Easy Prey

Job hunting is hard enough without having to stop and ask whether the recruiter in your inbox is even real. My guest today, Jay Jones, ran into that problem firsthand after being laid off in December 2023. With his daughter due to be born just weeks later, Jay began receiving messages from recruiters that looked promising at first, but quickly turned out to be fake. Jay, also known as The Profiler, decided not to ignore what was happening. He started investigating the patterns behind these scams and has since identified and helped remove thousands of fake profiles, fraudulent companies, and deceptive job postings from LinkedIn. His work now helps job seekers, businesses, and executives understand how fake recruiters operate and how much damage these scams can do. In this episode, we discuss how fake recruiting scams work, why public resumes and the "Open to Work" banner can make job seekers easier targets, and what red flags to watch for before responding. We also talk about fake background checks, resume-writing scams, equipment-check schemes, one-way interview risks, fake applicants, and practical ways to verify opportunities before sharing personal information. Show Notes: [0055] Jay Jones introduces his work as The Profiler and explains how he helps companies and job seekers protect themselves from fake recruiters, fake jobs, impersonation, and online risk. [01:23] Jay shares how being laid off in December 2023 led him to LinkedIn, where he quickly realized many of the recruiters contacting him were not real. [02:20] Fake recruiters often outnumber legitimate outreach because scam operations have dedicated teams sending generic messages around the clock. [03:23] The goal behind many fake recruiter messages is to collect personal data, steal money, or gather enough information to impersonate someone. [06:00] Scammers layer different tactics together, including fake background checks, resume-writing referrals, equipment-check scams, and fraudulent vendors. [07:40] The "Open to Work" banner can make job seekers easier targets because it signals vulnerability and invites unsolicited outreach. [08:36] Checking your inbox can quickly expose a fake recruiter who claims to have received an application you never actually submitted. [10:16] Job seekers need to stay vigilant by treating each opportunity as potentially risky until they can verify the recruiter, company, and posting. [11:06] Red flags include minimal connections, no company-related posts, no digital footprint, and recruiter profiles that only seem to exist on LinkedIn. [12:01] Email domains matter, especially when someone claims to work for a major company but contacts you from Gmail, Outlook, AOL, or another unrelated address. [13:26] Scam operations can involve people and organizations across multiple countries, with different levels of sophistication depending on the type of scheme. [14:44] Legitimate recruiters are paid by companies to find candidates, not by job seekers through resume-writing side businesses or upfront fees. [16:09] Engagement pods and fake online credibility can make scammers look more legitimate than they are by inflating likes, comments, and followers. [17:16] Fake job postings often include copied descriptions, formatting errors, unrealistic salaries, conflicting remote-work details, or buried instructions to email outside the platform. [18:42] Requests for credit checks or background checks before an interview or offer are major warning signs, even though some legitimate jobs may require checks later in the process. [19:21] Fake interviews can be used to collect personal information, record a candidate's face or voice, or gather intelligence about a previous employer. [20:53] Fake job offers often move unusually fast, rely only on email or chat, and may include equipment-check schemes designed to steal money and card information. [22:14] Asking detailed questions about benefits, recent hires, or company procedures can disrupt scammers because they often rely on prepared scripts. [23:36] Companies also face fake applicants, especially in technical and engineering roles where scammers may be trying to gain access to systems or data. [25:13] Anyone who has shared sensitive information with a fake employer should freeze their credit, set up alerts, and consider whether their phone number or personal data has been compromised. [26:18] Using a dedicated job-search email and a separate phone number can create a safer barrier between recruiting activity and personal information. [27:17] Jay describes why he began reporting fake profiles and job postings, and why he expected platforms to take the problem more seriously. [29:25] Jay discusses his ongoing friction with LinkedIn over fake job postings, scraped positions, and shell operations that insert themselves into the application process. [31:33] Jay shares his own experience with identity theft after discovering that a credit card had been opened in his name when he was young. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest The Profiler Jay Jones - LinkedIn Jones, do you copy?

