"What the Hack with Adam Levin" is the award-winning weekly true cybercrime podcast--the place to hear memorable stories and get good advice.
Tue, February 25, 2025
Former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt is on a mission to kill Section 230, the legal shield that lets social media giants profit from chaos. If engagement-driven algorithms are fueling harmful content for the sake of profit, is it time for the U.S. to take bold action to rein in the Internet? (You know the answer, but this is a must listen!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, February 18, 2025
Kara Swisher has been covering Silicon Valley since the early days, and she’s made a ton of enemies the old fashioned way (by telling the truth about the new robber barons of our digital lives). In a new memoir called Burn Book, she pulls the curtain back on a world run by powerful babies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, February 11, 2025
Privacy expert Jen Caltrider reveals how those shiny new AI gadgets with their mind-bending tech—not to mention the social media apps capturing every moment—are a privacy nightmare. Is going analog the only safe option? Learn how to protect your data from the prying eyes of Big Tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, February 04, 2025
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
Tue, January 28, 2025
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, January 21, 2025
From cyberbullying to harmful algorithms, the risks are real. This week, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal join us to discuss their bipartisan bill—the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Together, they’re taking on Big Tech to ensure the safety of children online. Tune in to hear how KOSA could change the digital world for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, January 14, 2025
Kristen Bride’s 16-year-old son died by suicide after being cyberbullied on Snapchat. Setting her sites on anonymous messaging apps that intentionally traumatize children, Bride heads to Washington DC to fight for change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, January 07, 2025
Ava Smithing was eleven when she saw a swimsuit on Pinterest that she liked. That innocent click turned into an eating disorder. How? This episode explores the most dangerous thing children face today: Algorithms. On a mission to hold Big Tech accountable, Ava shares her journey as an activist with us, including her recent role providing Congressional testimony in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, December 31, 2024
We look back at the internet’s scariest moments, the boldest defenders, and the most surprising tech twists of 2024—groundbreaking legislation, international scam-rings, and the growing fight to make the internet a safer place for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, December 24, 2024
Chester Frilich lost everything to scammers, and he didn’t just lose his money—he lost hope, too. Bob Sullivan joins us to recount this devastating case, revealing the IRS’s unintentional role in punishing victims, and how advocacy and legislation could turn things around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, December 17, 2024
What happens when social media platforms prioritize engagement over safety? How do drug dealers exploit apps like Snapchat to target teens? Amy Neville lost her son Alex to counterfeit Oxycodone pills that were laced with Fentanyl. He bought them from a Snapchat user. She talked with us about this hidden crisis and her mission to reform social media and protect future generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, December 10, 2024
Tarah Wheeler lost her security badge. Deviant Ollam picked his way into "secure" spaces. Together, they show how humans make or break security and why layering defenses is key to surviving inevitable mistakes. What happens when security fails because of us? Two experts dive into the blind spots in physical, digital, and human security—and why fixing them starts with being honest about our mistakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, December 03, 2024
What if your digital footprint made you a target? Jack Rhysider, host of "Darknet Diaries," shares how a fan turned his online presence into a personal puzzle—revealing just how easily your privacy can be pieced together and exploited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tue, November 26, 2024
This holiday season, privacy expert Jen Caltrider reveals how those shiny new AI gadgets under your tree with their mind-bending tech—not to mention the social media apps capturing every moment—are a privacy nightmare. Is going analog the only safe option? Learn how to protect your data, and your holidays, from the prying eyes of Big Tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E175 · Tue, November 19, 2024
What if the biggest threat to your privacy wasn’t some hacker in a hoodie—but a spy trained to infiltrate your life? Former FBI operative Eric O’Neill, the man who took down spy Robert Hanssen, explains how digital spies target us, offering along the way real-world tips to protect ourselves in a world where everyone’s a potential target. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E174 · Tue, November 12, 2024
Former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt is on a mission to kill Section 230, the legal shield that lets social media giants profit from chaos. If engagement-driven algorithms are fueling harmful content for the sake of profit, is it time for the U.S. to take bold action to rein in the Internet? (You know the answer, but this is a must listen!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E173 · Tue, November 05, 2024
From elections to ransomware, CISA Director Jen Easterly breaks down the threats to America’s critical infrastructure and what’s being done to stop them, sharing along the way her journey from the real-life battlefield to the frontlines of cybersecurity. This is a rare glimpse into the most pressing threats America faces—and a compelling story about Director Easterly’s own experience being targeted.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E172 · Tue, October 29, 2024
