What the Hack?

Valentine’s Day is Christmas for scammers. Millions of people looking for love make themselves vulnerable to strangers online every day. Sadly, the person pitching woo isn’t always who they claim to be. The catfish du jour was pretty brave, but the only bread he saw was for a cyber po’boy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We liked Brian so much, the conversation went on for a really long time. If you didn’t catch the last episode, we talked to Brian Fennimore about his ancient experience with a compromised Hotmail account after trying to find some fizzy candy online. This time around, we go deep and learn some security tricks we didn’t know about. Pro tip: If you want two episodes, fascinate us. (He really did tell us stuff we didn’t know.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Fennimore does cybersecurity for a living, but even infosec pros don’t pop out of Zeus’s head perfectly formed. Listen to the story of how nostalgia, a sugar craving and a reused password landed him in trouble back before cyber was a thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whim wanted to teach overseas. While based on the coast of Portugal, she was offered a teaching position from two employers. She didn’t know that she was about to end up with no job at all, narrowly avoiding getting taken for a bundle of dough. Also in this episode: Adam continues to hack Beau in every way imaginable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trolls are misunderstood creatures, but they’re so mean that it’s hard to feel for them–unless you’re sussing out their soft underbelly for a kill shot. We talked to journalist Megan Carpentier, who is no stranger to online harassment. She gave us a crash course on trolls–how to recognize them and make them go away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know Instagram influencer accounts get hacked and held for ransom. And it’s no secret men send women pictures of their private parts via DM. This episode meets at the crossroads of these two open secrets. Model and writer Lisa Seiffert joined us to tell the tale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caitlin Brodnick was not the most obvious target since she’s the host of a podcast called ScamWow. Which is why we were obviously impressed by the effort of her scammer and by her ability to see it for what it is and avoid getting got. Also discussed: Why you should never answer questions on social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From QAnon to Mahjong and a parade of phishing victims, 2021 offered up a lot of teachable moments. We revisit six episodes from our first year, and invite the guests back to tell us how they improved their cyber defenses (or haven’t).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the hottest holiday gifts of 2021 is the new Nintendo Switch. The problem is they’re sold out everywhere. When this week’s guest tried to think outside the big box stores, she ran into a classic e-commerce scam.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who steals a Christmas tree? Sadly, a lot of people do. Harry tells us about a scam that was way too evil for the Grinch playbook as well as the other kinds of scams he’s seen over his many years in the Christmas tree business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices