Text scams are everywhere - and they’re getting more personal, more believable, and more creative. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast, Executive Producer Doug Taylor interviews Mike and Mark as they examine real scam texts they’ve received personally. From fake wedding invitations and “wrong number” messages to property-buying offers, insurance pitches, and suspicious links, they break down how scammers try to start a conversation and how easily these messages can pull someone in.

The team reviews each message, discusses the warning signs, and even rates how likely someone might be to click, respond, or fall for the setup. It’s a practical, eye-opening conversation about how scammers use curiosity, urgency, and familiarity to get your attention - and what you can do to protect yourself before one innocent-looking text turns into something much worse.

The Protectors Podcast - Protecting What's Yours

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

This week on The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark sit down with nationally known investigative reporter John Solomon - who also happens to be Mark’s brother - for a timely conversation about the growing state of fraud, corruption, and abuse in our country. John has spent his career exposing wrongdoing, following the facts, and shining a light on systems that too often go unchecked. In this episode, he explains why fraud is not just a government or law enforcement problem - it is something that affects every taxpayer, every community, and every citizen.

Whether it is government waste, benefit fraud, corruption, or suspicious activity hiding in plain sight, John reminds us that everyday people can play an important role in protecting their communities. This is an important episode for anyone who cares about accountability, integrity, and protecting what belongs to the American people.

The Protectors Podcast - Empowering People, Exposing Fraud.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Just The News Podcast: https://justthenews.com/podcasts

Just The News LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/just-the-news/posts/?feedView=all

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

Today on The Protectors Podcast, we come to you from the 2025 IAFCI Conference in Oklahoma, where Mark sits down solo for a fast-moving conversation with members of the Wichita Task Force. These law enforcement officers specialize in retail theft investigations, but their focus goes far beyond small-time shoplifting - they’re targeting organized, professional retail theft crews operating on a much larger scale. The task force shares how they work with retailers, track patterns, build cases, and coordinate strategies to identify and arrest the criminals behind these operations. It’s a sharp, fun conversation with a team that clearly knows how to work together - and how to get results.

The Protectors Podcast - Where Awareness Turns Into Action.

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

This week on The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark sit down with Susan Sommerville, an Enrolled Agent whose work led her into a heartbreaking case of financial exploitation. Sue’s story is a powerful reminder that fraud doesn’t always start with a suspicious email or a bad investment — sometimes it begins with loneliness, trust, and the hope of finding love again.

On this episode, we look at how romance scams devastate victims, how professionals can spot the warning signs, and why protecting yourself and others often starts with simply paying attention.

The Protectors Podcast - Helping You Spot the Red Flags

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Sue Sommerville LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-sommerville-2ab1549b/

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

Romance scams are among the most personal and devastating forms of fraud - because the criminal isn’t just after money. They’re after trust.

In this episode of The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark sit down with two powerful voices on the front lines of this issue. Kate Kleinert shares how she went from victim to advocate after experiencing a romance scam firsthand. Cassandra Dessureau-O'Hara, a licensed therapist with years of experience working with cases like this, brings insight into the emotional manipulation, victim impact, and warning signs families should understand.

This episode is about more than red flags. It’s about recovery, resilience, and what happens when victims find their voice.

The Protectors Podcast - Where Trust Meets the Truth.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Cassandra Dessureau-O'Hara: https://www.mjabehavioralhealthandwellness.com/cassandra-dessureau-ohara-lpc

Kate Kleinert LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kleinert-ofs-77a3a85/

AARP: https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

This week on The Protectors Podcast, Mark and Mike are joined by Rudy Meola, a leading voice in the world of auto title fraud. From sophisticated vehicle fraud schemes impacting banks and lenders to everyday consumers being misled in private sales, the risks are growing fast. Rudy breaks down how these scams work, who’s being targeted, and why they’re becoming more common. He also shares key red flags and practical tips to help protect both industry professionals and the public. If you’ve ever bought, sold, or financed a vehicle, this is one you don’t want to miss.

