No one is immune from being scammed. Just ask Tarah Wheeler, founder and CEO of Red Queen Dynamics, a company that specializes in keeping people scam-free. While onboarding a new hire, a process she put in place stopped a scammer despite a serious cyber misstep. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Read the transcript here. Learn m...
Apr 02, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Who better to talk to about pan-African crime syndicates than someone tasked with shutting them down? From drug mules and sextortion to romance scams and spearphishing, this week’s talk with Secret Service Agent “Mark” pulls back the curtain on Black Axe and other crime rings operating worldwide. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show...
Mar 26, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Every part of life that comes in contact with the Internet is tracked, packed and sold to a a seemingly infinite network of data brokers. Caitlin Sarian AKA Cybersecurity Girl joined us this week to discuss why scrubbing your information is trickier than it sounds and what you can do about it. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. R...
Mar 19, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Think you’re too savvy to get scammed? Author and activist Cory Doctorow explains how we’re all one muffaletta and a malfunctioning jet door away from falling prey to the most basic of cons. He joins us this week to talk about that and to fill us in about his new book, “The Bezzle.” “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more a...
Mar 12, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 139
Presley Rhodes makes a living posting what she calls “the subtle art of the thirst trap.” Popular on Instagram, she uses that platform to draw her most parched followers to OnlyFans where she can get paid. But what happens when a scammer buys access to those images? Nothing good. To hear what happened (and try to figure it out) we talked to someone who was scammed, someone who came to the rescue (former White House CIO and What the Hack guest Theresa Payton) and a United States Secret Service ag...
Mar 05, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 138
SNAP food assistance is a lifeline for more than 40 million Americans experiencing food insecurity. In a growing trend, criminals are targeting major security lapses in SNAP fund distribution, stealing millions in aid, so we asked this week’s guests how we can put a stop to it. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more about ...
Feb 27, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Brett Johnson has been called the Godfather of cyber crime. He was on the FBI’s most-wanted list. And he was on What the Hack before! He returns for a freewheeling conversation about what’s new in cybercrime, how it’s changed and wants you to know how to better protect your digital life. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn m...
Feb 20, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Romance scammers spend a lot of time on dating apps, but they almost never meet their targets in person. Christina’s Mr. Right moved quickly. Charming in-person, he lived in the same area and worked in the same industry. It was only after she committed to building a new life with him in Florida that everything began to fall apart. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. I...
Feb 13, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Privacy matters for most of us, but it can be a matter of life and death for some especially when it comes to stalkerware. Electronic Frontier Foundation director of cybersecurity Eva Galperin joined us this week to teach us about the way too common software that can be used to track your every move. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the ...
Feb 06, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Tim Byrne’s vintage industrial furniture designs are a staple for A-Listers and designers around the world, which puts him in the sites of scammers–whether the target is time, money or goods. Listen as we learn how Byrne’s keen eye for the masterpiece lurking in a hunk of old factory equipment helps him spot thieves before they can strike. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a ...
Jan 30, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 133
Ever wonder why facial recognition is so accurate? Well, one reason is the shocking amount of personal data it needs (think: all the world’s snapshots), and that’s why Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark is taking aim at the industry behind that technology. We also review Charity’s top scams to watch for this year, and other topics near and dear to our own scam-hating hearts. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on you...
Jan 23, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Retired attorney Marjorie Bloom was minding her own business online when a tech support scam redirected her straight to cybercrime hell. Hear how she lost more than $600,000 in this harrowing tale of a scam turducken. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 16, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Criminologist David Maimon is in the business of finding out what we should be scared of. Just when you thought analog bill paying was safe, we learned that check scams are on the rise. And you guessed it: Because artificial intelligence and digital tools are making them way too easy. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more...
Jan 09, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 130
From a pig butchering scam that cost $450,000 to a real estate scam that almost cost a whole lot more, 2023 kept us guessing. With stories sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, and always informative, we’re celebrating the New Year with a look back at some of our favorite moments from the past twelve months. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find...
