Easy Prey Chris Parker

The media loves sensationalized romance scams, but we need to understand that anyone can be emotionally seduced and it's not just the lonely. No one is off limits to being targeted, no matter the age, status, or career. And the impact is far greater than just financial.
Today’s guest is Becky Holmes. Becky is the creator and voice behind the popular Twitter account Death to Spinach. Becky’s book Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You looks at all aspects of romance fraud, from the heartbreaking to the hilarious, the academic to the anecdotal, and discusses where we’ve gone wrong in dealing with those affected.
Show Notes:
[1:08] - Becky runs a Twitter account where she spends a lot of time wasting the time of romance fraudsters.
[2:38] - An unintended consequence of messing with fraudsters, Becky became a sounding board to victims of romance fraud.
[4:56] - Once you engage with a fraudster, your name is put on a “sucker list.”
[6:13] - Becky explains what romance fraud is.
[7:22] - Victims of romance fraud are generally assumed to be lonely, middle-aged women, which is a stereotype.
[8:27] - The media sensationalizes victim stories, but this could happen to anyone.
[9:53] - There’s not a lot of services and support for victims of romance fraud.
[11:40] - The damage extends farther than the financial loss.
[13:43] - When it comes to scams, we focus so much on a victim “falling for it” which implies that they are somehow complicit.
[16:31] - Becky describes an experience she had as a victim of fraud.
[18:19] - Coercive control is at the center of all types of romance fraud.
[19:56] - Becky explains confirmation bias and its prevalence in all types of scams.
[21:25] - Romance fraud is really hard to deal with because it involves the heart.
[22:43] - Becky shares how scammers usually start conversation and how they navigate getting you on a different app.
[26:44] - In addition to social media and dating apps, fraudsters also send messages on online games.
[28:07] - Another common technique is for scammers to pretend to be a celebrity.
[31:24] - A very successful tactic is when fraudsters pretend to be a part of a charity.
[34:18] - Becky explains the inspiration behind the title of her recent book.
[35:56] - We should be looking out for our friends and family.
[37:21] - If we see something happen, how can we help someone?

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Death to Spinach on Twitter

We can easily stereotype those we believe are susceptible to a scam. But the scammers are keeping up with current events and are prepared to take advantage of our basic human emotions. The impact of these frauds is underreported due to the shame and embarrassment. 
Today’s guest is Alan Castel. Alan is a Psychology professor at The University of California Los Angeles. He studies learning, memory, fraud, and aging. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Time Magazine. He recently published a book entitled Better With Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging.
Show Notes:
[1:08] - Alan shares his background and what he focuses on as a psychologist.
[3:33] - We are all susceptible to scams, regardless of the stereotypes.
[5:50] - Scams focus on our human nature of trying to make sense of the world and our emotional brain. Scams prey on our basic emotions.
[7:34] - Scams are tailor made to expose our vulnerabilities.
[8:50] - Some scams are situational and can be completely believable.
[10:05] - There are people who are much more vulnerable to scams, but it’s not based on stereotypes.
[12:48] - Education and awareness can come from podcasts like this, but it also needs to come from people who have experienced a scam.
[15:33] - Although scams don’t only target older adults, the elderly tend to be more susceptible to scams that target their need to help others.
[18:19] - There are some phrases that aren’t always recognized as false because they sound scientific.
[20:48] - There are websites and organizations that support scam victims, and it is highly recommended that you report anything that happens.
[22:32] - Alan admits that he has fallen victim to a scam on a website, entering his credit card information to purchase something.
[26:37] - Alan describes a reinforcement schedule, which is a psychological tactic to build relationships.
[28:10] - Scams are clever and Alan sees their potential to use psychological principles to part people from their money.
[32:30] - How does memory play a role in scam vulnerability?
[35:05] - Alan describes the “foot in the door” technique.
[37:02] - It comes down to curiosity as human nature.
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Alan Castel at UCLA
Alan Castel on LinkedIn

