Staying safe online requires you to be an active participant. You need to do your own research and not rely entirely on other people's tools, some of which are intended to actually take advantage of you. Today's guest is Patrick McNamara. Patrick holds a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity from University of Maryland Global along with multiple certifications. He operates the cyber awareness site DIYSecurityTips.com and is currently a cybersecurity engineer for a software company.

• [0:52] - Patrick shares his background and current role in cybersecurity.

• [3:09] - Chris and Patrick discuss the changes in cybersecurity in education in just a few years.

• [7:18] - When it comes to working in the industry, there are a lot of misunderstandings and inflexible definitions of what cybersecurity is.

• [9:35] - Volunteer as much as you can.

• [10:48] - A great place to start for your own online security is with passwords.

• [13:17] - Literally anything can be breached. A password manager can at least mitigate risk.

• [15:40] - Is it safe to connect to public wifi?

• [17:56] - Using your cell phone's hotspot is a lot safer than using public wifi. VPNs are also fantastic to invest in.

• [20:42] - VPNs that are free could be dangerous as well. How are they making money if they are offering the service for free?

• [21:33] - Pay attention to the developer before downloading any app on your phone or mobile device.

• [23:16] - Check the permissions for the apps you download. For example, a calculator app doesn't need access to your contacts and pictures.

• [25:01] - Anything that is new and exciting, malware developers will be on it very quickly.

• [27:40] - Understand how crypto works before investing in it.

• [28:52] - Patrick believes that it is possible to be completely anonymous online but there are a lot of very difficult steps to follow to do so.

• [32:13] - Privacy is easier to maintain than anonymity.

• [34:41] - There's special malware for every type of attack. Patrick shares some scenarios on different types of attacks.

• [35:57] - VPNs cannot protect you from social engineering.

• [37:21] - Some malware is downloaded through files online on a site that was recently breached.

• [39:01] - Chris shares an experience in supply chain crypto mining that happened unintentionally. You never know.

• [40:34] - You should at least know how to back up your data.

• [44:13] - Patrick shares about his website and how to learn more about online safety.

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Everyone is being targeted by organized crime to separate you from your money. If you've been scammed, don't allow embarrassment to keep you from reporting it. Your story could keep someone else from going through the same thing. Today's guest is Ryan Kelly. Ryan is a stand-up comedian who hunts scammers with his master's degree in Homeland Security.

• [0:45] - Ryan shares his background and how he wound up hunting scammers.

• [2:12] - Just a few months ago, Ryan himself was scammed.

• [3:25] - Through social media, Ryan shared his experience and all of the comments showed that an incredible amount of people experienced it as well.

• [6:13] - We do victims an injustice when we describe a hacker as a bored man in a basement and a hoodie. There are incredibly organized scam crime rings.

• [9:07] - Your phone sells a lot of data.

• [10:53] - Ryan shares what he does initially when tracking down a scammer.

• [13:47] - Knowing an IP address can be helpful in knowing a little information, but it's not exact.

• [15:46] - Some military personnel cannot use fitness trackers or other devices that transmit data.

• [18:08] - Ryan explains how a fan of his social media content recognized the background of a video and found him in person.

• [21:03] - If you possibly feel like you are being targeted as a scam but you are unsure, you can ask a series of questions to see if they are lying.

• [22:16] - Sometimes scammers purposely use bad grammar and spelling to weed out the people who are suspicious.

• [24:37] - Two factor authorization should be a requirement on every login.

• [27:01] - Your information is easy to find. There are ways to take some things down.

• [29:01] - LinkedIn is a great tool, but it can be dangerous as scammers can create a false connection.

• [32:09] - If you're paying for something and it feels like a weird way to be paying for something, stop.

• [34:51] - If you are looking at investing in something, think about the risk. Can you afford to possibly lose it all?

• [37:36] - Scammers also target people under the pretense of helping them get their money back after a scam.

• [40:25] - Don't send photos to people you don't know.

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Romance scammers are patient and willing to take their time to win over their target. In today's episode, we'll talk about how you can help out and make a difference to reduce the impact of romance scams.

