We all have limited resources when it comes to time, money, and energy so in a world where people can create fake personas online, how can you be a part of a community that weeds out imposters? 

Today’s guest is Ken Rutkowski. Ken is a business talk radio personality, innovative strategist, international speaker, and the founder of Metal International. Ken has done government consultation for thirteen different countries and collaborations with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Surf Air, Motorola, AT&T, and numerous others. He’s been featured on Good Morning America, Oprah, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Chicago Tribune, Miami-Herald, Forbes and many other networks and publications around the world.

Show Notes:

• [1:00] - Welcome to the show, Ken! Ken shares his background and why he was led to his career in radio.
• [2:01] - Ken is one of the early developers of podcasts.
• [3:17] - When he moved to Los Angeles, he realized that many people he met were imposters.
• [4:48] - Ken shares that his image has been used to catfish women online.
• [5:59] - Most people are on Facebook and some sort of photo platform like Instagram. Ken explains why he has a LinkedIn.
• [6:43] - It’s advised to search an image to find the history of it and Ken shares a useful AI tool.
• [8:01] - Chris predominantly uses video to chat with people and explains why.
• [10:03] - Go beyond the conversation of business.
• [11:31] - Ken demonstrates the pyramid of friendship and how you can determine a stable relationship.
• [13:05] - When talking to others online, Ken looks for specific types of people.
• [15:08] - How can you tell the difference between a $30,000 millionaire from a legitimate millionaire?
• [16:10] - Remove time-sensitivity.
• [18:12] - The pyramid of friends and relationships is important to keep in mind when determining the legitimacy of someone’s online persona.
• [20:23] - There are specific types of relationships that determine your circle of trust.
• [21:14] - Because many people spend so much time on Facebook, people are spending time in the “friend and acquaintance zones.”
• [23:28] - To keep up with your circle of trust in a digital world, Ken recommends WhatsApp groups.
• [25:01] - In virtual events, Ken has two banned topics: religion and politics.
• [26:43] - Genuine community protects you.
• [29:11] - Everyone should create their own social circle and then fire those who are complicating things.
• [30:41] - Ken describes a trust token program he is working on.
• [32:14] - Ken and Chris have a mutual friend and he demonstrates how he used social engineering to vet the legitimacy of Chris’s relationship with him.
• [34:01] - Ken’s online community began as an in-person community. He curates who his members are.
• [36:49] - What are the rules of Ken’s community?
• [38:40] - It is not just your money that is vulnerable to scammers, but your time and energy.

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
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• Easy Prey on Pinterest
• Metal International Web Page
• Ken Rutkowski on Twitter
• Ken Rutkowski on Instagram
• Ken Rutkowski on LinkedIn
• Ken Rutkowski on Facebook
• Ken Rutkowski Home Page