Advertisements can manipulate us and depict a product that doesn’t actually work. The challenge is knowing if the technology does what they say it does. Today’s guest is Ken from Computer Clan. Ken, or commonly known as Crazy Ken, has been running the Computer Clan YouTube channel since September of 2007. He posts tech videos about rare and retro tech, new tech, and even has a series about scammy tech products. Whether you are a tech whiz or a beginner, it doesn’t matter. Ken will bring the knowledge, science, entertainment, and even debunk a few scams along the way. 

• [0:51] - Computer Clan is one of the longest running tech focused YouTube channels. Ken shares the channel’s background.
• [2:28] - The channel is celebrating its 15th anniversary and now is Ken’s full time job.
• [3:06] - Ken shared how a tech product advertisement gave him the idea to debunk false advertisements in videos.
• [4:27] - When he was younger, Ken made a purchase and experienced the disappointment of advertisements that promise more than they offer.
• [7:38] - A big red flag to look for is the cheesy video ad that promises things that seem miraculous.
• [8:40] - Another ad feature that can be used ethically, but can also be abused are those fake countdown timers on websites.
• [9:47] - Review sections of a product are not always accurate. If you take a closer look, some of the comments are the same.
• [11:45] - If there is a bad experience, even if there isn’t a review, people do tell their friends. Be careful about perfect reviews.
• [12:37] - Ken shares a story about ads that steal video footage from other companies.
• [14:10] - There are a lot of ways to find stock footage, but many fake ads pull footage from copyrighted material.
• [16:57] - Some of the products might not be odd, but Ken says that some of the clickbait ads are strange.
• [18:21] - In the early days of Covid, people took advantage to create ads that claim more than is possible.
• [20:25] - Ken shares some products that he thought would be a scam that actually turned out to work fine, but the ads were misleading.
• [22:40] - During his videos, Ken even sometimes has a fire extinguisher handy.
• [24:19] - Urgency could be a red flag.
• [25:30] - Ken shares some of the products he is looking at to debunk the ad and the product.
• [27:20] - The educational element of the Computer Clan YouTube channel can show you that although not all products are fake, they may not be what you need.

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Working from home has increased the ability for cyber criminals to exploit companies. Listen on for how to be sure that the email you received isn’t from someone impersonating someone else. Today’s guest is Eric O’Neill. Eric is a security expert and author that presents keynotes internationally about espionage, national security, cyber security, fraud, corporate diligence and defense, and of course, hacking. Eric has worked as an FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, national security attorney, and a corporate security consultant. He founded The Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security business firm. Eric is also the national security strategist for Carbon Black, the leader in next gen endpoint security and serves on the general council for global communities and international security.

• [1:05] - Eric shares his background and how he got involved in cybersecurity. He describes his previous role in the FBI.
• [2:47] - Moving on after his career in the FBI, Eric currently wears many different hats in various roles.
• [4:58] - Using his interest in hacking, he was able to catch the biggest FBI spy in history.
• [6:48] - Everything changed about how we work since the pandemic.
• [7:46] - In many cases, people were working and kids were learning from mobile devices. We weren’t ready for this to happen.
• [9:09] - The massive increase in people working from home, increased the number of attacks.
• [10:25] - Eric shares some statistics of reported cyber attacks in the last couple of years.
• [11:38] - Romance scams are the second-highest attack trend since the start of the pandemic.
• [12:50] - One of the positives that came from this change to remote, is in hiring talent from around the world.
• [14:10] - Eric thinks we will see more scams of people impersonating CEOs or higher ups in a company.
• [16:27] - Passwords are useless without multi-factor authentication.
• [18:03] - SMS authentication isn’t great, but it's better than nothing.
• [19:53] - Eric shares how people can mine data they purchase from the dark web and how easy it could be.
• [22:48] - Cyber criminals want to take down an entire critical infrastructure.
• [24:42] - Criminals are getting much more clever in throwing people into chaos by attacking critical infrastructure.
• [25:32] - Eric believes that cyber attacks will be the method of attack in the next major war.
• [28:05] - He uses the example of the colonial pipeline to demonstrate what chaos these attacks can create.
• [30:10] - There is some speculation of possible attacks on critical infrastructure and the possibility of them maintaining presence.
• [33:19] - Chris shares the issues with power in his area.
• [35:25] - Jokingly but accurately, Eric shares that your children are great hackers.
• [38:42] - Some apps change the location of numbers for entering a PIN so people can’t pick up patterns.
• [40:54] - There are some medical devices that could be compromised.
• [42:50] - The average person doesn’t think about the ways someone can have malicious intent.
• [44:41] - Cyber espionage is definitely a problem, but cybercrime is what the average person needs to be aware of.
• [46:09] - Don’t click on links. Known vulnerabilities are the most commonly successful attack.
• [48:20] - The Dark Web is the third largest economy in the world.

