Easy Prey

Many people have gone or plan to go somewhere to seek deeper connection and enlightenment. But what are the dangers to be conscious of before taking such a trip? Today's guest is Caroline Slaughter. Caroline is a filmmaker and global voiceover talent. Most recently, she was supervising producer on Racket: Inside the Gold Club which is ranked as one of 2020's top true crime podcasts. Caroline's multifaceted experience in the entertainment industry has prepared her for the role of curating auditory stories to provoke, impact, and entertain. She is the host of the popular Astray Podcast where she investigates those who pay the ultimate cost in search for spiritual awakening. Show Notes: [1:00] - Caroline shares how and why she started her Astray podcast. [2:41] - There's an idea that this happens in India, but Caroline points out that people seek out enlightenment all over the world. [4:00] - During a difficult time, Caroline chose to go to Bali. She was prepared but a lot of people don't go in with a plan. [6:18] - There seems to be a draw to Asian countries for this and Caroline suggests some reasons why. [7:19] - Caroline briefly tells the story of a guest on Astray Podcast who had a breakdown while on his journey and would have disappeared without his parents. [8:50] - The biggest problem is that many people who fall victim to scams and traps are looking outside themselves for answers. [10:22] - Caroline did some research on some of the reasons that could have caused psychotic breakdowns through drugs. [11:31] - Some who experience a psychotic break while on this quest for enlightenment, feel that it was meant to happen for their experience. [12:50] - People want a fast track to spirituality and it can be addictive. [14:40] - Mental illness plays a role in the need for a fast track to spirituality. [15:37] - Caroline defines and explains India Syndrome. [17:02] - Caroline tells the story of The Beatles seeking enlightenment and a theory surrounding John Lennon never leaving the place of trauma. [18:44] - India Syndrome can put you in a very fragile state if you don't go prepared. [19:52] - We tend to let our guard down because of the authority the spiritual guides hold over us. [21:32] - You have to trust your inner guidance especially when you look outside yourself for guidance. [22:40] - It is tricky to vet the guides in other countries. It is easier to do in the United States; to find others who have worked with them. [23:55] - This industry is massive and brings in billions of dollars a year. [24:32] - Caroline explains why she thinks the industry needs to be regulated. [25:44] - Going with a buddy is key and bouncing ideas and plans off of friends is important to keep up the voice of reason. [27:42] - Don't make major decisions when experiencing grief or trauma. [29:01] - We give away our own power when we hit rock bottom. [30:45] - There are tragic stories that Caroline shares through Astray of people who have vanished or been killed. [32:17] - The problem is not India Syndrome, it is "Seeker Syndrome." [33:26] - What do you sacrifice for the risks you take? [35:18] - When seeing those traveling in a new country, there are those who will prey on someone new and unfamiliar. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Caroline Slaughter Home Page Astray Podcast Caroline Slaughter on Instagram

Education can help people to be prepared without paranoia, but how do you teach safety without causing fear? There are specific things to be aware of in an extraordinary situation like an active shooter that can fundamentally change the outcome. Today's guest is Dr. Kathleen Kiernan. Dr. Kiernan is the founder and CEO of Kiernan Group Holdings, Chair of Emeritus and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and an adjunct faculty member of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School. As a 29-year veteran of Federal Law Enforcement, Dr. Kiernan serves as a subject matter expert in strategic thinking, strategy development, and facilitating critical incident management exercises for senior leaders across government and private sector organizations. She is the founder of Preparedness Without Paranoia which provides an opportunity to use a lifetime of service and earned experience at the extremes of human behavior to help others invest in their own security and preparedness. When they teach skills early, they can last a lifetime and can literally save lives. Show Notes: [1:21] - Dr. Kiernan has spent her entire life in or supporting law enforcement. Her experience has given her understanding of human behavior. [3:04] - Dr. Kiernan recommends the book called The Safety Trap by Spencer Coursen and shares a story from it to illustrate how children are not prepared by their parents. [4:39] - There's not one single event that interested Dr. Kiernan about preparedness, but rather her multitude of experiences in law enforcement. [7:03] - Regarding an active shooter situation, there is a series of actions to take. [8:18] - Preparedness Without Paranoia educates children on these actions they can take in a way that is developmentally appropriate. [9:18] - Civics is not a class taught anymore. Preparedness Without Paranoia uses current and recent events to educate. [10:33] - The program is written by parents and educators for parents and educators of primary school aged children. [11:58] - Dr. Kiernan's program teaches a preparedness mindset that applies to many different types of events. [13:01] - You are responsible for your own security. [14:20] - Communication is the first major teaching point for children in Preparedness Without Paranoia. [15:41] - Although active shooters are statistically rare but devastating, there are more common events in domestic violence and abuse that children learn to communicate about. [17:19] - To build trust with kids is to be part of their adventure. What are they into? [19:32] - Dr. Kiernan and Chris discuss preparedness kits and checklists and getting kids involved. [22:10] - Have the discussions of why each item goes into the preparedness kit and introduce the idea of going to a shelter in times of natural disasters. [24:06] - Dr. Kiernan shares a realization she made that preparedness can be simple. [27:30] - One of the most common and vexing to teach about is human and sex trafficking. [28:54] - Using the example of an Olympic athlete who spoke up about sexual abuse as a child. Communication is key. [30:27] - Some of the educational resources on Preparedness Without Paranoia's website surround good decision making and thanking community heroes. [31:20] - Preparedness Without Paranoia runs on donations. All donations go directly to resource production. You can contribute HERE. [32:22] - In addition to donations, Preparedness Without Paranoia is in need of authors and illustrators. [33:18] - All resources are free and available on the website. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Preparedness Without Paranoia Home Page Kiernan Group Holdings Home Page Kiernan Group Holdings on Facebook Preparedness Without Paranoia on Instagram Kathleen Kiernan on LinkedIn

We often make the assumption that if something is the biggest or the oldest, it should be trusted or it wouldn't have grown so large. But when it comes to cryptocurrency, this may not always be true. Today's guest is Aaron Lammer. Aaron is the founder of Treats Media which produces original podcasts and work for clients. Original works include the critically-acclaimed mini-series Exit Scams and multiple seasons of Stoner and CoinTalk. Aaron is also the co-founder of Longform.com and host of the Longform Podcast. Show Notes: [1:16] - If you've heard about a large amount of cryptocurrency being lost, you have heard about hacking. But Aaron shares how it could be a false narrative. [2:56] - There's not as much risk when internally stealing cryptocurrency. [4:04] - Aaron tells the story of Quadriga and its founder, Gerald Cotton. [5:03] - The estimated amount of cryptocurrency lost in 2018 was $250 million. But that money scales up over time. [6:21] - The people who were brought in to help with this case found a lot of things using the only clues they had: financial records. [7:36] - People who knew Gerald Cotton were convinced by him. Bitcoin also appeared more trustworthy than newer companies. [8:39] - Why do people trust the company that has been around the longest? [9:40] - Aaron explains how Cotton simulated fake volume. [11:05] - There is a lot of discrepancy on Cotton's death, but regardless, Aaron explains how his fraud and Ponzi Scheme played out. [12:58] - When the exchange started to crash, Cotton likely feared being found out. [14:20] - For a long time, there was a lot of smoke and mirrors surrounding where the actual money was. [15:30] - There is an unaccounted for amount of money missing from the money taken by Cotton which has created doubt that he is deceased. [17:02] - Chris and Aaron discuss common themes in Ponzi Schemes. [19:24] - Just in the last week since recording this episode, there have been huge drops in cryptocurrency exchange. Aaron believes two of them are exit scams. [20:37] - Aaron shares a recent report about Afri-crypt and how he is suspicious of the figures. [22:19] - Often in Ponzi Schemes, there are inflated daily or monthly returns. [25:32] - The common theme is "otherworldly returns" that leads people down the path of falling victim to an exit scam. [26:47] - What is a safe way to invest in cryptocurrency exchange? [28:02] - There is a difference between "guaranteed" returns and returns over time. [30:20] - There is an issue with panic in cryptocurrency exchange. [31:58] - Aaron recommends going with larger companies regarding cryptocurrency and lists some red flags to look for. [33:27] - Any setting where it is obviously easy for someone to run away with tons of money is problematic. [34:39] - If you have a lot of investment in crypto, tell your partner and family how to access it in a will. [36:10] - Be careful and don't put all your eggs in one basket. If something happens to one wallet, it isn't catastrophic. [36:57] - Cryptocurrency is not necessary to invest in. It is risky. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Longform Podcast CoinTalk Podcast Exit Scam Podcast Exit Scam on Twitter Aaron Lammer on Twitter Aaron Lammer on LinkedIn

What does it look like to be resilient? Many of us have lost our edge after a year in our homes and many have become unprepared to handle the unexpected. Listen on to find out about five pillars of resilience from our guest's book Raise Your Resiliency. Today's guest is Kris Coleman. Kris has served with the CIA conducting threat and vulnerability assessments and for the FBI as a special agent. He is also an author and the founder and CEO of Red Five Security, which provides state of the art security and protective intelligence services. What are you prepared for and what can you do to be more resilient in any scenario? Show Notes: [0:54] - Kris shares his background and the many paths he has taken on his career which includes everything from minor security to protecting against terrorists. [2:44] - When Kris was hired by a private family to redo their entire security platform, he realized what Red Five should be. [4:31] - There are some misconceptions regarding what Kris does with Red Five Security. [6:24] - Some affluent families that Kris works with are very public facing and some never leave the house. Kris explains the spectrum his clients are on. [8:10] - "The more you can stay off the radar, the better off you're going to be." [9:18] - Kris takes a look at a client's digital footprint and looks at some things that can be done to help keep below the radar. [10:01] - Kris shares common sense tips for security. For high profile clients, this can get tricky. [11:37] - Under stress, fine motor skills are hard to execute. [12:44] - Chris shares an experience about being in a different country and they did not have ambulances. [13:56] - Even when clients travel to another state within the US, it is crucial for Kris's team to know the environment they're headed to. [15:38] - Even the best neighborhoods can easily turn into a dangerous place. [16:37] - Chris illustrates this with a news story of a private party being misunderstood as a huge organized event. Even something seemingly harmless can turn. [17:58] - Kris shares a story about an extremely successful businessman feeling completely helpless. [19:26] - We need individual resiliency on a national scale. This need created Resiliency for Executives and Leaders (REAL). [20:41] - Once Kris has worked with executives and leaders, they have a whole new sense of confidence. [21:56] - REAL isn't just for the wealthy. This program teaches people skills needed to be prepared for anything, especially natural disasters and storms. [24:11] - For business owners, is your business ready for anything? Kris shares that his company had a plan for a pandemic prior to Covid-19. [25:00] - Kris is the author of Raise Your Resiliency. He planned on writing a book about security, but Covid changed his direction. [25:56] - The three units that need to survive and thrive are the individual, the family, and the business. [26:31] - The Five Pillars of Resilience are: awareness, mindset, fitness, skills, and relationship. [27:54] - Regarding mindset, when it comes to resilience, you need to have a positive, growth, and survival mindset. [28:53] - Kris gives examples of a catastrophic mindset that many people had during the pandemic. Mindset and awareness are a choice. [29:24] - Fitness applies to physical, mental, and emotional strength in the three units (individual, family, and business). [30:14] - Kris lists many skills that a lot of people are not ready for, specifically now after a year of being stuck at home. [31:13] - The fifth pillar is relationships. This applies to your neighbors and community and not just your immediate family. [34:37] - In a lot of cases, things can be problematic for people in just a couple of hours due to lack of planning and preparedness. [37:40] - Things may sometimes feel redundant when preparing for anything. [38:33] - Your geographical location makes a difference in the type of things you need to prepare for. Take a risk assessment of your environment. [40:23] - Make the situation work for you when preparing for different events. Look at the likelihood of things to prepare for. [41:25] - Kris shares how the risk of civil unrest is higher in certain parts of the country over others. [43:03] - Prepare for an emergency and if something doesn't happen, practice using it and restock it. Cycle the emergency food and supplies every few months. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Raise Your Resiliency: You, Your Family, and Your Business Can Achieve Resiliency in an Uncertain World by Kris Coleman Red Five Security Home Page Kris Coleman Red Five Security on LinkedIn

If you've ever had the feeling that someone is eavesdropping on your calls, reading your messages or emails, and even knows where you've been going, you just might be right. Abusers often utilize stalkerware to control and manipulate their targets. Being educated on what it is, how it got there, how to clean it off your devices, and where to go for help can make a world of difference. Today's guest is Eva Galperin. Eva is the Director of Cybersecurity at The Electronic Frontier Foundation. She has worked in security and IT in Silicon Valley and earned degrees in Political Science and International Relations. She has applied the combination of her poli-sci and technical backgrounds to everything including organizing EFF's TOR relay challenge to writing privacy and security training manuals. Those include Surveillance Self-Defense and The Digital First Aid Kit. Show Notes: [1:21] - On her way to law school, Eva began working for Electronic Frontier Foundation and decided not to leave. She has worked in nearly every department. [2:22] - Having worked in tech since a teen, Eva had a lot of experience with stalkerware. But she shares the reason why she was driven to research it further. [4:02] - Through her own research and trials, Eva found that anti-virus apps did not protect against stalkerware. [5:21] - Eva explains how abusers could react to stalkerware being removed from a device and leaves the decision up to the survivor on how and when to remove it. [6:30] - There are companies that are now paying more attention to stalkerware. Eva explains that this is a good thing, but also believes that it is because there has been an increase in the use of stalkerware. [7:24] - The most recent report of stalkerware being detected by antivirus programs indicates a range of 60-95% as compared to only 10% a few years ago. [8:33] - In cases of domestic abuse, an abuser has physical access to a device and can install stalkerware without the survivor even knowing. [10:10] - Spouses and partners having access to each other's devices and knowing passwords is very common in modern relationships. [11:22] - Eva recommends stalkerware detection apps for Android and Apple. [13:01] - Chris and Eva discuss Windows and Mac OS stalkerware. [14:32] - What is the difference between account compromise and device compromise? Eva says the more common problem is account compromise. [16:01] - Eva recommends different and long passwords for each account you have as well as having two factor authorization turned on. She explains how this works. [18:09] - Eva's advice for consumers is to meet them where they are. [19:13] - You should go into your account settings and look for the page that lists devices and IP addresses that have logged into your account if you feel something is going on. [21:32] - Personal trackers that are meant for people to keep track of their belongings are essentially a gift to stalkers. [23:11] - Regarding personal trackers, Eva shares that she has gotten some pushback on the abuse of these tools. [24:32] - Software that allows you to do this without notifying the user so that they do not know that they are being watched is in and of itself abusive. [26:01] - It is sad to see when people who have been abused feel that the only way they can take back power is to abuse as well. [27:33] - Resetting to factory settings for most forms of device compromise is sufficient but you also need to change your account passwords and disable iCloud backups. [28:51] - Eva loves open source for personal use, but as a general rule she doesn't recommend it due to her security background. [29:52] - If your cameras are compromised, covering the camera is a viable security measure. Covering microphones is trickier. [30:43] - Chris and Eva discuss hackers hacking webcams, using blackmail photos, and sextortion emails. [33:01] - Sometimes the extortion emails can confuse people severely enough to believe the scam. [34:26] - Evan recommends the NNEDV and Operation Safe Escape for those looking for support. [36:17] - The U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Coalition Against Stalkerware - StopStalkerware.org National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Operation Safe Escape Electronic Frontier Foundation Email: [email protected] Eva Galperin on Twitter

If you've ever felt the pressure to buy something because the website said there were just two left at that price or that the sale was ending soon, you've experienced just two of the many techniques using neuroscience to advertise online. Today's guest is Roger Dooley. Roger is an author and international speaker. His books include Friction, one of the Best Business Books of 2019, and Brainfluence now in 11 languages. He writes the popular Neuromarketing Blog and Brainy Marketing at Forbes.com. He co-founded College Confidential, the leading college-bound website. Show Notes: [1:02] - Roger's background began in engineering but he found his way into marketing. [2:32] - Neuromarketing is using the understanding of how our brains work to market better. Roger describes it in more detail as well. [3:47] - One of the major techniques using psychology in marketing is scarcity. [5:27] - Another technique is to use social proof. Roger uses travel sites as an example. [6:16] - Many large companies, specifically travel sites and hotels, hire psychologists for the purpose of marketing. [7:50] - There's nothing wrong with using scarcity in marketing, but Roger and Chris discuss those who do not use this technique ethically. [10:03] - Chris shares a personal story of a sales job where his ethical selling and integrity created return customers. [14:04] - The first step in recognizing the legitimacy of scarcity techniques is to be aware that they exist. [14:27] - Roger discusses another technique called reciprocity. [15:47] - Always evaluate the legitimacy of product reviews. [16:33] - Authority is another technique used. Roger explains how the psychology behind this works. [17:50] - Through Covid, the authority technique was seen often. [19:30] - One area that Roger has been recently focused on is the area of friction. How does this work in the sales field? Amazon has been using it for a long time. [21:33] - Roger shares a story about how LinkedIn used the friction technique. [23:40] - Even news sites use the startup friction technique to gather subscribers. [25:18] - How do vendors use more friction to retain subscribers or customers? [28:10] - The return process can also be sketchy, but in the case of Amazon, making this process easy has created reciprocal trust. [33:07] - There are many rebate offers that can be abused that were very popularly used in the past. Roger explains how that worked and that it isn't used as often anymore. [36:20] - When you express the same deal to someone as a loss or a gain, the loss looms bigger than the gain. Deals like this prey on loss aversion. [37:54] - There was some research done about random higher prices put onto specific items. [39:14] - Decoy marketing is very popular recently because of the surge in subscription services. [42:03] - Another form of decoy marketing is when there's a better product offered at the same price of the lesser product. [42:52] - Always look for things that might be manipulative. [44:02] - Everyone is impacted by these techniques differently. Price sensitivity, urgency, and fear of missing out are traits that are affected differently. [45:12] - AI is used to better control personalized/customized offers. Roger explains the pros and cons. [47:28] - Generally speaking, engagement on video content is great. When AI suggested videos are accurate, things are great, but engagement can actually be weaponized. [49:18] - What happens when there's too much engagement? [51:51] - Adding friction in the right places can be a good thing for businesses. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Roger Dooley Web Page Roger Dooley on Twitter Roger Dooley on LinkedIn Roger Dooley on Facebook Roger Dooley on Instagram Friction by Roger Dooley Brainfluence by Roger Dooley The Persuasion Slide by Roger Dooley

When you hear the word "hacker," you envision someone breaking into a computer, but did you know that people can be hacked? The manipulation and persuasion of people can lead to someone gaining physical access to a location or even data being leaked. Today's guest is Jenny Radcliffe. Jenny is the founder and director of Human Factor Security and is commonly known as the People Hacker. She's a world-renowned social engineer hired to bypass security systems through a no-tech mixture of psychology, con-artistry, cunning, and guile. Jenny is also a podcaster, keynote speaker, talk show host, and panel chair. Show Notes: [0:58] - Jenny explains social engineering as no-tech hacking and how she became known as the People Hacker. [2:32] - Chris shares how a pen tester recently made a mistake and Jenny describes some of the mistakes she has made on that job. [3:56] - Laughing at previous mistakes, Jenny shares a memorable experience where she almost got caught in the act. [5:55] - In her experience, it is better to use psychology over breaking into a physical location. [7:01] - Jenny shares a story about breaking into a museum as the first time she felt drawn to this lifestyle and years later it was an industry she could work for. [10:30] - After a physical engagement and success in gathering the objects or data needed for the job, Jenny describes her adrenaline and celebration. [13:05] - Physical entry can seem very theatrical as we've all seen in action movies like James Bond. But ideally, Jenny says that evidence someone was there should not be left behind. [14:57] - Jenny sometimes leaves business cards in locations after she breaks into them and takes photos that she has saved. [16:50] - There is an element of social engineering with pen testing. [17:45] - Apparent authority is one of the top strategies used in social engineering. Jenny explains how Covid has made this even easier to dupe someone. [19:40] - Criminals and social engineers capitalize on fear, uncertainty, and doubt. [20:47] - During pen testing, a no-blame culture is crucial. Otherwise, people won't report in times of actual penetration. [22:12] - Even if you don't think you are being scammed, you should always tell someone the second you are told to keep quiet about something. [23:27] - Chris and Jenny discuss ransomware. In some cases, there is not an organization with a business model. [25:01] - There have recently been a lot of high-profile ransomware hacks. [26:17] - You have to try to remove the emotion for the victim so that payment is not made. It's horrible but if the money is paid, they'll come back. [28:55] - How are these large companies getting hacked? How are hackers getting through? [29:36] - Have all the tech security in place but be aware that one person could still make a mistake. [30:54] - The reason the cyber security industry is so huge is because, despite our best efforts, mistakes happen. [32:07] - You can't guarantee avoidance as long as humans are involved. With proper training and the right amount of suspicion, all we can do is hope everyone will remember to report anything unusual. [34:18] - In a compliance-minded organization, something as simple as a sign that says not to do something, they don't question it. [36:49] - Jenny shares a story of being caught and them not ever saying anything that she was seen. [39:23] - "This is not my problem." Chris and Jenny chat about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and how some of the scenes apply to her job. [41:39] - Cyber security is something that defines how good a business is these days. [42:27] - When asked about things that go wrong during physical pen tests, Jenny says there are so many experiences that she tries to give a different answer to everyone who asks. [45:19] - Jenny shares the most boring physical pen test she experienced. [48:11] - Usually something goes wrong, so when something goes absolutely to plan, it is surprising for Jenny. [49:12] - Jenny shares the 4 things to do to stay safe. What are her red flags? Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Human Factor Security Web Page People Hacker on Twitter Human Factor Security Podcast Human Factor Security on YouTube