Today's guests are Kathy Waters and Bryan Denny. Kathy Waters is an expert advocate and an educator on the subject of online romance scams. Kathy is co-founder, along with retired Colonel Bryan Denny, of the non-profit organization Advocating Against Romance Scammers. Both have been working for safer platforms since 2016 with the same goals in mind: justice for victims and educating all online of the cybercrime known to tear people down emotionally, psychologically, and financially. They are now the organizers of World Romance Scam Prevention Day on October 3rd.

• [1:10] - Kathy and Bryan share their background and why they are passionate about advocating for victims of romance scams.

• [2:47] - Bryan was a victim of a romance scam, but not in the way you might think. Someone had been using his photo and posing as him.

• [4:10] - Unfortunately, Bryan's name and photo are still being used by scammers.

• [6:36] - When someone's profile image is taken, it is used over and over again. Getting one taken down is not going to end it.

• [8:22] - There are organized crime groups that use Bryan's photos, but they believe that there are independent scammers using it as well.

• [9:55] - World Romance Scam Prevention Day is October 3rd, and this is the first year it is official.

• [12:59] - One of the myths about romance scams is the belief that people don't actually fall for these things.

• [14:47] - Another myth is that this only targets older people, but even juveniles are being targeted specifically for sextortion.

• [18:01] - Romance scammers typically start to build a relationship slowly. They move the conversation outside a lot of social media apps.

• [19:49] - People who want to believe it's real, will believe that it's real.

• [20:44] - Bryan shares some common stories that scammers use in romance scams to get money from a victim.

• [22:03] - Although some take a lot of time to ask for money, others will test the waters early and ask for small amounts or even content they use to blackmail.

• [24:19] - Kathy suggests that mental health professionals come forward to provide education and support as well.

• [26:40] - Never turn your back on a friend or family member who has fallen victim to a romance scam.

• [27:24] - Learn what you can do to help support World Romance Scam Prevention Day.

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Scammers try to take advantage of human politeness. Utilizing critical thinking and slowing down conversations with someone who claims to be an authority like a government agency or bank could be what prevents us from making a financial mistake. Today's guest is Giles Mason. Giles is the Director of Campaigns at UK Finance. He is responsible for planning and delivering the organization's communication activities to promote campaigns on behalf of the banking and finance industry.

• [0:50] - Giles shares his background and current role at UK Finance.

• [2:36] - In 2016, UK Finance launched Take Five to Stop Fraud.

• [4:03] - Many victims of fraud often think after they've responded to a scammer that they could tell that something wasn't quite right.

• [5:36] - The biggest trend at the moment is purchase scams.

• [6:16] - The type of scam that normally sees the greatest fraud is impersonation scams.

• [9:08] - Scams that banks see are typically payment scams through their bank account.

• [10:10] - Once a payment is made, most of the time there's nothing you can do about it. Banks will do what they can, but it's not always possible.

• [12:38] - There are even scams that involve purchasing a home which are terrible because of the sheer amount of money involved.

• [14:04] - Hang up and call the number you know for certain is your bank.

• [17:13] - As humans, we want to be supportive and respect perceived authority.

• [18:38] - Scammers typically won't have a good reaction to you saying that you will call the number you know, which is a sign that they are not who they say they are.

• [21:10] - Young people are more willing to share information about a scam.

• [23:35] - While Giles has not fallen victim to a scam, he has had multiple attempts.

• [25:41] - Giles describes some of the trends in scamming.

• [27:48] - Stop, challenge, and protect.

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The burden is on consumers to question the validity of online offers because privacy laws and standards are not yet well regulated. Consumer Reports is fighting to make changes in this arena. Today's guest is Marta Tellado. Marta is President and CEO of Consumer Reports, the independent non-profit that works side by side with consumers to create a fair and just marketplace. She is a market driven leader with a passion for innovation, public-service, philanthropy, and helping organizations maximize and improve the world.

• [0:55] - Marta shares her background and her role as CEO of Consumer Reports.