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The thought of your computer getting a virus implies something biological, but the fear of infection is real. Are there prevention techniques that you need to be implementing now? Today’s guest is Ran Levi. Ran has been podcasting since 2007 and started with a podcast regarding history and technology. He is the co-founder of PI Media LTD, helping other people do podcasts. He is the editor and host of the popular podcast Malicious Life that tells the stories of the histories of cyber security with commentary by hackers, security experts, journalists, and politicians. 

• [1:02] - Ran is a podcaster from Israel and he shares his background and podcast beginning.
• [2:18] - Through podcasting, Ran was asked to begin another podcast about cyber security which was a topic he was passionate about.
• [4:36] - Knowledge is important but the stories are the key to an impactful podcast.
• [5:56] - In the early days, pirating games and media was commonplace and through personal experience, Ran became very interested in the history of cyber security.
• [7:03] - Cyber security professionals are used to the idea of autonomous software, but for the public at large this is a weird idea.
• [8:50] - The terms used in cyber security suggest something biological and can be confusing.
• [10:45] - People have rediscovered how to create and replicate computer viruses hundreds of times over the decades.
• [12:54] - Computers and emotions intersect when it comes to scammers and viruses.
• [13:35] - Ran shares one of his favorite cyber security history stories from Israel.
• [14:48] - The feeling of anonymity is something very appealing about the internet.
• [16:08] - One of Ran’s favorite interviews was with Steve Wozniak.
• [18:25] - Some hackers decide to go commercial.
• [20:14] - Ran shares the wildest story revolving around the Equifax breach.
• [22:02] - AI has extreme potential and we haven’t seen its impact yet in cyber security.
• [23:31] - The human element is sometimes easy to detect a scam, but when AI learns to scam, things can get scary.
• [25:41] - Right now, the script or content from AI is written by people.
• [26:33] - You can easily gather a lot of information about almost anyone.
• [29:04] - Ran says never to trust an organization with your information.
• [30:06] - Working on his show and writing his book has created some level of cynicism.
• [31:20] - Things used to be a lot more “fun” online without being as fearful of being hacked.
• [32:28] - Scam calls are not as common in non-English speaking countries.
• [34:42] - Social media isn’t evil. But the scammers are using organizations like Facebook and others to help them gather the data they need to scam you.
• [36:47] - For many companies, client data is a liability.
• [40:05] - For every modern company, information is their lifeblood.
• [42:03] - Ran shares the story of, as a newer employee of a company, he was able to get into systems he shouldn’t have been able to access.

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Reusing passwords makes it easier for threat actors to gain access to your accounts. They may not actually be using it to take money. They may be impersonating you to scam others in your network. Today’s guest is Joel Hollenbeck. Joel is a cyber security executive with over 25 years experience in multiple disciplines. He is the CTO at Check Point Software Technologies and leads a global team of cyber security experts dedicated to understanding the challenges that customers face and helping them stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat curve.