Standard sales scripts can make some people sound shady or pushy, but techniques of influence and persuasion are supposed to produce different results. How can you tell the difference between something shady or legitimate? Today's guest is Paul Ross. Paul is an author, speaker, trainer, master hypnotist, and master practitioner of neuro linguistic programming. For over 30 years, Paul has been featured in leading media outlets including BBC, CNN, NBC, Rolling Stone, and more. His speeches and trainings have motivated tens of thousands of people to discover their power to design their own results through the power of persuasion and language. Show Notes: [1:00] - Paul introduces himself and a little about his book, Subtle Words That Sell. [2:21] - When asked about the worst sales techniques out there, Paul explains that the worst ones are the ones that can be identified. [3:07] - Sales tactics have had to change due to constant distractions. [4:31] - Paul explains what he teaches clients and students and although it sounds "crazy," creating a state of trust and focus is crucial. [6:20] - Selling isn't all about service. Paul emphasizes the power of suggestion. [7:50] - Paul shares how different media outlets use a variety of manipulated imagery to support their platform. [9:12] - Following your gut is advised when on the consumer end of things and the selling side. [10:11] - Even in the world of dating, there are so many suggestions on social media, movies, and music that suggest how people should behave. [12:43] - Paul encourages everyone to invest in themselves and explains the value of having coaches and mentors. [14:18] - Paul poses a question that illustrates the power of persuasion in sales. [15:13] - There is a missing element in self-improvement that Paul explains with examples. [18:47] - People tend to view new experiences through an old lens especially if possible rejection is involved. [19:43] - The brain can't tell the difference between what you dwell on and what you rehearse. [21:30] - Sometimes what we think is a discipline problem, it's actually a bad learning strategy. [24:10] - Paul emphasizes that his model is his creation and is constantly evolving. [25:41] - Paul teaches certain questions on what you could have done differently. We are trained by our culture to look for our errors, but the key is to look for the things you've done right first. [26:34] - The three C's are Compassion, Courage, and Clarity. [27:54] - "Persistence is a myth." - Paul Ross [29:00] - What if you persist with your mistakes? [31:23] - Paul offers two free courses with the purchase of his book if purchased through this link. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Paul Ross Home Page Subtle Words That Sell by Paul Ross Paul Ross Speaker on Facebook Paul Ross on LinkedIn

Child exploitation is an incredibly sensitive and difficult topic. It is vital to understand what resources are available to help the victims find healing. Today's guest is Dr. Deaneè Johnson. Dr. Johnson has been a key player in advancing the victim services field at the federal, state, and local levels for over twenty years. As an OVC Fellow, she has assisted with collaborating with the DOJ to identify a range of child exploitation programs available nationwide, illuminating the best practices. She was most recently the chief program officer at the National Center for Victims of Crime before building her own consulting business Ascent Connection and Consulting Solutions. She also serves on the National Steering Committee for the Vision 21 Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth, the Advisory Board for Preparedness Without Paranoia, and the Charles County Board of Education Safety in Maryland. If you know or suspect child exploitation, sexual abuse, or any other kind of child victimization, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. If you are looking for more resources as a victim of past child abuse, call Victim Connect at (855) 484-2846. Show Notes: [1:39] - Dr. Johnson began her interest in this field of child exploitation in 1999 as a volunteer mentor. During her undergrad courses, she was focused on child abuse. [2:27] - After Dr. Johnson received her degree in Criminal Justice, she started her Master's in Counseling. She counseled adolescent youth that were victim of sexual abuse. [3:15] - Through her experience in counseling, Dr. Johnson felt that something was stirred inside her and she no longer felt that counseling was the direction she should take. [4:13] - Deaneè was given the opportunity to build a forensic interviewing program in a rural community in Texas. She got her masters and transferred her focus to forensic interviewing but still didn't understand her drive. [5:19] - She put all her energy and education towards the children who were victimized sexually. [6:28] - Throughout her experiences, Deaneè had a memory pop up and realized that she did not have memories from her childhood other than images from photos. She had been a victim of sexual abuse. [7:49] - Deaneè decided to go for her doctorate in Child Development with the drive to apply it to child victimization. [9:13] - Any child can be a victim. No statistic is going to be solid because it is such an unreported crime. [10:34] - 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized before their 18th birthday. [11:03] - There is no specific population or demographic that has higher rates of victimization than others. [12:00] - There are ways to minimize the likelihood of child exploitation but Dr. Johnson does not like to use the word prevention. [13:23] - Dr. Johnson is a chairperson on the Advisory Board of Preparedness Without Paranoia. She explains the education they provide. [14:55] - We're really uncomfortable talking about sex with kids in general and now add on talking about unwanted sex. That discomfort will show to our kids. [16:00] - If a child goes to their parents with a disclosure, we want to make sure the child knows that what they have to say is important and that keeps communication open. [17:27] - Believe the child who discloses. Whether or not the child is telling the truth is not the job of the parent at that moment. The job is to listen to your child and be there for them. [18:30] - If a child has been victimized once, it increases their likelihood of being victimized again. They need to have someone they can talk to about it. [19:50] - There are two different types of disclosures: active and non-active or accidental. [21:49] - Disclosure will vary child by child. [23:14] - Victimization from a family member that the child loves may not be something they think is inappropriate. [25:11] - Dr. Johnson defines grooming and examples of what this could look like. Grooming is a slow process and creates a false sense of trust. [26:38] - Grooming usually ends with threats if children disclose. It is a vicious cycle that continues with the kids feeling isolated and ashamed. [27:57] - The process of isolating a child or adolescent looks different in each situation and relationship. Dr. Johnson describes a story of an experience with a teenager she worked with. [30:01] - If you feel that there is something going on with a child you know, seeking help depends on the state you live in. Find out if you need to go to Child Protective Services and/or law enforcement. [32:09] - Dr. Johnson shares the contact information for the National Child Abuse Hotline and what they will assist with. [33:41] - She also shares the contact information for Victim Connect which is a resource for those who have been victimized in their own childhood. [34:19] - Many rape crisis centers offer counseling free of charge. Dr. Johnson shares other ways to get resources for healing in tribal communities. [36:41] - Dr. Johnson

Amazon is a huge enterprise that makes billions of dollars every year and grew 84% in 2020. Some scammers have capitalized on its success and have found ways to deceive Amazon's customers for their own gain. Today's guest is Shaahin Cheyene. Shaahin is an award-winning entrepreneur, investor, speaker, podcaster, writer, and filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles, California. He is the CEO and chairman of Accelerated Intelligence which is an Amazon marketing and advertising agency. He shares his passion for Amazon in his course Amazon Mastery and is also a featured mentor at the Founder Institute. Shaahin has been highlighted in many publications including Newsweek, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and The New York Post. Show Notes: [1:10] - Shaahin began in physical products while he was 16 years old. By the time he was 18, the company he was working with hit $1 billion. [2:17] - Shaahin explains the importance of distribution and compares it to the film industry. [3:59] - During the pandemic, Amazon increased revenue. Every time a company is "crushing it," the scammers come out with something new. [4:58] - One of the interesting things about the Amazon platform is that anybody can sell on Amazon. Shaahin explains how the "buy box" works. [6:17] - Because any third party seller can sell on Amazon, some sellers will sell counterfeit or similar products to what is actually listed thinking that buyers won't care. [8:01] - If it is under $10, most consumers will not return it and although they received an inferior product than they thought they would get, the third party seller still earns the revenue. [8:28] - Shaahin always recommends reading reviews on a product before buying and explains that it is about more than reading what people think of it. [9:54] - Outside buying from brick and mortar stores or from recognizable name brands online, Shaahin also advises to Google the name of the seller. [10:46] - One of the great things about Amazon is their return policy. Amazon will take any product back 99% of the time. You should always return something that does not meet expectations so Amazon gets the feedback. [11:40] - Chris shares an experience in which he bought a product that stopped working a year later and when talking to customer service discovered that the serial number did not match their company. [12:53] - Shaahin explains one of the Amazon buying hacks that can save buyers money. [14:02] - As a consumer, price is a big factor. You want to try to buy when you can from Amazon themselves for that return policy and register for your warranty immediately on high ticket items. [14:57] - Sometimes Amazon will refund you your money for your return without even requiring you to send the product back. [15:12] - Unfortunately there are a lot of savvy scammers that are onto scamming third party sellers. Shaahin describes what they do. [16:29] - If your return rate exceeds the amount of money Amazon will make, they will fire you as a customer. [17:22] - Shaahin explains how a refund on a product for one of his clients wound up at his house with a fake returned product inside the box. [19:11] - Chris and Shaahin agree that if a customer's problem was fixed, they are more likely to not only buy again but to spread the word of a great experience than simply a satisfied customer. [20:00] - Shaahin's company changed the smoking industry. He explains how a buyer with extended warranties was trying to scam the company. Shaahin flipped the issue into an opportunity. [22:57] - There's a high cost to low price. [23:51] - The terms of service on Amazon says that you cannot do anything to solicit reviews for your products. In the early days, people would leave fake reviews. [25:21] - Over time, Amazon has installed super sophisticated security measures to clamp down on this issue. [26:37] - Shaahin explains how third party sellers can get reviews. [28:29] - There are a lot of companies that will sell consumers discounted products in exchange for honest reviews. This can be done through discount clubs. [30:26] - The problem in these online marketplaces is that unless everyone follows every single rule, sellers will need to do what others are doing in order to build a business. [32:11] - There's so little incentive to leave organic reviews. Shaahin explains that a lot of the reviews are likely from resellers. [33:36] - Chris explains how he was able to do some digging to find out how a specific scam works. [36:03] - Shaahin and Chris discuss criminal activity and how people are out there who willingly take advantage of others and a lot have the mentality of people vs. corporations. [38:36] - Shaahin was recently featured on the cover of a magazine and he shares the story of the interview. [43:49] - There are scammers who claim to help you start your business on Amazon but can't follow through. Shaahin offers an Amazon course where he hand picks his students and has a 100% success rate. [44:50] - eCommerce is a form of re

A "deep fake" typically refers to a video that has been edited to replace the person in the original video with someone else, commonly a public figure in a way that makes the video look entirely authentic. These are time consuming to make but can be very convincing. Today's guest is Lonnie Waugh. Lonnie is a web developer, software engineer, and deep fake creator. He has been doing deep fake videos for years with a sense of humor traditionally using the OneDuality on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Show Notes: [0:56] - Lonnie describes what a deep fake is and what he does for his YouTube channel to make things humorous. [1:52] - To accomplish this in the past, it was very extensive, but now can be done from home with the right equipment and software. [2:37] - The process to create something like this is very time consuming and Lonnie describes a frustration with rendering something and going back to edit. [3:32] - Lonnie outlines what this process looks like for him and why he chooses political conferences for a lot of his videos. [5:30] - In addition to finding all the movements needed for the face he's using to replace the original, Lonnie also does some pre-processing. This isn't necessary but he explains why he chooses to take the time to do it. [7:02] - The software used to do this is open source but not yet available for Mac. [8:18] - Because Lonnie has been doing this for so long, he knows what to look for to determine if the content is real or a deep fake, but points out that if you don't know what to look for, it is easy to be fooled. [9:27] - Lonnie and Chris describe some of the little nuances and indicators that Lonnie can notice. [10:49] - Lonnie shares that he cannot monetize his YouTube channel because of the copyrighted content he uses so it is not worth his time to go back and fix some of the most minor indicators of it being fake. [11:12] - Lighting also makes things challenging and Lonnie shares an experience with a music video director not consulting a professional. [12:28] - Lonnie has created content for music videos and hopes to eventually create for commercials. [13:38] - Discussing the technical aspects of the process, Lonnie describes how many frames a creator should use and how the AI recognizes faces. [15:47] - There are different modes that creators can use. [16:23] - Because of copyrights, there are challenges to deep fakes when using obvious original videos. [17:21] - Politicians are typically in the public domain but celebrities and actors who have enough legal backing could find each video one by one and take them down. [17:57] - For those who are not celebrities or political figures, there's likely not enough video content available for a deep fake to be made of them. Lonnie says it can be done with photos but thousands of photos would be needed. [18:51] - The quality of the video used is important as well. [19:47] - There is an app that can take photos and video and replace faces. To Lonnie they look good but are obviously not real. Some people may be fooled by them, though. [20:45] - At the moment it is not likely of someone creating a deep fake of someone with malicious intent unless there's a lot of professionally done video content of them in all different kinds of lighting. [21:38] - Lonnie and Chris discuss the amount of work involved in creating a convincing deep fake of the average Joe. [22:29] - There is software that will use a single photo to impose onto a video but they are not convincing and are typically used for entertainment. [23:40] - In regards to romance scams, Chris shares that this could eventually be something used to create video content. [25:08] - Lonnie explains how another YouTuber has used clips to startle people. [26:09] - There is a lot of thought being put into this in the political world and will potentially be legislated in the future. [27:33] - While the technology can be abused, Lonnie has not yet seen it used in a dangerous way and says that the abuse of it is pretty predictable right now. [28:11] - Lonnie references a recent legal case that may have abused this type of technology. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest OneDuality on Instagram OneDuality on YouTube OneDuality on TikTok Schmoyoho on YouTube

In the past, deleting a file was considered safe data destruction. But we know that it only clears the pointer to the file and not the data itself. Today there are many options when it comes to destroying data even though some harddrives seem almost indestructible. Today's guest is Paul Katzoff. Paul is the CEO of WhiteCanyon Software where they specialize in data erasure for businesses both corporate and government. These customers need secure data destruction that meets HIPAA and other compliance standards for harddrive and mobile device erasure. Show Notes: [0:54] - Paul gives a background of himself and what WhiteCanyon Software is all about, starting back in 1995. [2:02] - Data is becoming more and more important every year and Paul gives examples of current compliance legislation and standards. [3:03] - Chris shares a story from years ago regarding purchasing used copiers, scanners, and other devices that unknowingly stored data. [4:20] - Paul describes the data exposure that happened with this issue in 2011 as healthcare providers did not know their scanned documents were stored. [5:32] - Regarding criminal activity using data on harddrives, Pail explains that more and more people are becoming a little more knowledgeable and on board with data destruction if needed but it hasn't always been that way. [6:39] - Paul describes what data destruction has looked like over the years including old technology like floppy disks and tapes. [7:32] - Physical destruction only goes so far and software erasure is crucial now. [8:11] - When you click "delete," your file is not actually deleted. [9:35] - Paul lists multiple erasure patterns and how it worked until about 2013 to erase any device out there. [10:21] - There are some new requirements in data destruction that Paul explains and how they have had to adjust to make sure everything is erased. [12:29] - WhiteCanyon Software has been working in data destruction for 23 years. [13:14] - The current Covid-19 pandemic has complicated data as employees were then working from home and sometimes on a home computer. [14:24] - Paul lists the concerns of accessing work networks on their home computers. [15:26] - WhiteCanyon offers a product that corporations can send to their employees to click a link to erase their computer and then provides a QR code. [16:33] - Regarding mobile devices and phones, your data is stored on that device even with an encryption reset. Paul describes concerns with encryption keys. [18:21] - WhiteCanyon provides a certificate that everything has been destroyed. A lot of third party companies that wipe data especially from mobile devices can't actually promise it's completely erased. [19:29] - One of the huge issues with data is once it leaves your facility sitting on a device, it can pop up a decade later. [20:20] - Chris points out that data erasure is a "hard sell" for IT to bring forward to their company. Paul explains that it is certainly a cost because it doesn't earn a company any money. [21:59] - Paul explains what needs to be done to properly erase data on a nonworking drive. [23:08] - If you would like to physically destroy a harddrive, Paul explains what he recommends. If you'd like it destroyed for you, there is a cost. [24:35] - What most consumers can do for shredding home computers is search for companies that process second-hand computers and they have shredders on site. [26:15] - Because harddrives hold so much, data destruction can take a lot of time. But if it is an SSD, it is far quicker to completely erase. [27:50] - Chris and Paul discuss new devices that now hold data, including refrigerators. [29:02] - WhiteCanyon offers two free downloads with the coupon code "homefree" to wipe a home computer or device. They offer this because they know everyone has several old computers or devices holed away that could be useful elsewhere. [30:39] - Paul points out that data recovery software is free online so if data is not properly destroyed, it can be recovered by whoever has your harddrive. [31:30] - Although we still store data on devices, network storage is extremely popular which makes things easier regarding data destruction for some consumers. [32:04] - Paul strongly recommends pushing for harsher legislation for data protection and explains why this is crucial. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest WipeDrive Home Edition Free with Coupon Code "HOMEFREE" WhiteCanyon Home Page Paul Katzoff on LinkedIn Paul Katzoff on Twitter WhiteCanyon on Twitter

Gifted hackers can access data from a government website, a hospital medical system, or even a car. Most are not aware when their personal information is stolen, sold, and used until it is too late. Today's guest is Alissa Knight. Alissa is a recovering hacker of 20 years, a cyber security influencer, content creator, and the principal cyber security analyst at Alissa Knight and Associates. She is the author of the recently released book Hacking Connected Cars. Alissa has been quoted in articles by Brian Krebs and featured in numerous magazine articles including PC Magazine, Wired, and Forbes. Show Notes: [1:01] - Alissa shares how she started hacking at the age of 13 and she got caught hacking a government network. They came to arrest her at school. [2:27] - After this experience, Alissa later went on to own a few startups and sold them for millions of dollars. [3:44] - Alissa explains her combat training when owning a defense contracting company. She then transitioned back into cyber security. [5:10] - Her company shifted from defense contracting to private sector cyber security. [6:06] - While living in Germany, Alissa got into hacking connected cars. [7:07] - Although Alissa knows the risks of having connected technology, she is definitely a consumer of connected devices. [7:55] - We are seeing a fundamental change in cybersecurity because now it isn't just about information. It can literally be life or death. [9:02] - Alissa loves cinematography and combines her knowledge of hacking and content creation. [10:17] - Cybersecurity can be boring and uninteresting. Alissa states that she got tired of seeing the same white papers and changed it up to make it more interesting not just for her but for clients as well. [11:22] - Alissa references a book called Blue Ocean Strategy and summarizes its content in relation to her business model and content. [12:58] - "A lot of the content out there for security is told through the eyes of a blue team member. It's told through the eyes of the defender. Very rarely do we see content being told through the eyes of the adversary." [14:13] - Alissa describes what she wants people to see through her content. [15:58] - In Alissa's opinion, we need to relearn the concept of prevention. [17:27] - Chris points out that many mistakes are made when people think they have an impenetrable system. They become complacent. [18:20] - There are so many products out there right now that become very overwhelming and many don't know what to choose or buy. [19:17] - Alissa breaks down the categories of mHealth and describes how she was able to hack into them. [20:59] - When testing these systems through hacking, Alissa was shocked at how much information she was able to access about patients. [22:01] - Alissa explains the rule that CMS passed called FHIR. [24:36] - Describing the systems that hospital systems use, Alissa points out some issues with lack of security. [26:48] - Alissa shares a personal story about being diagnosed with cancer and the experience of getting an email with her medical data available through a mobile app. [29:21] - The average person is not digging deep to find where their information could have been published on the darkweb. [30:54] - Alissa explains the differences between what some providers can and cannot do with data. [31:41] - To explain a BOLA vulnerability, Alissa uses an easy to visualize analogy. [33:58] - Some of the problems in the APIs that Alissa is testing is insecure coding and programming. She lists how this can see patient health information in medical systems. [35:13] - Simply changing an ID slightly once it has been authenticated is the number 1 vulnerability in APIs. Alissa says it's the easiest hack in the world. [36:08] - Sharing a story about an experience with a pen tester, Chris demonstrates how important testing for vulnerabilities is. [38:16] - We as consumers have to rely on manufacturers to make more secure cars and our healthcare providers to create more secure programs. It's unfortunately out of our hands. [39:54] - It is not an immediate thing to learn. Alissa points out the many tools and the importance of understanding them. [42:16] - Exploits and these penetration testing tools are important, but if they are in the wrong hands they can be used for different purposes. [43:32] - When the developer is responsible for data, it leads to many problems. Alissa describes what can happen. [46:19] - Alissa explains what she predicts what she thinks will happen in the future. [47:28] - "I think zero trust should have been the foundational elements of the building blocks from the beginning." [49:37] - There is a lot of amazing technology coming from Tel Aviv which is a shift from the past. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Pr

