Elder Exploitation
Easy Prey
Aging parents often rely on the people closest to them for help, but what happens when that help becomes a way to take control? For Charles Wallace, the warning signs started small. His mother’s fridge was suddenly overfilled. A caregiver refused to provide receipts. Spending patterns began to shift in ways that did not make sense. At the time, each concern could be explained away. Looking back, they were part of something much larger. Charles spent 15 years in banking and finance, and after his mother’s death, he used that experience to reconstruct more than 3,000 transactions. What he...
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Art Heists
Easy Prey
The world of art theft looks glamorous in the movies, but the reality is far more complicated. From multi-million dollar forgery schemes to undercover FBI operations recovering stolen national treasures, art crime is a global industry hiding in plain sight. This conversation digs into how these crimes actually play out and why the people who pull them off often end up stuck with the very pieces they thought would make them rich. My guest today is Robert Wittman, a former FBI special agent and the founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Over a 20-year career, he worked undercover in more...
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The Power of Prediction
Easy Prey
We make predictions all the time including about the weather, about traffic, about what someone is going to say next. It feels natural, even rational. But when algorithms start making predictions about us, whether we'll repay a loan, reoffend after prison, or respond to a medical treatment, something fundamental shifts. The forecast stops being a guess and starts becoming a verdict. My guest today is Carissa Veliz, a philosopher and associate professor at the University of Oxford, where she also researches at the Oxford Internet Institute. Her work focuses on the ethics of technology, privacy,...
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Privacy vs Reality
Easy Prey
Online security advice often sounds simple until you actually try to follow it. Between password managers, privacy settings, and data brokers, protecting yourself can start to feel like a full-time job. That gap between what sounds easy and what’s actually realistic is where a lot of people get stuck. My guest today is Yael Grauer, a freelance investigative technology reporter who covers privacy, security, digital freedom, hacking, and mass surveillance. She also works as a program manager of cybersecurity research at Consumer Reports, where she manages Security Planner, a free resource that...
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Wired to Trust
Easy Prey
It’s easy to think scams only work when someone misses something obvious. In reality, most of them don’t look obvious at the start. They show up as normal situations with just enough friction to notice, but not enough to stop. That small gap is where people tend to move forward instead of stepping back. My guest today is Tali Sharot, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies how we form beliefs and make decisions. She’s known for her research on the neural basis of human optimism, and her work has been published in leading journals. In her books, The Optimism Bias and The Science of...
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Intimate Partner Fraud
Easy Prey
Most scams leave a digital trail. A fake email, a spoofed number, a fraudulent website. You can trace them, report them, sometimes even reverse them. But what happens when the scam has no digital trail at all, because it isn't happening on a screen? What happens when the con is standing right in front of you, making you laugh, meeting your friends, and planning a future with you? My guest today is Tracy Hall. She's an author, keynote speaker, and senior marketing executive with over 25 years at some of the world's most recognizable tech companies including eBay, Virgin, GoDaddy, and...
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Identity without Passwords
Easy Prey
Every day, employees at hotels, restaurants, and resorts across the country are doing exactly what they were hired to do: being warm, responsive, and eager to help. It's what makes hospitality work. It's also what makes hospitality one of the most targeted industries in cybersecurity. When your entire workforce is trained to say yes, teaching them to be suspicious is an uphill battle. The smarter solution might be to take the target off their backs entirely. Jasson Casey is the co-founder and CEO of Beyond Identity, a company built around one idea: making identity-based attacks impossible....
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When Cybercrime Gets Personal
Easy Prey
Most security breaches don't begin with sophisticated code or elaborate technical exploits. They begin with a phone call, a convincing email, or someone at a help desk who just wanted to be helpful. The human layer is often the weakest link, and the criminals who understand that are the ones causing the most damage. My guest today is May Chen-Contino. She's the CEO of Unit 221B, a threat disruption company that delivers actionable intelligence to enterprises, law enforcement, and government agencies. Her background spans cybersecurity, fintech, and SaaS leadership at companies like PayPal and...