• [1:01] - Joel shares his background and his current role.
• [2:38] - Joel has teenagers at home and describes the challenges of communicating threats including one that wound up being an attack.
• [5:06] - His credit card company alerted him of fraud and he looked further into it.
• [6:29] - Threat actors have to constantly change up their tactics.
• [7:53] - The latest report shows that the number one brand that scammers are using is LinkedIn. They are trying to harvest accounts to get in under the radar.
• [9:06] - Brands themselves need to also be aware to keep their customers safe.
• [10:36] - Every major holiday, shopping event, or global event creates new opportunities for phishing attempts.
• [12:09] - Joel shares some of the information threat actors gather.
• [14:33] - A great many people don’t trust SMS messages.
• [16:30] - The reuse of passwords has been proven to be a huge mistake.
• [18:37] - Chris shares an experience with a password reset issue.
• [20:28] - Social media companies do not have a public facing customer service line.
• [22:46] - On the other end of the spectrum, there is the issue of being overwhelmed by multi-factor authentication.
• [24:18] - Product links on social media are also something to be wary of.
• [25:37] - Think of it as a risk assessment and know that sometimes it will feel very cynical.
• [26:59] - You don’t know if the person on the other end of a message is from the person you actually trust.
• [28:48] - Threat actors strive to gain access to high value accounts.
• [30:42] - Some LinkedIn or other social media account hacks, they will be used for simple phishing attacks. But some will be used for something very sophisticated.
• [33:06] - Awareness of these issues is critically important to try to stay ahead of scammers.

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All security is personal. It’s important for each individual to understand the risk of predators so we can protect ourselves, our data, and our finances. Today’s guest is Robert Siciliano. Robert is a security expert and private investigator, number 1 Amazon best-selling author of five books, and an architect of the CSI Protection Certification, a cyber-social identity and personal protection security awareness training program. He is a frequent speaker and media commentator and the CEO of Safr.me. Robert has been featured on CNN, Fox News, and in The Wall Street Journal.

• [1:02] - Robert shares his background and career, beginning with self-defense training in the 90’s.
• [2:40] - At the start, Robert operated his business through a catalog and through live training. Once he offered credit card payments, he was hacked.
• [3:58] - There will always be a criminal element out there looking for a target.
• [5:01] - All security is personal, including both physical and virtual.
• [5:55] - Chris shares an experience of owning an online bookstore.
• [7:32] - Regardless of the value, there are people who are motivated to steal anything.
• [9:27] - Some people have the mentality that they don’t have anything valuable to steal. Humans are born with the innate ability to trust.
• [11:31] - It is also human nature to lie.
• [12:52] - It is getting easier and easier for people to make fake social media profiles that are very believable.
• [14:52] - Every time someone reaches out to you, be suspicious. It’s not paranoia.
• [16:55] - There are signs in communicating with others that may indicate that they are trying to do you harm.
• [18:20] - Most people are not doing even the basics of security.
• [19:30] - Some people believe that taking precaution is living in fear.
• [21:47] - Robert describes denial and why people live that way.
• [24:17] - Robert’s career is built on selling the concept of security.
• [25:32] - There is no such thing as a safe neighborhood.
• [26:52] - Once we get the basics down, we can make advances in security.
• [28:35] - Most cyber security awareness training only includes content about phishing. This is to meet compliance but doesn’t solve many problems.
• [30:18] - Security awareness makes it important to individuals.
• [32:12] - For many organizations and security companies, they treat security as business.
• [34:40] - Teaching security through fear is not effective.
• [36:00] - It is important to have uncomfortable conversations regarding security with your family from time to time.
• [37:16] - Robert explains the future impact of the Equifax data breach if security strategies have not changed for an individual.
• [40:25] - Robert has frozen his credit since 2008.
• [42:53] - The “Grandma Test” is asking yourself if something is manageable by everyone.
• [45:36] - Robert uses the example of wearing a seatbelt as decades long to make it the norm.
• [47:12] - CSI Protection is a 6 hour course that Robert offers that includes interaction with experts.
• [49:03] - These courses are geared towards those in the service industry.

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There’s always risk when using technology, but your perception of the exposure will determine how active you are at minimizing the danger. Today’s guest is Stephen Cobb. Stephen is a best-selling author and award winning technologist with over 30 years experience in digital security and data privacy. He has authored more than a dozen textbooks on PC and LAN security as well as software usage. As a CISSP since 1996, he co-founded two successful security startups and earned a Master’s in security and risk management. Stephen now researches harm caused by the abuse of digital technology.