Not all lies are scams, but everyone lies, even if it's only about someone's birthday gift. Liars give out both verbal and nonverbal cues, but how do you know what they are? Listen to this episode to learn how to spot a lie. Today's guest is Pamela Meyer. Pamela is certified fraud examiner, international speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of Lie Spotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception. Her TEDtalk "How to Spot a Liar" is one of the 15 most popular TEDtalks of all time with over 30 million views. She has been featured on NPR, CNN, ABC, Forbes, The Washington Post, and The New York Post, and she writes regularly for The Huffington Post. Show Notes: [1:03] - Pamela's background is in business and for many years she was in media. She had developed some websites and sold them. She shared how a Harvard Business School reunion sparked her interest in deception. [2:41] - When Pamela returned home from the reunion, she realized that there was a huge interest in the topic of deception but that the information on it was inaccessible. [3:31] - Pamela shares the story that is also featured in her book Lie Spotting, about an assistant she had many years ago. [4:56] - Just because it is taught in the CIA, doesn't mean it can't be learned by the public. [5:23] - The myth of lie detection is that it is simple. It is actually quite complex. [6:02] - Pamela shares another myth regarding lie detection through the eyes. [7:10] - When someone is lying, sometimes people will try to overcompensate their body language to appear truthful. [8:20] - What's important with lie detection is starting with baselining. One indicator doesn't mean anything and Pamela describes why. [10:02] - If you know someone very well and you notice that something is a little off, it could be an indicator for lying. Pamela explains that someone trained in detection will be able to note exactly what is off. [10:52] - Professionals can usually determine a baseline for someone and detect lies within a half hour, 15 minutes, or even 5 minutes. [11:56] - If you are having a difficult conversation, what you're looking for are energetic changes. [12:53] - Pamela begins sharing a good starting point called BASIC in learning detection which is a 5 step process. This is different from the advanced masterclass she offers. [13:03] - The first step is B for Baselining. A is for Ask open ended questions. [14:07] - Be warm and be in an environment that is free from distraction. Sit in a non-threatening way and make the person feel comfortable. [15:47] - Be authentic with building rapport with someone. Prepare for harder conversations ahead of time. [17:39] - The biggest issue with cues to verbal and nonverbal deceit is what we call Cognitive Load. When you're trying to think what to say, act composed, appear spontaneous, if you are lying you leak verbal and nonverbal cues. [19:03] - Pamela shares some nonverbal cues that someone who is lying could adopt when in conversation with you. [20:37] - The verbal cues in a difficult conversation could be pushing the main point of conversation off to the end. Someone who is truthful will typically tell a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. [21:29] - Pamela describes some verbal cues that could mean deception. [22:40] - These methods are not weapons. They're just techniques to help you get to the truth. Deception isn't always indicative of something bad. [24:22] - Everyone lies. Although the term "lying" has a negative connotation. [25:01] - S in BASIC is "Study the clusters." Look at the cues and study them. I is for "Intuiting the gaps." Keep your instincts in mind and identify and fill in the holes. [26:37] - Pamela describes behavior gaps and emotion gaps. What is the person saying and are they flashing contradictory facial expressions or body movements? [28:10] - These indicators are not to point fingers and call the person a liar. They are to give you more information and give you guidance on the harder questions to ask. [28:32] - C is to confirm. After you've done everything prior, you need to now ask the questions that will confirm your thoughts of deceit. These questions often indicate that you have some information that you might not have. [30:18] - Pamela gives some examples of what a truthful person will say to answer these questions and what a deceitful person will say. [31:17] - You don't always have to use these questions and in most cases you won't need to. But Pamela has several that she keeps in her back pocket in the event that she needs more. [32:09] - A good interrogator or interviewer is prepared. If you are an artful interviewer, you will be prepared with tons of questions to determine that Cognitive Load. [33:13] - To answer the question of "can you teach me to lie?" Pamela says no because anyone who is really talented at interrogation will be able to detect deception. [34:07] - We all have biases and blindspots. So we are not completely immune to being conned or lied to. [34:57] - We are

Not all social media influencers are equal. Just because someone has a ton of followers doesn't mean they actually have any influence on their audience. It's important that we learn to be critical thinkers that do research and not just believe what we hear and read. Whether you're a business looking to use an influencer to promote your product, or you're interested in becoming an influencer yourself, this is the episode for you. Today's guest is Neal Schaffer. Neal is an authority on helping innovative businesses digitally transform their sales and marketing. He's the founder of the digital marketing consultancy PDCA Social and currently serves as a fractional CMO to several companies. He teaches at Rutgers Business School and the Irish Management Institute and is fluent in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Neal is a popular keynote speaker internationally and has also authored four sales and marketing books including his latest, The Age of Influence. Show Notes: [1:34] - Neal shares his background and how he began working with social media influencers around 2017. [2:29] - It is a huge industry with a lot of money being thrown at it and it is very easy to dupe people. [2:55] - Neal shares the statistic that there's more than a billion dollars in fraud in the industry. [3:15] - There's no real way to tell if someone's followers and engagement are real or fake because you don't have access to their account. [4:03] - Influencers have to deliver. Neal explains how social media really works and what questions he asks when looking deeply at influencer profiles. [5:30] - People have to be smart enough and to have a critical mind and analyze what they see. Don't take anything at face value. [6:37] - Neal compares looking into a social media influencer or someone who seems to be an influencer to shopping on Amazon. [7:30] - The book The Age of Influence by Neal Schaffer answers a lot of questions for business owners looking to potentially hire an influencer. [8:09] - Neal describes how influencer marketing works and what a lot of business owners assume it is like. [9:21] - If you are going to reach out to someone to promote your product, ask them honestly if they've used your product. If they don't care about your product, why would you want them to promote it? Reach out to the right people. [10:39] - Chris shares "influencer fails." If you treat an influencer like you are hiring them for a project with specific details and restrictions, the worse and less genuine the content is going to be. [11:29] - Influencers can create better content that any business so restricting them is counterproductive. [12:41] - When it is a cut and paste, people can see that. You would be introducing a foreign element into their community. [13:51] - Neal and Chris discuss government involvement in influencer marketing and the potential future in regulations. [14:52] - Neal shares that as a content creator himself, he has been approached by businesses who say they want to work with him but they do not want him to use the term "sponsored." [15:47] - Disclosures are required but the post can still be genuine. [16:31] - Neal suggests some ways to engage with and develop genuine relationships with influencers that will help in the long run. [17:42] - Good influencers turn down the sponsorships and product promotions that don't make sense for their own brand. [19:49] - Becoming an influencer is a long haul. Becoming more influential as a side hustle is more realistic. You're not going to become a millionaire overnight. Because it is a long haul, it needs to be something you are passionate about. [21:14] - Because you are passionate about your niche, you draw people who are also passionate about it and over time you will influence them. [22:46] - As an influencer, keep a short list of brands that you would love to have sponsor you and work to keep your passion clear to draw the followers that will connect with you. [24:26] - There's no shortcut to the process of becoming an influencer. It is hard work but with strategy it can happen. [25:50] - There are going to be people that push back. Part of building fans is standing up for your niche. [27:04] - Your profile is your space. If someone is invading your space with negative comments, it is totally okay to delete and block. Your community will likely support you. [27:48] - Neal tells a story about a game he plays on his phone and how it is similar to taking care of your community of followers. [29:26] - If you are a business owner, influencers are an excellent opportunity. If you are a consumer, treat influencers like Amazon product reviews. If you want to become an influencer, don't do it for the money. Do it for the passion. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy P

Pets are one way to get to someone's heart and their wallet. Purchasing a dog is an investment that scammers can try to manipulate for their own advantage. Today's guest is Brandi Hunter. Brandi has been in public relations and communications for over 15 years. The past five years she has been working for the American Kennel Club commonly known as the AKC. The AKC is over 135 years old and the largest pure-bred registry in the United States. The AKC is passionate about all breeds of dogs, their sports, and their safety. Brandi shares many different resources that are available and scams to watch out for. Show Notes: [0:54] - Brandi shares some background on herself working in communications and the background of the AKC. [1:48] - AKC's mission is to protect all dogs and make sure they have the happiest and healthiest life possible. [3:11] - The first thing you need to do before purchasing a pet, you need to assess your life and look at your lifestyle and household to make sure you can. [3:45] - Brandi also recommends you take a moment to discover if rescuing is what you should do or if you should go through a breeder. [4:07] - If going through a breeder, you need to make sure you are going through a reputable source. AKC has a marketplace that has a compliance program that Brandi describes. [5:02] - Brandi says to research breeds as well to make sure that their traits and typical behaviors make sense for your lifestyle. [6:10] - Be careful if you are on a website for a breeder. Double check by calling the AKC to see if they are registered. Brandi says that it is easy for someone to copy and paste a logo or make a website a scam. [7:12] - Chris shares his story in searching for a Mini Schnauzer. [8:01] - Brandi explains how some breeds are not good for first time dog owners. [9:02] - Chris and his wife found a breeder near a family member's home. His family member trains service dogs and decided to have her go look at the dog and breeder, the breeder completely stopped communicating. [10:35] - Responsible breeders want to meet you and make sure the dog is going to a good home. [11:53] - In every case Brandi has ever seen with responsible breeders, the breeder will say to bring the dog back if it is not the right fit. This reduces surrender. [12:57] - When Chris and his wife found the right breeder, he described the difference in experience. She was very communicative and cared about the dog. [14:01] - Nobody that is intentionally breeding wants their dogs to end up in shelters. That's not why you put the work in. Breeding is a lot of work. [15:34] - A puppy mill is not a term the AKC uses because they do not encourage the practice. But it is when someone breeds irresponsibility in mass after receiving money. [16:58] - Puppy mills and backyard breeders do not do health checks because they are only concerned about earning money. [18:02] - Breeding this irresponsibly is unscrupulous and completely unhealthy for the parents and the puppies. When this happens you can usually tell based on looks and behavior. [19:08] - A red flag will also be exorbitant prices and the breeder telling you that the puppy is exotic. [20:02] - Another sign to watch out for is that the breeder doesn't ask you any questions to make sure the dog is going to a good home. They only want to know that you can pay for it. [20:56] - When paying for a dog, Brandi says do not use Western Union or other methods of wiring money that you cannot trace. Use your credit card because you can report fraud. [21:33] - Another red flag is that a scammer will ask for money right away. That is the first thing they will talk about. [22:19] - Brandi lists some other red flags including refusal to provide papers and bad grammar on websites. [22:47] - When contacting a phone number on a website, always call. Numbers that you can't call but you can receive texts from is another red flag. [22:59] - Brandi recommends to reverse look-up a photo to see if it is a stock photo used elsewhere or to copy and paste testimonials from their website into Google. [23:40] - There will be no financial surprises with a reputable breeder. Brandi lists some ways scammers and irresponsible breeders will spring additional fees. [24:34] - Responsible breeders will work with a contract. They will have a copy and you will have one. [25:56] - Pricing a dog is at the discretion of the breeder, not the AKC. It is random and arbitrary so there will be no hidden costs that pop up. [26:50] - Brandi describes a common lost dog scam. It tugs on the emotion of the pet owner. [28:10] - You should always have your dog microchipped or have tags on your dog in the event they get lost. If someone calls and claims to have your dog, they need to send you a picture of the tags. [29:47] - Pay attention to what they're saying and to what they're not saying. This is good advice for someone who claimed to find your dog or a breeder you are in contact with to purchase. [31:09] - A legitimate person is only

Many assume that dating scams only take place online. A scenario where they create an emotional connection over a period of time and eventually start asking for money. Today, we talk with someone who was deceived in person and how to see the warning signs in real life. Today's guest is Abby Ellin. Abby has been a freelance writer for 20 years. She has mostly written for The New York Times but has been published in countless other publications including Time and The London Daily Telegraph. Abby's latest book Duped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married was published in 2019 and is the topic of today's discussion. Show Notes: [1:14] - The reason Chris wanted Abby on the podcast was because Abby's experience is different from the more common online dating scams. [1:40] - Very briefly, Abby was engaged to a man who turned out to be a pathological liar. She felt something was off and left him within a year. But later she got a phone call. [2:14] - It turned out that the man was using Abby's name to write prescriptions for drugs. [2:40] - Abby jumped into journalist mode and interviewed the people in the man's life who he had also been deceiving. [4:17] - Abby explains the true things that were not deceptions: he had been a doctor in the Navy and was from Jacksonville, Florida. [4:42] - When he didn't want Abby coming to Jacksonville with him it was because he was engaged to another woman who he lived with there. He would tell the other woman he was on a secret mission and would leave for long periods of time. [5:25] - Nothing was verifiable which drove the journalist side of Abby nuts. [6:14] - Abby initially met him during an interview. She was interviewing him as a doctor and when fact checking he shared that he was opening up a facility in Iraq and Afghanistan for kids with cancer. They kept in touch because of the story she could write. [7:25] - Abby describes his pattern starting with marrying someone, leaving them, and moving to another marriage. [8:07] - It wasn't just "love fraud," it was a real con. He was using names of people he had been with romantically as well as names of the people he worked with to get drugs for himself. [8:58] - Abby was suspicious and left him after a year. She shares a story about a time he lied to her parents so convincingly and it made her concerned about other possible lies. [10:17] - Some red flags Abby noticed were that he would always cancel plans last minute and unusual things would happen when she was out of town. [11:15] - Chris and Abby discuss how people use the claim of being in the military as their adopted persona because we don't tend to question that. But the man she was engaged to was in fact in the military. [12:10] - He was a military doctor and you don't ever expect someone in that kind of position to be a "bad egg." [13:19] - Abby explains that he was caught for using drugs but he had gotten a hold of so much that she is also convinced that he was selling. [14:40] - For online scams, the goal is to receive money and the manipulation is a means to an end. For some in person scams, sometimes the manipulation is part of the goal, too. [15:51] - Because Abby had been suspicious and was not forthcoming about financial information, she did not lose any money. She says that if that had been his goal with her, she was a failed scam. But he did ask a few times about finances. [16:47] - When asked about trust, Abby explains that we are programmed to trust and that society will not function without it. [17:53] - Those gut feelings, intuition, or what Abby calls the "Spidey-sense," can be right. Listen to your gut. [19:34] - Abby shares a story about a woman she just recently started seeing and how her gut feeling was actually wrong. She had been projecting her baggage to someone else's scenario. [22:03] - When you see a photo of someone on a dating app who is in a military uniform, it is a scam. People who are truly in the military won't be using a photo like that for their profile. [23:25] - There are some people who thrive on manipulating others. If the goal is to dupe someone for money, Abby thinks that scamming a freelance journalist was not the best plan for that goal. [24:58] - Abby shares that she called a scammer back one time just to see what would happen. [26:01] - Chris describes how sophisticated scams have gotten. [26:55] - The minute someone asks for money, that should be the end of the conversation. [28:01] - It is really hard to deal with an in-person situation like Abby was involved in because you have met them and you do have a relationship with them rather than an online dating scam where you don't meet them in person. [28:58] - You need to know what someone's baseline is. There is not a specific set of behaviors that indicate someone is lying. Everyone is different so take notice of things that are out of the ordinary for them. [29:44] - Abby discusses polygraph tests and how she needs to have hard evidence. [31:33] - In

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 hacker, and professional speaker. He has the unique ability to take a complicated topic like network security and make it easy for a wide audience to understand. He has been in Information Security for over 15 years and in IT for over 20. He is a professional penetration tester doing offensive security, a compliance subject matter expert, an IT security architect, a security engineer, and a consultant in a variety of security domains. Show Notes: [1:10] - Brian shares his background and how he got into the field of IT and security including the story that inspired him to get into ethical hacking. [3:34] -In 15 minutes, a penetration tester taught Brian more about the system he was using than he ever knew was there. He was hooked from then on. [4:37] - Brian defines some common hacking terminology in easy-to-understand verbiage. [6:12] - In Brian's experience, many people tell him that they don't have anything of value that a hacker would want. He clarifies that everyone has something that can make them a target, including things you just don't think of as a vulnerability. [7:01] - In addition to white hat, gray hat, and black hat hackers, Brian explains the different teams of hackers called blue teams and red teams. [8:43] - For penetration tests that Brian does, he doesn't necessarily avoid getting caught. [9:29] - Chris shares his experience with a penetration testing company and the surprise of what they found. [10:52] - Brian confirms that Chris's experience is very common. There are a lot of old systems in place that may have been secure when created but haven't been updated. [12:21] - Brian describes one of his very first pen tests and the ease of finding vulnerability. [13:48] - For pen testers out there who are just starting, here's a rule of thumb, never tell how you got in until you're done. Brian explains why. [14:58] - If you are approached by someone who claims to have found vulnerability, like a grey hat hacker, Brian advises to be very careful and to get a legal team involved. [17:02] - Brian is motivated to help people understand security. [18:38] - Responsible disclosure is when a security researcher gives companies ample time to make changes to their vulnerability. Some security researchers disclose the information on social media. [20:33] - Brian suggests starting with the basics first before hiring someone to do penetration testing. Are you patching? If not, patch first. [23:04] - If you're starting from scratch, you can plan for changes in security. Consider who needs access to certain data. [24:21] - Chris describes the balance that needs to be found between automated systems and human error. [26:01] - Brian started learning social engineering when he had to convince someone to send him to an event to learn more. [27:10] - Brian highly recommends the OWASP foundation to continue learning about penetration testing and overall security. [29:14] - Chris admits that he has been nervous to attend conventions and explains his reasoning. [31:15] - Chris references a previous episode with Ed Skoudis and an experience he had with the Holiday Hack Challenge. [32:17] - Brian suggests taking classes, courses, and learning what you can. He says that if you take a course with Ed Skoudis, you are really learning. [33:09] - In regards to risk, Brian keeps two main points - the likelihood and the impact. [34:15] - Engage with the pen test team. Don't wait to ask questions. Leverage them while you have their time and attention. [34:55] - Make sure you have some proof from pen testers so you know how you fixed something without having to track down the pen testers later. You need a detailed report with priorities. [36:13] - There are some companies that are now specializing in fixing risks. Brian is cautious of this because of an apparent conflict of interest. [37:34] - It should be negotiated in your contract with a pen test to come back and retest. [38:38] - Brian describes how he became burnt out with pen testing. [40:00] - Many companies only hired pen test companies for compliance reasons. There are other companies who actually care about risk management. Brian explains that the types of testing he did varied due to the company's reason. [42:04] - What are the things that every security professional always tells people? Two-factor authorization is annoying but it is crucial. [44:01] - Chris and Brian discuss SMS two-factor authorization. Brian explains that for most of us, it is enough. But for some, it isn't. [45:47] - Brian says that passwords need to be as complex as possible and at least 15 characters lon

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. As a cyber security and wireless technology expert, Scott has had regular appearances on Bloomberg TV, ABC, CBS, FOX News, Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, and many more. Scott is the author of Hacked Again, Cyber Security is Everybody's Business, and his latest book, we'll talk about today, Senior Cyber. Show Notes: [1:10] - Senior Cyber is a little different than Scott's other books. Scott was inspired to write it as he has helped his parents and grandparents with technology. [2:22] - As he was looking for resources for his parents and grandparents, he found that the books tended to talk down to the audience. It makes the audience feel intimidated. [4:36] - Typically, seniors have a little bit more disposable income because they're saving for retirement. It makes them targets of scams. [5:09] - Scott points out that seniors also tend to be more innocent and naive when it comes to trusting hackers. Hackers can more easily use phishing attacks. [6:41] - Chris and Scott discuss the familiarity gap between generations. Bringing in terms like cryptocurrency and bitcoin is a way that confuses older generations. [7:23] - There are many seniors who have taken the time to learn, become comfortable with, and embrace technology including online bill pay and communication. [8:27] - Scott shares how he has heard from some readers of his book who said that through reading the book, it opened younger family members up to helping older family members navigate online. [9:18] - Chris shares an experience with a friend who's father went missing which caused Chris to really start thinking about his own parents and led to a great conversation with them. [12:23] - Scott describes a similar story of his daughter seemingly going missing while on a trip many years ago. Technology didn't enter their mind as a solution, but now it can be helpful in making sure others are safe. [14:00] - Using his own father as an example, many seniors who have a brilliant mind, feel discouraged because they can't always remember usernames, passwords, and processes to stay safe online. [15:20] - Imagine someone who has never used computers, listening to current buzzwords like phishing attacks, encryption, ransomware, etc. [16:01] - Making it clear that seniors are not inherently doing anything wrong, communicating cyber security strategies in a way that is relatable to them is key. [16:53] - In his experience, Scott sees most seniors accessing the internet through a computer and typically have their passwords written down in plain view. [18:10] - Doing some "house cleaning" when it comes to cyber security for the seniors in your life can be very helpful. Remove unused apps and clean out things that aren't necessary. [19:38] - Scott shares a story about a credit card expiring and cutting it up. [21:14] - Sharing stories with others can have a larger impact on those you are helping than making them feel like they are being lectured. [23:04] - Scott explains that the scams that impact the elderly the most are always tied to emotions. Recently, there have been scams surrounding vaccines. [24:09] - If something sounds a little fishy, pause and ask the questions. [24:39] - Phone calls and emails asking for information to put you on a list for a vaccine are rampant right now. [24:59] - Because it is also tax season, there are a lot of tax scams going on. Remember that the IRS is not going to call you. [25:53] - Scott learns about a new scam every single day. It keeps changing and evolving. [26:55] - When someone calls and volunteers a small amount of personal information about you asking for you to confirm the rest and tries to do so very quickly, those are red flags of a scam. [28:37] - An older generation was taught to answer the phone because it is courteous while a younger generation may screen calls or prefer texts. [29:56] - Even if a senior has a smartphone and attempts to screen calls, call spoofing is so easy for scammers to do. Scott shares how he tried it himself and demonstrates just how easy it is. [31:40] - Scott points out that seniors are more likely to respond to calls which causes them to keep calling and probing for more information. [32:42] - Scott shares a personal story about his grandfather becoming a victim to a scam. [34:26] - Fortunately in the case of his grandfather, the cashier performing the wire transfers knew of a scam and asked questions. [35:19] - Once a scam is successful, even more calls and emails will come to try to scam again. [37:05] - Some scammers will also try to coach you to lie to cashiers or banks. That is a red flag.