Technology keeps changing, but many of the most effective scams still come down to something very human: trust. My guest today is Tony Sales, co-founder of We Fight Fincrime and Underworld TV. Tony has a perspective most people in fraud prevention will never have. Earlier in his life, he was involved in organized financial crime and was once described in the UK press as Britain's greatest fraudster. After years in that world, and after serving time in prison, Tony made the decision to use what he knew to help stop the very crimes he had once been part of. Today, Tony works with financial institutions, governments, law enforcement, and major organizations to help them better understand fraud, social engineering, money laundering, and cybercrime. In this conversation, he explains why criminals are often so effective at exploiting human behavior, why security training can miss the real-world ways scams unfold, and why friction is not always a bad thing when it helps protect people from devastating losses. We also talk about the role of leaked data, call center scams, deepfakes, banking safeguards, and why consumers and organizations both need to think differently about fraud prevention. Tony's message is direct: criminals adapt quickly, and if we want to defend against them, we need to understand how they think. Show Notes: [01:25] Tony Sales shares his background as a former UK fraudster and explains how he now works through We Fight Fincrime to help people understand money laundering, online safety, and human vulnerability. [03:04] Tony describes being drawn into crime as a child, beginning with small thefts before gradually moving into sponsorship scams, credit card fraud, and cloned debit cards. [06:10] After getting caught for identity theft and spending years as a fugitive, Tony explains how prison and seeing the impact on his family became a turning point in his life. [08:35] How organized crime operates like a business, with different people handling IDs, fraud schemes, fake watches, mortgage fraud, and professional connections. [11:40] Why criminal networks rely on trusted introductions, insulation, and layers of separation to protect the people at the top. [14:30] Tony explains how criminals adapt in the moment, use confidence to avoid suspicion, and often rely on talking their way out of situations instead of escalating them. [18:20] The difference between how criminals and security professionals think, including why criminals are not limited by the same rules, checklists, or assumptions. [21:35] Tony discusses how childhood experiences, ADHD, and a lack of structure contributed to the way he viewed rules and boundaries. [24:00] Social engineering is not always dramatic or technical; Tony explains how believable stories, ordinary behavior, and quick adaptation can be more effective than elaborate tactics. [26:45] How call center scams combine scripts with salesmanship, emotional pressure, and real-time responses to keep victims engaged. [29:33] Tony explains why leaked data remains valuable for criminals and how even a name and phone number can be enough to build a convincing attack. [31:43] The conversation turns to personal and organizational protection, including Tony's belief that people need to "patch" the human operating system. [34:20] Why fraud awareness training often fails when it is boring, generic, or disconnected from people's everyday consumer lives. [36:16] An example of a bank adding friction to an international wire transfer, and Tony explains why friction can protect people from major losses. [38:30] Tony discusses the tension between fast, frictionless transactions and stronger safeguards that may slow people down but reduce fraud risk. [41:03] AI, deepfakes, and impersonation scams raise new challenges, but Tony emphasizes the importance of live verification and using common sense. [43:24] What consumers should understand about bank security, shared responsibility, and why no system can remove every risk. [46:00] Everyday data requests, such as hotels asking for passport copies, can create long-term privacy and fraud risks if that information is mishandled. [47:48] Tony discusses online safety, young people, and why banning access to social media may create new vulnerabilities instead of solving the underlying problem. [50:15] Why learning from former criminals, hackers, and people who understand real-world attacks can help organizations defend themselves more effectively. [52:30] Tony explains why companies need more security talent, stronger resources, and boards that understand the scale of modern fraud and cybercrime threats. [54:32] Tony shares where listeners can find him online and learn more about We Fight Fincrime. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest We Fight Fincrime Tony Sales - LinkedIn Underworld TV The Big Con: How I Stole £30 Million And Got Away With It