Adam, Beau, and Travis are joined by Mozilla’s Jen Caltrider to uncover the hidden dangers of the Internet of Things (IoT), showing how everyday devices—like smart glasses, baby monitors, and even toasters—have become a gateway for hackers, companies, and even stalkers to exploit your personal data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E171 · Tue, October 22, 2024
Gretchen Peters, co-founder and executive director of the Alliance to Counter Crime Online, knows better than most how criminal networks flourish on social media platforms. From drug trafficking to child exploitation, we focus on something from 1996 called Section 230 that makes many crimes possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E170 · Tue, October 15, 2024
When Max Lebow received a chilling Instagram message detailing intimate information about him, he found himself pulled into a cyber nightmare. In this episode, Max shares his battle with a mysterious hacker who knew enough about him to coerce him into a terrifying journey of digital manipulation, paranoia, and, finally, survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E169 · Tue, October 08, 2024
Ava Smithing was eleven when she saw a swimsuit on Pinterest that she liked. That innocent click turned into an eating disorder. How? This episode explores the most dangerous thing children face today: Algorithms. On a mission to hold Big Tech accountable, Ava shares her journey as an activist with us, including her recent role providing Congressional testimony in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E168 · Tue, October 01, 2024
From cyberbullying to harmful algorithms, the risks are real. This week, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal join us to discuss their bipartisan bill—the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Together, they’re taking on Big Tech to ensure the safety of children online. Tune in to hear how KOSA could change the digital world for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E167 · Tue, September 24, 2024
From elections to ransomware, CISA Director Jen Easterly breaks down the threats to America’s critical infrastructure and what’s being done to stop them, sharing along the way her journey from the real-life battlefield to the frontlines of cybersecurity. This is a rare glimpse into the most pressing threats America faces—and a compelling story about Director Easterly’s own experience being targeted.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E166 · Tue, September 17, 2024
By the time Ken understood what happened, his similar-looking identity thief had walked off with $8,000. In this episode, we learn about a vulnerability courtesy the DMV and what an enterprising identity thief was able to do with it. Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center offers tips on safeguarding yourself. Plus: the pros and cons of password managers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E165 · Tue, September 10, 2024
As technology is integrated deeper into classrooms, the lines between education and data privacy have been destroyed by for-profit data miners. This week, privacy advocate Shannon Edwards reveals how educational apps harvest sensitive information from children, commodify their data, and what parents can do to fight it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E165 · Tue, September 03, 2024
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
S1 E163 · Tue, August 27, 2024
The isolation caused by the Covid pandemic led to record pet adoptions, and more than usual activity online. It was like chum to sharks for scammers who flooded social media accounts with adoption opportunities for popular breeds. This week’s guest, Holly got in touch with us about her friend Carl who joins us too to talk about his St. Bernard-sized scam. To find out about his parting gift, you have to listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E162 · Tue, August 20, 2024
Elizabeth Warren put the kibosh on bad banking practices with her vision for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and now, with the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act, she’s taking on Big Data. She joined us to talk about reigning in the Wild West of online life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E161 · Tue, August 13, 2024
There are tens of millions of small and medium-size businesses in the United States alone, and depending on their state incorporation, many are in danger of business identity theft. Andy Pham is an American hero by many standards, for sure with regard to the right to become wildly successful. He’s truly living the American Dream. Having grown up in Communist Vietnam for the first ten years of his life, his mom sent him to the United States where she believed he would have a better life and avoid being drafted into the war in Cambodia. She was right. His story of success is eye-popping, but what happened to him on the scam front is almost beyond belief. Download the latest episode to hear how a nasty dentist managed to steal a five million dollar project from Pham, and how he got it back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E160 · Tue, August 06, 2024
Like many of us, Joyce spent hours during the Covid lockdown connecting with friends by playing games online--in her case a MahJong app. Imagine her surprise when using a legitimate app to find a scammer trying to empty her entire bank account. The most likely culprit? You will rethink your game time when you hear what it was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E159 · Tue, July 30, 2024
We’ve all been there. You see something perfect online, you do all the clicks and then think, “Wait, was that legit?” Scam-lite transactions are the way of the web these days, whether it’s direct-from-manufacturer or super-sticky subscriptions, we have your back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E158 · Tue, July 23, 2024
Kristen Bride’s 16-year-old son died by suicide after being cyberbullied on Snapchat. Setting her sites on anonymous messaging apps that intentionally traumatize children, Bride heads to Washington DC to fight for change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E157 · Tue, July 16, 2024
Ransomware is a type of malware that allows hackers to commandeer data on a device or an entire network. Increasingly, the threat actors behind these crimes set their sites on mission critical targets. We talked about it with renowned cybersecurity expert Keren Elazari this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E156 · Tue, July 09, 2024