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 expert in scams and identity theft as well as a lawyer, college professor, and prolific author. His informative speeches, articles, and books make difficult subjects not only understandable, but enjoyable with the humor he brings to these complex issues. Steve is passionate about educating people through his website Scamicide.com. Show Notes: [1:16] - Steve has a personal backstory with a Ponzi scam because his father became the victim of one several years ago. His father was an astute businessman and the people involved with it seemed very honest. [1:50] - Steve also became a victim of identity theft himself and then wanted to help others not have the same problem. [2:29] - After WWI, Charles Ponzi came up with a plan to make money. Steve admits that it is very hard to explain and that is the key to a Ponzi scheme. [3:45] - Schemers blamed their victims for falling for the scheme. They claimed that they deserved what happened because they weren't smart enough. [4:58] - Steve describes how Charles Ponzi used the money from investors and shares why a more recent scheme in 2008 was successful. [5:46] - In the case of Charles Ponzi, law enforcement didn't bring him down. The media did. [6:29] - Ponzi did spend time in prison and was kicked out of the country. He went back to Italy and actually scammed Mussolini. [8:04] - Ponzi was probably not the first person to scam this way. In Steve's research, there was an earlier scam by a woman named Sarah Howe in the 1870s. [9:42] - Upon being released from prison, Sarah went back to her old ways and developed the same exact scam. [10:16] - Steve shares the story of Brad Bleidt to illustrate the term "affinity fraud." Brad was a Mason and other Masonic groups trusted him. [11:01] - Sarah Howe targeted women. Brad Bleidt targeted other Masons. Bernie Madoff targeted mostly other Jewish people. We trust those who are like us. [12:21] - Steve shares a story about how Bernie Madoff was actually found out much earlier and reported multiple times. [14:10] - This is not just an American phenomenon. A massive Ponzi scheme in Romania took down most of the nation's economy. [14:43] - When you deal with any kind of investment, you want to check out two things. The first thing is the person you're dealing with. The second thing is to fully understand what you're investing in. [15:28] - People like Madoff and Bleidt would be an investment advisor and the person who holds the investment. Most of the time, you want your investment advisor and custodian as separate people. [17:13] - Chris asks a new question of the guest and Steve says it is a very important question. Do these schemes start out as frauds to begin with or do they evolve into it? [19:10] - Some schemers don't start out that way. They need a little bit more money or time and before they know it, they're in too deep. [20:03] - Steve points out that Bernie Madoff may have been able to get away with his scheme forever if it weren't for the unprecedented economic issues in 2008. [21:42] - Bernie Madoff was never actually caught. He knew he was about to be caught and turned himself in. Steve shares the interesting facts of the case and where the money wound up. [24:29] - Ultimately, the money invested with Madoff was able to be returned to investors. But this is unusual. Most of the time, the money is dissipated. [25:08] - Ponzi schemers will appear very successful and wealthy when in reality they are dissipating the funds that they get to appear that way. [27:35] - In addition to living lavish lifestyles, some schemers may have issues with gambling. [28:23] - Steve shares the story of a Ponzi schemer in Florida who was a lawyer. He was a fixture of the high life in South Florida. [30:24] - There was a Texas scammer that owned a bank in the Caribbean selling CDs at high rates. Rather than Ponzi, this was similar to Madoff's approach. [32:01] - Chris and Steve discuss the regulatory organizations that are intended to investigate Ponzi schemes. [34:18] - If you feel like you are a victim of a Ponzi scheme, you need to report it to the SEC or the Federal Trade Commision. [35:10] - Investing all of your money into one thing is not a good idea, either. The markets go up and down. Diversification as much as possible is helpful. [36:01] - Steve references the recent GameStop stock that appeared to be a "pump and dump" scam but was not. [38:40] - You have to do your homework on investments. No one likes to do the research and the homework, but it can be detrimental if you do not. [39:53] - In reference to the GameStop stock, Steve explains that w

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 entertainment and is also considered an expert in the unique martial art of British Jiu Jitsu. He has trained both law enforcement and security personnel and boasts a diverse client list that includes Microsoft, Scotia Bank, and the Department of Defense. He has been featured on both British and Australian television, profiled in numerous publications including Martial Arts Illustrated, I Spy Magazine, and Toronto Star. Show Notes: [1:07] - Mike shares his background as a hypnotist and training in British Jiu Jitsu. He is a forensic hypnotist that works on murder cases and has spoken at colleges and universities. [2:03] - When he was younger, Mike admits that he was far too trusting. He went into business with a business partner who turned out to be a psychopath. [3:09] - Before the issues with his business partner were revealed, Mike had an experience on a plane with him getting suddenly angry about his handwriting. Now, as a graphologist, Mike knows now that his writing was a clue. [4:51] - After dealing with overwhelming stress, Mike reached out to a friend and former colleague who is a forensic psychiatrist who said that he was taken in by a highly functioning psychopath. [5:46] - This experience led Mike to studying psychopathy and he now does lectures on the topic, specifically signs in handwriting. [6:30] - The terms psychopath and sociopath are used synonymously. [7:01] - Mike shares that there are many psychopaths who are immensely successful and some are in the armed forces. Generally speaking, they can rise to the top with ease because they don't have the same fears as an average person. [7:52] - Mike describes psychopaths as grandiose and good at luring people into their presentation. [8:23] - There was a study done on psychopaths in the prison system where they were shown the same video of random people walking on the street and asked who they would target. They all chose the same person. [9:18] - Psychopaths are very good at hiding their true selves and are extremely patient in waiting for their opportunity. [10:27] - Psychopaths are so good at what they do. Mike shares that he has known detectives and psychiatrists who have been fooled. [11:30] - Mike doesn't think that psychopathy can be "fixed" as their brains simply do not process things the same way. [13:02] - Almost every scam that Chris has heard of has some sort of emotional connection. [14:19] - We need close friends in our lives, but the scary thing for Mike was that the psychopath that tricked Mike was a close friend. [15:45] - The first tip Mike has is to be aware of your surroundings at all times. This awareness is also important in your online surroundings. [17:18] - Mike shares a story about what he calls his "spider sense." [18:02] - Mike describes a color system he has that illustrates a way to condition yourself in being cautious and aware of your surroundings. [20:31] - The Witching Hour is a window of time between 11:00pm and 3:00am that your chances of being in a violent encounter are higher than other times of the day and night. [22:50] - We don't want to be paranoid, because if our spider senses are set too high then real problems are indistinguishable from the background. [25:11] - Mike describes self defense versus self protection. [27:40] - While in public, Mike is always assessing situations and never putting himself into a position that someone could surprise him. [29:14] - You want to make it that it is an unconscious response. [30:07] - Mike describes the different proximities and how safety comes through distance. [32:17] - When asked about the prisoner study where psychopaths would pick the same people to target, Mike shares that one of the things they picked up on was an asymmetrical walk. [33:51] - Mike describes how our level of confidence is apparent in our body language and many people seem to have a target on them because of, what Mike calls, a "victim signal." [34:45] - Avoid everything and every place if it doesn't feel right. [35:52] - Chris and Mike make the connection between real-life and online targeting. [37:01] - They use the psychological trick of appealing to scarcity and urgency. We are all vulnerable to these things even if we know about them. [40:20] - Mike shares a story about an experience with his online business being harassed by a client. [41:12] - The way you disconnect from someone is to ignore and disconnect them. If you tell them over and over again that you're not going to communicate, you are in fact communicating with them. [42:44] - Get toxic people out of your life. When you see signs of s

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 their end users. Today's guest is Nishant Bhajaria. Nishant leads the technical privacy and strategy teams for Uber that include data scientists, engineers, privacy experts, and others as they seek to improve data privacy for the consumers and the company. Previously, he worked in compliance, data protection and privacy at Google. He was also the head of privacy engineering at Netflix. He is a well-known expert in the field of data privacy, has developed numerous courses on the topic, and has spoken extensively at conferences and on podcasts. Show Notes: [1:09] - Nishant shares his background and how he got started in the field of data privacy. He started at Intel and explains the changes in data collection in the early 2010s. [2:47] - Nishant started in the field "before it was cool," because of his strengths as an engineer and writer. [3:33] - GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and Nishant describes what this law means and how it came about in Europe. [4:47] - CCPA is the US's approach and first step into data privacy laws. [5:53] - Consent is going to be a big topic in 2021. Nishant describes how the events of the last decade have led to data privacy laws. [6:56] - Nishant points out that a problem with data privacy laws as they stand right now is that they are not written by people who have the technological and engineering background. [8:39] - The data privacy issues that have arisen in recent years did not happen all of a sudden. Nishant explains that many mistakes across the board have led to them. [9:00] - Nishant lists some of the conundrums and ethical questions that come up when discussing data privacy. [10:23] - One of the biggest problems with data privacy is the different understanding of what that means. European countries and the United States do not have the same understanding of what privacy is. [11:46] - Security features exist for very good reasons, but people are generally very impatient with them. [12:12] - Nishant gives an example of microdecisions that come in to play when data gets into the hands of the wrong person. [14:17] - Nishant gives an example of how some decisions, made by companies in response to GDPR, are making sure they are in compliance but are not always consumer friendly due to a lack of understanding of the law. [15:56] - The internet was not designed with privacy in mind. Privacy was an afterthought. [17:06] - Nishant describes the challenges that we face when consumers want to access apps and sites quickly and the domino effect that takes place. [18:29] - There was a huge systemic change in the workforce in the field of data privacy and data collection that Nishant describes was due to most people joining this career after 2009. [19:43] - A problem arose when engineers would think that they were always the ethical ones because they were collecting data or designing apps and platforms to collect data for the right reasons. But that isn't always how that data is used. More to Nishant's point that data collection needs to be regulated from the get go. [21:03] - Privacy is all about not accessing or using data without the owner's consent, but people don't realize how much can be known about someone just with combining easily accessible data online. [22:10] - We have built the internet for fast access and use. Customers sign up for a lot of access to sites and apps and don't think about the use of their data when they do. [24:31] - For companies that are small and don't have the legal teams to handle a privacy problem, Nishant says the first thing to do is to make sure you really need the information you are asking for from your customers. [25:27] - It is much easier to look at what you're collecting, the necessity of it all, and how that data could be compromised in the early stages because there's not a lot of data to dig into. [26:06] - Another tip from Nishant is to lean on tooling to build privacy at scale. He describes what this means with examples. [27:36] - Nishant also explains to make sure that the wall between the legal team and the engineering/privacy team is broken down. Those teams need to work in harmony. [29:10] - Chris and Nishant discuss the pitfalls of deleting data and the importance of consistency. [31:07] - Many companies cannot afford to go through a data breach or legal problem with data privacy. [32:10] - There is an economical factor to consider when collecting too much data or duplicate data that Nishant describes. [34:18] - When signing up for services, sites, or apps, consider why they are asking for the data they say they need. A soc

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 scammers on how to proceed for their own success. Today's guest is David McClellan. David was an internet marketer and website builder for over ten years. He ran and executed SEO strategies for CNET where he added 1.4 billion visitors to the portfolio. He branched out as a visionary and entrepreneur 6 years ago when he created SocialCatfish.com. His website became the fastest growing company in Riverside, California and is an Inc 500 company. Show Notes: [1:10] - David shares his background as an internet marketer turned entrepreneur and the start of SocialCatfish.com. [2:01] - He and his business partner used to build websites and then flip them but discovered that there was no resource out there regarding catfishing. So they started the website and it was an immediate success. [3:34] - Once David and his business partner figured out how to monetize their site, they were speaking directly with their customers and hearing their stories. [4:21] - David also began a YouTube channel that shares real stories, interviews with scammers, and David even got his hands on a playbook used by scammers. [4:50] - There is also a Facebook watch group where people can upload pictures of "scammers" to look out for. [5:22] - Romance scams are part of catfishing. David explains the similarities. [6:19] - David shares one of the most upsetting client stories regarding a lawyer sending cash to Nigeria. But through it all, she was able to send a tracking device and use SocialCatfish.com to meet the real person behind the stolen photo. [8:47] - David shares another story of a client who lost her husband and survived cancer herself being scammed through online dating. [10:38] - Romance scammers, especially those overseas, will spend hours talking to someone everyday because if it results in thousands of dollars, that is a lot of money where they live. [11:35] - Another story of a client building a relationship with a scammer and who she thought was his daughter. She had been secluded from her friends and family and the scammer even told her to commit suicide. [13:29] - Effective scammers will seclude a victim from their friends and family using a convincing story and are very emotionally manipulative. [14:50] - A newer trend in romance scams is that scammers are now starting to send inexpensive gifts to victims such as balloons, flowers, and cheap jewelry to build trust. [15:51] - When interviewing scammers, David asks them what happens if they don't get money and the answer is that they always get money. They even refer to victims as clients. [16:40] - Another new trend is when scammers reveal themselves and convince the victim that they really did fall in love and need money to get out of their very poor country. [18:09] - David shares the noticeable differences between men and women who are victims of catfishing and romance scams. [21:01] - Although victims who are lonely, depressed, widowed, or divorced are the prime targets for scammers, David shares that even married people are being sucked into scams. [23:09] - Chris shares a story about a previous podcast guest using other people's videos in video chat is not always a reliable method of confirming identity. [24:19] - David explains that there is open source software available where he could record anything and make the people in the video say whatever he wants them to say. [25:25] - People whose images are stolen to use by scammers are victims, too. David also tries to help these people as well. [26:19] - David shares a story about a man who was catfished, convinced of their real identity, and killed the woman he thought the scammer was. [27:09] - If you are contacted randomly by a stranger, including games with chat features like Words with Friends, and someone ever asks you for some form of money, that is a big sign of a scammer. [28:05] - Scammers will also tend to try to get a victim to chat outside of the dating app so their profile does not get reported and taken down. [29:00] - Most of the time, scammers tend to start asking for money after about 90 days, but David says that sometimes they'll wait less time or more time before asking. [31:21] - Financial crimes seem not to have the same level of consequences when caught than in-person crimes. Many crimes like this are sometimes not even reported. [33:06] - It is not illegal to give somebody money. When it is reported to law enforcement, there's not much police can do. You should still report it, but it is a civil issue. [35:18] - David also shares that sometimes there are people in the United States that are helping scammers overs

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 the Pentagon, and is a woman on a mission. In her book The Woman Behind the Smile, she shares her personal experience with a love that turned to betrayal and financial disaster. She removes the mask of shame and shows others how to do the same. Show Notes: [1:07] - Debby shares the person she was before she was scammed. Her husband of 26 years had unexpectedly passed away, she had a varied career background, and is a mother and grandmother. [2:08] - After her husband passed away, she had to step up and run his business without a lot of training or knowledge. [3:05] - Debby had very little time to grieve as she would work her job and then go straight into managing her late husband's business. [3:59] - When her friends noticed that she was staying home so much to work on the business, they told her she needed to get out and "have a life." A friend recommended online dating. [4:56] - Debby was very transparent in her online dating profile. She stepped into it very carefully. [5:46] - Although Debby was very particular, she did eventually meet someone who caught her attention and that's how everything started. [6:43] - Debby explains that something that scammers do is try to take you off the dating sites to talk and Debby would talk to him on Yahoo Chat instead. [8:39] - After speaking with a psychologist later on, Debby was told that she likely never felt listened to based on her behaviors and she admits that Eric, the man she met online, did listen to her. [9:47] - Over two years of communicating with Eric, Debby felt listened to and shares that she had wonderful conversations through writing with him. [11:22] - At this point in time, Debby was familiar with online dating scams and never felt like anything sinister was going on. [12:23] - Debby began lending money to Eric as a way to help him through his jobs until he would get paid. He always promised to pay her back. The energy came from the sooner he finished a job, the sooner he would come home. [14:01] - The first red flag for Debby was when he asked her to set up a power of attorney and use Western Union to send him money. [15:43] - In addition to asking for money, Eric also was successful in further isolating Debby from her friends and family. Debby shares how her sons warned her against a relationship with Eric. [17:50] - After being married for so long, Debby wasn't ready for a physical relationship, but she was ready for a friendship. Eric turned into a confidante. [18:59] - Debby explains how she wanted to video chat with Eric but that he always had an excuse as to why he couldn't get online to do that. [20:13] - Eric continued to ask Debby for money for his issues with his international business. Looking back, she shares that it all seems so ridiculous but the urgency was overpowering. [21:01] - Debby admits that she did not have the large sums of money Eric needed and she dipped into retirement funds, sold jewelry, and even borrowed a very large sum from her parents. [23:47] - When asked if she would go back and change things if she could, Debby says she would actually let things happen the way they happened. She learned so much about herself during this time and is now able to help others. [25:36] - Chris shares a story that illustrates the lack of knowledge surrounding scams and security. [27:28] - When you think of an online romance scam, you'll think 'oh that will never happen to me.' That's not the point. It could happen to your mother, your daughter, or your best friend. [28:31] - Other victims that have been scammed reach out to Debby after reading her book and Debby has noticed that everyone's story is exactly the same. These scammers are very well trained. [29:59] - Debby's sons were very upset after the scam was revealed, but they also felt that they had not done their job to protect their mother as well. [30:54] - Eric and Debby had a lengthy conversation about forgiveness and he confessed that it all had been a scam. [32:13] - Initially Debby didn't believe Eric and asked for proof that it was a scam. They finally conducted a video chat and she saw the real person behind it all. [33:09] - Eric admitted that throughout the scam, he had started to feel real feelings for Debby and had to come clean. [34:30] - Debby went to the FBI and they told her that there was nothing they could do because he was not in the country. [36:04] - She told a new friend her story and through their conversation she discovered that the other woman's mother was also scammed. That was the moment Debby realized that she had a mission now. [38:14] - Debby was put in cont