• [2:19] - We're at a pioneering moment in the consumer market. Regulation hasn't transitioned into the digital marketplace.

• [4:04] - When online, we assume everything we do is safe.

• [5:52] - Now with AI, consumer awareness is even more important.

• [7:41] - As technology advances, so does the potential for scams.

• [9:27] - Be aware of the red flags.

• [11:33] - Consumer Reports has a ton of resources and information on scam protection.

• [13:17] - Everyone is a target and anyone can fall for a scam, including Marta.

• [15:51] - Marta shares the estimated amount of money lost to scams in 2022 and the increase we are seeing.

• [17:45] - Instead of connecting your peer-to-peer payment accounts to your bank account, connect them to your credit card where you have more protection.

• [20:17] - Even when we select the "unsubscribe" button, we may be flagged as someone who is interacting with the scam content and further targeted.

• [22:58] - The rules and regulations aren't keeping up with the rapid growth and development of technology.

• [24:55] - Marta describes the ways Consumer Reports works to educate consumers.

• [26:25] - It takes a really long time to get laws and regulations in place.

• [29:01] - We can't see or feel the things that keep us safe or harm us online.

• [31:38] - Even if you feel that you don't have anything that a scammer would want, be aware that any information is valuable to them.

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Scammers have used our systems against us, like shipping, rental cars, and rental homes. They've learned how to stay off the radar and, in order to stop money laundering, we need to address fraud one step at a time. Today's guest is Pierogi. Pierogi protects the innocent and vulnerable from internet scammers through his channel Scammer Payback. He exposes these criminals and helps victims through his technology and cybersecurity knowledge.

• [1:07] - Pierogi shares his background and how he got into cybersecurity.

• [4:25] - His drive to help people and get back at scammers is why he started Scammers Payback.

• [6:03] - Scammers can get access to a bank account and ruin everything.

• [8:32] - Pierogi shares one of the projects he worked on that actually resulted in an arrest.

• [9:56] - Scammers know how to stay under the radar.

• [11:31] - Those involved in organized crime consider their victims as customers.

• [14:32] - Pierogi describes how a well-trained scammer can cater their manipulation to each individual situation.

• [17:26] - It's a numbers game. At some point, a scammer is going to connect with someone.

• [19:04] - Scammers can learn so much about you on the internet that makes their false claims that much more believable.

• [20:56] - A lot of the time, scammers know when to give up and move on.

• [22:18] - Never send a text message of any type of personal identification.

• [26:11] - Focus on the mental aspect of this.

• [27:52] - Employees at different stores that sell gift cards are on high alert and typically do not sell certain numbers of gift cards.

• [30:14] - In some cases, banks are even calling out possible red flags.

• [31:31] - Financial institutions can use technology to determine behaviors that are not normal for you to indicate possible fraud.

• [33:29] - Hackers are using known processes that are good but for bad purposes.

• [34:58] - Major corporations have a budget for cybersecurity but regular people don't.

• [36:28] - Phone carriers are trying to do more to prevent scam calls.

• [38:03] - While playing different roles, Pierogi shares that he actually "married" a scammer. He shares some of the craziest things scammers have done.

• [39:32] - Pierogi is also learning different languages so he can learn more about where scammers are located.

• [41:39] - A lot of the experiences of the victims and how scammers talk about them makes Pierogi emotional.

• [44:40] - These experiences are sometimes hard to listen to.

• [46:28] - A lot of people say they'll know immediately if they are talking to a scammer, but it isn't that simple.

• [48:54] - If we know this information, we need to talk about it to others and educate.

• [51:16] - Scammers are very good at what they do. We portray them as silly, but they are very intelligent and convincing.

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We've heard the polarizing narrative, "Either you're with me or you're my enemy." Using this polarizing statement can allow people to fall prey to being manipulated. Today's guest is Sander van der Linden. Dr. van der Linden is a professor of Social Psychology and Society and the Director of Cambridge Social Decision Making Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He is ranked among the top 1% of highly cited social scientists worldwide and has published over 150 research papers. He's the author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity.

