Libsyn Directory

Love, Lies and Locked Up

Release Date: 08/12/2026

Easy Prey

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

Easy Prey

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

Easy Prey

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

Easy Prey

When most people think about online scams, they picture criminals sitting behind a screen and stealing from victims around the world. But in Southeast Asia, many of the people sending those messages are victims too. Some were promised legitimate jobs, flown across borders, trapped inside guarded compounds, and forced to scam others while trying to survive. In this episode, I talk with Ivan Franceschini, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Center for Contemporary Chinese Studies Asia Institute. After years of studying labor rights, civil society, and Chinese investment in Cambodia,...

Sports Betting

Easy Prey

Sports betting is everywhere now. It is in the commercials, on the apps, wrapped into game broadcasts, and sold as a fun way to make sports more exciting. But behind the easy sign-ups and “risk-free” offers is an industry built on odds most people do not fully understand, fine print that can cost real money, and a business model that depends on customers losing. In this episode, I talk with Danny Funt, an investigative reporter and the author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling. His reporting on sports betting, politics, news, and sports media has appeared...

Google Maps Scams

Easy Prey

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Job Recruiter Scams

Easy Prey

Job hunting is hard enough without having to stop and ask whether the recruiter in your inbox is even real. My guest today, Jay Jones, ran into that problem firsthand after being laid off in December 2023. With his daughter due to be born just weeks later, Jay began receiving messages from recruiters that looked promising at first, but quickly turned out to be fake. Jay, also known as The Profiler, decided not to ignore what was happening. He started investigating the patterns behind these scams and has since identified and helped remove thousands of fake profiles, fraudulent companies, and...

Bail Bonds Scams

Easy Prey

Getting a call that someone you love has been arrested is scary enough. Getting that call from someone who sounds official, knows just enough to seem credible, and says you have to send money right away is exactly the kind of moment scammers are counting on. Julie Henderson is the president of the North Carolina Bail Agents Association and has spent 24 years working in the bail bond industry. She started in the field almost by accident after applying for what she thought was a legislative assistant job, and she has stayed because she cares about helping people get through one of the most...

Confessions of a Fraudster

Easy Prey

Technology keeps changing, but many of the most effective scams still come down to something very human: trust. My guest today is Tony Sales, co-founder of We Fight Fincrime and Underworld TV. Tony has a perspective most people in fraud prevention will never have. Earlier in his life, he was involved in organized financial crime and was once described in the UK press as Britain’s greatest fraudster. After years in that world, and after serving time in prison, Tony made the decision to use what he knew to help stop the very crimes he had once been part of. Today, Tony works with...

More Episodes

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 what had happened and find a way to forgive herself. She later wrote about the experience in her book, *Organized Deception*. Today, she is an author and international scam awareness advocate who works to educate the public, support survivors, and challenge the shame that often keeps victims silent.

In this episode, we talk about how the criminals built trust so quickly, why warnings from loved ones can be difficult to hear, and how organized scam networks use kindness and personal values against the people they target. Sharon also explains why she no longer says she “fell for” a romance scam. She was deliberately targeted by sophisticated criminals, and she believes the attention belongs on those who planned the deception rather than on the person they harmed.

Show Notes:

[01:12] Sharon begins the story of moving to Australia and unexpectedly being signed up for an online dating site.
[03:36] A convincing introduction quickly develops into an intense romance with someone claiming to be an engineer.
[04:52] The first request for money tests the trust that had already been built through a carefully fabricated story.
[06:18] The scammers introduce new characters and create a plan for Sharon to travel to London through Argentina.
[09:07] Family concerns grow as the relationship begins to take priority over the people who had always mattered most to her.
[11:34] A suitcase supposedly carrying business documents arrives after Sharon has spent a confusing week alone in Argentina.
[13:21] Airport officials discover five kilograms of cocaine hidden beneath the lining of the suitcase.
[15:46] Sharon describes surviving the first days minute by minute before spending two and a half years in prison.
[18:09] Criminals study a target’s values, kindness, history, and online presence to create a story that feels deeply personal.
[20:58] A dramatization of Sharon’s story shows how organized manipulation can gradually change someone’s behavior and relationships.
[23:16] Her experience as a probation officer did not protect her from grooming that closely resembled techniques she already understood.
[25:07] More than 7,000 messages over five months reveal the intensity of the communication and how difficult it was to recognize from inside the relationship.
[28:13] Healing begins when Sharon decides to forgive herself rather than continue carrying shame for what the criminals did.
[30:04] Denial can become a safe place when accepting the truth feels more painful than continuing to believe the story.
[32:08] Public humiliation adds another layer of trauma after details of Sharon’s arrest are released to the media.
[34:27] Each day in prison begins with a choice to move toward happiness rather than allow the experience to make her bitter.
[37:52] Writing, speaking publicly, and sharing her story become important parts of rebuilding her life.
[40:09] Sharon rejects the phrase “fell for a scam” and explains why victims should be described as people deliberately targeted by organized criminals.
[42:18] The title Organised Deception shifts attention toward the people who intentionally planned and carried out the crime.
[43:17] Victim blaming can make people feel safer because it allows them to believe the same thing could never happen to them.
[46:02] Sharon believes being arrested may have saved her life and kept her from being trafficked through an even more dangerous country.
[48:34] Families increasingly reach out for help as they recognize the seriousness of romance scams and look for ways to support someone they love.
[50:01] Sharon shares how listeners can connect with her through Stand Up 2 Scams and learn more about Organised Deception.
[51:37] A reminder that scam victims are not alone and that the shame belongs with the ruthless criminals who targeted them.

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