for cash, while organized fraudsters are lining up to buy them. What used to be a matter of stolen credit cards has turned into a global marketplace where personal details fuel large-scale fraud. Now with AI, automation, and deepfakes making impersonation easier than ever, it’s becoming much more difficult to protect identities. To understand how we got here and what can be done, I spoke with Ofer Friedman, Chief Business Development Officer at AU10TIX. Ofer has spent more than 15 years in the identity verification and compliance...
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Technology, Trust & Time
Easy Prey
Technology is moving faster than our ability to process its impact, forcing us to question trust, motivation, and the value of our time. Few people have had a closer view of those shifts than Esther Dyson. With a background in economics from Harvard, Esther built a career as a journalist, author, commentator, investor, and philanthropist, with a unique ability to spot patterns across industries and challenge assumptions before they become mainstream. She is the executive founder of Wellville, a ten-year nonprofit project dedicated to improving equitable well-being in communities across the...
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The Global Scam Battle
Easy Prey
Cybercrime continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, with attackers running their operations much like businesses. From ransomware gangs with customer support desks to AI-generated phishing campaigns that erase traditional red flags, scams are becoming harder to detect and stop. In this episode, David Bittner, host of the CyberWire Daily Podcast, shares his perspective on the changing landscape of fraud and cyberattacks. Drawing on his background in media, theater, and podcasting, as well as years of reporting on security issues, he explains how both criminals and defenders are using...
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AI Supercharges Scams
Easy Prey
Cybercriminals are accelerating their attacks in ways that weren’t possible a few years ago. Artificial intelligence is giving them the ability to spin up phishing campaigns, voice clones, and deepfakes in minutes instead of days. As a result, the gap between what’s genuine and what’s fake is closing fast, making it harder for both individuals and organizations to defend themselves. I’m thrilled to welcome Brett Winterford, Vice President of Okta Threat Intelligence. Brett has had a front row seat to these changes. His team analyzes identity-based attacks and delivers insights to help...
info_outlineCybercrime continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, with attackers running their operations much like businesses. From ransomware gangs with customer support desks to AI-generated phishing campaigns that erase traditional red flags, scams are becoming harder to detect and stop.
In this episode, David Bittner, host of the CyberWire Daily Podcast, shares his perspective on the changing landscape of fraud and cyberattacks. Drawing on his background in media, theater, and podcasting, as well as years of reporting on security issues, he explains how both criminals and defenders are using AI, why ransomware has exploded instead of fading, and how scams exploit human trust and expectations..
David also talks about common scams hitting people today, from toll violation texts and fake bank calls to romance scams on social media. He recounts personal experiences of being targeted, including a Facebook credential-harvesting attempt and an exit-ramp “out of gas” con, to show that no one is immune. Looking ahead, he predicts existing scams will keep evolving, AI will continue to raise the stakes, and defenders may eventually need AI “agents” watching out for them in real time.
Show Notes:
- [02:00] David explains how CyberWire grew from a daily news brief into a full podcast network covering cybersecurity.
- [04:21] David recalls his background in media, theater, and early computer culture that shaped his path.
- [05:52] We hear how luck, timing, and technical skills combined to make podcasting a success for him.
- [07:17] David shares why he believes AI is the biggest change to cybersecurity in the past decade.
- [08:00] He notes that bad grammar is no longer a reliable phishing red flag thanks to large language models.
- [10:11] We discuss how phishing awareness training must adapt to more convincing scams.
- [12:30] He reflects on the unexpected rise of ransomware compared to early predictions about cryptomining.
- [14:08] David explains how ransomware groups now operate like corporations with support teams.
- [16:00] He raises concerns about ransom payments funding overseas criminal networks in Russia and North Korea.
- [18:15] We learn how scammers use call centers and human trafficking to scale their operations.
- [19:30] David describes current scam trends, including fake toll violation texts and AWS account alerts.
- [21:32] He points out how romance scams thrive on social media platforms like Facebook.
- [22:16] David recounts a frightening call where his mother was nearly scammed by criminals posing as bank security.
- [25:09] He emphasizes how scammers manipulate victims to stay locked into the story and ignore warnings.
- [26:03] We hear how criminals pressure victims into withdrawing cash, buying gold, or handing funds to unwitting couriers.
- [27:00] David shares a case where a delivery driver was tragically killed after being caught up in a scam pickup.
- [29:00] He talks about his own experiences of being scammed, including a Facebook credential-harvesting attempt.
- [32:08] David recalls falling for an “out of gas” roadside con and explains why he still prefers trusting people.
- [34:00] He reflects on how vague scam messages exploit imagination and insecurities.
- [36:08] We hear examples of scams that exploit real-life contexts, such as HR benefits or package deliveries.
- [37:45] David explains his current vigilance with real estate transactions and wire transfer fraud.
- [39:26] He predicts the next wave of scams will be evolutions of what already works, boosted by AI.
- [40:07] David outlines the persistence of “treasure box” and inheritance scams dating back hundreds of years.
- [41:02] He shares his hope that future AI “agents” will act as a safeguard for vulnerable users.
- [42:21] David speculates about “nuisance ransomware” that charges small amounts to fly under the radar.
- [43:25] He jokes about calling it “inconvenienceware” and wonders if such a niche could emerge.
- [44:39] David directs listeners to CyberWire.com to explore his podcasts and resources.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.