Easy Prey

Everywhere you turn, someone's trying to fake something like an image, a voice, or even an entire identity. With AI tools now in almost anyone's hands, it takes minutes, not days, to create a convincing fake. That's changed the game for both sides. The fraudsters have new weapons, and the rest of us are scrambling to keep up. The real question now isn't just how to stop scams, but how to know who...

Kids spend more time online than ever, and for the most part it feels normal. They're gaming, watching videos, and chatting with friends. But hidden in those same spaces are adults who know how to pose as kids, build trust, and push conversations into dangerous territory. Parents might think it couldn't happen to their child, yet detectives see how quickly an "innocent" interaction can turn into g...

Some people are willing to hand over their identities for cash, while organized fraudsters are lining up to buy them. What used to be a matter of stolen credit cards has turned into a global marketplace where personal details fuel large-scale fraud. Now with AI, automation, and deepfakes making impersonation easier than ever, it's becoming much more difficult to protect identities.  To understand...

Technology is moving faster than our ability to process its impact, forcing us to question trust, motivation, and the value of our time. Few people have had a closer view of those shifts than Esther Dyson. With a background in economics from Harvard, Esther built a career as a journalist, author, commentator, investor, and philanthropist, with a unique ability to spot patterns across industries an...

Cybercrime continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, with attackers running their operations much like businesses. From ransomware gangs with customer support desks to AI-generated phishing campaigns that erase traditional red flags, scams are becoming harder to detect and stop. In this episode, David Bittner, host of the CyberWire Daily Podcast, shares his perspective on the changing lands...

Cybercriminals are accelerating their attacks in ways that weren't possible a few years ago. Artificial intelligence is giving them the ability to spin up phishing campaigns, voice clones, and deepfakes in minutes instead of days. As a result, the gap between what's genuine and what's fake is closing fast, making it harder for both individuals and organizations to defend themselves. I'm thrilled t...

Trying to erase yourself from the internet sounds simple until you start counting up old accounts, scattered social media posts, and the hundreds of data brokers quietly collecting and selling your information. The reality is messy, and for most people, the idea of fully disappearing online is more myth than possibility. But there are practical steps you can take to cut down what's out there and r...

Cyberattacks aren't just about hackers in hoodies anymore. Today, we're up against professionalized, well-funded organizations that run like businesses. They use AI to crack defenses, run labs that simulate the tools we rely on, and rake in trillions while defenders struggle to keep pace. The scary part? Even the strongest companies and governments can fall behind when the threat landscape moves t...

Scams aren't what they used to be. These days, AI can write perfect emails, mimic voices, and even fake a video call so well you'd swear you were talking to the real person. The problem is, the timing of a scam can be just right when you're distracted, busy, or looking for exactly what they're offering. That's when even the most careful person can get caught. My guest, Ritesh Kotak, knows this wor...

Privacy in the digital age has grown from a background concern into one of the defining issues of our time. What began with simple questions about online safety has expanded into a complex, global conversation about how artificial intelligence, biometric data, and massive data ecosystems are reshaping daily life. Pam Dixon has been at the center of these discussions for more than two decades. As t...

Most of us think of scams as random or isolated or something that just happens to unlucky people. But what if the truth is far more organized, far more disturbing? Behind many of today's scams is a global web of criminal enterprises, structured like corporations and fueled by technology, data, and billions of stolen dollars. In this episode, we sit down with Ken Westbrook. Ken spent over three dec...

It's easy to think of fraud prevention as a technical problem with a software solution. But according to Brian Davis, effective fraud defense is just as much about people, trust, and communication as it is about tools and data. With over a decade of experience, Brian has built fraud teams from scratch, shaped company-wide strategy, and helped growing startups shift from reactive to proactive risk...

Everyone's talking about AI these days, especially in cybersecurity. Sure, artificial intelligence can boost your defenses, but cybercriminals have noticed too. Now they're crafting phishing emails so believable it's scary and finding clever paths around spam filters while zeroing in on vulnerabilities you didn't even realize were there.    Today, Aviad Hasnis joins the show. He's the CTO of Cynet...