Everyday conveniences ask for tiny pieces of information all the time like a phone number at checkout, a zip code at the register, an email address for a receipt, or a loyalty account for a small discount. At the moment, it can feel harmless. But those small details can add up quickly, creating a personal profile that businesses, data brokers, scammers, and even people with bad intentions can use in ways most of us never agreed to or fully understood. My guest today is Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall by Incogni. Ron is an online privacy expert, speaker, and author who has helped the judiciary, law enforcement, and public agencies protect personnel by removing personal data from online sources. Since founding the company in 2011, the proactive strategies he developed have helped protect thousands of at-risk professionals, including judges, police officers, public officials, executives, and others who face real-world threats when their private information is exposed. We talk about why your mobile number has become one of the most valuable identifiers companies can collect, how everyday purchases can reveal more than you think, and why scammers are often looking for the easiest target rather than the hardest one. Ron also shares practical ways to reduce your exposure, from questioning why a business needs your information to using aliases, opting out of data sharing, and removing personal details from online databases. The goal is not to vanish from the world, but to make yourself harder to find, harder to profile, and harder to exploit. Show Notes: [01:12] Ron Zayas explains how Ironwall by Incogni protects the privacy of individuals ranging from Supreme Court justices and police officers to corporate executives and everyday consumers. [04:18] How even a simple pizza order can reveal patterns about a person's life, including family structure, work schedule, and daily routines. [07:43] We talk about how selling personal data became its own revenue stream, sometimes making customer information more profitable than the original product or service. [10:41] Practical privacy habits come into focus, including removing registration cards from cars, questioning why businesses need certain information, and refusing to provide details that are not necessary. [13:17] A real-world scam example shows how urgency, voice recordings, and personal details gathered from social media can quickly override someone's judgment. [16:24] We discuss email aliases and phone aliases as tools for limiting exposure and tracking which companies may be sharing or selling personal information. [19:28] How personal data can become dangerous beyond marketing, especially when sensitive purchase patterns or location information can be tied to legal, medical, or personal risks. [22:19] How GPS data can be filtered by home and work locations to reveal a person's daily route, stops, habits, and family routines. [25:39] The data broker industry is described as a massive business, with profiles that can contain thousands of data points about a single person. [28:42] We talk about how privacy habits become easier with practice and why reducing the amount of available information makes someone a harder target. [31:17] How much effort people should realistically expect to put into protecting their information, starting with prevention and asking how little information a company actually needs. [34:13] Practical ways to reduce transaction tracking include using chip cards, virtual credit card numbers, deletion requests, and opt-out forms from financial institutions. [37:28] The conversation shifts to Ironwall's higher-risk work protecting people who may face physical danger, including judges, police officers, elected officials, executives, and domestic violence victims. [40:09] The difference between Incogni and Ironwall becomes clear, with Incogni focused on consumer privacy concerns and Ironwall focused on people who need stronger protection from real-world threats. [42:17] We talk about "suckers lists" and how people who have already been scammed may become targets for recovery scams and follow-up fraud. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Ron Zayas - Ironwall by Incogni Ironwall Ron Zayas - LinkedIn

Investment losses can be confusing because they do not always tell the whole story. Sometimes money is lost because the market has changed. Other times, an investor was sold something they did not understand, pushed into a product that was never appropriate, or denied the information they needed to make a real decision. Courtney Werning has built her career in that space, helping investors sort through what happened and whether someone can be held responsible. Courtney is a named partner at Meyer, Wilson, and Werning, a national investor protection firm that has recovered more than $350 million since 1999. She leads the firm's crypto investment fraud practice through CryptoCourt, serves on FINRA's National Arbitration and Mediation Committee, and is the incoming PIABA president. In this conversation, she explains the difference between a bad investment, misrepresentation, misconduct, Ponzi schemes, and the newer wave of crypto fraud that has become especially devastating for older investors. We