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 the first Victoria police officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people. In 2003, she was a Victoria Police Region 4 Youth Officer of the Year. She has also been awarded the National Medal and Victoria Police Service Medal. Susan established a consulting firm in March 2007 called Cyber Safety Solutions and has grown to be the most highly respected and in demand cyber safety consultancy in Australia. Show Notes: [1:21] - Susan shares her background in law enforcement and her first online appointment was in 1994. [2:17] - She was led to America in her quest to learn as much as she could about cyber safety. The training she was a part of was The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Team training and more trainings in Texas. [3:35] - When Susan returned to Australia, she outlined a plan of action for law enforcement in Australia. [4:14] - When Susan's support retired, she lost all internal support at that time. Others claimed she was making things up to create a job opportunity and that because she was a woman, she couldn't do this job. [5:07] - Susan quit her job because she became passionate about this concern and took a risk in developing her own consultant agency. She works extensively with schools, parents, and teachers. [6:46] - Now, law enforcement takes cyber crime more seriously. [7:51] - Susan says that although there is acknowledgement of cyberbullying and online safety issues, there is still a lack of training of front line police officers. [8:50] - Susan describes JACKET teams in Australia and how it works in her country. [9:30] - The amount of arrests is phenomenal, but Susan would much rather there were no arrests because we can educate young people to not fall victim to these types of crimes. [10:27] - Susan shares that most arrests are made within Australia but that there are international crime gangs specifically in sex trafficking and sexual exploitation that are elsewhere. [12:08] - The statistics in Australia show that a quarter of all teens have been cyber bullied at some point. This can mean a lot of different things. It's almost always an extension of schoolyard bullying. [12:47] - Nude photos are also prominent and fit the definition of child exploitation offenses. [13:58] - To be an effective parent in the 21st century, you have to parent in the digital space. [14:43] - The internet is 100% an adult world that you are putting your child into. Risks cannot be removed but you can identify and limit the risk with boundaries for your child. [15:18] - Young people's technical skill far outweighs their cognitive and brain development. There is a massive gap between what they can actually do and what they can understand. [16:29] - Susan explains that if your child is under 13, you should be in complete control over everything your child does online. [17:33] - Start with one platform that you can manage when you feel they are ready for it. Constant monitoring and parent judgement on maturity is necessary. [19:01] - Susan recommends having a rule in place that you will check all accounts and devices a certain number of random days per month. [20:33] - Checking lists of friends and contacts, the child has to explain who they are to the parent's expectations. If you can't invite them over for dinner, they don't belong on their list. [21:55] - Susan shares how the majority of in-person sexual abuse or exploitation are with people the victim knows. But online, the majority are people who are unknown to the child or teen. [23:02] - If you are familiar with the person and are unsure if it is their real account, ask them. [24:27] - Parents also need to have conversations prior to online use to make sure their children are not being the ones doing the bullying. [25:45] - If you are the caretaker of any child or minor, you have to be aware that they are targets. [26:03] - Susan explains that the majority of inappropriate photos are taken in bedrooms and bathrooms with the doors closed. She shares examples of ways a parent can prohibit devices with cameras in those rooms. [27:48] - Especially during Covid, the limitation of devices and children online became difficult. [28:28] - One of the biggest mistakes parents make is giving their child or teen a phone thinking it will keep them safe. They are handy, but they are not safety devices. [30:18] - Susan also lists the other issues that come with extensive use of electronic devices, including posture, muscular and skeletal problems, and eye strain. [32:27] - Every adult has a responsibility to keep children safe on and offline. [34:

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 NBC News. As America's millennial money expert and America's student loan debt expert, he is on a mission to help people escape student loan debt and start building wealth for their future. Show Notes: [0:54] - Robert founded The College Investor website when he was a college student. He shares his background as a blogger and his experience when a post about student loan debt went viral. [2:33] - College is a great investment for a lot of people, but like any investment, if you spend too much it might not be worth it. [3:01] - You don't go to college to learn because you find everything you need online for free. College is a signal to potential employers that you have a degree. [4:02] - Robert points out that trade schools and "dirty jobs" are a fantastic opportunity to make a lot of money without going to college but that many young adults don't know enough about them. [5:29] - There are three main types of schools: state school, non-profit, and for-profit. Robert gives examples of each kind. [6:39] - One type of student loan is federal student loans through the government with the requirement that you attend an accredited school. [7:23] - The other type of student loan is a private student loan that comes from a bank, credit card company, or other private lender. These are similar to a mortgage. [8:15] - Robert shares that there are so many student loan scams out there but they all have the same theme: to either lower the monthly payment or lower the total amount somehow. [9:32] - There are many programs that are legitimate and that will lower your monthly payment. The red flag is the fee that you pay. Robert explains how this works. [10:01] - The most popular loan forgiveness program that is fully legitimate is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that there is no fee for. [11:11] - There is loan consolidation which takes all your loans and puts them into one loan. Robert doesn't recommend this and explains why. [12:13] - If you call your lender and let them know that you can't pay, there is something they can do. It is a scam if you pay a third party and they can fill out your paperwork incorrectly. [13:26] - Robert describes another type of scammers that pose as a pseudo law firm that tells people to stop paying their loans and then go to court for them to represent you to get you lower payments. But this trashes your credit and doesn't get you ahead. [15:03] - Robert recommends to always start with caller your lender and talk to them about your options. Communicate your needs. [16:51] - There are also really great apps available that will help you manage your finances and Robert points out that there are valid and legitimate paid programs. [17:16] - The legitimate paid financial advisors won't do anything for you. They will give you a plan and you will need to take the steps to follow the plan. [19:39] - Robert admits that most loan service providers make errors and there are definitely problems. However, they manage loans for millions of people. [20:51] - All paperwork done on your behalf needs to be looked over. A lot of companies that have been shut down were because of falsified information. [21:38] - Robert explains how some scam companies will take your fees and not do any work at all. They'll send you email updates as if things are being done and then you default. [22:28] - Even if you are going to work with someone, you still need to log in to your loan provider account and check things every month. Ultimately, you are responsible. [24:09] - Congress wants government loan servicers to promote these programs but they never do. [26:01] - If you feel that you have been scammed, you need to lock down all of your information. Change all passwords and check all of your accounts to make sure your information has not been changed. [27:20] - No legitimate company will ever ask you for your password or log in on your behalf. It is a literal federal crime. [27:58] - Robert shares the most incredible dollar amounts that some scam companies have collected. [28:51] - Robert also explains that some people pay companies to do this work for them because they don't take the time to do the research. [30:01] - Student loans are challenging because it seems like there's no way out. People know that there's not a lot of options. Scammers are preying on. [32:36] - There are 100 Americans with over 100 million dollars in student loans. They got there because of graduate schools. [33:00] - There are two types of people who benefit the most from student loans. The first are low-income who plan to make between $30-$50k a

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 and knows more about information security than most English Literature graduates should. She spends her working days interviewing industry professionals, keeping the website updated with news on a regular basis, editing the magazine, and attending industry events. Show Notes: [1:03] - Eleanor's experience in Infosec began in 2006 when she started working for Infosecurity Magazine. She also has experience editing for a wine and spirits magazine as well as one for retail. [2:03] - Eleanor admits that information security is her favorite, because she's worked in it the longest and it is constantly changing. [2:51] - Her favorite part of her job is interviewing industry professionals. She shares several famous individuals who she has been able to interview. [4:18] - Eleanor admits that she was very nervous to interview Kevin Mitnick and describes the experience. [5:57] - Kevin Mitnick did magic tricks for Eleanor for fun, but demonstrated how con artists are very much like magicians. [9:55] - Chris and Eleanor chat about their different interviews with previous podcast guest John McAfee. [11:14] - John McAfee spoke an unscripted rant at an event that Eleanor was able to be present for. [12:30] - Infosec trends are compared to fashion trends because they are cyclical and come back again. [13:38] - Some trends that Eleanor discusses are the Cloud, artificial intelligence, and the focus on the human side of security. [15:13] - Awareness now is much different than it was 15 years ago when Eleanor began working for Infosecurity Magazine. Now, they are major headlines and mainstream news. [16:48] - Eleanor's company puts in software that randomly tests people. [19:31] - We start to distrust people who are actually trustworthy and tend to become cynical. [20:18] - The types of scams that trend ebb and flow. Sometimes the trend is text scams, emails, or phone calls, generally speaking. [21:40] - There are clever scammers who use the current climate to change their approach. Eleanor shares that she has seen a lot of scams with packages delivered because more people are shopping online. [23:56] - When someone targets Eleanor, she knows she can handle it, but she gets very angry when scammers target her parents and grandmother. [25:52] - Eleanor discusses various conferences and events. She doesn't tend to worry about heavy security for some of them, but for several of them, she takes every precaution. [28:10] - For the most part, Eleanor tends to go to more of the businessy conferences. [30:42] - Eleanor admits that most of the things on her phone or computer are not that interesting so she feels comfortable taking her devices with her to other countries when traveling. [31:28] - In regards to women in the industry, Eleanor says that it is still male dominated but it is moving in the right direction. [32:48] - Eleanor has worked with programs that encourage teenage girls in high school to get into the infosec and technology world. [33:25] - Eleanor launched Women in Cybersecurity Networking Group that began small in the UK but is now national. The purpose is to create a community. [35:02] - Marketing cybersecurity needs a lot of change to include more accurate images and descriptions. [36:11] - There's a lot of going on in this space in regards to diversity in the industry, but Eleanor feels that it is not being done quickly enough. [37:33] - The security industry is very resilient and has not been hurt by the pandemic except that they are shorthanded. Unemployment is high in many places, so people should be jumping ship and going into it. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Infosecurity Magazine Web Page Women in Cybersecurity Networking Group Eleanor Dallaway on Twitter Eleanor Dallaway on LinkedIn

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 practitioner for nearly two decades. He started more than two dozen companies, several of which have multiplied and been sold. His experience with dealing with the entrepreneurial challenges has fueled his passion for teaching people how to balance the demands of family life and business. Show Notes: [1:15] - Mark co-wrote the book Mentor to Millions because of his experiences (good and bad) with mentors. He describes how he met the friend he wrote the book with. [2:32] - Where mentorship goes bad is when you think you have found the right person due to their success. [3:28] - The first thing to look for in a mentor is to ask them about their failures. You want a mentor who is not only a big success story. [4:17] - The second thing to look for in a mentor is their ability to really listen. A good mentor will listen and learn about you in order to help you down the right path. [4:58] - The third thing to look for is a mentor who has a mentor themselves. Learning is a lifelong journey. [5:31] - Mark shares a negative experience with a mentor in an industry he didn't know much about. This mentor tended to tell Mark everything he was doing wrong. [7:51] - Mark likes to have more than one mentor because one mentor is not capable of helping you in every facet of your life. [9:45] - Most people don't know how to find a mentor. It begins by having some vulnerability. Are you ready to be coached and taught? [11:59] - You already know everyone you need to know in order to accomplish everything that you need to accomplish in this world. Your inner circle may know the exact person you need. [12:51] - The formula is 1) get the right mentor, 2) become that mentor's best student, and 3) take everything you've learned and teach it to someone else. [14:05] - Mark ends every chapter in Mentor to Millions with him applying what he learned in his business to his family. [15:06] - Mark describes how important his mentorship experiences have been with his family. [16:23] - Mark gives an example of how a personality test that he was using in his business and how he bought extras to do with his family in the same way. [17:58] - The personality test experience gave Mark's family a tool to be themselves and understand each other. [18:26] - In regards to finding a mentor that is "wired differently" than yourself, there are so many different situations and combinations of people. [19:55] - When you can say that you know the person, you like the person, and you trust the person, there could be a very good opportunity for a mentorship when you know they can help you. [21:36] - Anyone can learn, but it takes the right kind of person to teach. [23:11] - If you'd like to become a mentor, you need to practice listening and be open about your failures and how you've learned from them. [25:17] - Mark talks about Mentor to Millions and his experiences with a great mentor. [27:00] - Mark is one his way to his first multi-million dollar business because of the lessons he's learned with his mentor. [27:38] - Now, Mark mentors successful entrepreneurs with their family and home life, which is what Mark is passionate about. [29:03] - It is not all about balance, it's about integration. Mark describes how combining his worlds made a huge difference in his business and relationships. [30:29] - Mark and Kevin and offering a special mentoring opportunity to listeners who buy the book. Go to KevinMentor.com for 30 days of free mentoring after proof of purchasing the book. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Kevin Mentor Website Mark Timm Home Page Mark Timm on Twitter Mark Timm on LinkedIn Mentor to Millions: Secrets of Success in Business, Relationships, and Beyond by Mark Timm and Kevin Harrington

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 favorite is as a teacher. She is focused on teaching professionals to navigate the economy, build their business, be a true leader, and get more done. Mary has authored thirteen books on business leadership and today she is sharing with us a few ways not to be easy prey in business. Show Notes: [1:05] - Dr. Kelly primarily works as a corporate speaker and advisor to improve profit growth. [1:44] - Businesses need to make sure that they are protecting themselves against people who want to sue them for stupid things. [2:31] - When you are interviewing someone coming into your business, you have to be careful of the questions you ask. [3:12] - Dr. Kelly also points out the importance of keeping your brick and mortar location safe and secure. [4:22] - Mary shares an example of campsites getting sued by people who were taking advantage of the owners. [6:01] - In 2020, vulnerabilities became more apparent to business owners. [8:48] - As a business, one of the number one things people want to know is if you can deliver what you say you can deliver. [9:06] - Dr. Kelly gives several tips for businesses including Google searching yourself and watching your Yelp reviews. [11:08] - Mary references a book that she co-wrote regarding trust in the business world. How you build trust with your employees is how they build trust with your clients. [12:29] - Chris shares how he approaches business partners. [14:10] - Mary admits to some early mistakes she made after taking the advice of someone else that cost her in thousands of dollars. [16:01] - Don't be afraid to differentiate and brand yourself for the core values of your business. Let people know what your core values are. [17:49] - Your posts on social media are being looked at. How are you and your business being perceived? [20:17] - Recording conversations are a good idea so you have a clean copy of tough conversations that may need clarification. [22:35] - There are so many bad business consultants out there and Mary describes how this can be detrimental to your business. [24:09] - Mary admits a mistake she learned from with a book deal and an example of working with a medical firm that experienced a scam. [25:57] - Mary's dad was recently a victim of a scam that is similar to a previous Easy Prey episode with Jim Browning. [27:01] - Chris shares an example of a scam he fell victim of. [28:12] - We need to help others to not make the same mistakes. [29:37] - If you are a leader in an organization, always assume that someone is watching everything you do and say. [31:18] - It is not our clients' job to stay in touch with your business. It is your job to stay in touch with your client in a way that adds value and trust. [33:09] - Dr. Kelly wrote a book about business during Covid-19 and shares a lot of her research that can benefit current businesses. [34:29] - Mary shares current scams for businesses during Covid-19 and how common they are. [35:29] - There are several car dealership scams going on at the moment as well and Mary describes what this looks like. [36:57] - If you sign anything, take a picture of it. [37:49] - Chris shares another current scam that has been very common lately with overcharging customers as their business practice. [39:17] - We need to not be afraid to ask clients for referrals and feedback. [41:37] - When it comes to mistakes, own up to them and move on. Mary shares her free productivity sheet that she uses every single day to help avoid mistakes. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Productive Leaders Web Page Mary C. Kelly on Twitter Mary C. Kelly on Facebook Mary Kelly, PhD, CSP, CPAE Commander, USN on LinkedIn

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 for over 25 years, where he was named the Special Agent in charge of the Jacksonville division. James is currently the president of FCS Global Advisors, an investigative and crisis management firm where he has been for the past 8 years. Show Notes: [0:53] - James shares his background in law enforcement and his career path to eventually work in the FBI. [1:51] - What James focuses on now is higher end investigation in Florida, primarily litigation and white collar cases. [2:24] - In regards to personal security risk, James believes due to the number of distractions, people are always at risk. [3:06] - Social media has become a place for people to share too much information which becomes a security risk. [3:38] - James shares a scenario of oversharing about your own children. [4:53] - You can segregate your social media accounts. Some can be more public for business needs, such as LinkedIn, and then others can be more private for sharing information and photos for friends and family. [5:51] - When you're out and about, you need to be paying attention. Take the earbuds out and watch the people around you. [6:49] - James shares how crime doesn't go away, it just moves to someone or some place that is easier. [7:44] - With travel, James presents a scenario and the importance of being prepared for anything, [9:20] - Traditional burglaries are targeting empty houses during the day with no alarms and tend to access the back door. [10:17] - James shares a scenario of watching a news story about a home invasion and the general majority of burglaries having a back story. [12:02] - By the time a story gets to TV, it is a unique story and doesn't generally match the norm. James tells about an undercover scenario he worked on. [14:05] - In regards to car theft, James shares a real-life scenario of learning how cars are stolen in most cases. [16:51] - While working in Detroit, James worked with many cases of stolen cars for parts, which is still a problem today. Chris also shares a personal experience of his car being stolen and stripped for parts. [20:01] - A book that James has read and recommends by Gavin de Becker called The Gift of Fear. James has done some research into intuition and instinct. [21:42] - James shares a scenario of an active shooter in an airport in Fort Lauderdale and how people reacted to demonstrate some people's intuition. [23:05] - Women are often targeted and have a gut feeling that something is wrong but tend to talk themselves out of it. [25:03] - In addition to fight and flight, there is also "freeze," which is a legitimate response for many people. James shares his theory on why some people do this. [26:50] - In a lot of situations, people rationalize why something wouldn't be a gunshot. [27:18] - Chris and James discuss stalkers and the types of stalkers that are common to see. James illustrates the types of stalkers with real-life scenarios. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest FCS Global Advisors Web Page FCS Security on Facebook FCS Security on Twitter FCS Security on LinkedIn The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

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 and the author of How to Detect Lies, Fraud, and Identity Theft Field Guide. Her fraud-spotting learning platform has helped companies stop millions in fraud loss. Show Notes: [0:51] - Traci shares her background as a cyclist and how observing and learning other cyclists behavior and body language led her to eventually become a body language expert. [2:29] - Many had thought that Traci was able to read people's minds, but really she was just noticing body language. [3:34] - Traci shares how an experience of her brother's led her to training with law enforcement and started her path in fraud and deception detection. [5:19] - While a lot of attacks happen online, Traci encourages listeners to know about in-person fraud and protect themselves. [6:17] - 40% of people lie in a job interview but only 2% of people hiring them can tell. [6:54] - Traci works with a lot of sales people because "buyers are liars." [7:43] - Traci has even worked with world renowned poker players. She describes how poker tournaments work and how body language impacts how you feel as well. [9:54] - The number one thing that law enforcement looks at is baseline behavior. Everyone runs in patterns. [10:40] - You want to believe the body first and when there's a mismatch between the body and the words, that's the hotspot. [11:47] - Traci lists and describes body language signs that something is not true. [12:55] - As you are talking to someone and notice these signs, Traci suggests saying, "It seems like you have something more to say about that," and then stop talking. [13:58] - If you ask people questions they have no reason to lie about, then you can see the shift when you ask them something more pressing. [15:19] - Some people can't help but lie. Some people lie to cope with something trauma or were conditioned to lie in simple conversations. [17:12] - Lying is not just indicated through body language. It is a combination of body language, tone, pacing, volume, and word choice. [18:21] - Everyone is unique in that baseline behavior so you need to know that first. [19:15] - Some people have a nervous baseline that doesn't necessarily mean they're lying but that they are just nervous people in general. [20:12] - Traci shares a story about an experience with her husband in the grocery store and how her knowledge of body language can benefit relationships. [22:03] - Security takes full enrollment from your senses at all times. [23:15] - Traci hosts a podcast called Fraud Busting and interviews criminals. [25:01] - Traci refers to presidential debates and how candidates practice their answers ahead of time, but that body language is telling. The answers to questions that are on the spot is where you can tell a lot. [26:30] - Watching a debate with the sound off and not knowing what the candidates are saying is a great way to start noticing body language. [28:03] - Even Chris can tell when a podcast guest is launching into a response that is rehearsed. He asks Traci if that could be an indicator that someone is being deceptive in certain situations. [29:37] - We have the least control over our feet. So watching peoples' feet can give you a lot of information. [30:54] - Traci describes the "pain" people and businesses pay with when they aren't paying attention. [31:52] - Know more than is immediately obvious and use it when the time is right. The idea is to make people comfortable around you enough to talk. [33:04] - Traci also can look at social media profiles and can tell a lot about a person before actually meeting them. [35:29] - Traci shares that she watched a video of Paris Hilton describing the abuse at a school she went to as a child and determined that she is telling the truth. [36:21] - Body language is not admissible in court, so using the body language to dig is important. [38:06] - Chris and Traci briefly discuss psychopathic and sociopathic behaviors. [40:07] - The reason Traci started her podcast is because looking back, everyone knows something is not right but didn't do anything about it. Listen to yourself. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Body Language Trainer - Traci Brown Web Page Fraud Busting Podcast Fraud Busting Body Language Expert Facebook Traci Brown on Twitter Traci Brown on LinkedIn How to Detect Lies, Fraud, and Identity Theft Field Guide by Traci Brown

