Easy Prey

Everyday people are falling victims to scams and fraud. Embarrassment and guilt can prevent people from reporting the incident. Not everyone is aware that there are resources available to help navigate the justice system. Today's guest is Rachel Gibson. Rachel is the Director of the Center of Victim Service Professionals at the National Center for Victims of Crime where she works to further the mission by supporting and overseeing programs for victim service professionals, providing training and technical assistance.

• [0:48] - Rachel shares her background and her role as the Director of the Center of Victim Service Professionals.

• [2:53] - We talk a lot about prevention work, but there aren't as many resources for what to do after an incident.

• [3:47] - Rachel explains the background and how the Center for Victims of Crime was founded.

• [5:46] - Many victims are experiencing polyvictimization and may not realize they are victims of a crime at first.

• [7:14] - 24-hour hotlines are available and very impactful.

• [8:51] - Rachel describes the different programs that she is involved in at the Center for Victims of Crime.

• [9:57] - Part of the work she does is helping people realize the intersection and connections between different types of crime.

• [12:08] - Oftentimes in these cases, this is the first time victims have been involved with the justice system.

• [14:02] - Maybe a victim doesn't want to go to law enforcement, but the crime should still be reported.

• [15:12] - Financial fraud is a crime where society victim blames right out of the gate.

• [16:24] - The conversation shouldn't be about who is victimized, but rather who is being targeted.

• [19:17] - Google is a great first step in determining legitimacy.

• [21:51] - Fraudsters are banking on targets not being knowledgeable.

• [23:55] - We have to come to the conversation with an attitude of empowerment.

• [26:26] - Rachel explains how partnerships are important as service professionals will likely hear about crimes.

• [28:47] - Legally, there's a difference between a scam and fraud. But there's always an opportunity to connect people to resources.

• [32:07] - Think about what someone needs in the moment. It might not be to go to law enforcement.

• [35:03] - Talk to your friends and family. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• [36:24] - A big trend right now in questions and concerns is the intersection of AI and fraud.

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It's hard to imagine finding a job, advancing into a second interview, they send you a ticket to their overseas office, only to find out that you're about to be trafficked into a life of forced labor while they threaten your family. But this is happening all around the world today. Today's guest is Matt Friedman. Matt is an international human trafficking expert with more than 35 years of experience. He is the founder and CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization of Hong Kong's leading businesses which have joined forces to help end all forms of modern slavery.

• [0:57] - Matt shares his background and the extensive experience he has in this field.

• [2:09] - Matt explains some of the terrible situations that he has seen in human trafficking and the reason he became an activist.

• [5:31] - Covid-19 impacted criminal activity in China. They started to trick and deceive people into accepting a job at a scam center.

• [6:51] - There are tens of thousands of people who have been human trafficked into scam call centers.

• [9:12] - A red flag is if it sounds too good to be true.

• [12:15] - Matt describes the buildings these call centers are in.

• [13:34] - In Myanmar and Cambodia, the people being trafficked into call centers tend to be citizens of other countries.

• [16:04] - The scams that they are forcing people to do are pig butchering.

• [18:20] - Matt shares some of the types of scams that they do from these call centers.

• [20:28] - In these call centers, if a person does not hit their daily quota, they are beaten and tortured.

• [22:56] - If you think that you want to have a job opportunity overseas, you need to know without a doubt that it is legitimate and have a system in place to make sure your friends and family know where you are.

• [25:21] - Matt's organization The Mekong Club works with businesses on understanding scams and trafficking.

• [27:09] - Where does this laundered money go?

• [28:41] - The Mekong Club has a large social media presence in multiple languages and PSA campaigns to provide education.

• [31:32] - We've entered a time where scams are commonplace and it's getting harder to tell what is real and what is not.

• [33:40] - If we don't take action now, we will find ourselves in a situation that we cannot control.

• [37:33] - Share this information with other people. This is the most important step to take and right away.

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No one ever wants to find themselves in an active shooter situation. But if you are, it's important to know how to respond. Today's guest is Katherine Schweit. Katherine is an attorney, consultant, and retired FBI special agent who created and led the FBI's Active Shooter Program after the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She joined a White House team working on violence prevention matters, led by then Vice President Biden. She is the author of Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis, How to Talk About Guns With Anybody, and the FBI's research on mass shootings, a study of 160 active shooter incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013. She was part of the crisis team responding to shooting incidents including at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Pentagon, and the Navy Yard in Washington, DC.

• [1:14] - Katherine shares her background, her experience in the FBI, and her work in the Active Shooter Program.

