Love, Lies and Locked Up

What sounds like the plot of a crime thriller was Sharon Armstrong’s real life. An online romance drew her into an elaborate web of lies involving overseas contracts, invented emergencies, and several people playing carefully planned roles. By the time she arrived at an airport in Argentina with five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside her suitcase, she still believed she was carrying business documents for the man she loved.
Convincing Deepfakes

A familiar voice on the phone or a recognizable face on a video call used to offer some reassurance that you knew who you were dealing with. Voice cloning, face swaps, and real-time video impersonation now allow scammers to convincingly pose as executives, job candidates, romantic interests, or even family members. Understanding how these attacks work and where they may be headed is a central part of Tom Cross’s work as Head of Threat Research at GetReal Security.
The Global Scam Battle with David Bittner

Cybercrime continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, with attackers running their operations much like businesses. From ransomware gangs with customer support desks to AI-generated phishing campaigns that erase traditional red flags, scams are becoming harder to detect and stop. In this episode, David Bittner, host of the CyberWire Daily Podcast, shares his perspective on […]
Protecting Parents with Terri Proctor

Sometimes people only share their stories after they’ve gone through a challenging time. But it’s also important to learn from those in the middle of a scam to learn how people are manipulated and how vulnerable our loved ones can really be.
Next Gen Romance Scams with Anna Rowe

Scammers have gone from postal mail and faxes to email and phone calls where you never see the person, but now with AI, you can even have a live video call that seems completely real with deep fake technology. It’s no longer safe to just see a person, but there are other things you can do to know if you’re communicating with the individual they claim to be.
Today’s guest is Anna Rowe. Anna is the founder of Catch the Catfish and co-founder of LoveSaid. She is a Subject Matter Expert in Romance Fraud and Victim Support.
World Romance Scam Prevention Day with Bryan Denny

Today’s guests are Kathy Waters and Bryan Denny. Kathy Waters is an expert advocate and an educator on the subject of online romance scams. Kathy is co-founder, along with retired Colonel Bryan Denny, of the non-profit organization Advocating Against Romance Scammers. Both have been working for safer platforms since 2016 with the same goals in mind: justice for victims and educating all online of the cybercrime known to tear people down emotionally, psychologically, and financially. They are now the organizers of World Romance Scam Prevention Day on October 3rd.
Call Center Scams with Ben Taylor

Very few people fall for the Nigerian prince scam these days because it has been so well exposed. However, devious criminals keep looking for new ways to package their deception so it goes undetected. Today’s guest is Ben Taylor. Ben is the creator of the popular YouTube channel Pleasant Green. His videos exposing various internet scams have been watched tens of millions of times. His goal is to help get scammers out of their current role not only by exposing the scam but by helping some of them find ways of providing for their families without cheating people.
Catfishing with David McClellan

Today’s guest is David McClellan. David was an internet marketer and website builder for over ten years. He ran and executed SEO strategies for CNET where he added 1.4 billion visitors to the portfolio. He branched out as a visionary and entrepreneur 6 years ago when he created SocialCatfish.com. His website became the fastest growing company in Riverside, California and is an Inc 500 company.
Tracking Scammers with Wayne May

Wayne May shares how he helps real-world victims of those scams and he has participated in taking down criminal enterprises. He began as a scam baiter in 2005 before concentrating and helping the victims of scams. Wayne shares his many experiences working with email scams, sextortion, and romance scams. We also discuss specific things you can look for when receiving a spammy email and how to research and check it out for yourself.