The psychology behind scams – why cybersecurity is about people, not tech
From Cross-Examined by The Law Institute of Victoria
May 4, 2026 · 22 min · Season 1 · Episode 6
About this episode
Dr James Carlopio discusses how psychological factors contribute to cybersecurity breaches and offers insights for legal practitioners.
Episode Summary: Most cyber breaches are not technology failures. They are psychological successes. In this episode, cybersecurity psychology takes centre stage as Dr James Carlopio explains how scammers exploit human instinct, habit and urgency, and what lawyers can do to build safer cyber cultures. Guest: Dr James Carlopio, psychologist and co-founder, Cultural Cyber Security PhD in organisational psychology Expert in cyber psychology, social engineering and cultural approaches to cyber risk https://au.linkedin.com/in/jamescarlopio https://www.culturalcybersecurity.com/james-carlopio-ccs Host: Jayne Gurton, Law Institute of Victoria podcasts@liv.asn.au | https://www.linkedin.com/company/law-institute-of-victoria Episode Overview: Cybersecurity psychology explains why most breaches occur even in organisations with strong technical controls. In this episode, Dr James Carlopio explores how social engineering, phishing scams and AI-driven deepfakes exploit hardwired human instincts rather than technical weaknesses. Drawing on real-world examples, James explains why awareness alone is not enough, and why behaviour change requires skills, repetition and cultural leadership. Legal…
People in this episode
Host: Jayne Gurton
Guest: Dr James Carlopio
Topics covered
- cybersecurity psychology
- social engineering
- phishing scams
- human behavior
- cyber risk management
- legal practice
Keywords
- cybersecurity
- scams
- human instinct
- behavior change
- social engineering
- phishing
- cyber culture
- legal practice
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cultural Cyber Security, Law Institute of Victoria
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