The Protectors Podcast - Where Fraud Meets Its Match.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Rudy Meola LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-meola-24432343

Meola Law: https://www.meolalaw.com/our-team/

NMVTIS: https://www.aamva.org/technology/systems/vehicle-systems/nmvtis

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

On today’s episode of The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark sit down with Shawn Loveland to uncover one of the most dangerous risks facing organizations today—insider threats. From trusted employees to “trusted bad actors,” Shawn breaks down how threats from within are costing companies billions every year and why they’re often the hardest to detect. From dark web investigations to uncovering hidden digital footprints, this episode pulls back the curtain on a threat most people never see coming.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Shawn Loveland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-loveland

Resecurity: https://www.resecurity.com/

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing the world, it’s changing how fraud works. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark sit down with Connor Heaton, Program Manager at CivAI, to explore how AI is already being used to power the next generation of scams, deepfakes, and highly personalized social engineering attacks.

From voice cloning and video deepfakes to AI-generated phishing campaigns that eliminate traditional red flags, Connor breaks down how quickly the threat landscape is evolving - and why many of the warning signs we’ve relied on for years are disappearing. We also dive into where these tools are coming from, who is most at risk right now, and what individuals, financial institutions, and law enforcement can do to stay ahead.

This isn’t a conversation about the future. It’s happening right now. And the question is no longer if AI will impact fraud, it’s how prepared are we when it does.

The Protectors Podcast - Protection From the Frauds You Never See Coming.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Connor Heaton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connorheaton/

CivAI Website: https://civai.org/

Google: "AI Misuse/Threat Reports"

Links to the latest Misuse Reports:

https://www.anthropic.com/news/disrupting-AI-espionagehttps://cdn.openai.com/pdf/df438d70-e3fe-4a6c-a403-ff632def8f79/disrupting-malicious-uses-of-ai.pdfhttps://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/distillation-experimentation-integration-ai-adversarial-use?e=48754805

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

March Madness brings more than buzzer-beaters and busted brackets — it’s also one of the biggest sports betting moments of the year. In this episode of The Protectors Podcast, Mike and Mark welcome back Dr. Declan Hill, a leading researcher and author who has spent years studying the global sports betting industry, for a follow-up conversation about the forces shaping modern wagering. From the rise of micro-betting to the reality of frictionless gambling on our phones, Declan explains how technology and massive betting markets are changing the landscape of sports faster than most fans realize. As March Madness captures the nation’s attention, this conversation is more relevant than ever.

The Protectors Podcast - Protection From the Frauds You Never See Coming.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Dr. Declan Hill LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/declanhill/

Dr. Declan Hill - Substack: https://declanhill.substack.com/?utm_source=discover_search

Crime Waves Podcast: https://www.crimewavespodcast.com/home

Gamblers Anonymous: https://gamblersanonymous.org/

National Problem Gambling Helpline: https://www.ncpgambling.org

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

This episode of The Protectors Podcast is a tough one. Today, Mike and Mark welcome back Bernie — a past guest who bravely shared how he was targeted in a romance scam. Now he’s back… because it happened again. How does this happen twice, and why do these schemes succeed — even when we believe we’re smarter than the last attempt?

Also joining us is licensed professional counselor Cassandra O’Hara, who helps break down the psychological side of romance fraud — why it’s so powerful, how manipulation works, and what Bernie — and anyone listening — can do moving forward. Because romance scams aren’t about being foolish. They’re about being human.

The Protectors Podcast - Helping You Spot the Scam Before It Starts.

GUEST CONTACT INFO:

Cassandra Dessureau-O'Hara: https://www.mjabehavioralhealthandwellness.com/cassandra-dessureau-ohara-lpc

IC3.gov: https://www.ic3.gov/

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IAFCI CONTACT INFO:

IAFCI Website: https://iafci.org/

Phone: 916-939-5000

Advertising Opportunities and Guest Appearance: [email protected]

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• IAFCI
• University of Bridge
• Sacred Heart University
• National Board of Certified Counselors
• American Counseling Association
• Connecticut Counseling Association