There was a video chat, phone messages and a lot of back and forth before Beau’s cousin began to wonder if he was thinking straight, and called to see if we thought he was being scammed. This week we get a rare look at a pig butcher in action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E155 · Tue, July 02, 2024
From handshake deals to digital pat-downs, the rental market is filled with great opportunities (that is, for scammers). Our very own producer, Andrew Steven recently got some first-hand experience when he and his partner tried to find a new place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E154 · Tue, June 25, 2024
AI is everywhere – in the news, on our devices, assisting us, making life easier for us, and for criminals, too, harnessing AI to swindle people more efficiently. What’s next? We dive into the dark side of AI and ask two experts: Could AI commit the perfect crime? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E153 · Tue, June 18, 2024
Did you know that you can activate malware on your computer just by looking at an image posted in the comments of an online discussion? We're big on good cyber hygiene. Our first episode provides an important life lesson: Always use a burner computer to troll your enemies. And of course beware of evil clowns. Check out Roy’s story about the time he got hacked while trolling QAnon followers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E152 · Tue, June 11, 2024
Max McCoy stumbled on a $47 million swindle that starts just north of the Oklahoma panhandle and bounces to Australia before things get really confusing in a haze of small town corruption, secretive law enforcement and competing theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E151 · Tue, June 04, 2024
Growing up in the shadow of child identity theft can be a struggle. For Axton Betz-Hamilton, her discovery of the culprit led to the shock of a lifetime. In the second installment of this two-part episode, we examine the massive financial and emotional toll of finding out a loved one wasn’t all that they seemed, and how to recover. Also discussed: stalkerware apps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E150 · Tue, May 28, 2024
By the time most people find out that they’ve been the victim of child identity theft, their credit is trashed. That’s what happened to Axton Betz-Hamilton. And like most victims of child identity theft, she was targeted by someone she knew. In the first installment of this two-part episode, the mystery of who stole Axton’s identity unravels in a very unexpected direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E149 · Tue, May 21, 2024
Paul Raffile was in national security and corporate threat assessment before (almost) running human exploitation investigations for a major social media company (therein lies this week’s tale). He talked with us about this "silent epidemic” and vanishing job offers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E148 · Tue, May 14, 2024
Beth sent more than $26,000 to a man she met on Tinder. It was a romance scam, but one that brought complex storytelling, nuanced psychology and even acting skills to bear in a way that shocked even us. Check out this week’s episode to hear just how “good” romance scammers can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E147 · Tue, May 07, 2024
Kara Swisher has been covering Silicon Valley since the early days, and she’s made a ton of enemies the old fashioned way (by telling the truth about the new robber barons of our digital lives). In a new memoir called Burn Book, she pulls the curtain back on a world run by powerful babies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E146 · Tue, April 30, 2024
Elizabeth Warren put the kibosh on bad banking practices with her vision for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and now, with the Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act, she’s taking on Big Data. She joined us to talk about reigning in the Wild West of online life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E145 · Tue, April 23, 2024
Becky Holmes loves DMing with scammers. When it comes to romance scammers, she will do whatever it takes, pursuing them to the great delight of her fans on social media. From flings with A-listers to the lantern-jawed soldier with a heart of gold, Becky's on a mission to unravel the weird world of online swindler love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E144 · Tue, April 16, 2024
Erin West is the Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County, California, and the founder of Project Shamrock. Whether she’s prosecuting eye-popping SIM-swap money grabs or putting large-scale pig butchering operations out of business, her stories and experience can help you stay safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E143 · Tue, April 09, 2024
No one’s too smart for a well designed scam. Case in point, neuroscientist, triathlete Carina who thought the finance bro she met on Bumble was the one for her, but the only real thing was the money she lost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E142 · Tue, April 02, 2024
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 more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E141 · Tue, March 26, 2024
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. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E140 · Tue, March 19, 2024
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. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E139 · Tue, March 12, 2024
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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E138 · Tue, March 05, 2024
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 agent working in South Africa to catch the bad guys. “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
S1 E137 · Tue, February 27, 2024
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 your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E136 · Tue, February 20, 2024
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 more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E135 · Tue, February 13, 2024
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. It really helps people find the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E134 · Tue, February 06, 2024
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 show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E133 · Tue, January 30, 2024