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Stopping Phone Scams
Easy Prey
Phone scams get dismissed as background noise or just annoying interruptions and unknown numbers with robotic voices we learn to ignore. But behind that noise is an industry built on psychology, automation, and staggering profitability. My guest today is Alex Quilici. He’s an engineer, entrepreneur, and the CEO of YouMail, a company focused on protecting consumers and businesses from unwanted and fraudulent calls. Alex has spent years analyzing how robocalls and scam campaigns are designed, how they evolve, and why they continue to work despite better technology and increased awareness. What...
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Stolen Identity - Stolen Peace
Easy Prey
Identity theft gets talked about a lot, but usually in the abstract: freeze your credit, watch your statements, don't click suspicious links. What doesn't get talked about nearly enough is what it actually feels like when someone isn't just using your card number, but is actively living as you. My guest today is Brooklyn Lyons. She's 25, recently married, and by her own admission, had no particular expertise in fraud or cybersecurity before October of 2024. That changed when her car window was smashed in a parking lot, and her work bag, laptop, wallet, driver's license, and everything...
info_outlineFraud today doesn’t feel anything like it used to. It’s not just about somebody skimming a credit card at a gas pump or stealing a check out of the mail. It has gotten personal, messy, emotional. Scammers are building relationships, earning trust, and studying the little details of our lives so they can strike when we’re tired, distracted, or dealing with something big. And honestly, most people have no idea how far it’s gone.
My guest, Ian Mitchell, has spent more than 25 years fighting fraud around the world and leading teams in the financial sector. He’s the founder of The Knoble, a nonprofit bringing banks and industry leaders together to protect vulnerable people from scams, human trafficking, and exploitation. Ian has seen the evolution of fraud firsthand, from the old-school days of stolen cards to the organized global crime networks using technology, AI, and human manipulation to scale at a pace we’ve never experienced before.
What stood out to me is Ian’s belief that the strongest defense doesn’t start with fancy tools or tighter security. It starts at home. Real conversations with our kids about safety online. Checking in on aging parents. Talking openly with people we trust so scammers can’t isolate us and break us down. It’s serious work, but Ian is hopeful. He believes there are far more good people than bad, and when we look out for each other, we’re a lot harder to exploit.
Show Notes:
- [00:58] Ian unexpectedly shifted from music and modeling into the world of fraud prevention.
- [01:19] Founding The Knoble and building a global network to fight human crimes and protect vulnerable populations.
- [01:49] A look at Follow the Money, the documentary project raising awareness about exploitation and financial crime.
- [02:19] Why Ian believes crimes of exploitation have moved directly into our homes and daily lives.
- [03:08] The early moment when Ian uncovered a major fraud ring while working at an internet company.
- [06:44] How canceling $300,000 in fraudulent orders changed the direction of his career.
- [08:11] Reflections on the “wild west” early days of online fraud and security.
- [11:01] How fraud evolved from stolen cards into emotional manipulation and trust-based scams.
- [12:49] The post-COVID surge in scams and the shift toward targeting individuals instead of systems.
- [14:03] Why fighting fraud today requires global coordination and an army of trained professionals.
- [16:38] Scammers coaching victims to distrust banks, friends, and even family members.
- [17:05] The longest romance-style scam Ian has seen — an eight-year manipulation before money was ever requested.
- [18:25] Discussion on timing, trust, and why even smart people can be caught off guard.
- [22:05] Ian shares his own experience dealing with identity theft and the complexity of proving it wasn’t him.
- [23:22] AI and big data transforming broad scam attempts into precise, personalized attacks.
- [25:31] The alarming rise of sextortion schemes targeting kids ages 13–16 and why awareness is critical.
- [26:40] The urgent need for uncomfortable safety conversations within families.
- [28:09] Why Ian believes the first line of defense isn’t technology — it’s communication at home.
- [29:30] The emotional impact on scam victims: shame, isolation, and loss of confidence in judgment.
- [31:13] How AI can be used for good and why the industry must move quickly to fight back.
- [40:40] Three essential conversations families should start having right now.
- [41:21] Protecting children through parental controls, boundaries, and digital safety.
- [42:42] Encouraging open dialogue with aging parents about financial protection and autonomy.
- [44:19] Finding balance: staying vigilant without living in fear.
- [47:57] A hopeful reminder that there are far more good people than bad — and collective action matters.
- [48:30] Where to find Ian, learn more about The Knoble, and connect with his work.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.