also talk about the warning signs people often miss, from guaranteed returns and "secret" opportunities to unsolicited messages on social media, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Courtney shares why trusted contacts on brokerage accounts matter, how recovery scams target people who have already been defrauded, and why it is so important to verify lawyers, financial advisors, and investment opportunities before sending money anywhere. Show Notes: [00:57] Courtney Werning explains how she became an investor protection attorney and why representing regular investors against large Wall Street institutions has been such meaningful work. [03:29] Investment losses do not always mean misconduct occurred, but Courtney explains how negligence, misrepresentation, unsuitable recommendations, and outright fraud can create valid claims. [05:25] Misrepresentation often happens when investors are not given the material facts they need to understand risks, fees, liquidity issues, or the potential loss of principal. [07:19] Many investors don't know what they were missing until after a product fails and an attorney reviews what should have been disclosed. [09:22] Ponzi schemes continue to appear in many forms, using new investor money to pay earlier investors until the scheme eventually collapses. [12:01] Scammers build confidence by showing early returns, encouraging victims to invest more, and making the opportunity feel safe before the larger loss occurs. [14:44] Cryptocurrency fraud losses have climbed sharply, and Courtney explains why the reported numbers likely represent only part of the true scale. [17:03] Repeated scam playbooks, fake insider connections, AI tools, voice replication, and polished platforms make crypto fraud increasingly difficult to recognize. [19:54] A trusted contact on a brokerage account can give firms a way to alert someone the investor trusts when unusual activity or possible exploitation appears. [22:27] Trusted contacts work more like emergency contacts than account controllers, helping preserve independence while adding a layer of protection. [24:35] Once someone realizes they may have been defrauded, the first steps are shutting down the account, contacting law enforcement, and getting legal guidance. [27:29] Even if months or years have passed, some losses may still be recoverable, though quick reporting gives law enforcement the best chance of stopping funds. [30:06] Recovery scams prey on people who are already panicked, promising to trace or retrieve stolen crypto in exchange for more money. [31:29] Courtney shares the devastating case of a Modesto man who lost millions in a pig butchering scam and was later pressured with fake insider trading threats. [34:11] A trusted contact was listed on the victim's account, and Courtney believes a brief phone call to his wife could have prevented both the financial loss and the tragedy that followed. [36:39] Investor recovery cases are often handled on contingency, which means firms must evaluate whether litigation can realistically benefit the client. [39:12] Because the firm is selective about the cases it takes, Courtney says clients offered representation can usually feel confident there is a strong case. [40:18] Unsolicited messages on social media, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X should be treated with extreme skepticism, especially when investment opportunities are involved. [42:25] Hacked social media accounts can make scams appear to come from trusted local figures, friends, or family members. [44:06] Secret or exclusive investment opportunities that cannot be discussed openly are major red flags, especially if someone coaches the investor on what to say. [45:06] Courtney explains how to contact her firm, verify that an attorney is real through a state bar search, and check financial professionals through FINRA BrokerCheck. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Courtney Werning - Meyer Wilson Werning Courtney Werning - LinkedIn FBI's IC3 FINRA BrokerCheck

Organized crime is often imagined as something violent, chaotic, and obvious. But today, it looks far more polished than that. It operates like a multinational business, spread across borders, built on trust networks, specialization, and efficiency rather than brute force. This episode looks at how modern scams, fraud, and money laundering actually work and why they're so hard to spot before serious damage is done. My guest is Geoff White, an investigative journalist who has spent decades covering organized crime, cybercrime, and financial fraud. His reporting has appeared on BBC News, Sky News, The Sunday Times, and other major outlets, and he is also the creator of The Lazarus Heist, the hit podcast and book series exploring North Korea's global hacking operations. His latest book, Rinsed, examines how technology has transformed the world of money laundering. We talk about how modern criminal networks are structured, why scams now rely on patience and psychology rather than speed, and how money laundering functions as a