New Rules of Privacy
Easy Prey
Most of us give out the same phone number and email address without thinking twice. But when that information gets combined with everything else available online, it can reveal a surprising amount about who we are, where we live, and the people around us. And with AI making it easier to pull those details together, scammers can create attacks that feel much more personal and believable than they used to. My guest today is Arjun Bhatnagar, the co-founder and CEO of privacy and security company Cloaked. Arjun has spent more than 20 years in technology, starting out as a programmer at a young age...
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Protecting Kids Online
Easy Prey
Kids are growing up with technology in a way none of us did. Phones, games, social media, school devices, and now AI are all part of everyday life, and parents are left trying to figure out how much access is too much. Keeping kids completely away from technology probably isn’t realistic, but neither is handing them everything and hoping they figure it out. My guest today is Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes, author, and digital safety advocate. Chris works with families, schools, churches, legislators, and technology companies to help create safer digital spaces for kids. His...
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Hidden Phone Tracking
Easy Prey
Your phone gives off a surprising amount of information just by being connected to a cellular network. Things like your location, who you communicate with, and your daily patterns can all become part of the data tied to your mobile service. While some of that information is necessary to keep a cellular network functioning, questions remain about how much data carriers really need to collect, how long they should keep it, and what happens when that information ends up in the wrong hands. My guest today is Ruddy Wang, head of consumer growth at CAPE, a privacy-first mobile carrier designed to...
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Ransomware Evolution
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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
Easy Prey
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
Easy Prey
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
Easy Prey
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
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...
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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...
info_outlineMost of us give out the same phone number and email address without thinking twice. But when that information gets combined with everything else available online, it can reveal a surprising amount about who we are, where we live, and the people around us. And with AI making it easier to pull those details together, scammers can create attacks that feel much more personal and believable than they used to.
My guest today is Arjun Bhatnagar, the co-founder and CEO of privacy and security company Cloaked. Arjun has spent more than 20 years in technology, starting out as a programmer at a young age and later working as a CTO and leading engineering teams. His work now focuses on helping people take back more control over their personal information and digital identities.
We talk about how AI is changing scams, why reusing the same contact information can make us easier to track, and what he calls “data poisoning” or using aliases and alternative information to make that tracking more difficult. We also discuss why privacy doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and some practical ways to make yourself a harder target without giving up the technology you use every day.
Show Notes:
- [01:51] Arjun Bhatnagar explains how his interest in privacy began with using fake names and unique email aliases online.
- [05:05] Privacy and data protection matter to everyone, not just celebrities, executives, or other high-profile targets.
- [07:17] AI has made scams cheaper to create, easier to personalize, and much more convincing.
- [10:10] Public attitudes toward privacy have shifted as people have become more aware of how their information is collected and used.
- [12:43] Privacy is about having control over personal information rather than trying to remain completely anonymous.
- [15:05] Data poisoning can make it harder for companies and scammers to build an accurate profile of someone.
- [18:27] Alias phone numbers, email addresses, and other identifiers can protect personal information without disrupting everyday communication.
- [21:23] Cloaked uses different types of phone numbers to reduce tracking without creating an unnecessary shortage of available numbers.
- [26:14] Reusing the same username across multiple platforms can make separate accounts easier to connect.
- [29:41] Deepfakes, voice cloning, and highly personalized phishing attacks are becoming increasingly difficult to recognize.
- [37:21] Individuals are often expected to manage cybersecurity risks that companies are better equipped to handle.
- [40:39] Keeping multiple privacy tools in one service raises security concerns and requires careful protection of user data.
- [43:43] A phone number can reveal a surprising amount of personal information through data brokers and public sources.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.