We’ve all had that random fraudulent charge show up on our credit card and we wonder how did that happen.  Do I need to cancel my credit card? Do I need to get a new one?  Today we talk about credit card skimming with Scott Schober. 

Scott Schober is the president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, a 48-year-old leading provider of advanced world-class wireless test and cybersecurity solutions.  Scott is a highly sought after author and expert for live security events, media appearances, and commentary on ransomware, wireless threats, drone surveillance hacking, and cybersecurity for consumers and small businesses. He is the author of Hacked Again and Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business.  

Scott shares his many experiences about personally being hacked and finally getting the money back. We talk about what you need to know, how to protect yourself, and more.   

Show Notes:

• [01:02] - Scott shares how he got involved in cybersecurity.   
• [02:01] - Cybercriminals want to silence you.  They don’t want you to share tips or expertise on how to keep companies secure or even individuals.   These attacks lead to the creation of his first book, Hacked Again. 
• [03:02] - In that process, he learned that there were some fundamental things that they were doing wrong.  So he had to relearn and reimplement best practices for the company and himself. 
• [03:34] - We should create more secure passwords and not use them across multiple sites.  
• [06:14] - Anonymity is extremely powerful in the criminal empire.  Criminal gangs often get educated to conduct criminal activity.  
• [08:42] - We can now use technology to fight back.  
• [10:29] - The challenge is to get the skimmers out before it even happens.   
• [12:02] - Follow the money and it usually tells you why things are done or not done. 
• [14:12] - Scott uses Apple Pay and Google Wallet when possible.  
• [15:22] - When you’re at a gas station use cash if you are afraid of a skimmer.  Use common sense.  If things look like they have been tampered with, use caution.   
• [17:17] - The part of the iceberg sticking out of the water is the surface web that we use for searches and purchases.  Below is tons of information that don’t make a lot of sense to us working at the surface web. 
• [19:38] - If you see a small transaction on your credit card ($0.50/$1) it could likely be that it is on the dark web and has been posted to be tested.  
• [21:37] - It is hard for law enforcement because this is an attractive way to make money.  
• [22:50] - Don’t be complacent.  Start out by doing best practices across the board in your personal life and business.  
• [23:12] - The best thing to do is to add layers of security like multi-factor or two-step authentication.  
• [24:29] - Scott doesn’t share his actual birthday on social media, because that is one of the critical pieces of information if someone tries to compromise your identity.  
• [26:07] - When setting up security questions put a password instead of the actual answer that can be researched about you.  
• [27:42] - They discuss the pros and cons of freezing your credit.   
• [29:25] - The process and investigation when Scott lost $65,000 took months, but he did finally did get the money back.   
• [31:28] - Cybercriminals create fictitious accounts, steal money from multiple people in a bank, and quickly close them out.
• [33:32] - You can do things to prevent it from happening to you.
• [35:49] - You can’t be too trusting to anyone. Don’t use their means of communication to verify. 
• [37:49] - Take a few minutes to question everything. Use caution. 
• [40:07] - Many of these scams look very convincing.  
• [42:50] - Your better to spend the time and effort upfront securing things then pay for it later.  
• [44:04] - A small business owner can do small practical things to protect 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
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• Have I Been Pwned
• Berkeley Varitronics Systems
• Scott’s Website
• Hacked Again
• Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business