In this episode, we’re shining a light on a pervasive threat that often lurks in the shadows of corporate environments: insider fraud. We’ll explore the insidious nature of insider threats, the various forms they can take, and most importantly, how organizations can arm themselves with knowledge and strategies to mitigate these risks effectively.
Today’s guest is Claire Mailet. Claire is an award-winning financial crime prevention expert and has worked in the field for over ten years. In her spare time, Claire assists universities in the UK to support staff and students who stammer and she’s currently undertaking a part time Ph.D at the University of Portsmouth, looking at internal fraud in FinTechs.
Show Notes:
[1:05] - Claire shares her background and what she does now in her career.
[5:18] - The growth of counter-fraud in academia has increased in the last few years.
[6:31] - Insider fraud is a type of fraud that isn’t really well known right now. It is under researched and underestimated.
[7:59] - When people think about fraud, they think about the customer. They will very rarely think about people on the inside.
[9:09] - What is insider fraud?
[10:13] - An underestimated form of insider fraud is when employees who leave a company aren’t removed from internal systems and still have access.
[12:50] - Organizations need to have vetting measures in place at the time of onboarding to ensure fraud is not committed on a CV.
[15:18] - The more in depth you can go, the more safe and secure you are.
[16:41] - Deterrents get lost when prevention is focused on.
[18:35] - Cost is a real issue for many companies.
[21:35] - Companies need to get on board with the idea of having things in place for protection.
[23:40] - Current employees working from home can be a risk to data.
[27:07] - It doesn’t matter how ethical and good someone is.
[30:22] - In a lot of startups and small businesses, business owners will hire best friends or family members over someone who can best do the job.
[33:50] - What could someone’s motivation be to commit insider fraud?
[36:30] - There are a lot of different ways to commit insider fraud, such as falsified time sheets and information on a resume.
[38:42] - For every possible way a person can commit fraud, there needs to be something in place. Owners need to think through these possibilities.
[40:27] - The whole business needs to be involved in the education and prevention of fraud.
[42:20] - It is common for employees to think that if “fraud” is not in their job title, they don’t have to worry about it.
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Claire Maillet on LinkedIn
Fraudible Podcast

Understanding our cognitive biases can help us realize that we sometimes are too trusting of emails, texts, or calls from someone we perceive to be an authority. Today’s guest is Martina Dove. Martina is a researcher with a fervent passion for fraud prevention. Her expertise focuses on persuasion, scam techniques, and individual characteristics that make people susceptible to fraud. She is passionate about fighting fraud by teaching people how to spot scammer techniques and has recently published a book on fraud psychology.
Show Notes:
[0:50] - Martina shares her background in cybersecurity and what she does in her career now.
[1:56] - Martina learned a lot about techniques scammers use by noticing cognitive bias.
[3:27] - Through interviews with scam victims, Martina learned that it is not always the case that victims are just gullible. She has also been scammed.
[5:48] - One of the scales that Martina developed is about how people perceive authority and how gullible they think they are.
[7:03] - There are five fraud vulnerability factors: compliance, impulsivity, decision time, vigilance, and the belief in justice.
[9:57] - Somebody who follows rules more than breaks them, there’s a persuasion technique that scammers use to dupe them.
[11:19] - We tend to rationalize why bad things happen to other people.
[13:06] - When we are under visceral influence, we lose our ability to reason.
[15:42] - Some scams evoke social norms, especially in charity scams and fake social media posts.
[19:06] - Scammers are always one step ahead.
[21:37] - A good scammer will go a long way to support their story.
[23:20] - Websites are very believable. How can you tell when one is legitimate?
[24:36] - Fraud situations are complicated because no two human beings will be the same.
[26:44] - Even if you have to lie, make it a rule for yourself to not make a decision right away.
[29:20] - Scams work because humans are vulnerable and can be persuaded.
[30:47] - Martina describes the way scammers control the conversation with a victim.
[33:51] - The grooming component of fraud is hard to break.
[35:17] - Prevention is always better than intervention.
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Martina Dove’s Website
Martina Dove on LinkedIn
The Psychology of Fraud, Persuasion, and Scam Techniques by Martina Dove