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 baiting, investigating, and exposing scammers on his YouTube channel for over 5 years. His channel now has over 2.3 million subscribers and many of his videos showing how these scams work have been watched millions of times. Show Notes: [0:51] - Most people recognize tech support scams as a cold call where the scammer claims they are working for a company that needs you to get on your computer to gain access. [2:34] - Jim says the way to put these people off is to deny having the device they are asking for you to connect. [3:13] - These types of scammers might also claim they are your bank or credit card company. Either way, this scam is all about logging into your account and giving them access. [4:32] - Jim describes what would happen if a scammer gains access to your computer after you follow the steps they give you over the phone. [6:01] - Jim never intended to be a YouTuber. In fact, he has a "proper" job in IT and is an engineer at heart. But as someone who received these calls, he became curious and one day recorded what a scammer did. [7:23] - More often than not, the people running these scams are out of a different country and it is near impossible to do anything about it through law enforcement. [8:21] - Jim shares that India's equivalent to the FBI has recently conducted raids and some of these operations may actually be dealt with. [9:27] - Through running scams, Jim describes how one operation brought in over a million dollars per month and employed several hundred people. [10:19] - When hiring, these operations may hire people who don't know they're scammers. Some, though, actually advertise that they are scammers. [11:27] - With enough computer knowledge and the curiosity, Jim let scammers access his computer but was able to reverse it and gain access to their computer instead. [12:31] - Jim tells a story about how he accessed a scammer's CCTV recording and was able to see and hear how they are running their operation. [14:12] - These scammers take the business very seriously and professionally. Like legitimate organizations, they record calls and use them to train their employees. [16:39] - Sometimes scammers will retain the access to the computer, but most of the time, they will get their one-off payment and it will likely be the last time you hear from them or you won't hear from them for a while. [17:56] - If you are scammed once, your information will be sold to other scammers. Once you've been victimized, you are far more likely to fall victim again. [19:10] - The cold calls are the most common, but a more subtle scam is to Google for genuine support. Some sites are not genuine and many people do not check the legitimacy of the site. [21:27] - There are various software you can install on your computer that help identify a site that is not legitimate. [22:14] - If you think you are a victim of a scam, you need to start by contacting your bank or credit card company as quickly as possible. If it has been several months, it is very hard to get your money back. [23:40] - The most safe thing to do if you fall victim of a scam is to completely wipe your computer and start over. But Jim does state that most of the time, scammers are only in it for a one-off payment so you might not need to do that. [25:01] - Jim has also seen scammers take identities to open up bank accounts in order to launder money. [25:46] - There are scams that ask for gift cards, which is as good as cash in most cases. If you use a gift card or read out a gift card number, you will not get your money back. [26:40] - No legitimate online business is going to ask for gift cards and is a big red flag. The big one right now are Amazon gift cards. [27:52] - A lot of employees who sell gift cards are trained to ask the customer who is buying large denominations on a gift card to ask if they have been put up to it. But Jim gives examples about how scammers get around this. [29:55] - Scamming organizations have also recruited people in the US and the UK to be a part of these scams to make it more believable because of their lack of foreign accent. [31:42] - Scammers have been known to cunningly coach people into willingly transferring money to them. [32:40] - No legitimate company will ever have a problem with you asking questions. Be a skeptic. [33:44] - Another red flag for a scam is urgency to take action. Always stop and ask questions and call them on the number you know is accurate. [34:28] - Anyone can forge a number. You cannot trust the caller ID. But there is something possibly happening in the United States that will help identi

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 distill the essence of real world frontline case studies he accumulates, because he is consistently one of the first authorities brought in to provide post-attack analysis on major breeches. He's not just an expert in the field, he's created many of the founding methodologies empowered by governments and organizations around the world to test and secure their infrastructures. Ed is the founder of the SANS Penetration Testing Curriculum and Counter Hack; leads the team that builds NetWars, Holiday Hack, and CyberCity; and serves on the Board of Directors for the SANS Technology Institute. A consummate presenter, Ed is a keynote speaker appearing internationally at conferences, and is an Advisory Board member for RSA. Show Notes: [1:14] - Ed introduces himself as a penetration tester and hacker. He does expert witness work on large scale breeches and incident response. [1:37] - He started this path as hacking for phone companies. He explains how he started and why he was hired. [3:55] - Ed describes what penetration testing (or pen testing) is. It is when he models the techniques used by real world attackers and then apply them in structured fashion to help protect companies from future attacks. [4:53] - Pen tests can be used by an organization for a specific reason or can be done as a "check-up" to make sure everything is okay. [5:40] - Zero Day is researching vulnerabilities that aren't known yet. It is called Zero Day because it has been known for zero days. [6:18] - Ed never believed the cybersecurity industry would be as huge as it is today and explains some of the more recent issues we've been seeing through Covid. [7:52] - Security is now a part of the process and is becoming less of an afterthought. Ed shares this idea long-term, but sees the same vulnerabilities repeatedly. [8:49] - There is no such thing as 100% safe and secure. The goal is to raise the bar to make things more difficult for an attacker. [9:31] - With ransomware, attackers have figured out a really reliable way to get paid for their malware. [10:08] - Ransomware is a real problem and have even attacked hospitals and local governments. [12:37] - There is so much that we do that leaves us vulnerable. [13:29] - One major piece of advice that Ed gives in regards to general consumer security is to keep all of your devices patched and updated. [14:18] - Another area to be aware of is always spear phishing. Don't click unless you are confident in the link. [15:19] - Ed has a separate computer that is separate and independent that he only uses for financial transactions. [17:17] - Chris and Ed discuss routers that consumers buy from their ISP. [19:01] - Ed shares how "Live Off the Land" attacks work by using what is already installed on a computer. These are harder to detect. [20:18] - With ransomware, organizations have to think about what is best for the business. Is it better to give the attacker the money or spend the time and money to fix the problem? [22:27] - The dominant trend in technology today is cloud storage. [24:18] - Ed describes how this works and some of the various problems associated with it. [25:39] - The US Army, Tesla, and Uber are a few organizations that have lost data to this common vulnerability. [26:10] - Ed describes the Holiday Hack Challenge and the fun way he has modeled this problem to educate users. [28:03] - Although there are some security risks if not managed properly, Ed shares that cloud data storage is a very cost effective option for small to medium sized businesses. [29:24] - Most organizations use multiple cloud services. Cloud migration is good if a different service is necessary, but the previous cloud service is left alone and vulnerable. [31:01] - The Holiday Hack Challenge is a free educational event that Ed and his team have created to solve cybersecurity challenges. This is a worldwide event. [34:02] - The Holiday Hack Challenge is something that some people participate in with their kids due to the video game aspect. There is also a social aspect to it with the chat feature. [35:29] - Not only is the Holiday Hack Challenge free, but all of the past challenges are free and accessible to play. This can build your skills. [36:30] - Chris asks if Holiday Hack Challenge has ever been compromised. Ed admits that there are three people who have hacked their way in as players, but there were no purposeful attacks. [39:43] - Ed admits that he sees the world through the eyes of an ethical hacker because he likes to explore and see what's beyond the edges. [40:48] - Chris and Ed discuss Bug Bounty Programs and can be

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 by increasing the breadth and depth of ratings coverage of a large number of charities. He has held various board positions within the non-profit and tech sector, holds several patents in enterprise systems management, and has a degree from Columbia University in New York. Zachary is on Charity Navigator's analyst team and is responsible for data collection, research analysis, and the evaluation of the performance of America's largest charities. He also works towards improving the evaluation system and process. Show Notes: [1:16] - Michael has been with Charity Navigator for about 5 years, but previously worked for Microsoft. He was attracted to Charity Navigator to make a more positive impact. [2:04] - Zachary initially intended on being an educator on the college level, but during the course of study he felt that he wanted to do more. He wound up with Charity Navigator after hearing someone speak at his graduation. [2:53] - Charity Navigator was started in the early 2000's by someone who was wealthy and wanted to donate money. He noticed that there was no way to evaluate the organizations he would invest in, so he started it himself. [4:42] - Michael shares how large the non-profit and charity sector is in the United States. [6:10] - On one hand, there are several successfully run charities, but then there are some that fall apart. [6:42] - Michael started working in the non-profit sector when he opened a dance company with his wife. Unfortunately, it failed, but now he has found himself in a similar position running Charity Navigator. [8:03] - The hardest part about charity scams is that they're scams and until they get caught, we don't know they're scams. [9:32] - Zachary says that sometimes the donors might not actually know they were scammed and move forward without knowing. [10:43] - If you feel like you have been scammed, you need to report it, regardless of the feeling of embarrassment that many people feel. [11:04] - Look for transparency. Legitimate charities will have a website and will be able to direct you over the phone to a way to find out more about them. [13:10] - Be intentional with your giving. Donate to causes that you care about and find out if the charity in question is on Charity Navigator. [14:29] - During times of crisis, people change their giving philosophy. This year, the United States has seen different crises and people may be donating to charities they don't normally notice. [16:21] - Charity Navigator has a relationship with GoFundMe and Michael says it is a legitimate, strong, and successfully run crowd-funding site. But if you don't know the person and have a real relationship with that person, you need to be wary. [18:04] - What Zachary notices with GoFundMe is when individuals donate to others they don't know, there's no form of accountability. [20:09] - There are organizations that are a good filter to avoid fabricated stories on GoFundMe. Michael shares them as Give Directly and Donors Choose. [21:39] - When you donate to charities through Give Directly and Donors Choose instead of GoFundMe, you can use them as a tax write off. When you donate to an individual on GoFundMe, you cannot. [22:08] - One of the key things that Charity Navigator looks for is strong financial performance. Michael describes what this looks like and why it is important. [22:41] - Another important facet that Charity Navigator looks for to establish their ratings is the charity's level of transparency and governance. [23:33] - Overhead costs are not a bad thing. The salaries of the people that work with the charity organizations are important too. Charity Navigator looks at this as well. [25:02] - Michael dives into the way their rating system works and what a rating could mean. [28:19] - There really isn't a one-size-fits-all that works in this space. Michael compares a charity that supports an orchestra versus an organization for a homeless shelter. Charity Navigator does not cross compare. [29:36] - Charity Navigator is the largest independent evaluator of charities in the US and has been around for 20 years. [31:14] - Charity Navigator has a team of only 26 people to maintain a small business feel and keep their costs low as well. Each analyst is assigned a specific type of charity that they themselves care about. Zachary explains how this works. [33:25] - Another thing Charity Navigator sees frequently is when costs disappear. Zachary explains how this works and how it goes into an evaluation. [35:53] - Charity Navigator uses the form charities fill out to establish and maintain the organization. Thi

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 of the founders of the Psychological Security Movement. Psychological Security or "Psy-Sec," was born to create new technologies and processes to help build resilient human minds that can resist manipulations through technology. Show Notes: [1:10] - Adam introduces himself as a serial cybersecurity entrepreneur who has launched 21 companies over 20 years. He is passionate about this topic. [2:24] - The human part of cybersecurity is always the weakest link. [4:01] - Chris and Adam discuss how when you work in IT, you look at things through an IT lens, but there is a human side. [5:21] - Security is typically an afterthought that comes after an incident. [5:51] - Adam breaks down the meaning of security and what types you will see within a company or corporation as being physical security and info security. [6:42] - Adam says that both types of security are vulnerable to social engineering. [7:31] - Hook Security was created after Adam worked in frustration for 20 years. He is chairman of the board and hired a successful educator as CEO who is an expert in how people learn. [9:23] - Adam is a firm believer that "Psy-Sec" needs to be a separate department of professionals who can work to build resilience in human brains to resist manipulation. [11:15] - It is unreasonable to expect the IT department to be proficient in the human interface as it is not in their skillset. [12:42] - Adam states that systems are 95% safe from compromise which is a great improvement, but when you have a large company, 5% is still too much. [13:12] - Right now, Adam is working with the cognitive brain function and explains the details on how this works in regards to psychological security. [15:10] - There are two ways to lay down memories and "fight or flight." One is through fear and one is through humor. [16:27] - People are better at remembering something that made them laugh and Adam trains people with this in mind. [18:26] - Hook Security provides Security Awareness Training that people actually enjoy. [19:06] - Hook Security is being very careful with how they present their findings and taking their time with the science elements involved so that it is used for good and not as a tool for attackers. [21:54] - Social engineering is no different from simple marketing. Marketing is there to show you something that you may find valuable and hope that you click on it. Social engineering is the same, but "with a different punch line." [22:56] - There's a database. You're in it. You are a product. If you are getting something for free or are paying something low, you are the product. Adam uses a Netflix example to demonstrate this. [24:52] - With the way YouTube and Netflix work, you are trusting big corporations to have your best interests at heart. [25:52] - We are all wired to help others. These hard-wired responses allow marketers and attackers to take advantage. [27:16] - Chris and Adam discuss that the way marketing works is not a bad thing because they want to see the recommendations based on their interests. But they can be used negatively. [28:39] - Fake news and "echo chambers" that we find ourselves in are designed to polarize people to different extremes. [30:02] - Just like marketers who know who they are targeting to sell to, cybercriminals know what your triggers are to manipulate you into a compromising situation. [31:46] - There are different types of triggers that cause us to fall for scams. [32:08] - These triggers are wonderful when they happen organically and to help others but are terrifying when they are used against us. [33:53] - Learning how to pause and evaluating whether something is true or not is crucial. If you can't do that, Adam says to "reprogram your auto-pilot." [36:14] - Your perception of the phone is that it is something that you get a lot of value from but it is also a place where people will call you and text you with fraudulent stuff. Some people can pause and question it and some cannot. [38:12] - We all have blind spots and we don't know what they are, so always have a support system to get others' opinions on the matter before making certain choices. [39:50] - It is imperative that we treat this seriously. We are throwing a burden on our "nerds" by having them try to understand the nuances of the human brain. [41:39] - None of this science is new. We just need to apply it. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy

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, captured and convicted of 39 felonies, Brett promptly escaped prison. Captured again, Brett served his time, accepted responsibility, and found redemption through his loved ones and the help of the FBI. Today he is considered a leading authority on internet crime, identity theft, and cybersecurity. Brett speaks and consults around the world to help protect people and organizations from the type of person he used to be. Show Notes: [1:11] - Brett starts telling his story by summing up why he got the title, "The Original Internet Godfather." What really got him the title was him building the first organized cybercrime community called ShadowCrew. [2:24] - Brett ran both ShadowCrew and CounterfeitLibrary. The other primary cybercrime site that he did not run was CarderPlanet. [3:14] - ShadowCrew and CounterfeitLibrary were run like forums and marketplaces to connect and network with other criminals. [4:37] - Brett was arrested in 2005 and was offered a job to work with the Secret Service, but chose to continue pursuing criminal activity and eventually made his way onto the United States Most Wanted List. [5:40] - Secret Service used a Trigger Fish, now called a Stingray, which locates targeted cell phones in a specific area. This device was used to find Brett at Disney World and to arrest him. [7:37] - Brett shares the experience of his car and house being searched and how his choices got him caught. [9:54] - Brett's tendency to break the law started when he was 10 years old and his mom was also a criminal. He shares a lot of his childhood background in shoplifting. [12:13] - Although he started shoplifting as a child, Brett says that as an adult, he made the choice to continue criminal activity. [13:32] - Brett's first cybercrime was on eBay by posting a Beanie Baby for sale, requiring the buyer to send a money order that couldn't be canceled, and sent her an item that did not match the post. [16:07] - Brett kept going and his eBay crimes led to pirated software, which led to modchips, which led to programming satellite DSS cards. [17:40] - After bringing in several thousand dollars per week under his real name, Brett got scared he would get caught, so he shares his story about getting a fake ID to open a bank account. [18:17] - Brett's fear of being abandoned became a reality when his wife left him. [19:36] - Brett remarried a stripper who was an addict. Through all of his crimes, his second marriage caused his sister to disown him. [21:06] - It took several years of not speaking to his sister and justifying his actions for Brett to realize that he was in prison because he chose to break the law. [22:08] - For three after being released from prison on probation in 2011, he couldn't get a job because he wasn't allowed to use a computer. [23:13] - Brett met his current wife during this time and moved in with her. He was able to find a job doing yard work. [24:00] - Although he was doing better, during the winter months when there was no yard work to do, he got online to find stolen credit card information and started making orders. He went back to prison for 10 months. [25:24] - After his 10 months, he got married, and started to turn his life around. He contacted an FBI agent for job advice and now he feels he is living a blessed life. [26:40] - Now Brett does a lot of consulting and hosts a few podcasts. He also works with AARP and other types of organizations. [28:19] - A big misconception people have about cybercriminals is that they are very educated and can hack into anything. But 98% of cybercriminals out there are really good social engineers and know-how to manipulate someone using technology and psychology. [29:56] - The number 1 group for identity theft is children. [30:51] - Most people use the same password across multiple accounts. Brett says to always use a password manager. [32:38] - The reason a scam works is because the scammer and the victim are on opposite sides of the field. The scammer works to get the victim to his side by establishing trust through technology and social engineering. [34:36] - How good is the scammer at establishing trust with a victim using the technology they have? [37:09] - The scammer's job is to make sure the victim is not thinking objectively. [37:50] - People like to trust. Generally, people like to see the best in people. Brett says to trust, but verify. [39:08] - In his experience as a consultant, Brett has found that most victims suspect something might be a scam but alienate themselves from telling anyone out of embarrassment as society tends to blame the victim. [4

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 started her career in law enforcement as a special agent for the US Customs Office of Investigation in 1993. She has worked white-collar crime, fraud, money laundering, embezzlement, and conflict of interest cases. Kelly is also the proud owner of Pink Collar Crime, a passion of hers about embezzlers in the workplace. Show Notes: [1:02] - Kelly has always been interested in money. She started her career in finance but had a client arrested for fraud. She then became interested in investigating why people steal money. [1:57] - Kelly's goal is never to put someone in jail. Her goal is to find out why the person stole the money and to hopefully see the money returned to the victim. [2:32] - Why do people steal money? Generally speaking, Kelly says most people will steal because they think that money will help them fix their problems. [3:51] - Most people are good people, but life happens, and most people think money fixes it. [4:11] - Embezzlement is stealing money from business. Kelly defines Pink Collar Crime as petty amounts stolen by low to mid-level employees, primarily women, from the workplace. [5:40] - In the 80s, this was a shift in thinking. Up until then, most people hadn't thought about embezzlement as a common crime. [6:17] - Kelly explains that in embezzlement cases, there is a lot of victim shaming. Due to this, only 15% of embezzlement cases are reported to law enforcement. [8:01] - Most victims like the employee and that is how the employee is able to steal. Trust is not an internal control. [8:46] - 60%, or 3 out 5, of all dentists have been ripped off. [9:13] - Kelly calls embezzlement "the crime of main street." [10:01] - Financial audits are not always when losses are noticed. Tips and hotlines are actually more effective in finding out about these problems. [11:06] - 90% of bookkeepers in the United States are women. Women push back against the title "Pink Collar Crime," but should be pushing back that women are in lower-level positions as a whole. [12:30] - Kelly shares an example of a woman who stole millions of dollars over 20 years. When she was arrested, she was exhausted because she could never take a vacation as she was afraid of being caught. [13:48] - Another warning sign is a control freak, especially when it comes to changing computer programs. [14:53] - The number one way people embezzle from the workplace is forged or unauthorized checks. [16:28] - It is never good to be ripped off, but there are good things that come from it, including connections with other people and lessons learned on how to manage the business moving forward. [18:36] - The principle doesn't pay the principal, meaning the principle of being ripped off doesn't pay the loss. [19:16] - At the end of the day, you have to get back to work. The money is replaceable. The trust is difficult to get over. [21:00] - Intuitively, you trust a coworker more than you trust a stranger. So you won't always see this coming. [21:41] - Trust but verify. Kelly uses an example of trusting your dentist when you have a cavity. [23:47] - If you are a small business owner, Kelly recommends that you mail your bank statements mailed to your home or to a P.O. Box that only you can control. [24:27] - Always look at the images of the checks on your online bank statements. [25:49] - Mix up when you check things. Check different size checks, audit your own finances at different times of the year. Keep everyone guessing so they don't see a pattern that they can take advantage of. [28:10] - Kelly also suggests that you have a binder or system of some sort that outlines everything in the event that you need to show details in a case. [30:23] - Business owners don't generally look at all the checks going in and out of the business. Some business owners even have pre-signed blank checks to make tasks easier, but puts them at risk of fraud. [32:01] - Kelly would rather train business owners to help prevent these events than to sit across from someone she is investigating as a criminal. [32:48] - Kelly shares an example of one of the craziest cases she worked. [34:18] - If someone starts at a business and if they steal within the first 6 months of working there, they've done it before. They may not have a criminal history or have not been caught yet. [35:45] - If you walk into your house and you see a dead body, you call the police and you don't touch anything. Unfortunately, with embezzlement, when a business owner notices something wrong, they go in and try to figure things out themselves and oftentimes mess up the crime scene. [37:46] - Kelly is writing a

