Ransomware Evolution
Easy Prey
Ransomware has changed dramatically over the years. What started as criminals locking up individual computers and demanding relatively small payments has grown into a much larger operation involving stolen data, entire networks, third-party vendors, and increasingly sophisticated ways of pressuring victims to pay. Now AI is adding another wrinkle, giving criminals new tools while also creating some unexpected problems for them. Joining me to talk about how ransomware has evolved is Allan Liska, a ransomware researcher and Field CISO at Recorded Future. Allan has more than 30 years of...
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The Counterfeit Economy
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A counterfeit handbag may leave someone disappointed. A counterfeit medication, airbag, or child’s car seat can do far more damage. Fake products now reach into nearly every part of daily life, and many of them arrive through online stores that look completely legitimate. Kari Kammel saw the danger firsthand when a pharmacist overseas offered her several versions of the same medication. Some were authentic, while others were openly described as counterfeit. That experience stayed with her. She now directs the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University,...
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The Internet is Playing You
Easy Prey
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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When Trust Becomes a Trap
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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...
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Scam Compounds
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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,...
info_outlineA counterfeit handbag may leave someone disappointed. A counterfeit medication, airbag, or child’s car seat can do far more damage. Fake products now reach into nearly every part of daily life, and many of them arrive through online stores that look completely legitimate.
Kari Kammel saw the danger firsthand when a pharmacist overseas offered her several versions of the same medication. Some were authentic, while others were openly described as counterfeit. That experience stayed with her. She now directs the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University, where she works with consumers, brands, researchers, and law enforcement.
Kari talks about how counterfeit goods enter the marketplace and why they have become so difficult to recognize. She explains what shoppers should examine before placing an order and what to check when the package arrives. The conversation also looks at the health risks behind fake products, the criminal activity they may fund, and the real reason an unbelievable deal can be so cheap.
Show Notes:
- [01:04] Kari Kammel explains how the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection works to keep fake products away from consumers.
- [02:28] An encounter with counterfeit medication leads Kari into the field of brand protection.
- [03:34] Why even counterfeit experts sometimes purchase fake products by mistake.
- [06:11] The worldwide scale of counterfeiting and how online sales accelerated its growth.
- [08:30] Small direct-to-consumer packages make counterfeit shipments harder for customs officials to detect.
- [10:46] Why the word “dupe” can refer to either a legitimate alternative or an illegal counterfeit.
- [13:22] Counterfeit goods extend far beyond luxury items into car parts, electronics, toys, and medical products.
- [16:08] The health risks of fake clothing, cancer medications, and injectable weight-loss drugs.
- [18:12] Why people become less cautious and more impulsive while shopping online.
- [19:38] Only the brand can confirm authenticity, but consumers can still look for warning signs.
- [20:29] Checking the seller, business address, website, and contact information before placing an order.
- [23:30] Suspicious photographs, fake reviews, unusual prices, and shortages that attract counterfeit sellers.
- [25:41] What packaging, shipping origin, and product differences can reveal after an order arrives.
- [27:25] How unauthorized “third shift” manufacturing produces goods outside a brand’s quality controls.
- [28:36] Following the money from counterfeit sales to organized crime and other illegal activity.
- [31:58] How counterfeiters divide shipments and change tactics to avoid customs inspections.
- [35:00] The countries involved in manufacturing, transporting, and purchasing counterfeit goods.
- [38:15] How brands search for fake products and try to remove them from online marketplaces.
- [39:15] The whack-a-mole problem created by counterfeit listings and AI-generated advertisements.
- [41:00] Child labor, human trafficking, unsafe factories, and the hidden costs behind cheaper products.
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