Stopping Phone Scams

Stopping Phone Scams

From Easy Prey by Chris Parker

March 11, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 314

About this episode

The episode discusses the psychology and tactics behind phone scams and features an interview with Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail, on how to combat them.

Phone scams get dismissed as background noise or just annoying interruptions and unknown numbers with robotic voices we learn to ignore. But behind that noise is an industry built on psychology, automation, and staggering profitability. My guest today is Alex Quilici. He's an engineer, entrepreneur, and the CEO of YouMail, a company focused on protecting consumers and businesses from unwanted and fraudulent calls. Alex has spent years analyzing how robocalls and scam campaigns are designed, how they evolve, and why they continue to work despite better technology and increased awareness. What began as a voicemail platform shifted into fraud prevention after users unintentionally revealed a powerful truth that even small friction can disrupt scam operations. He shares how his own father got pulled into a tech support scam which cemented his mission to move beyond blocking calls and toward tracing and stopping scams closer to their source. We talk about how scam calls are engineered, the tactics that trigger panic and urgency, and how criminals use data breaches, AI tools, and impersonation to sound convincing. We also explore what's changing, including fewer random calls, more…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Parker

Guest: Alex Quilici

Topics covered

  • phone scams
  • fraud prevention
  • robocalls
  • consumer protection
  • scam tactics
  • technology

Keywords

  • phone scams
  • fraud
  • robocalls
  • scam prevention
  • consumer protection
  • AI tools
  • data breaches

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: YouMail

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