• [1:02] - Stephen shares his background and how he wound up in the world of cyber security.
• [3:17] - In the earlier days of his career, he learned the niche of the risks of technology.
• [6:13] - Privacy violations were becoming a HIPPA category.
• [9:14] - Stephen shares more about the companies he worked for and his experience in cyber security.
• [10:44] - Stephen continues researching risk perception.
• [12:01] - Understanding the limits of technology and human behavior have helped guide his research.
• [13:02] - Covid was a very eye opening experience in that it revealed who was willing to exploit and who was willing to come together.
• [14:26] - The new ideas of solving problems are coming out of smaller companies.
• [15:41] - Growth of security is evolving but is it keeping up with the use and diversity of technology?
• [17:23] - Different countries have a different approach to tracking cyber crime.
• [19:05] - The data isn’t accurate as much cyber crime goes unreported.
• [20:23] - Stephen believes the amount of monetary loss from cyber crime can be doubled in individual wellbeing.
• [21:41] - The effect of being targeted has led to health problems.
• [24:30] - Some countries are doing a better job cracking down on cyber crime, but many kinds of scams, particularly romance scams, continue to go unreported.
• [25:50] - Crypto currency has been abused since it’s onset.
• [26:51] - Tech support scams are also going strong.
• [27:25] - Crypto scams are cumulative. They don’t replace a scam, they add to existing ones.
• [31:48] - People aren’t thinking about what a mess that malware will create in upcoming technology.
• [34:08] - Cyber crime is now organized crime.
• [37:04] - Stephen describes his experience showing NPR the industry of the Dark Web.
• [38:52] - People continue to be shocked and amazed by how organized the industry of cyber crime is.
• [40:10] - There has been a drop in enthusiasm and trust in technology companies from the general public.
• [44:10] - When we push technology on people who do not have a lot of experience with it, security becomes complicated and it becomes an ethical dilemma.
• [46:39] - Nothing has been done to make these ethical issues become morally reprimanded.
• [48:10] - Cyber crime is a huge challenge that is a relatively recent phenomenon.
• [50:40] - Although foreign scammers cannot be arrested in your country, Stephen still thinks they should be sought after.
• [52:08] - We need growing economies and full employment in all countries.

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Corporate spies are regularly hired by competitors to help poach employees with the best ideas. Listen on to know if it is happening at your company and how to prevent it. Robert Kerbeck is the founder of Malibu Writers Circle and his essays have been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers including Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times Magazine with one story adapted in the award winning film Reconnected. His newest memoir Ruse: Lying the American Dream From Hollywood to Wall Street is a look at the world of corporate espionage and his career as a corporate spy. 

• [1:08] - Robert never thought he would become an infamous corporate spy. He shares his background and what led him there.
• [3:42] - He was hired and realized it was not the ordinary marketing job he thought it would be.
• [4:46] - The job was determined to be in a “gray area” legally.
• [6:00] - A lot of Robert’s job was over the phone trying to get information out of employees.
• [7:04] - Eventually, Robert would imitate major executives over the phone.
• [8:48] - A lot of the information gathered at the time was employment information.
• [10:07] - Some employees are not listed as team members to avoid being poached.
• [11:11] - Although so much data is available publicly online now, there are still pieces of valuable information that corporate spies can use.
• [12:49] - Corporate plans are valuable to competitors.
• [13:58] - In Robert’s case, blackmail wasn’t utilized, but rather poaching talent.
• [15:54] - Robert describes some of the information that he was gathering. He viewed himself as an actor.
• [17:38] - Sometimes the more outlandish something seems, in a strange way, it becomes more believable.
• [19:24] - In order to target the right person and use the right strategies, Robert had to do a lot of research on the companies he was contacting.
• [20:53] - There are certain areas in a firm where people aren’t following company protocol.
• [22:17] - In the corporate world, there are qualities that create a toxic culture.
• [24:53] - There should be training in place to ensure that employees do not reveal information if they do not know the person.
• [26:18] - Once someone has access to an organizational chart, not only employee names are available.
• [29:02] - The more time spent trying to break a company for the information desired, a corporate spy is gathering small pieces of data.
• [31:23] - There are scams that are designed to target people who have previously been a victim of a scam.
• [32:04] - Robert explains that he never used these skills in his personal life.
• [33:12] - In 2008, jobs were harder to find and Robert left his career as a corporate spy.
• [35:41] - Robert describes his experience in Corporate America.
• [37:27] - Through his experiences, Robert says it was very nerve wracking to attend corporate events as somebody else.
• [38:46] - Find Robert’s new book on his website.