service industry that quietly supports fraud at scale. The conversation also explores why victims are sometimes unknowingly used to move stolen funds, how urgency is weaponized to override judgment, and why slowing down remains one of the most effective defenses people have. Show Notes: [01:08] Geoff shares his background and why the organized crime + technology overlap is where he's spent his career. [02:52] Why longer-form work (books, podcasts) is often the only way to explain complex crimes that don't fit into a quick news segment. [03:56] Old-school enforcement was violence; modern crime groups often can't use that when partners are anonymous and overseas. [04:23] The trust networks holding global crime together can be more fragile than people assume. [05:06] The strange "trust inside crime" dynamic especially in ransomware, where criminals must appear "reliable." [06:18] Competition today looks more like corporate rivalry than street violence, especially in ransomware affiliate ecosystems. [07:41] Do these groups evolve from traditional cartels or arise from new tech-native criminals? Geoff says it depends on the region. [09:58] The skill split of elite coders builds ransomware, while newer recruits use social engineering to get initial access. [11:34] Money laundering adapts fast with crypto, game currencies, NFTs while the core "service business" model stays the same. [12:46] The "cost" of laundering: fees can be extreme for newcomers, and lower for experienced players with connections. [13:53] A disturbing case where victims are daisy-chained to launder money and reinforce the romance-scam illusion. [15:12] Why money mules are treated as disposable and how many don't realize the seriousness until law enforcement shows up. [16:48] The tactic of letting victims withdraw a little money to make a platform feel legitimate and why it works so well. [18:09] Geoff connects today's tactics to classic con mechanics ("putting the mark on the send") and the psychology behind it. [19:22] Geoff describes seeing an "escalator scam" firsthand: small payouts early, then pressure to pay to "unlock" higher earnings. [21:51] The scary shift is that scams now look polished and patient, stretching across multiple channels and weeks (or longer). [23:12] The more we "self-custody" money and identity online, the more security responsibility shifts onto individuals. [24:32] A major crypto seizure case raises a messy question when seized assets grow in value, who gets the upside? [28:46] Geoff's practical defense: slow down on anything money-related, create space, and don't let urgency steer decisions. [31:17] Why today's scammers play the long game of months of relationship-building can lead to life-changing losses. [34:29] Repeat victimization: recovery scams and fake "investigators" often target people right after they've been hit. [36:08] "Traceable" doesn't mean "recoverable," why freezing and returning stolen crypto is legally and logistically hard. [38:44] UK reimbursement changes shift liability between sending and receiving banks but there are tradeoffs and open questions. [41:28] Geoff reacts to US payment quirks (card taken away, tip written in pen) and why it still surprises outsiders. [45:11] Closing advice is to learn from other people's stories and run "what would I do?" scenarios before a crisis hits. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Geoff White Geoff White - LinkedIn Geoff White - Instagram Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks The Lazarus Heist Crime Dot Com: From Viruses to Vote Rigging, How Hacking Went Global

Identity theft is usually framed as an external threat. Hackers, data breaches, anonymous criminals operating somewhere far away. This episode looks at a much harder reality to face: identity theft that happens inside families, often quietly, over many years, and without immediate detection. The damage isn't just financial. It reshapes trust, relationships, and a person's sense of stability long before anyone realizes what's happening. My guest is Axton Betz-Hamilton, an associate professor of financial counseling and planning whose research focuses on familial and child identity theft. Her work is deeply personal. As a teenager, Axton discovered her own credit had been destroyed before she ever had a chance to build it, the result of identity theft that began when she was a child. Years later, she uncovered the truth behind who was responsible and how multiple generations were affected. We talk about how familial identity theft works, why it's so difficult to detect, and what recovery really looks like when the person who caused the harm was someone you trusted. The conversation covers the long road to rebuilding credit, the emotional fallout that often gets overlooked, and the practical steps people can take to protect themselves and their children before damage is done. Show Notes: [02:15] Axton Betz-Hamilton explains how her parents' identities were stolen in the early 1990s, before consumers had legal protections. [03:50] Discovering a 10-page credit report