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 at the committee to protect journalists. He is now the Director of Strategy at Electronic Frontier Foundation. Show Notes: [0:59] - Danny began working with Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in 2005 but had been interested in them and digital rights overall since 1990 as a journalist. [2:18] - In the early days of EFF, the topics they were writing about seemed very theoretical to the everyday person. It became confusing, but a lot of these hypothetical situations were becoming reality in the early 2000s. [4:06] - The assistance Danny gave to journalists to keep them safer from online attacks began on a case by case basis. [6:23] - Danny explains that now they are seeing a rise in targeted attacks on journalists with government connections. [7:50] - The tools to conduct a spyware style monitoring of a particular person are now so ridiculously cheap. It can be anyone. In the early days, it always seemed like an attack was government based or done by professionals. [8:42] - Journalists in particular are highly targeted for attacks because they have likely upset someone they've reported about. [10:49] - When Gmail was hacked in 2009, it became apparent that the people that were targeted in that attack were Tibetan activists. [11:42] - There has been a shift into a professionalization of attacks. It is someone's job to clock on, hack and make someone's life unpleasant, and clock off. [13:10] - One of the key cases in the last several years in regards to digital privacy rights is the Apple San Bernardino case in which the FBI wanted a back door into the iPhone of a suspect in a shooting. [14:36] - There is a gray area where governments are saying that as long as they have the ability to do these things, they should. [17:16] - The globalization of technology has caused confusion and blurred lines on what is legal and illegal in each country. [20:25] - Danny gives an example of a loophole in United States law regarding getting geolocation data from phones. [23:13] - The process of getting information is very murky especially in the United States. [24:41] - We need transparency before we will ever see reform. [26:40] - Google would do something called The Creepy Test where they would demonstrate something they could do internally and determine whether it was something that could be used in a "creepy" way. [28:29] - Something may seem like a great idea but wind up causing more bad than good. Danny uses apps for tracking the pandemic as an example. [30:20] - As technologists, we are capable of acting very quickly and reaching for a toolkit that we can use. [31:19] - Sometimes we have to be careful that the solutions that are the simplest from a technological point of view aren't just shifting the complexity elsewhere. [34:02] - The consequences of simply uploading photos online in regards to privacy were very unexpected at the start of the internet and social media. [35:49] - In the 90s there was a strong fight against encryption. Now that encryption is what holds entire economies together. [36:08] - While encryption is useful, it is also being used by cybercriminals to hide illegal activity, particularly child pornography. [39:00] - We used to argue about digital rights but now all rights are digital. Now, all laws are about the internet. [41:53] - Danny and Chris discuss the passage of a bill about the digital rights of sex workers that had several unintended consequences. [43:12] - There is a big push right now to undermine encryption particularly for fighting against sex trafficking. [44:04] - There are a lot of problems that have been created that were unintentionally created by technology that needs to be solved. [45:06] - Large companies, like Apple, Google, and Amazon, have a lot of control of our personal devices. [46:46] - We will start to see a lot of technological compromises between large companies and the government. [48:44] - Pick the privacy tools and try out different tools to find what works for you. It exercises your right to remove trackers and ads from your web experience. [50:27] - In order to exercise your rights, you need to know them. [52:38] - People wind up being the consumers of technology and they don't become active citizens in this digital community. Education is important. [54:54] - Danny shares links to useful material to educate yourself on surveillance (listed in the Links and Resources). [57:21] - Sometimes, lawmakers don't know all about these technological problems, so write to your lawmakers when you have concerns. [59:30] - EFF is membership driven and a huge proportion of their fundi

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 more than a decade with work featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, CNET, Yahoo Finance, and more. Her writing covers topics like banking, investing, credit, debt, student loans, personal loans, budgeting, and overall financial literacy. But today, she is talking about charities. Which ones are legitimate and which ones are raising those red flags?

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 shares with us many of his personal and professional experiences in the area of cybercrime. His valuable tips and information can change how you look at potential threats and scams. He is an expert in how to make people easy prey and how to prevent people from being easy prey. Show Notes: [0:51] - Ira graduated college as a psychology major and the only job he could get at that time was in the National Security Agency. This led him into the computer field within the military. [1:31] - He always wound up working on the human side of things. [3:03] - Ira shares his background and how he became a world-renowned penetration expert, which is a fancy name for a hacker. [5:21] - The way you break something is not the way you fix it. This is an important concept when looking at psychology. [7:01] - Psychology helps Ira exploit others but it is also important to understand when helping them. [7:55] - Telling someone the problem and then telling them not to fall for a scam doesn't work. [8:50] - Ira and Chris discuss the recent Twitter hacks. Ira says that in this situation, anyone could have done what the hacker did because it was easy. You just have to have the questionable ethics and morals to do it. [9:41] - A lot of times, hackers and criminals are hired in various agencies including government and law enforcement because of their skills. Ira says this is very backwards and gives examples why this is "horrendous." [11:58] - How do we get people to not fall for various types of scams? Ira says it is a very multi-layered process and gives a few examples of what can be done. [13:02] - Ira uses a comparison with terrorism attacks and how we can use that knowledge to help us protect ourselves, plan for a problem, and how to respond. [15:59] - A lot of sites other than banks and credit card companies are putting in security measures to keep people safe. But a lot of people get annoyed by security protection's inconvenience. [17:15] - In general, most people use the same password across multiple accounts. If one user ID and password is compromised then the others are as well. [18:32] - Ira uses the real moral of the story of The Wizard of Oz: You have what you are looking for, you just don't know it or how to use it. This is applicable to security. You have what you are looking for, but you aren't using it. [21:38] - People have to stop being offended when people put security mechanisms in place. [23:10] - Something that bothers Ira is when real credit card companies are calling and ask for points of verification like social security numbers. This is exactly what scammers do and when real companies do this, it is hard to tell the difference. [25:43] - If somebody is injured, it is the fault of the system where the user exists. Somewhere they enabled the user to put themselves in a situation to allow them to be harmed. [27:42] - Sometimes bad grammar and poorly written scams is actually a filtering feature for scammers to filter out the people who are too smart to fall for it. Even a small percentage of people falling for a scam is still money in the criminal's pocket. [28:44] - We need better infrastructure to protect organizations and individuals because these events cause so much money to be lost. [29:46] - Anyone who tells you there can be perfect security is either a fool or a liar. [30:19] - Anytime you have the option to add two-factor authorization, take it! Yes, it is annoying, but the consequences of not utilizing it are far more annoying in the end. [32:11] - Ira shares a story about when there was suspicious activity on his bank account. He saw the pattern and told the bank that he would work with them and law enforcement because he does this for a living. They "made a note of it," and didn't really do anything to stop the problem. [35:14] - Ira references a movie called Focus that is about scams, social engineering, and con-artists. [37:21] - You have to admire the minds of these criminals and the lengths they'll go to manipulate and take advantage. [38:10] - You need to respect your potential adversaries. [39:00] - Chris and Ira discuss why the United States is different from other countries in regards to using the combination of cards and signatures versus cards and a PIN. [40:24] - How much risk can you assume as a culture? [42:13] - Chip and PIN is risk mitigation, but how much risk is it actually mitigating? [43:10] - You Can Stop Stupid, Ira's book, is about how stupid is an effect, not a cause. It outlines what you can do now and how you respond to a problem. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subs

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.gov changed how the government collected personally identifiable information. He has made hundreds of appearances on national news - radio, print, and web - and has spoken to audiences around the world. Show Notes: [1:21] - Morgan Wright shares his background, including his childhood in a military family and his original college major as music. He moved into law enforcement and then shifted in computer crime. [3:26] - Morgan moved into cybercrime because of his interest in both people and technology. [4:40] - On 9/11, Morgan was supposed to be in the Pentagon but was in the Reagan building instead. Because of the attacks on 9/11, he was thrown into cyberterrorism as well. [6:11] - Morgan also worked for Cisco and was the technical advisor for the show America's Most Wanted. [7:35] - Another facet of Morgan's career is even working on cold case homicide files. [8:36] - The next generation of leadership needs to be educated in technology. Every company is a software company whether you like it or not. [10:36] - Disinformation is information that is intentionally changed to achieve a particular objective. The person spreading the information knows it isn't true, but wants to incite public outrage against someone. [11:06] - Misinformation is when someone hears something and believes it to be correct and shares it, to then later find out that it wasn't accurate information. [11:40] - Twitter was monitored to see how quickly disinformation and misinformation spread and it spread faster than legitimate truthful news. [12:23] - Russia has been targeting people's biases by spreading disinformation since 1917 and they understand how to take advantage of how a system works. [14:56] - The real danger is when people or organizations understand how news spreads and take advantage of these algorithms to influence major decisions, events, and even human lives. [16:42] - Chris and Morgan discuss Pizzagate as an example of spreading disinformation and misinformation and how the use of social media spreads it extremely fast. [17:35] - Interference is a sovereignty issue. Morgan gives an example of how interference is even considered an act of war in some places. [17:59] - The United States has spent a great deal of money in the influence field. [18:58] - Influence is a massive social engineering operation. [21:03] - Disinformation runs so deep that sometimes even trained professionals miss it. [21:52] - You do not have to react to every single post you see. Take a moment to digest what you are seeing before you react to it as truth. [22:44] - Parents have to be vigilant about what their kids see and read on the internet. You need to curate what your kids view and what you yourself view as well. [24:08] - It is important for adults to be adults. Even with opposing views, you need to be able to be an adult and have a respectful conversation with others. [25:13] - It seems that we have lost the ability to get things done with others who have opposing views. [27:31] - It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has all the data. What happens is you twist facts to fit theories instead of twisting theories to fit the facts. [28:13] - Nobody wants to do their own research. They just want information spoon fed to them. [29:31] - The danger of conspiracy theories is that you are fed just enough kernels of truth to make it believable. [32:00] - Chris and Morgan discuss a few 9/11 conspiracy theories and why it is easier to believe them than to believe the truth. [33:47] - If you listen to the news, don't believe a thing you hear. Do your own independent research before you share something on social media. [35:00] - The oxygen this disinformation and influence operation needs to spread is you. It's you clicking that link and sharing it. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Morgan Wright Web Page Morgan Wright on LinkedIn Morgan Wright on Twitter

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 anxiety in dating situations. Starting in 2009, she has since become a YouTube sensation. She and her team have helped over 100,000 men to overcome a multitude of sticking points and limiting beliefs, and open their eyes to the skills, techniques, insights, and secrets needed to be successful in dating. She joins us today to talk about red flags on dating apps and how you can protect yourself from potential scammers. Show Notes: [0:31] - Kezia is a Dating and Attraction Expert for men. She's been in this field for a decade and runs worldwide workshops. [1:10] - Kezia helps guys with their anxiety and builds confidence in being themselves when dating. [2:30] - Chris and Kezia discuss the impact Coronavirus has had on dating. Kezia is in the UK and there are fewer restrictions there now so people are back on the dating scene. [4:05] - Kezia shares the differences in men and women as targets on dating apps. It is easier to target men on dating apps than women. [4:30] - If a man suddenly receives many messages from a woman who is outrageously beautiful, it could be a red flag. [5:10] - Kezia doesn't use online dating because of the ease people have in lying online. [6:11] - Pay attention to the messages. Are they offering you everything you want to hear? Are they avoiding an in-person meeting? [7:00] - Love bombing is an attempt to influence a person by excessive attention and affection. This happens a lot with online dating. [8:01] - When creating your profiles, you should be cautious when posting that you are looking for a serious relationship because it makes you appear vulnerable and more of a target for scammers. [9:42] - Kezia creates a scenario of what she would do if she were a scammer and how some scammers can be very clever. [11:28] - Chris shares a story about a previous guest who is a man in his 60's who has seen his photo being used as a dating app scam. [12:50] - If you have any inkling that someone you are messaging on a dating app is a scammer, Kezia recommends to drop a hint that you don't have money and see what their reaction is. [15:22] - Another trick is to reverse look-up a photo from a dating app. Download the person's photo and search for it. If it shows up a lot as a stock photograph or shows up with a lot of different names, it is a red flag. [16:09] - There have been situations of celebrities using dating apps and people don't believe that they are actually who they say they are. [17:27] - You should always be careful because people exaggerate online easily. This is also apparent on Instagram photos. [19:06] - Even if you sit there and think that you won't be scammed, if you are in a desperate situation, you'll convince yourself to believe something. [20:18] - The biggest red flag is when someone will never meet up in person with you. [22:17] - One simple rule to live by is to never lend money to anyone you have never met. [25:09] - Kezia is the type of person who is very vigilant and looks for signs of danger everywhere. This is mostly due to Kezia's job to notice behaviors. [26:17] - In Kezia's experience, there are awful and dangerous people on dating apps, but they are in the minority. Kezia says that most people on dating apps are perfectly lovely people who are there for the right reasons. [27:56] - Kezia personally does not use dating apps because she feels it is a time waster. She shares how friends of hers are exhausted from dating and that's not how it should be. [30:01] - Chris and Kezia discuss how curated social media is, specifically Instagram. Kezia doesn't want to waste the time posing and setting up photos that aren't authentic. [31:38] - Social media ten years ago was a fun platform to share photos, but now social media has changed into a curated and exaggerated pretense. [33:10] - Kezia believes social media is toxic because people are constantly fighting to appear perfect. [34:12] - Social media is highly linked to dating. It sets up these unrealistic expectations. [35:03] - Kezia believes that people are even staying in unhappy marriages for social media purposes. Their online life is too important to them. [38:04] - The biggest red flag is if the potential scammer avoids meeting you in person. People question this by thinking, "What if they really are too busy?" Kezia argues that if that is the reality, then your relationship with this person is also too busy to have a real relationship with you. [39:54] - Kezia's business helps clients learn conversation skills and learn how to look for the right person. Commonalities breed friendships but connections breed attraction. Thanks f

Have you ever received calls either at work or at home where the caller wants you to verify some information about yourself or someone else in the company? This could just be someone updating their records or it could be the start of social engineering. Our guest today is Jack Rhysider. Jack is the host of the podcast DarkNet Diaries: True Stories From the Dark Side of the Internet. His podcast is about hackers, breaches, shadow government activity, hacktivism, cybercrime, and all things that dwell on the hidden part of the net. [0:45] - Jack originally went to college to study computer engineering and wound up getting a job managing firewalls for many different clients. In that time, he went to conferences and listened to podcasts to learn about the different types of hacking. [1:40] - DarkNet Diaries is a podcast of telling the stories behind hackers and different situations. [2:15] - Jack explains how social engineering started decades ago where a man traveled around selling things he didn't own. [3:31] - Today's social engineering is more about conning people within a company in order to gain access to data. [4:44] - Jack breaks down the levels of people within a company and why everyone is a target for specific reasons. [5:00] - Phishing is all about sending a link to someone to click that is harmful. When a phishing email is sent to a CEO, it is called Whaling. [7:27] - Even the nightly cleaning crew could be a target for social engineering. [7:58] - Individuals could also be hacked, especially if they use bitcoin or other form of value. [9:29] - There is a difference between phishing and spear phishing. Phishing is a lot of the time random, but spear phishing is when the hacker takes the time to get to know their target. [11:29] - People are the weakest link but are unintentionally the weakest link. But on the other hand, people who are aware and trained are often the strongest link in protecting companies from social engineering attempts. [12:28] - Oftentimes social engineering attempts are time sensitive, so if you get an unusual call or email that is pushing you to act on something very quickly, that is a red flag. [14:10] - If you get a call that you are unsure of, hang up and call the people they claim to be directly to verify their identity. [16:02] - Jack recommends you also make sure you keep everything updated, like apps on your phone, your operating systems on your phone and computer, etc. [16:37] - Jack also recommends using a password manager on your computer which gives you a long crazy password and remembers it. These passwords are very difficult to crack. [17:44] - The harder you make it to hack your information, the more resources it would take for a hacker to gain access. They will give up and move on. [18:05] - One of the biggest issues with social media is the amount of information people are giving out for free that make them vulnerable. [20:18] - Jack shares a story about how Sarah Palin was hacked simply because the answers to some of her security questions were public knowledge online. [21:10] - Two factors authorization is a must and Jack also recommends you take steps to secure your email addresses. [23:42] - In Gmail, there is a way to see what IP addresses have accessed your email. [25:50] - Jack shares a story about how he was targeted as a teenager buying a camera on eBay. [27:04] - Past experiences are great lessons to learn about how to use the internet safely. [29:00] - Anything that is outside of the norm, like paying a bill with a different credit card, purchasing gift cards to pay for something, or wiring money through Western Union are all big red flags. [29:45] - There is a huge criminal market in India that is targeting individual people, specifically elderly people. [31:49] - This type of awareness is the first level of security for yourself. [33:29] - Chris and Jack discuss the most recent issue of hackers using stimulus check reasons to gain information. [34:12] - Another recent scam is a man spamming ex-drug addicts pretending to sell pharmaceuticals to tempt them into sending money to him. [37:32] - Jack's podcast DarkNet Diaries covers stories from victims, law enforcement involved in cases, and even from the criminals themselves. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest DarkNet Diaries Web Page DarkNet Diaries on Twitter Jack Rhysider on Twitter

If your reputation or the reputation of your business gets trashed online, it can have a lasting impact. But there are things that you can do today to limit the impact of negative online statements about you and some of them are easier than you might expect. Our guest today is Chris Silver Smith. Chris is the CEO of Argent Media, a marketing agency focused heavily on reputation management where Chris helps people clean up their reputations in search engines. Chris has also served as an expert witness in defamation lawsuits in state and federal court. In his long time column at Search Engine Land, he has advocated for reputation victims. Show Notes: [1:00] - Chris started his career in internet marketing and designing. He also worked for Verizon for many years and eventually made his way into researching and developing SEO (search engine optimization). [2:28] - After working for Verizon, he moved on to working for SEO companies and became intrigued by reputation management which was predicted to be fast-growing. [3:37] - Reputation management is compelling to Chris because of the personal stories that get involved with it. [4:20] - Reputation management could mean helping companies whose CEOs may have made a social media mistake or even smaller companies who have negative reviews. [5:48] - Chris shares a story about a CEO who was accused of many things by an escort and truly had not done the things he was accused of. [6:50] - Sometimes the bad reputation is because of actual unwise decisions that people have made. [7:35] - Chris says that his most memorable personal case was a porn revenge situation who was a trafficking victim. Chris wound up working as an expert witness for free. [9:30] - The woman did eventually get away from her harasser and he followed through with his threats of ruining her reputation. But she won the lawsuit and felt that her negative reputation was completely created by her harasser. [10:40] - There are more common reputation management cases that Chris has seen several times, such as college or high school students getting in trouble with the police. [11:21] - When I say reputation management, usually that means something bad appears when you google someone's name. [12:33] - Chris has dealt many times with fake mugshot sites that post mugshots and charge a fee for people to take them down. [13:45] - After Google de-optimized these mugshot sites, it is easier to take these posts down with Chris's help. [15:39] - There's so much out there and it is so easy to defame people on the internet. [17:11] - Chris references the story of the sex trafficking victim to answer how some of these reputation management victims don't care about the money. They really want their reputation cleared and prove that the accusations are false. [20:10] - People who have had their reputation damaged or attacked often have a really severe emotional response to it and are referred to counseling. [21:20] - People are surprised at how easy it is for their reputation to suddenly become tarnished. [22:24] - It is important to know the difference between your public persona and a private one and curate what you put up publicly. Maintaining this can come in handy when your reputation is attacked. [23:34] - Chris shares a story about a competitor who purchased the domain name for his new business and how he was able to amicably solve the problem. [26:04] - A strong online presence is a good idea. You should have a personal website and periodically Google your name. [26:50] - Chris recommends using Tumblr, Flickr, and YouTube under your name that could help create an online presence that would show up in the search results. [28:31] - Even informal stuff is great for basic SEO. Use your name as often as you can. [29:00] - It may feel like you're overhyping yourself, but that's optimization. Search engines work off text. [30:02] - Facebook is great because you can have a personal page for friends and family but can simultaneously have a business page. [31:47] - Chris shares many examples of common mistakes people make when video and audio is being recorded. [32:50] - Remember that every single thing you do publicly now is likely to be recorded and can be uploaded either on purpose or accidentally. [33:10] - Chris shares a story of employees who were connected to a man who ran a cult. They disclosed it and moved on. [35:02] - Chris's wife's name is Karen and now there are many memes and negativity surrounding the name. [36:51] - There are quite a few businesses out there that accidentally get sucked into the news because of their names when they really have no connection. Chris calls this name collision. [38:39] - There is a cost with fixing a damaged reputation and sometimes it is less costly to change names and move on. [39:47] - Chris has worked cases with restaurant chains that has actually resulted in some policy change within the companies. [42:32] - It is better to get ahead of the curve if you can. [43:40] - It i