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If you are addressing the blindspots in your online security, you cannot prevent the costly impact of lost or hacked data. Today’s guest is Ralph Russo. Ralph retired from the New York Police Department after over 20 years and served as the commanding officer of an organized crime control task force of local, state, and federal law enforcement. He is currently the Director of Tulane University’s School of Professional Advanced Information Technology where he has taught in both homeland security and information technology programs. Ralph holds a bachelor’s of Business Administration and a master’s degree in Information Technology. As an entrepreneur he has co-owned two startup technology firms. 

• [1:01] - Ralph shares his current role at Tulane University and shares his interest in information technology.
• [2:15] - As more people become dependent on online systems, the more valuable it becomes.
• [3:50] - As an educator, Ralph engages students in the growing field of cybersecurity.
• [4:42] - Ralph describes qualities of great cybersecurity students.
• [6:32] - Cybersecurity can be compared to traditional security.
• [8:48] - Using traditional security as an example, Ralph says that a single door just isn’t enough.
• [9:41] - “It is so much harder to secure something when you have to retrofit it rather than designing it for security.”
• [12:02] - In some ways it is harder to bring older companies that work more traditionally on board with updated cybersecurity.
• [13:12] - Ralph believes there is a misunderstanding that small and medium sized businesses may not believe they are a target.
• [14:22] - Sometimes the target is not money, it’s data.
• [15:53] - Now, there is cybersecurity insurance offered which Ralph believes is a good thing.
• [17:01] - In the near future, Ralph believes that if you do not have the most updated software, you will be denied access.
• [18:40] - At Tulane University, the program is designed to have graduates provide value to cybersecurity immediately.
• [20:44] - The separation of tech and cybersecurity from a company’s team is over.
• [22:35] - From a leader’s perspective, a data breach is also a loss of money.
• [23:31] - If you lose your company’s server, can you afford to be down for a week? Likely not.
• [25:08] - In the cloud does not always mean secure.
• [27:40] - Hacking is now being done by massive criminal organizations.
• [29:21] - Malware is coming from every direction.
• [32:27] - Responsible disclosure is extremely important.
• [34:05] - Your backup should not be in the same place as your primary location for stored data.
• [35:45] - Ralph shares his ideas on what cybersecurity governance will look like in the future.
• [37:33] - There are daily news stories of cyberattacks. Ralph shares an example.
• [39:33] - Phishing is still a huge problem, but awareness is being raised constantly to help.
• [41:06] - Cybercrime undermines a lot of the good that technology does. It reduces trust and introduces fear and confusion.
• [43:40] - Courses and resources are available no matter where you are.

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Data entry may seem boring, but you never know the story behind the information being entered and the patterns that emerge. Some data has distinctive characteristics that point towards fraudulent activities. Today’s guest is Leah Wietholter. Leah is the CEO and founder of Workman Forensics as well as the host of the Investigation Game Podcast. After working for the FBI, she has served as the Senior Certified Fraud Examiner in Tulsa and she currently volunteers as a treasurer for the Tulsa Crime Stoppers. With over 15 years of experience and more than 100 cases worked, Leah has honed her industry expertise to create the Data Sleuth Process, a scalable data-first approach to forensic accounting engagement and fraud investigations. 