Jan 02, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 129
When it comes to scams, we usually focus on the How rather than the Why. This week, we spoke to psychologist Dan Simons, co-author of Nobody’s Fool to find out why we’re all much easier marks than we like to think. “What the Hack with Adam Levin” is available wherever you get your podcasts. If you like it, consider rating us on your favorite podcast service or writing a review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 26, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Many romance scams are smash-and-grab operations, but some scammers play the long game. Author, actress, life coach and cabaret singer Donna Hayes met her dream man online, but after a seemingly perfect courtship and almost $200K in cash changing hands, she discovered the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 19, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Ten years after Hurricane Sandy destroyed his beach house on the Jersey Shore, Adam was finally ready to sell the vacant lot. The only problem: It was already on the market. In this whodunnit, we go hunting for the bad guys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 12, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 126
Shark Week doesn’t have anything on the Christmas scam season. Whether you’re buying something or selling something, there’s a scammer waiting to rob you blind. But there are ways to stay safe. File this week’s episode under: “You can’t say we didn’t warn you.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 05, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 125
How dangerous is the internet for children? According to Marija Manojlovic, it’s even worse than we imagined. This week we chart the dangerous freeways and dark alleys of the internet, the hazards they pose specifically to children and what you can do to protect them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 28, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 124
With a million followers and several books on kitten care, Hannah Shaw is no stranger to interview requests and the technical issues to which they often give rise. But when a podcaster helped her navigate a “problem” in her Meta settings, Kitten Lady was hacked. Hear how her eye for deceit and nimble action saved the day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 21, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 123
On this week’s episode a veteran journalist helps us explore our usual beat from a new point of view. CBS Washington Correspondent Major Garrett is the host of “Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen” and an absolutely stellar guide as we parse the similarities and differences between spies and hackers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 14, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Want to keep your car out of your sex life? Jen Caltrider created Mozilla’s “*Privacy Not Included” to help consumers make informed choices about popular products and services we all use—like pervert car companies and data-grabbing toys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 07, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 121
We talked to New York Times reporter Emily Flitter about criminals who use deepfakes to rob high-net-worth individuals. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot easier than you might think! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 31, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 120
More interested in news than partisan views? Sadly, there’s no app for that. The post-Musk media apocalypse has arrived, and it’s super misinformation-friendly. Media Matters CEO Angelo Carusone joins us to discuss how legit media can add some friction to the fictions that go viral when the world is on fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 24, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Facial recognition is powered by a special sauce that few people really understand, but one thing is clear: It renders privacy a thing of the past. In her new book Your Face Belongs to Us, New York Times journalist Kashmir Hill explores the ramifications of the human face in cyberspace, and what it means for the future findability of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 17, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Ever wonder why Too-Big-To-Fail banks get hacked along with a host of other high-visibility targets get compromised, but the White House has never been breached? We did too, which is why we invited Former White House CIO and current founder and CEO of Fortalice Theresa Payton to tell us how to be safer online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Kathy Waters is the person you always wondered about: She created one of those days; specifically, World Romance Scam Prevention Day. (Try saying that three times fast.) But seriously, we have covered a lot of love-based bogosity and yet can’t wrap our heads around how it works. Now we know, and you can too if you listen to this week’s episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 03, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 116
No deep fake here. This week, Al Franken does his own impersonations of Bernie Sanders, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, Sherrod Brown and Susan Collins in this mock Senate Hearing featuring Siri (played by the actual voice-over talent Susan Bennett) and Al’s fellow SNL alum Laraine Newman playing the part of Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 26, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 115
John DeMay’s son was a normal teenager, which is exactly what a sextortion ring based in Nigeria was counting on when they targeted him. This week’s episode features a conversation about the fatal outcome of a sextortion scam and an important takeaway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 19, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 114
We all know that the Internets watch you and use what they see to haunt you with doo-dads and tee shirts, but what you may not know is that what you see is just the tip of an evil cyber iceberg (nothing against those endangered geological entities). Lokker CEO Ian Cohen fills us in on just how bad it is “out there.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 12, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 113