Writers pour their hearts into their work, but unfortunately, that passion can make them prime targets for scams. From fake agents and vanity publishers to slick marketing schemes and social media impersonators, the tactics have only gotten more sophisticated over time. In this episode, we dig into the murky world of publishing scams and how they work and who they target. Along with why even exper...

What if your social media success was built on deception, and it was working? In today's episode, we hear from someone who knows exactly how that happens. Tim O'Hearn is a former software engineer and the author of Framed: A Villain's Perspective on Social Media, a book that pulls back the curtain on how follower factories, automation, and persuasive technologies have shaped the online world we no...

What if you could stop a scam in real-time before the damage is done? In this episode, I'm joined by Nick Stapleton, an investigative journalist and the face behind Scam Interceptors, the BAFTA award-winning BBC series that exposes online fraud and steps in to protect victims as scams unfold.  Nick brings a decade of undercover documentary experience to his current mission: fighting digital decept...

What happens when the drive to succeed masks deep emotional wounds and addiction? In this episode, Jonathan Schwartz shares a powerful and painfully honest account of how his life unraveled.  Once one of Hollywood's most trusted financial advisors, Jonathan worked with icons like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Gwyneth Paltrow. On the surface, he had it all. But underneath the success was a secret stru...

People used to think fraud was something that happened in the shadows, rare, distant, and mostly affecting big companies. But after talking to PJ Rohall, it's clear that fraud is evolving fast, and it's showing up in places most of us don't even think to look. In this episode, I sit down with PJ Rohall, Head of Fraud Strategy and Education at SEON and co-founder of About Fraud. PJ's work is all ab...

Sometimes it feels like every new technology we adopt comes with a new risk we didn't see coming. From AI and data breaches to phishing scams and ransomware, it's clear we live in a time when cybersecurity isn't just a tech issue, it's a human issue. In this episode, I talk with Jeff Reich, Executive Director of the Identity Defined Security Alliance. Jeff has been in the cybersecurity world since...

I used to think of my car as just a tool to get from point A to point B. But after this conversation, I can't help but see it as something else entirely, a powerful data collection device that knows far more about me than I realized. From where I go and who I text to how I drive and even what's on my phone, today's vehicles are gathering a staggering amount of personal information. In this episode...

Some scams are so convincing, they're almost impossible to spot. With phishing emails that look like they're from your bank, deep fake videos that mimic real people, and AI-generated messages that feel personal, it's getting harder to know what's real and what's a trap. In this episode, I sit down with Gabrielle Hempel, a security operations specialist at Exabeam and a current law student at Purdu...

Technology is a double-edged sword. It can empower us, connect us, and solve problems, but it can also be used to exploit, manipulate, and harm. When it comes to protecting children online, that line gets especially thin. Digital forensics, AI-powered image classification, and global law enforcement collaboration are now essential tools for keeping families safe in a world that moves faster than m...

We may not always understand the evolution of the internet and how tech monopolies exist, but having digital freedom fighters is vital to making conscious change. Today's guest is Cory Doctorow. Cory is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He is the author of many books and most recently, Picks and Shovels, The Bezel, and The Lost Cause, a solar punk science fiction novel of hope am...

Scammers aren't just phishing your inbox anymore—they're impersonating your voice, your face, and even your coworkers. Deep fakes and social engineering have moved beyond clever tricks and become powerful tools that bad actors are using to infiltrate businesses, breach accounts, and dismantle trust at scale. What used to take a hacker hours and expensive tools can now be done in minutes by anyone...

Cyber warfare is no longer something that happens behind closed doors or in some far-off digital corner. It's happening now—and reshaping the rules of conflict in real time. Drone strikes controlled by apps, ransomware attacks on hospitals—today's battleground is just as likely to be online as on the ground. That science fiction scenario is now a critical, constant threat-the kind that affects us...