• [1:03] - Welcome to the show, Leah! Leah shares her background and current role as founder of Workman Forensics.
• [2:08] - What sets Workman Forensics apart is their creative team and Investigation Games.
• [4:26] - Forensics accounting started becoming more common, but Leah shares how she became a part of the FBI accounting team.
• [6:13] - While in the FBI, she was heavily involved in data entry and also testified for grandy jury after Hurricane Katrina.
• [7:58] - Many times, fraud is determined simply by entering data and seeing patterns.
• [9:25] - Leah explains a tool developed by Workman Forensics to see anomalies within data that indicate fraud.
• [11:41] - By building up from this information, categories for fraud risk can easily be seen.
• [13:18] - Business owners need to know what money enters the business, what form of payment, who touches the money, and what money leaves the business.
• [14:29] - Pay close attention to your payroll reports.
• [16:04] - You need to also know what is normal for your business, then always look for things that look off.
• [17:31] - Chris shares an unusual statement he received and why it looked odd.
• [19:08] - People committing embezzlement typically pay themselves in even dollar amounts.
• [20:57] - Indicators allow investigators a more defined set of data to look at more closely.
• [22:46] - If the person in charge of your bookkeeping isn’t reconciling, you have a problem. Leah explains what reconciling is.
• [24:57] - You don’t always know how much money you have if you aren’t reconciling.
• [25:56] - Most scams have a lifespan of 18 months, but in these types of financial fraud cases, Leah says they last several years.
• [26:58] - When it comes to financial fraud, Leah says it can’t always be prevented but it is important to detect it quickly.
• [28:21] - When money comes into your business, a certain amount is already called for. The money stolen is the profit.
• [30:11] - You can limit access to accounts through your bank.
• [32:14] - Leah shares the story of the craziest case she worked on.
• [36:12] - In this case, someone was using their own legitimate business to launder money through fake vendors.
• [37:25] - Many people think that if a large sum is stolen that the money can be found somewhere, but in most cases, it has been spent.
• [40:18] - In Tulsa, where Leah is located, there are a lot of casinos but the majority of the embezzlement cases she has worked on are by people with shopping addictions.
• [42:31] - One of the suspicious behaviors for high risk is being loved by management but not by others.
• [44:24] - The feeling of betrayal is the most emotionally charged in these events.
• [45:13] - As the owner, make it a process to check things every month.
• [46:50] - A red flag could be if bookkeepers or accountants are defensive when you want to check things.

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In 2020 and 2021, the scam that impacted the largest number of people was done through online purchases. Either you or someone you know may very well have been scammed. Today’s guest is Melissa Trumpower. Melissa Trumpower is the Executive Director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the Educational Foundation of the Better Business Bureau. Melissa is the co-author of several research reports, including the BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, the BBB Online Purchase and Employment and Small Business Scam Reports. She has more than 30 years of leadership experience working with not-for-profit, has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s from John Hopkins University.  

• [1:01] - Welcome to the show, Melissa! Melissa shares her current role with BBB and the mission of the organization.
• [2:05] - Scam trackers from the BBB were created in 2015 to be really intentional and specific to track data on threats.
• [3:30] - Melissa explains why she was drawn to this position with BBB.
• [5:09] - Due to Covid, more people were online in 2020 and 2021 and online purchasing scams were the riskiest.
• [6:25] - The BBB utilizes a risk index that looks at more than just the most prevalent of scams.
• [7:23] - Online purchase scams don’t involve a lot of money per individual target, but they are riskiest because of how many of them are extremely believable.
• [8:37] - Online purchase scams are simple. You purchase an item from a website or an ad and you never receive the item.
• [9:45] - Be aware that you can come across fake websites in your web searches as well.
• [10:46] - Melissa shares things to look for in sites that you have never purchased from before.
• [11:56] - Don’t do anything rash especially if you feel like something is off.
• [13:03] - The method of payment can be a red flag.
• [14:21] - Crypto is also increasingly used in online purchase scams.
• [16:43] - Be very careful even when sending crypto to someone you know and be certain you are sending it to the right person.
• [17:04] - Employment scams are another top scam for the third year in a row.
• [19:24] - Employment scams average a loss of over $900 per target.
• [20:38] - Some job listings, especially on Craigslist, tend to be very vague and promising.
• [22:55] - The other two top scams are home improvement scams and investment scams.
• [24:24] - If you are investing money, do the research before making decisions. Melissa gives examples of what you can do to ensure safety.
• [27:25] - Scammers do sometimes also pose as legitimate companies.
• [28:02] - Don’t believe everything you see or read. Be cautious.
• [29:28] - Another element BBB is looking at is the non-financial impact of scams.
• [30:42] - The highest scam for susceptibility is the moving scam.
• [32:29] - Consumers often read reviews and it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a real or fake review.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. 

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