Karen Johnson is a catfisher-turned-scam avoidance coach turned–you guessed it–catfishing victim. The scam that got her is a classic, opening the door to a Pandora’s Box of the usual advice about avoiding the most common scams out there. But the thing that really got us thinking is the role AI played in almost every aspect of this week’s show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 98: Karen Johnson’s Scam Project Is a Teachable Moment for AI

"What the Hack with Adam Levin" is the award-winning weekly true cybercrime podcast--the place for hear memorable stories and get good advice.

True crime

Beth sent more than $26,000 to a man she met on Tinder. It was a romance scam, but one that brought complex storytelling, nuanced psychology and even acting skills to bear in a way that shocked even us. Check out this week’s episode to hear just how “good” romance scammers can be.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 148: Beth Should Have Dated the IT Guy

Kara Swisher has been covering Silicon Valley since the early days, and she’s made a ton of enemies the old fashioned way (by telling the truth about the new robber barons of our digital lives). In a new memoir called Burn Book, she pulls the curtain back on a world run by powerful babies.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 147: Kara Swisher Calls Out the Man Babies of Big Tech

Elizabeth Warren put the kibosh on bad banking practices with her vision for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and now, with the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act, she’s taking on Big Data. She joined us to talk about reigning in the Wild West of online life.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 146: Elizabeth Warren Tackles Big Tech

Becky Holmes loves DMing with scammers. When it comes to romance scammers, she will do whatever it takes, pursuing them to the great delight of her fans on social media. From flings with A-listers to the lantern-jawed soldier with a heart of gold, Becky's on a mission to unravel the weird world of online swindler love. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 145: Becky Holmes Knows Who *Isn’t* Dating Keanu Reeves

Erin West is the Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County, California, and the founder of Project Shamrock. Whether she’s prosecuting eye-popping SIM-swap money grabs or putting large-scale pig butchering operations out of business, her stories and experience can help you stay safer.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 98: Karen Johnson’s Scam Project Is a Teachable Moment for AI

Download our free app to listen on your phone