The tech world is ever-changing and it can be difficult to keep up. As businesses and individuals, it's important to remember to keep your software up to date and apply patches as they are released. Today’s guest is John Hammond. John is a cybersecurity researcher, educator, and content creator. As part of the Adversary Tactics Teams at Huntress, John spends his days analyzing malware and making hackers earn their access. He is an online YouTube personality showcasing program tutorials, malware analysis, dark web threats, and other cybersecurity content.
Show Notes:
[1:01] - John shares his role at Huntress and his side work as a YouTuber that creates content to help educate people about cybersecurity.
[2:26] - John explains how he found himself in cybersecurity as a career.
[4:10] - He hasn’t been a victim of a scam, but in his pursuit of catching hackers in the act, he has certainly been a target.
[5:25] - What is doxxing and how can someone track down your information?
[7:23] - When popular software is compromised, it is a really big deal.
[9:22] - There’s a balance between companies releasing information about a threat and that information causing more damage.
[13:17] - It is so important to update software and patch right away.
[15:22] - Consumers are not always on the lookout for patches and updates. It’s crucial for companies to relay this information.
[17:49] - One tactic for hackers is the use of remote software to access devices.
[19:37] - It is best practice to not allow anyone to use your computer.
[21:28] - Since 2020, there has been an increase in people working from home, which means that company devices are now out of their safety and control.
[23:54] - John describes the People’s Call Center collaboration and the mission of bringing the fight back to scammers.
[25:28] - John explains some of the tricks he has used to social engineer the scammers right back.
[29:43] - The experience of keeping someone from being scammed or even just making a scammer’s life more difficult was rewarding for John.
[31:09] - What is the dark web?
[35:09] - John shares why he interacts on the dark web to research and learn how threat actors operate.
[39:02] - By researching on the dark web, John has learned a lot about how cybercriminals work and think.
[41:01] - Some of the ways cybercriminals work are better and more successful than some legitimate businesses and startups.

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John Hammond on YouTube
John Hammond on LinkedIn

As businesses embrace digital transformation and rely on interconnected networks for their operations, the vulnerabilities within the digital supply chain become increasingly apparent. From data breaches to third party vulnerabilities, the threats are multi-faceted and ever-evolving.
Today’s guest is Kevin Kumpf. Kevin has more than 20 years of IT Security and Compliance experience including over 10 years of cybersecurity, governance, and critical infrastructure experience working in the energy, medical manufacturing, transportation, and fedramp realms. 
Show Notes:
[0:54] - Kevin shares what he does in his current role and his background in the industry.
[3:38] - He began his career in cybersecurity at a time when cybersecurity was not a priority.
[4:30] - Scammers target anyone and everyone. Even Kevin has been a victim.
[6:53] - It comes down to ownership.
[8:19] - Know your baseline and who is responsible.
[10:07] - Kevin makes an analogy to help us better understand the supply chain.
[12:30] - Most of the time, people don’t know where and how their data is being transferred back and forth.
[14:12] - You trust a process and then when something breaks, how do you find out about it?
[17:01] - Kevin describes an example of observing an organization’s work and discovering crypto mining.
[19:51] - What should be asked about the organization’s environment?
[21:34] - Think about all the things you use regularly that are connected to something. Now expand that thinking to companies and businesses.
[23:27] - Where do all of these components come from?
[26:47] - Kevin points out the challenges in the cybersecurity legislature.
[28:46] - Ask questions and accept the answers. Determine what is acceptable risk.
[31:22] - The trickle down of data is really what the supply chain is.
[33:17] - Kevin shares some information about articles for further reading on this topic as well as some interesting numbers about recent breaches.
[35:48] - If you don’t know what is normal, you won’t know what is abnormal. This is why knowing the baseline is so important.

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Cyolo Website
Kevin Kumpf on LinkedIn