• [1:01] - Sander describes what he does at Cambridge and why we began his work on this topic beginning ten years ago.

• [3:22] - The early days of the internet created an interest for Sander as he saw that anyone could pretend to be someone else.

• [5:01] - What exactly is misinformation?

• [6:29] - Disinformation is the spread of misinformation with harmful or deceitful intent.

• [8:37] - One form of disinformation is click-baited sensational headlines that seem harmless.

• [10:32] - Sander describes some of the key phrases within content that usually indicate mis- or disinformation.

• [13:11] - Even if information is accurate, content can be written manipulatively to evoke emotion, particularly rage. This is misleading.

• [15:01] - Most people don't want to be a part of a flame war or in an echo chamber but the behavior is common.

• [16:45] - Social media algorithms seem to reward toxic behavior and amplify polarization that already exists.

• [20:31] - People are constantly being bombarded with information.

• [21:47] - Everyone is scattered in their own echo chambers because of fragmented social media.

• [23:49] - What should platforms be doing to help limit the spread of misinformation? What should individual people do to keep themselves safe?

• [26:01] - The brain needs a few experiences before developing a habit.

• [27:50] - Sander explains why most people don't have the facts to actually defend what they believe to be accurate information.

• [29:56] - Sander has developed games that help users understand misinformation.

• [32:02] - Using the example of climate change and global warming, Sander demonstrates how people can be misled.

• [35:01] - False dichotomies are a real problem and politicians in particular use this strategy.

• [38:50] - The goal is to help others recognize manipulation online, not necessarily to change their mind.

• [41:41] - There are different types of scams and most are disinformation.

• [43:45] - Romance scams use these tactics. How can we inoculate people against this type of information?

• [47:37] - Deradicalization is extremely difficult.

• [49:20] - There's a benefit to being somewhat skeptical. But how skeptical should you be?

• [52:03] - We want to be able to live our normal lives without fear, but there needs to be a healthy amount of skepticism.

• [55:18] - There are some crossovers between persuasion and manipulation.

• [60:42] - You can play the games Sander described at Inoculation Science.

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Scammers, like magicians, use distractions and illusions to keep you from realizing what is really going on. They may choose to have you focus on something that is urgent hoping that you'll make mistakes that you normally wouldn't.

Today's guests are Chris Chabris and Dan Simons. Dr. Chabris is a Cognitive Scientist who has taught at Union College in Harvard University and is a fellow of The Association for Psychological Science. His research focuses on decision-making, attention, intelligence, and behavior genetics. Chris received his PhD in Psychology from Harvard University.

Dr. Daniel Simons is a professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, where he has the Visual Cognitive Laboratory. Dan received his PhD from Cornell University. His research explores the limits of awareness and memory, the reasons why we often are unaware of those limits, and the implications of such limits on our personal and professional lives.

• [1:18] - Dan and Chris share their background and what their current roles are in their industry.

• [3:27] - Why did Dan and Chris decide to write a book together?

• [6:12] - Stories of victims are engaging and interesting, but these stories don't focus on why we are fooled.

• [8:53] - Chris and Dan share the story of a time they were almost scammed.

• [13:01] - Fictional stories in movies get some things right about what con artists exploit, but real scenarios are not always so precise.

• [14:52] - We have the ability to focus on a select amount of the information in front of us.

• [16:39] - There are a lot of different techniques that scammers employ to put you under time pressure.

• [19:59] - Confirmation bias is the idea that you try to find evidence of what you believe.

• [21:04] - There are a lot of theories about why we are good at some things and not as good at others.

• [22:15] - It is logical to trust someone you know, but social media has created the opportunity to trust misinformation.

• [24:38] - Commitments are assumptions that we make and hold steadfastly to.

• [26:41] - It is easy to trust someone when you've committed to your perception of them.

• [28:33] - Ask yourself if there is anything you believe that could be proven wrong if you were given new information.

• [31:01] - External validation is a great source for seeing things you might have missed.

• [32:48] - There are scams in literally everything, even chess.