• [3:05] - In her work, she spent time with parents and families of those killed in mass shootings.

• [4:23] - What constitutes a mass shooting or an active shooter situation? There is no real definition.

• [6:10] - Most mass killings are domestic, particularly murder/suicides, but those will not show in data. Katherine explains what the FBI looks at.

• [8:44] - Journalists and media impact what stories are news-worthy.

• [10:21] - Katherine released her book How to Talk About Guns With Anyone to keep the conversation going.

• [13:19] - In 2020, the CDC determined that gun deaths in youth 19 and younger exceeded the deaths by traffic accidents in the same age group.

• [15:56] - Safety isn't about when it happens. It's about if it happens.

• [16:58] - The shooting at Columbine changed the way the American public viewed and feared shootings, although public shootings were not new events.

• [18:32] - Katherine explains the response and training of law enforcement officers during the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.

• [21:06] - The numbers of incidents have increased but we have not seen the number of casualties increase.

• [25:00] - Television shows and movies create misunderstandings on what law enforcement officers and FBI agents can accomplish.

• [26:37] - See something, say something.

• [28:00] - In most cases, someone close to a shooter had information and didn't say anything.

• [29:48] - What do you do when something happens? People should have Run, Hide, Fight training.

• [32:51] - In 13% of shootings, a civilian was successful in getting in to help incapacitate the shooter.

• [37:40] - A simple thing to be prepared with is knowledge of the exits in your location.

• [39:19] - It is important when hiding to hide where there is actual cover.

• [40:27] - Don't stay where there is no protection.

• [42:51] - Shooters come in with a plan and it is always intentional.

• [44:11] - Sometimes an unexpected distraction makes a difference because it throws off a shooter's plan.

• [47:37] - While school shootings are terrible incidents, children are actually more in danger in their homes and neighborhoods.

• [49:45] - Although they are major news stories when they happen, elementary school shootings are rare.

• [51:29] - Listen to Katherine's podcast, Stop the Killing, for more information.

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With the use of passwords, we're hoping to ensure privacy and security, but sometimes it is at the expense of convenience. As technology changes and biometric databases become more utilized, we need to remember that they may also be hacked.

Today's guests are Philippe Desmarais and Thierry Gagnon. Philippe is a tech entrepreneur who co-founded Kelvin Zero and currently serves as its CEO, overseeing the company's strategic direction. He is also a member of the Next Generation Advisory Council at Rockefeller Capital Management. Before creating Kelvin Zero, Philippe played a significant role in various start-ups, focusing on data analytics for political campaigns, remote hardware device management, and cybersecurity.

Thierry Gagnon is co-founder and Chief Technology at Kelvin Zero. He is an expert in software development, malware analysis, cryptography, and reverse engineering. He has been actively involved in the cybersecurity community, participating in renowned competitions and projects such as Malware Information Sharing Platform.

• [1:18] - Philippe and Thierry share their backgrounds and their roles in the company they co-founded together, Kelvin Zero.

• [2:34] - Thierry's expertise is in cybersecurity but Philippe's interest was more in crime. They combined their strengths and passions to create Kelvin Zero.

• [6:18] - Passwords have been around for millennia.

• [7:24] - We often confuse being smarter with being faster.

• [9:45] - Passwords are not often attached to an individual. We have so many passwords and can't actually know them all.

• [11:53] - We can compromise passwords at scale.

• [13:20] - The attackers only need to be right once. The defenders need to be right 100% of the time. How can we flip this?

• [15:47] - The average person is tasked with trying to keep up with cybersecurity and, in most cases, they are not qualified to do this.

• [17:11] - What does it look like to take a password-less approach?

• [19:20] - If cybersecurity is done successfully, the opportunities are massive. But regulation holds us back.

• [21:51] - Once a tech company can serve protection, then companies can focus on their services and products.

• [24:46] - There are differences between the physical world and the logical world.

• [28:41] - How do you convince people to share medical data for research when there are constant breaches?

• [31:33] - Is privacy the same as anonymity?

• [33:52] - Technology should be able to do what we want it to do, but that's not the case.

• [36:36] - In a password-less environment, how can we validate a user?

• [39:40] - Thierry believes we should get away from the server authenticating because then it is the responsibility of the organization.

• [43:18] - Sci-fi movies sound far-fetched, but a lot of them predict technology.

• [46:35] - Thierry and Philippe share their thoughts on what we should be putting our focus on now.

• [49:40] - Stay away from single-factor authorization.

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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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