Conspiracy theories are all crazy, right? Well, maybe not. There's some history as to why so many people believe in them. What we really need is a conspiracy theory detection kit and that's what we have in today's episode. Our guest today is Dr. Michael Shermer. Dr. Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine, the host of the Science Salon Podcast, and a presidential fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. For 18 years he was a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Why People Believe Weird Things and his latest book is Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist. Show Notes: [1:40] - Dr. Shermer's magazine is called Skeptic Magazine which is devoted to teaching critical thinking skepticism and scientific reasoning. [2:03] - None of us are omniscient. We can't know anything with certainty. Most of the decisions we make in life are made with uncertainty. So how best should we best make decisions? [2:39] - For centuries, we have developed methods, tools, and technology to help us with this problem of uncertainty. [4:47] - Finding the cause of something has many variables and once you start getting into economics and politics, things get messy. [5:50] - It is important to separate the correlation between seemingly cause and effect relationships. Dr. Shermer uses the fraudulent connection between vaccines and autism to demonstrate. [7:48] - The curse of knowledge is the Hindsight Bias. After the fact, it is clear what should have been done, but at the time it wasn't clear. Dr. Shermer shares several great historical events as examples of this. [9:27] - There's let something happen on purpose and make something happen on purpose and it is unfair to place blame on others using the Hindsight Bias. [11:40] - There is a difference between conspiracy and conspiracy theory. A conspiracy is something that actually happened and a conspiracy theory is the idea that there is something that is happening. [12:08] - The main reason people believe conspiracy theories are true is because many shocking conspiracies have actually happened. They are not so far out of the realm of possibility. [12:55] - It is not completely crazy to think that something will happen because historically something similar has happened. Dr. Shermer uses examples from the Kennedy administration. [14:49] - Another reason people are quick to believe conspiracy theories is because of the messiness of the world. Our brains are wired to try to simplify things. [15:39] - Money is a proxy for power and a lot of people believe that these people who have power are actually more powerful than they are. For example, Bill Gates is the center of some conspiracy theories, but in reality, what power does he actually have? [16:10] - This is not unreasonable for people to believe because there have been powerful people with money who have rigged the system. [16:58] - It is easier to believe that horrific things that happen in the world are controlled by a small group of people. This is an example of the human brain trying to simplify things. [17:17] - The fact is, nobody is running the world. And in a way, that is scary. [18:27] - The more people that have to be involved, the less likely the conspiracy is true. People don't typically keep secrets and have big mouths. [19:56] - Dr. Shermer uses a 9/11 conspiracy theory as an example of how crazy the theory sounds due to its complexity. [21:05] - Some conspiracy theories are harmless, but many can be harmful. [22:40] - An example of a dangerous conspiracy theory is the one surrounding Hitler's rise to power. Hitler's initial platform was spreading the conspiracy theory that the only reason they lost the first world war was because they were stabbed in the back by the Jewish community. [23:25] - People are very confused about the term freedom. You have to give up certain freedoms for security. [24:54] - The United States and Italy are examples of countries with a loose culture. This means that they are not rigidly following guidelines and the spread of COVID-19 is rapid in nations like this. [27:12] - Chris and Dr. Shermer discuss the title of Dr. Shermer's new book Giving the Devil His Due which was inspired by the play A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt. [29:12] - The book is a series of essays on the theme of free speech. [29:27] - The only way to make sure you haven't gone off the rails and believe things that aren't true is to interact with people who think differently from you. This gets you out of a bubble and gives you a better ability to make your own decisions and form your own opinions. [29:58] - Dr. Shermer is concerned about the lack of diversity in ideas and opinions within politics. [31:00] - The new book has had mostly positive reviews. [32:12] - Even scientists need critical review. This helps us determine if we should be skeptical. [33:27] - It is important to know and understand the arguments behind

Long gone are the days of companies giving away coolers on college campuses when students would sign up for high-interest credit cards. Unfortunately, there are still sneaky promotions, fine print, and ways these companies take advantage of unsuspecting customers. Our guest today is Sara Rathner. Sara is a NerdWallet travel and credit cards expert. She appeared on the Today Show, Nasdaq, and CNBC's Nightly Business Report and has been quoted in Yahoo Finance, Time, Business Insider, and MarketWatch. She's held a total of 23 credit cards using travel reward points to see the world on a budget. A proud Northwestern University alum, she also has a certificate in financial planning from Boston University. She's here today to talk about personal finance scams and how to manage your credit cards. Show Notes: [1:40] - Sara's passion is personal finance and people reach out to her to ask questions. She really wants finances to be empowering and not scary. [3:04] - Chris remembers the days when he was in college seeing booths of credit card companies setting college students up with credit cards. Sara explains the Card Act that changed the law to protect young adults. [4:31] - There are times when your credit limit can really help you in a bind. [5:10] - Sara recommends everyone read the fine print of every credit card you apply for, even though it is not enjoyable to do so. You can find all this information before you even fill out an application. [6:06] - You want to find a card that provides greater value than its annual cost. You want to find a card that has rewards that you will actually redeem and use. [6:32] - The credit card industry is seeing a lot of change due to the pandemic. [7:29] - Sara explains how revolving credit accounts work and where credit card balances can get dicey. [9:14] - If you pay your credit card bills every month rather than the minimum payment, you won't deal with interest. [10:00] - Chris shares an experience of reading the fine print on a store credit card application that claimed to be interest-free for the first 12 months. Sara confirms how that works and cautions people to know that fine print. [12:30] - Interest rates are negotiable to an extent. [13:11] - Missing a payment is huge. Many cards have late fees and a late payment could hit your credit score by 100 points or more overnight. [14:05] - The thing that you need or want now is great, but if it causes you long term financial struggle, oftentimes it wasn't worth it in the first place. [15:23] - Sara recommends for those really large purchases to save up money rather than taking on the stress of debt if you can. [16:30] - There are a lot of recent scams, specifically small business loans and unemployment insurance, that are popping up after the pandemic caused people to lose their job and reliable income. [19:05] - Sara recommends going directly to the government agencies that offer financial assistance during this time and never to go to an outside source no matter how legitimate they appear. [20:58] - Sara shares an experience with a credit card company contacting her about a problem with her account and asked her for her credit card number to verify. She refused and called the number on the back of her card to make sure. [23:13] - Any time you are trying to buy and sell items on platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, be very careful because there are scams there, too. [26:07] - It is much more important to be careful and seem paranoid than take a risk. You're dealing with strangers so their opinion doesn't matter. [28:06] - Chris and Sara discuss sketchy ways scammers try to snag you. But there are legitimate credit repair resources online and many of them are free. NerdWallet is an excellent resource. [29:49] - It takes a few months for positive behaviors to show up on your credit reports, so if you stick with it you will be rewarded. [30:27] - NerdWallet is your financial best friend that has tons of great articles and calculators. Check out the app and website. [31:01] - Sara shares her most valuable piece of advice for those who think they have been a victim of a scam, including a website to report potential scams. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Sara Rathner on NerdWallet Sara Rathner on Twitter NerdWallet on Twitter NerdWallet Web Page NerdWallet on Facebook NerdWallet on Instagram Report a Potential Scam

To what extremes are you willing to go for complete privacy and security? No one takes privacy as seriously as today's guest, John McAfee. John McAfee is known for founding McAfee Antivirus, being a crypto currency evangelist and a privacy activist. In this episode, John shares the lengths he goes to protect his own privacy with significant unexpected costs. John lives and plays by his own rules and this interview is no exception. If you are sensitive to profanity, I suggest that you head over to EasyPrey.com/26 for a clean transcript. Listen on to find out how John maintains his extremely private lifestyle. Show Notes: [1:12] - John McAfee begins explaining the precautions he takes to keep his privacy safe by stating that he and his wife do not own cell phones. [1:39] - Even with a brand new mobile phone, when you call just three people, a government could find you and John explains how cell phones are susceptible to spyware. [2:05] - John also explains that he lives in a faraday cage, which blocks signals from coming in and out of the room. It is also sound proof. [2:52] - John also has a very serious VPN that goes through 9 different countries to ensure his privacy. [4:41] - While on trips and vacations, John and his wife take many pictures but don't post them immediately. This keeps people guessing where they actually are at any given time. [5:42] - John also adds bogus information to photos that are posted, like varying dates. [7:19] - Chris asks John how he feels about Tor and John explains that it was infiltrated by the CIA so it isn't possible to have any privacy or anonymity. [9:13] - If it is advertised at all, it is something that is owned by somebody and there is no privacy there. [10:09] - John explains that the only secure email out there is Google and it is also not very secure either. [10:37] - Google never trusts anybody. As long as they get their money, they're happy and they'll give you what privacy they can, given the constraints of reality. [10:58] - If you want any privacy at all, there's no way to do that other than Gmail. [11:40] - John explains that he does not have a bank account or credit cards. He strictly uses cryptocurrency only, including large purchases like homes and cars. [12:50] - He is also particular on what cryptocurrency he uses and does not suggest using large or older companies like Bitcoin. [14:07] - Bitcoin specifically is easily tracked and can be followed. [15:00] - The newer cryptocurrency companies are much better about keeping your information safe and private. [17:54] - John explains how when moving from country to country, he has multiple legal passports. [19:56] - Because he is frequently recognized when he's with his wife, they split up when traveling and meet up later. He wears hats, hoodies, various glasses, and due to Covid-19, masks. [21:40] - John also makes sure to lie to his friends and family as well so that his location at any given time is not revealed. [24:01] - John explains how the costs of good privacy are very steep. [25:06] - How important is this level of privacy to the average person? John doesn't advise this lifestyle for anybody. But for John and his wife Janice, it is critical. [25:50] - Striking a balance is tough, specifically if you own a smartphone. [27:45] - All this possible tracking done by smart phones is granted access by the actual user. You sign up to be spied on. [29:21] - John feels that he has to live the way he does in order to not be silenced by government agencies who don't want him spreading what he knows to be the truth. [31:50] - John founded his computer security company by understanding the reality of the world. [34:04] - When asked about Julian Assange, John says, "A hero is someone capable of accomplishing." John says Assange and Snowden are both very smart but were not prepared. [35:41] - John has been arrested 21 times in 11 different countries but because of how he chooses to live in private seclusion, he is free to speak out. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest John McAfee on Twitter

Twenty years ago, cybersecurity was something that only nerds talked about. Now cybersecurity has gone mainstream. Listen in as we talk about common scams, the recent Twitter hack, and organized crime with Graham Cluley from The Smashing Security Podcast. Graham Cluley has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990's. He was in senior roles with Sophos and McAfee. In 2011, he was inducted into the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame. Graham runs his own award-winning computer security blog and hosts the Smashing Security Podcast which has been a successful cybersecurity podcast since 2016. Join us as we discuss cybersecurity threats both past and present and learn more about how to protect yourself, your business, and your loved ones. Show Notes: [1:00] - Graham shares how he started in the cybersecurity business as a poor college student who created Shareware games. Someone sent him a package with a job offer with an anti-virus company. [2:46] - When Graham began working, there were about 200 new computer viruses per month and had to send out anti-virus updates through the mail on a floppy disk. [3:27] - Today there are literally hundreds of thousands of new pieces of malware being written everyday. In the blink of an eye there's more than one new piece of malware released. [4:01] - We see much more organized crime and state sponsored cybercrime these days. [5:59] - Back in the day, hackers tended to be young people writing malware to show off. But now, malware is harder to detect because they don't want to be detected. [7:45] - Graham shares a story about The New York Times being targeted and hacked. Hackers were able to see articles and information as they were being drafted, including information on secret informants. [9:05] - Don't be too complacent and assume that you won't ever be targeted due to lack of interest in your company. Hackers may not be interested in your company, but may be interested in your suppliers or customers. [10:35] - Business email compromise scams are when hackers get into a business email account and can see correspondence. They then can jump into the thread and can pose as an employee or contractor to receive funds. Businesses have lost millions to this scam. [11:50] - You can have all the defenses in place, all the layers of security, and all the patches in place, but you can't patch the human brain. [13:40] - Email compromise scams are very simple but successful and a huge threat. [14:51] - Have a procedure set up where it is okay to say no to senior management so when a scam email comes through suggesting a break to a rule, an employee can say no and avoid a problem. [16:31] - Graham and Chris discuss the recent bitcoin Twitter hack, which included big name accounts like Barack Obama and Bill Gates. [18:39] - The Twitter hackers social engineered people by emailing them posing as a Twitter IT department member. They convinced them to type their information into a fake site that appeared to be Twitter and while doing so, the hackers gained access to their real accounts. [20:19] - Similar to the recent Twitter hacks, scammers have been known to pose as your bank and gain access to your accounts. [22:28] - The saddest part about cybercrime is the effect it has had on average people becoming petrified of learning new technology. [23:44] - Graham recommends products like iPads or Chromebooks for basic computer use because they are more locked down. Although there are still risks, these are great options. [25:21] - Because of new Covid-19 websites, anti-virus companies were being notified of suspicious behavior because the websites were so new. [27:32] - Short Twitter names are more likely to be targeted than the more difficult long ones. [28:48] - Graham explains the problem of organized cybercrime that produces targeted attacks through malware designed to steal data from their targeted company. [30:32] - Garmin was targeted by an organized cybercrime entity called Evil Corp and they were ransomed for ten million dollars. [32:05] - Evil Corp is led by Maksim V. Yakubets in Russia. [35:40] - VPN companies can be created and run by organized cybercrime entities. [36:31] - There are situations where using a VPN is fine, such as using one to access streaming content. [38:40] - If you're in your home and you trust your internet service provider, you won't need to use a VPN. [39:33] - Graham says to stay abreast of security news and listen to Smashing Security. It is a lighthearted take on cybersecurity. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Graham Cluley Web Page Smashing Security Podcast Graham Cluley on Twitter Graham Cluley on YouTube Graham Cluley - Naked Security by Sophos Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've rapidly changed the way we work, how we play, and how we're educated. This sudden shift leaves us and our families exposed to privacy and security risks we previously hadn't thought about or planned for. Listen up for any blindspots you might have. Our guest today is Rebecca Herold. Rebecca, also known as The Privacy Professor, has over 25 years of experience in system engineering, information security privacy, and compliance. She has authored 19 books with the 20th on its way. She has been a member of the NIST CyberSecurity IOT Development Team, and was an adjunct professor for Norwich University's Masters of Science in Information and Security and Assurance Program for 9 years. Today she will share with us her experiences with privacy and security and will also share things for you to keep in mind when using various apps and services. Show Notes: [1:06] - Rebecca started out as a systems engineer in 1988 and around 1990 got into system security and established security systems for banks. [3:50] - Rebecca created her own consulting company and began teaching as an adjunct professor at Norwich University. Her adjunct professor position helped her learn even more about the practicality and various needs in security. [6:40] - When you have a career in which you use technology that is constantly changing, it keeps things interesting. Rebecca has had to constantly adapt and learn. [7:20] - Risks don't go away. You just accumulate new ones that you have to keep addressing. That's something that many security and privacy practitioners forget. They keep up to date on new risks but sometimes forget the existing ones. [9:32] - Privacy tends to be an afterthought and we need to shift our thinking to start setting up security and privacy controls from the beginning. [12:30] - Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebecca has gotten a lot of questions from business owners regarding their employees and how to gain information on them to remain safe and help manage their self-insured expenses. [13:40] - Some business owners are trying to bypass doctors and healthcare professionals because they are self-insured. They also want to know where their employees have been to avoid them coming in with COVID-19. These are huge privacy issues. [16:24] - "COVID tracker apps" may be used by business owners to try to avoid their insurance rates going up. These examples show the problem with tracker apps not being used transparently. [17:01] - There are hundreds of these COVID tracking apps and some were built with privacy and security integrated but many were not. [18:24] - Always think about apps and what data they might be collecting. [19:23] - Rebecca gives examples of apps asking for information that is unnecessary for tracking COVID-19, such as your exact date of birth. [21:42] - There are situations where apps are being portrayed and communicated to users that privacy and security are built in, however a lot of privacy features have been overlooked. [22:22] - We need to get this pandemic under control and have insights, but we don't want to create other problems. There has to be a balance. What can we do to track this but keep people's privacy safe? [23:35] - Always ask yourself why is this information necessary when signing up for various apps and websites. [26:62] - If people are asking you for information and it's not necessary for the purpose in which you are using a service or product, you don't have to give it to them. [29:20] - Social media has a long way to go. They've been around a while, but they have to be the "latest and the greatest" to stay in business. [30:33] - With so many people working from home right now, people don't realize that their home environment is much different than the private and secure environment in the workplace. [31:40] - Zoom became the go-to site for online education and business meetings, but meetings are not always secure. [34:00] - Because you're participating in a meeting from home, other people involved can see the inside or outside of your home and may use that information maliciously. [35:40] - Rebecca shares examples of smart toys and apps being used maliciously. [37:50] - In your workplace, there are security measures in place and IT professionals available to make sure things are working smoothly. But that isn't the case at home. [39:01] - Part of Rebecca's job is to find open access points to demonstrate to clients how this information can be used. [41:10] - Rebecca shares the possibility of people accessing baby monitors and home security cameras through open access points. [42:39] - With remote learning going on, teachers and students need to have some basic training on privacy and security measures such as multi-factor authorization and understanding devices like Amazon Echo. [45:06] - Rebecca shares examples of smart toys and devices that are listening and recording data, even though they are advertised to only respond to key words. These ty

I'm contacted by people on a regular basis who believe that their devices have been compromised and that they're being stalked and spied on. Sometimes they've misinterpreted what they're looking at but sometimes they are actually being digitally stalked. Find out what to do about it in this episode. Today's guest is John Bambenek. John is the Vice President of Security Research and Intelligence at ThreatSTOP and the President of Bambenek Consulting where he provides security consulting, penetration testing, forensics, and auditing. He has spoken at numerous security conferences including Black Hat. He has spent 20 years doing investigation work on cybercrime threats. John is going to go over what Stalkerware is, in what scenarios it is most common, and things we can do to mitigate the harm it can do. Show Notes: [1:00] - John Bambenek is the Vice President of Security Research and Intelligence at ThreatSTOP and owns his own company, Bambenek Consulting. He has been working in cybersecurity since college. [3:01] - John explains that Stalkerware is a malicious mobile app that is put on your phone to track your movements, monitor who you are talking to, see your texts, and other various activities through your phone. [3:26] - Stalkerware is most commonly found in cases of former relationships, but John shares his experience with Stalkerware found on the mobile device of an assassinated politician in South America. [4:39] - Odds are, if there is Stalkerware on your phone or mobile device, that that is not all that is going on. There are usually many signs of abusive or controlling behavior. [5:45] - There are also ways that people can be stalked without installing Stalkerware, such as monitoring Instagram and Facebook activity. [6:29] - Multiple IP addresses and their locations are often misinterpreted. [9:14] - Stalkerware is most commonly installed onto someone's phone by someone who has physical access to it, although remote installation is possible. [9:58] - There are also built-in features that can be misused, such as Find My Friends on an iPhone. [11:18] - Stalkerware is different from malware that is accidentally downloaded where hackers may have access to a device belonging to someone they don't know. Stalkerware is intentional and usually involves some prior relationship. [14:08] - Whenever you can, have a password on your phone that you don't give to someone, multi-factor authentication on accounts and other important logins. [14:50] - Multi-factor authentication is a very useful early warning system. John shares an experience he had in another country and how multi-factor authentication helped catch something unusual early on. [16:07] - John is a unique case because he wants a device compromised to aid him in his career in security research and shares some stories about his experiences. [18:12] - Chris and John discuss devices to bring or not to bring to conferences like Black Hat. [21:52] - A factory reset and changing all passwords is largely sufficient in eliminating Stalkerware installed on a phone. [24:28] - Once you start getting real-world indication that you are being stalked, establishing a police report is an important next step. [25:28] - With effort and with a court order, it may be possible to determine who has installed the Stalkerware on your device if you don't know who it is. [26:31] - One thing to keep in mind is when you wipe the phone, you also wipe the evidence. [27:13] - Taking down the people who create these Stalkerware malware is more valuable to police and investigators than individual cases of Stalkerware. [28:23] - The Coalition Against Stalkerware is a community of activists providing resources to victims and who are trying to figure out what can be done about Stalkerware on a larger scale. [29:30] - Language needs to be precise because there are software creators whose intentions are not malicious. [31:40] - There are laws that need to be changed and police detectives need to be educated so they can become experts in examining mobile phones. [33:00] - John explains that if you give someone access to your phone years ago and then they install Stalkerware on your phone maliciously later, they will not go to jail for it because you gave them permission at some point. [34:43] - There are industry coalitions and other groups dedicated to helping victims of stalking, but stalking has been a prevalent behavior in long term documented history. [35:27] - There are people who want these tools to monitor and control someone's movements and there are people who want to make money by providing this malware to them. [36:01] - There are lots of ways someone can be stalked without the use of Stalkerware. Because of the nature of social media sites like Facebook, we are leaking information all the time that can be watched and used. [37:41] - People don't understand the difference between anonymous and private. John gives examples of how this can be a problem. [39:10] - To get the benefit