• [38:02] - Are scams increasing or is it awareness of scams that is increasing?

• [40:26] - All scams employ the same principles. They are always going to rely on the same tricks and tap into the same fears.

• [42:37] - Dan's hope is that people will question the information they get and become less accepting.

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Our home IoT devices are constantly being probed for weaknesses so that they can be compromised and used for broader nefarious purposes like cyber warfare. The Ukrainians may be considered some of the best in the world when it comes to defending against cyber warfare because they have been regularly attacked and have been defending their systems for years. Today's guest is Mikko Hypponen. He has written for The New York Times, Wired, and Scientific American and has lectured at universities like Oxford, Stanford, and Cambridge. Mikko works as the Chief Research Officer for WithSecure and sits on the advisory board of Europol.

• [1:11] - Mikko shares his background as an old-school hacker.

• [2:46] - His mother advised Mikko to pursue this career in the 1980s.

• [5:23] - Smart devices like doorbells and refrigerators are not configured correctly because security makes the device more expensive.

• [7:50] - Mikko discusses regulation in Europe and how, most of the time, regulation fails.

• [9:03] - Many hackable devices wouldn't be hackable if consumers read the manual.

• [11:13] - Most malware traffic used to be Windows based but is now Linux based.

• [12:26] - Many people don't think that there's any data that can be stolen from IoT devices, but they are surprisingly powerful.

• [14:16] - Mikko explains some recent attacks.

• [15:43] - Medical devices are just as vulnerable as any other IoT device.

• [17:41] - What is a honeypot?

• [19:02] - Mikko shares that he has been a victim himself with his credit card number stolen twice.

• [20:14] - Even experts make mistakes.

• [21:26] - If you believe you have been hacked or think you are being scammed, take a step back.

• [23:06] - Mikko describes some of his experience living so near Russia and monitoring cyber warfare.

• [25:07] - Spying and espionage is a big problem in countries bordering Russia.

• [30:06] - With invasions in 2022, Ukraine improved many systems.

• [31:20] - Mikko makes a prediction on what will come next that sounds like Science Fiction, just like cyber war sounded like before.

• [32:18] - What are Mikko's thoughts on AI?

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Our non-verbal communication is as much or more important than what we verbally communicate. We may display mannerisms that our gut instincts pick up as just off, but a trained FBI Behavioral Analysis can pick up on these signs faster than you might expect. Today's guest is Robin Dreeke. Robin is an accomplished executive coach, bestselling author, and professional speaker with an impressive background. As a Marine Corps officer and retired FBI Special Agent, he served as Chief of the Counterintelligence Behavior Analysis Program where he honed his skills on recruiting spies and behavioral assessment. Robin has translated his expertise into his unique interpersonal communication strategies that focus on recruiting allies in business.

• [1:23] - Robin shares his background and previous roles in the Marine Corps and FBI.

• [2:45] - Robin has not been a victim of a scam, but there have been many attempts and close calls.

• [6:02] - We establish normal patterns of behavior and tempo.

• [7:52] - Be wary of things that deviate from normal patterns of behavior.

• [10:19] - If we're trying to find something wrong, we miss a lot.

• [14:07] - Robin explains why he looks for openness, honesty, and transparency in a nice even tempo.

• [15:42] - Underneath "why" is the "what" and the "how."

• [17:30] - Vulnerability is the willingness to show your shame.

• [20:17] - Words are extremely powerful.

• [22:24] - The more time spent with someone, you will be able to learn their natural tempo and behavior patterns.

• [24:34] - The techniques Robin talks about aren't just applicable to criminal interviews, but even just personal conversations.

• [26:07] - Master manipulators are on a timeline. Usually they're not patient.

• [28:52] - Sales people can also use these techniques to push the tempo out of your comfort zone.

• [31:31] - Robin only vets people based on in-person interactions now.

• [33:12] - Robin compares reality to shows like Criminal Minds.

• [35:43] - The actions that people will take are predictable.

• [37:52] - Some people have the tendency to find something wrong with everyone and everything.

• [40:08] - Focus on having a great conversation with other people.

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