at age 19 and realizing her financial life was damaged before it began. [05:45] What it's like to learn your credit score is in the second percentile nationwide and why that realization changes everything. [07:10] How early frustration with identity theft shaped Axton's academic path and research focus. [09:05] The moment evidence surfaced pointing to a family member as the source of the identity theft. [10:45] Uncovering decades of fraudulent accounts affecting multiple generations within one family. [12:50] How grief abruptly shifted into investigation after learning the truth about who caused the harm. [15:20] The long, two-track process of disputing fraudulent credit while slowly rebuilding legitimate credit history. [17:40] Why some fraudulent accounts had to age off credit reports instead of being removed. [19:05] How isolation and manipulation can allow familial identity theft to continue undetected for years. [21:55] Exploring possible motivations behind the theft and how financial behaviors can repeat across generations. [23:10] The simplest way to detect identity theft is by regularly checking all three credit reports. [24:30] Why freezing your credit is one of the most effective and underused protection tools. [26:05] The importance of freezing children's credit to prevent damage that may not surface until adulthood. [28:00] How modern tools like IRS identity PINs reduce the risk of tax-related identity theft. [30:15] Using E-Verify freezes to prevent identity theft tied to employment and income. [33:10] The emotional impact of familial identity theft and why boundaries are often necessary for healing. [35:00] How family systems fracture when some members believe the victim and others defend the offender. [36:40] Why mental health support is a critical part of recovery, not an optional one. [38:00] The Identity Theft Resource Center as a comprehensive support option for victims navigating recovery. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Axton Betz-Hamilton - South Dakota State University Axton Betz-Hamilton - LinkedIn Axton Betz-Hamiliton - Facebook Identity Theft Resource Center Annual Credit Report IRS - Identity Pin E-Verify

Most security failures don't start with a dramatic breach or a mysterious hacker sitting in a dark room. They usually start quietly. Someone assumes a system is locked down. Someone trusts that a door shouldn't open, or that a machine "just works," or that no one would ever think to look there. Over time, those small assumptions stack up, and that's where things tend to go wrong. Today's guest is FC Barker, a renowned ethical hacker, social engineer, and global keynote speaker with more than three decades of experience legally breaking into organizations to expose their blind spots. Formerly the head of offensive cybersecurity research at Raytheon and now co-founder of cybersecurity firm Cygenta, FC is also the author of How I Robbed Banks, a book packed with true stories from the field. In this conversation, FC shares what he's learned from decades of breaking into places he was hired to protect. The stories range from funny to unsettling, but they all point to the same pattern: technology usually isn't the weakest link. People are. From outdated systems that can't be replaced to everyday workplace habits that quietly invite risk, this episode offers a grounded look at how intrusions really happen and what actually makes environments safer. Show Notes: [03:06] FC grew up before cybersecurity existed and learned computers when manuals were thicker than the machines themselves. [05:27] How early internet culture shifted from curiosity-driven exploration to the rise of malicious actors. [07:15] Why inviting external testers to break into your systems was once an unthinkable idea and how that changed. [09:35] The danger of internal blind spots and why external validation is often more valuable than internal confidence. [10:46] Unexpected discoveries during penetration tests, including systems no one remembered were even running. [12:23] Choosing unusual, esoteric security projects and why unconventional systems often hide the biggest risks. [12:50] A real-world operation that involved reverse-engineering hardware to shut down power infrastructure in seconds. [16:29] One of the easiest break-ins ever happens accidentally, proving how fragile some systems really are. [17:21] The most common technical failure seen across organizations: poor network segmentation. [18:36] How a routine internal scan accidentally knocked an entire country's banking connection offline. [20:04] A bank unknowingly runs its internal network on an IP range owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. [21:43] A mysterious daily network outage turns out to be caused by a single employee's music collection. [23:07] Plugging into a forgotten network switch triggers a fire during a government penetration test. [25:15] Why penetration testers are often blamed first even when nothing has been touched yet. [26:25] Discovering malicious insider code planted by coordinated nation-state actors. [29:41] Why some outdated systems must remain untouched and why "just update everything" isn't realistic. [33:15] Implanting covert hardware inside everyday office devices to gain persistent network access. [35:01] How avoiding people altogether is often the most effective form of social engineering. [37:10] Why attackers move from the top floors down and how authority bias works without a single word spoken. [38:35] Clothing, context, and small visual cues that instantly make people assume you belong. [42:26] A penetration test derailed by an unexpected office costume day—and why randomness can be a defense. [44:33] A simple exercise anyone can use to start thinking like an attacker by examining their own home. