Libsyn Directory

When Trust Becomes a Trap

Release Date: 07/22/2026

Easy Prey

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The Counterfeit Economy

Easy Prey

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The Internet is Playing You

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A convincing lie no longer needs to look suspicious. It can appear in a familiar social media feed, come from someone who seems real, or arrive as a video that looks almost impossible to fake. By the time doubt sets in, the post may already have been shared thousands of times. Few people understand that online environment better than today’s guest. Nina Jankowicz has spent more than a decade studying what she calls the bad things that happen on the internet. She is an internationally recognized expert on disinformation and online harassment. She was also named one of Time magazine’s 100...

The Psychology of Yes

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It is easy to say you would never fall for a scam when you are looking at the situation from the outside. In the moment, though, things can feel much less obvious. A request may sound reasonable, the person may seem trustworthy, and saying no can feel awkward enough that you go along with something you would normally question. Today’s guest studies exactly why that happens. Vanessa Bohns is the Bronstein Family Professor and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University’s ILR School. Her work focuses on social influence, compliance, and the pressure people feel to cooperate, even...

Drink Spiking

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A drink can be out of your sight for only a moment, but that may be all it takes for someone to tamper with it. Spiking can happen in bars, restaurants, festivals, and even among people who already know and trust each other. It also goes far beyond alcohol. Drinks, food, vapes, cigarettes, and other substances can be altered without someone’s knowledge, leaving them vulnerable before they fully understand what is happening. Dawn Dines has spent more than 20 years working to change how people understand and respond to spiking. She is the founder and CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, a UK charity...

Love, Lies and Locked Up

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What sounds like the plot of a crime thriller was Sharon Armstrong’s real life. An online romance drew her into an elaborate web of lies involving overseas contracts, invented emergencies, and several people playing carefully planned roles. By the time she arrived at an airport in Argentina with five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside her suitcase, she still believed she was carrying business documents for the man she loved. Sharon was arrested and spent more than two years in an Argentinian prison before returning home without a conviction. During that time, she had to confront the truth of...

The Recruitment Trap

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Everybody is searching for ways to increase income. Unfortunately, MLMs often look like an easy way to start a business without taking on the cost of a traditional company. The pitch sounds simple. Buy the product, follow the plan, and put in the work. The numbers behind those promises often tell a different story. Today’s guest, Stacie Bosley, has spent years studying what really happens inside MLMs. She is a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota and holds a Ph.D. in applied economics. Her research covers multi-level marketing, consumer protection, income claims, and pyramid scheme...

Convincing Deepfakes

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A familiar voice on the phone or a recognizable face on a video call used to offer some reassurance that you knew who you were dealing with. AI has changed that. Voice cloning, face swaps, and real-time video impersonation now allow scammers to convincingly pose as executives, job candidates, romantic interests, or even family members. Understanding how these attacks work and where they may be headed is a central part of Tom Cross’s work as Head of Threat Research at GetReal Security. Tom has spent more than 30 years studying cybersecurity threats, software vulnerabilities, and the methods...

When Trust Becomes a Trap

Easy Prey

Most people use technology all day without giving much thought to what is happening behind the screen. We trust routers that may not have been updated in years, depend on internet systems few of us understand, and now turn to artificial intelligence for everything from travel plans to home repairs. That convenience comes with tradeoffs. In this episode, we look at the weaknesses built into our connected world and what happens when our technical knowledge fails to keep pace with the technology surrounding us. Sherrod DeGrippo leads threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, where...

Scam Compounds

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Sherrod DeGrippo leads threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, where she oversees teams working to identify and respond to increasingly complex cyber threats. During more than two decades in information security, she has held senior leadership roles at Microsoft and Proofpoint, along with positions at Nexum, Symantec, Secureworks, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Sherrod was named Cyber Security Woman of the Year in 2022 and regularly shares her expertise at industry conferences and through outlets including BBC News, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The New York Times. She is also the author of *Threat Driven Software Development: Defending Modern Online Services*.

We discuss how outdated home routers become tools for criminal and nation-state attacks, what could happen as technical knowledge disappears, and why foundational internet systems may be more vulnerable than people realize. Sherrod also explains why the greatest danger from AI may not be a dramatic technological disaster, but the gradual loss of human connection as people choose frictionless answers over real conversations. Along the way, she shares practical examples of where AI genuinely helps, where its limits become obvious, and why slowing down still matters when emotion or urgency begins driving a decision.

Show Notes:

[01:48] Sherrod introduces herself and traces her 23-year career from government network security to threat intelligence.
[03:00] An early lesson in buffer overflows sparked a lasting interest in both hacking and protecting systems.
[05:10] Growing up around AT&T gave Sherrod firsthand experience with telephone networks, copper lines, and beige boxing.
[08:17] Technology has shifted from something people opened and explored into consumer devices few people truly understand.
[11:24] As technical knowledge disappears, the people who understand how systems actually work are becoming increasingly rare.
[13:41] Older internet users often understood where their data traveled, while today’s devices constantly communicate in the background.
[16:22] Network security remains critical because once malicious traffic reaches a device, the problem has already become much larger.
[17:57] Outdated home routers provide an attractive attack surface for criminals and foreign governments.
[20:12] The conversation turns to the fragility of DNS, internet protocols, and the systems supporting the global network.
[22:13] Chris shares his experience with denial-of-service attacks and seeing legitimate online services exploited by malware.
[25:48] Sherrod explains why AI’s greatest danger may be the gradual loss of human relationships rather than a dramatic physical threat.
[29:23] AI works well for tedious tasks, but human connection, creativity, and judgment should not be handed over so easily.
[31:35] Living intentionally means deciding what experiences matter instead of allowing technology or other outside forces to decide for us.
[34:10] Frictionless technology may leave people more vulnerable to scams by training them to expect immediate and effortless results.
[35:33] Social engineering uses modern tools, but manipulation, espionage, and theft have existed for thousands of years.
[38:14] AI may eliminate certain jobs while also giving people more time to focus on customers, relationships, and other human-centered work.
[40:44] A furnace repair shows how AI can guide basic troubleshooting and reduce the need for some professional diagnostic visits.
[43:08] AI can help someone become competent in many areas, but having access to it does not make anyone an expert.
[45:44] Used intentionally, AI can remove unwanted planning and create more opportunities for people to spend time together.
[47:18] Strong prompts, detailed skill files, and personalized instructions may become more valuable than traditional prompt engineering.
[49:10] A gift card scam demonstrates how fear and urgency can push someone to ignore repeated warnings from others.
[51:30] Sherrod advises pausing whenever a strong emotion begins driving an unusual financial or personal decision.

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