Easy Prey Podcast

Many people assume that scammers target older people. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Scammers go after everybody, regardless of your age, your education, how much money you have to lose, or anything else. But fraud watch organizations have a difficult time determining exactly how much scams are targeting any demographics. They can’t…

Moving your money around has never been easier. With online banking, mobile banking, and the proliferation of financial apps, you can move your money almost anywhere, often instantly. This technology is extremely convenient for us, the consumers. But unfortunately, it’s also extremely convenient for scammers. Banks and fraud have been locked in battle for a…

It’s truly not fair to ask, “didn’t these victims know better?” It’s not a matter of knowing better. Many very intelligent and wise people have been scammed. That’s a fact. Unlike Mr. Spock from Star Trek, we are not 100% logical and without human thoughts, experiences, feelings and reactions. We all have them.

This is a different kind of scam alert. It is a very important piece of advice that almost every guest on the “Easy Prey Podcast” has given: Anyone can get scammed because there is a scam out there for everyone.

The FBI is hunting the long haul trucker serial killers behind at least 850 murders along America’s highways. Sound like an episode of your favorite crime drama? It’s real, and it’s happening right now. These serial killers are out there, mostly targeting female sex trafficking victims. And the FBI is trying to track their behavior…

As technology has changed from postal mail to phone to fax to email, scammers’ tools have changed, too. And the recent rise of sophisticated AI apps that anyone can use has made their job even easier. Romance scams especially have taken advantage of this technology. And that means that the old ways of spotting scammers…

Fifty years ago, it wasn’t very common for employees to change jobs. Once they were hired, they tended to stay with the same company for their entire working career. But that’s not the case anymore. Employees are changing jobs much more regularly these days. When a new employee joins, they need to be able to…

Synthetic identity fraud takes pieces of information from real people and manipulates them so a criminal can pretend to be that person. It can be very effective if there aren’t methods to spot it. But even though there are scammer gangs constantly coming up with creative ways to abuse documentation and commit this kind of…

Imagine you’re booking a vacation. It’s a big trip, like a cruise or a tour. You’ve been saving up for it for a long time, and you found a great deal with a well-established, trusted tour company. But a week after you book your trip, the company goes bankrupt. It’s a nightmare. Do you have…

All businesses need cybersecurity. Attacks are happening fast and often, and if you’re not taking steps to reduce your risk, you’re leaving your business and your customers wide open to disaster. But it’s not just businesses that cybersecurity awareness protects. It also protects you and your family in your personal life. Whether you’re a business…

The media loves to sensationalize romance fraud and scams. Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings. Unless we’ve been a victim of one of these scams, many of us believe inaccurate or completely false things about them. And if we become victims, we discover that these misconceptions make finding support incredibly challenging.…

It’s easy to stereotype the kind of people you think would fall for a scam. But scammers know what they’re doing – and what they’re doing is using basic human emotions and desires against us. The principles of psychology behind scams means that all of us are vulnerable. When scammers are exploiting our own brains,…

A threat lurks in the shadows of every company and organization. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true. And that threat is insider fraud. It comes in various forms and can be difficult to spot or stop if you’re not on the watch for it and don’t have protections in place. And worse, many people don’t…

Why do some people get caught in scams that other people spot easily? How do smart, aware people fall for fraud? And why do scammers seem to be so good at convincing us to do things, even if we know they’re a bad idea? We brought in an expert to answer these questions. There are…

If you own or operate a business in some capacity, you’re probably already familiar with cybersecurity. You may already have a cybersecurity response plan, know to check tech like plugins and operating systems for updates, or even be running some pentesting. But have you planned for cyber resilience? If you answered “no,” you’re not alone.…

The world of technology is ever-changing. It can be hard for individuals, and even businesses, to keep up with new advancements and the benefits and risks they bring. But cybercriminals are determined to stay on top of everything. They continuously find new ways to use our technology against us, or even to exploit us directly.…

Supply chain risks mean that if one of your partners or their partners was breached, it could affect you.

Cryptocurrency has a bit of a reputation for being high risk and high reward. We’ve all heard stories about “Bitcoin millionaires” who turned a modest investment into millions with crypto. But many tokens and crypto exchanges have imploded over the past few years, causing many people to lose their life savings. If you’re considering cryptocurrency…

Unless you’re an accountant or tax preparer who loves the increase in clients this time of year, you’re probably not a huge fan of tax season. But scammers love it because it gives them the opportunity to do what they like to do most – defraud you. There’s a massive web of tax-related scams out…

A virtual kidnapping call can be terrifying – that’s why it’s important to be prepared in advance.

If someone asked you if you want the messages you send and receive to be private, you’d probably say “yes.” Most of us want at least some degree of privacy with our messages. Some of us even choose messaging apps with disappearing messages or other guarantees of complete privacy. But in the evolving landscape of…