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Cygenta Dr. Jessica Barker FC aka Freakyclown - LinkedIn How I Rob Banks: And Other Such Places

Why do smart, capable people fall for scams even when the warning signs seem obvious in hindsight? In this episode, Dan Ariely joins us to examine how intuition often leads us in the wrong direction, especially under stress, uncertainty, or emotional pressure. A renowned behavioral economist, longtime professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, and bestselling author of Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, Misbehaving, and Misbelief, Dan has spent decades studying why rational people consistently make choices that don't serve them. We talk about the deeply human forces that shape how we decide who to trust, and how easily those instincts can be exploited in high-stakes situations involving fraud, financial loss, and digital deception. Dan shares a deeply personal story about surviving severe burns and the long process of self-acceptance that followed, using his own experience to show how hiding, blending in, and social pressure quietly influence behavior in ways most of us never stop to question. We also explore why stress pushes people to search for patterns, stories, and a sense of control, even when those explanations aren't accurate. Dan explains how our minds operate like a "vintage Swiss Army knife," well suited for small, predictable communities but poorly equipped for modern risks like scams, cybersecurity threats, and low-probability, high-impact events. Topics include why near-misses teach the wrong lessons, why authority and urgency are so effective in manipulation, and why expecting people to be perfectly rational is a losing strategy. We also discuss practical ways to slow decisions down and bring in outside perspectives to help design safeguards that work with human nature. Show Notes: [01:52] Dan Ariely joins the episode to examine how human decision-making actually works under pressure. [03:41] How intuition can point us in the wrong direction during moments of stress and uncertainty. [05:26] Trust, authority, and urgency as core levers used in fraud and manipulation. [07:12] When decisions feel overwhelming, the brain's tendency to rely on shortcuts. [08:58] Dan explains why rational thinking often breaks down faster than we expect. [10:34] Near-misses and how they quietly reinforce false confidence instead of caution. [12:09] Why repeated exposure to risk doesn't necessarily make people better decision-makers. [13:55] Stress-driven pattern seeking and the human need for explanation and control. [15:32] Superstition, conspiracy thinking, and what they reveal about uncertainty tolerance. [17:18] Why modern threats like scams and cybercrime confuse brains built for simpler environments. [18:56] The "vintage Swiss Army knife" analogy and what it says about human cognition. [20:41] Authority cues and why skepticism often disappears in the presence of perceived expertise. [22:27] Slowing decisions down as one of the most reliable defenses against manipulation. [24:13] Dan reflects on how behavioral economics challenged traditional models of rational choice. [25:59] A personal story about surviving severe burns and the long path to self-acceptance. [27:44] How hiding and blending in can quietly shape behavior and self-perception. [29:31] Social pressure and its role in everyday compliance and risk-taking. [31:16] Why vulnerability doesn't look the way people expect it to. [33:02] Expecting perfect rationality and why that assumption consistently fails. [34:47] Designing systems that account for human limits instead of ignoring them. [36:33] The value of outside perspective when decisions carry real consequences. [38:19] Practical ways individuals can reduce risk by changing how they decide. [40:05] When slowing down matters more than having more information. [41:52] Applying behavioral insights to fraud prevention and digital safety. [43:38] Why better tools help, but mindset still plays a critical role. [45:24] Final thoughts on working with human nature rather than fighting it. [48:02] What listeners can take away about decision-making, risk, and self-awareness. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Dan Ariely Dan Ariely - LinkedIn Books by Dan Ariely Dan Ariely - YouTube