Easy Prey

Ethical hacking may seem like an oxymoron, but having someone that you trust do a penetration test on your network may shock you. Our guest today has been helping people for 20 years to know when they're vulnerable, and he shares his stories and insights to help you keep your information secure. Today's guest is Brian Self. Brian is a certified Information Systems Security professional, ethical ha...

Seniors are prime targets for cyber crime because many of them have been preparing for retirement and have sizable savings. Their lack of familiarity with technology can set them up to be deceived or hacked. Scammers are going to elaborate lengths to hide their deception. It's important to be aware of their schemes. Today's guest is Scott Schober. Scott is the CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems....

Some believe Ponzi schemes are doomed to fail. But with a sophisticated schemer and a broad enough base of people, they might just be able to keep it going. In honor of Charles Ponzi's birthday, we talk about the history of the Ponzi scheme and some of the amazing stories of how they've been exposed and ways to see them coming.  Today's guest is Steve Weisman. Steve is a nationally recognized expe...

Most of us would not consider ourselves to be an easy target for a predator. But we may be communicating signs that we're unaware of. Today's guest is Mike Mandel. Mike's career has covered many different fields from stage performer, trainer, psycho-therapist, martial arts instructor, writer, and corporate speaker. Mike is a renowned hypnotist with 18 nominations and 6 awards for excellence in ent...

Data privacy has often been an after-thought in software and platform development. Data breaches have increased consumer awareness and laws such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) have been enacted. Programmers and engineers need to think about what data they are collecting, how it is being stored and accessed, and how it is shared to protect th...

Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity often with corresponding social media accounts, phone numbers, photos, and addresses targeting a specific victim for abuse or fraud. These catfishers are organized, patient, and have a playbook that they follow to gain the trust of their target over the course of weeks, months, or even years. Effective deceviers even get advice from other scammer...

Many are resigned to stay silent about the pain of being scammed, but today's guest helps empower others by vulnerably communicating her experience and sharing specific warning signs. Today's guest is Debby Montgomery Johnson. Debby is founder of The Woman Behind the Smile, Inc. She is a best-selling author, international speaker, entrepreneur, podcast host, former Air Force officer who served at...

Keeping children safe online is a concern for every parent. Children can have a technical skill that is far more advanced than their cognitive development and it is not easy to know how and what boundaries to set.  Today's guest is Susan McLean. Susan is Australia's foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years. Widely known as The Cyber Cop, she was...

If you've got student loans, you feel the pressure of that financial obligation, but watch out. There are scammers looking to take advantage of your situation, offering student loan consolidation or elimination for a fee. Our guest today is Robert Farrington. Robert is founder of The College Investor . He has been featured in many media outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, ABC and...

In this episode, we deviate a bit from our traditional topics to incorporate the growing diversity in the Infosec world. In the past, this has been a male dominated field, but the culture is changing.  Our guest today is Eleanor Dallway. Eleanor is the Editorial Director at Infosecurity Magazine, and she is at the front of the security industry. She has more than 15 years of online job experience...

As we start the new year, we often contemplate resolutions and adopting new behaviors into our lives. Good mentoring relationships can have an amazingly powerful impact on both our personal and professional lives, but a bad one can lead to a devastating outcome. Learn how to identify a great match in today's episode with Mark Timm. Mark Timm has been a serial entrepreneur and exponential thinking...

Trust is important for our employees, our clients, and our potential customers and as entrepreneurs, we need to learn how to create it. As business professionals, we need to learn how to choose who to be in partnerships with so that we are able to protect ourselves and our businesses from lawsuits and poor decisions. Our guest today is Mary Kelly. Dr. Mary C. Kelly has many titles, but her favorit...

Criminals don't just randomly pick their targets. They look for easy prey. Find out what you might inadvertently be doing that makes a criminal choose you as their next victim. Today's guest is James Casey. James has made a life-long career out of understanding why people break the law. He began in law enforcement and was on the National Security Council in Washington. Then he worked in the FBI fo...

Our body can give clues to what we are thinking or feeling and review of what we're saying is the truth or deception. How can we use that fact to detect when others are being deceptive? Today's guest is Traci Brown. Time magazine has named Traci as one of the nation's top deception detection experts. She's trained alongside the country's top law enforcement, and she is a frequent television guest...

Most of us have received that call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support saying that there is an issue with our computer that they want to help us resolve. This scam has evolved into something so sophisticated and so refined that it has become big business in and of itself. Today's guest is Jim Browning. Jim can't stand scammers, so he's doing something about it. Jim has been bai...

Is there such a thing as an ethical hacker? Do all hackers use their skills to attack infrastructures? If you're interested in ethical hacking and penetration testing, this is the episode for you.  Today's guest is Ed Skoudis. Ed has taught upwards of 20,000 security professionals globally and his contributions to information security have had an immense impact on the community. His courses distil...

With Giving Tuesday right around the corner, it is important to make sure that the money we give gets to the causes we are passionate about. In the midst of the season of giving, scammers are working to get as much of your charity as they can. Today's guests are Michael Thatcher and Zachary Weinsteiger. Michael leads Charity Navigator and its efforts to make impactful philanthropy easier for all b...

As cybercrime grows more sophisticated day by day, so do technical defenses. But great technology is no match for an employee clicking on a simple phishing email. Psychological security is designed to protect the human mind from manipulation that leads to compromises. Today's guest is Adam Anderson. Adam is chairman of the board for Hook Security and a serial cybersecurity entrepreneur. He is one...

What is it like to be a world-renowned cybercriminal and what motivates them? Today's guest referred to as the original internet Godfather shares his experience running a cybercriminal empire, going on the run, and ultimately turning his life around. Brett Johnson was responsible for refining modern financial cybercrime as we know it today. After being placed on the United States' Most Wanted list...

Embezzlement is on the rise, but only a  few incidents ever get reported to law enforcement. Why do people steal and how are they doing it? What can business owners do to help prevent these crimes and what should they do if they suspect them? Our guest today is Kelly Paxton. She has more than 25 years of investigation experience and is a certified fraud examiner and private investigator. She start...

With the cost of surveillance and mass information gathering becoming cheaper and easier, laws are struggling to keep pace. Who is fighting for transparency and working to protect your digital rights? Our guest today is Danny O'Brien. Danny has been an activist for online free speech and privacy for over 20 years. He co-founded the Open Rights Group and has defended reporters from online attacks a...

The pandemic has taken an economic toll on millions of lives. People are struggling, people want to help, and others are looking to take advantage of both. Before panicking about your bills or giving to the latest charitable cause, you need to listen to this episode to make sure your money is going where you think it is. Our guest today is Dori Zinn. Dori has been a personal finance journalist for...

Information security is not just technical. There is a human aspect involved and fixing that is more than just identification and awareness. Our guest today is Ira Winkler. Ira is the president of Secure Mentem and the author of the book You Can Stop Stupid . He is referred to as the modern-day James Bond, given his skills both physically and technically in infiltrating organizations.  Today, Ira...

With the 2020 elections right around the corner, do you know who is trying to influence you and how they're doing it? Listen on to learn about the ins and outs of disinformation, misinformation, interference, and influence.  Morgan Wright is an internationally recognized expert on cybersecurity strategy, cyberterrorism, and advanced technology. His landmark testimony before Congress on healthcare....

With more and more dating moving online, how do we separate real honest people from those who are misrepresenting themselves and the outright scammers? Our guest today is Kezia Noble. Kezia is a leading female dating and attraction expert for men and author of the bestselling book The Noble Art of Seducing Women.   Kezia's company helps clients learn conversation skills and ways to overcome anxiet...