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 review. It really helps people find the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E132 · Tue, January 23, 2024
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 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
S1 E131 · Tue, January 16, 2024
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
S1 E130 · Tue, January 09, 2024
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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E129 · Tue, January 02, 2024
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 the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E128 · Tue, December 26, 2023
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
S1 E127 · Tue, December 19, 2023
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
S1 E126 · Tue, December 12, 2023
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
S1 E125 · Tue, December 05, 2023
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
S1 E124 · Tue, November 28, 2023
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
S1 E123 · Tue, November 21, 2023
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
S1 E122 · Tue, November 14, 2023
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
S1 E121 · Tue, November 07, 2023
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
S1 E120 · Tue, October 31, 2023
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
S1 E119 · Tue, October 24, 2023
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
S1 E118 · Tue, October 17, 2023
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
S1 E117 · Tue, October 10, 2023
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
S1 E116 · Tue, October 03, 2023
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
S1 E115 · Tue, September 26, 2023
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
S1 E114 · Tue, September 19, 2023
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
S1 E113 · Tue, September 12, 2023
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
S1 E112 · Tue, September 05, 2023
Mom-and-pop stores look like easy prey, but sometimes they bite back. Many successful scams are perpetrated by threat actors who have gained insider knowledge, but this week’s episode takes specialization to the nth degree with a point-of-sale attack. And with disastrous results for the scammer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E111 · Tue, August 29, 2023
Being a gig worker is great if you’re looking for flexibility or you need extra cash. But it can be somewhat less than awesome when something goes wrong, as this week’s guest found out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E110 · Tue, August 22, 2023
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E109 · Tue, August 15, 2023
We get to hear a lot of crazy stories in our line of work, and the best ones are sometimes a little too newsworthy to make it on our show (because–hush, hush–they never made the news). But then we realized, we could tell those stories so long as you can’t guess who they’re about. So, here you go. Our not-so-secret episode of secret crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E108 · Tue, August 08, 2023
When Massimo moved to a new house in Toronto, he faced the age-old problem of what to keep and what to jettison. When he tried selling stuff from the rejection pile he got an offer that was too good to be true. Check out this week’s episode to hear how to spot an online marketplace scam and how to protect yourself both as a buyer and as a seller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E107 · Tue, August 01, 2023
Was she a survivor of sex trafficking at the hands of her mom, a serial victim, Mormon convert, cancer patient, or was she just a liar and a fraud? Coco Berthmann’s story is anything but cogent. Whether it was summoned from the depths of mental illness or deviously designed to swindle friends and well-wishers online is this week’s burning question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E105 · Tue, July 25, 2023
Can you imagine being so rich that the check to pay your vacation property tax is four years' worth of full tuition at a public university? Neither can we, but that’s how it found its way into a thief’s life, but not by dint of a super high-tech hack (unless stealing an envelope qualifies as whizbang). This week’s episode will seriously make you want to shred your checkbook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E105 · Tue, July 18, 2023
True or False: Scams have reached a crisis point, especially among older adults. The AARP’s Director of Fraud Prevention Kathy Stokes surprised us with the answer: Scammers aren’t ageist at all. In fact, digital natives may be far more susceptible to online crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E104 · Tue, July 11, 2023
A gemologist decided to trademark her company, and, of course, there’s a scam for that. Spoof calls are everywhere, homing in on any money due that can be small-time scammed. This episode applies equally for any government application that involves a public notice: Once your information goes live, it could pop up on the radar of a scammer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E103 · Tue, July 04, 2023
The isolation caused by the Covid pandemic led to record pet adoptions, and more than usual activity online. It was like chum to sharks for scammers who flooded social media accounts with adoption opportunities for popular breeds. This week’s guest, Holly got in touch with us about her friend Carl who joins us too to talk about his St. Bernard-sized scam. To find out about his parting gift, you have to listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E102 · Tue, June 27, 2023
We all got the memo that Social Security numbers are a big part of identity theft, and as more of us take measures to protect against SSN-based crime, scammers found a new favorite tool: your driver’s license. Criminology professor David Maimon discusses all of the above and how Covid made our identities less secure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E101 · Tue, June 20, 2023
We’ve been hearing a lot about pig butchering, but hadn’t found a great example until we lucked onto Shreya Datta’s story. In this episode we learn about pig butchering from Shreya who was swindled out of more than $450,000 through an elaborate investment scheme where she won like crazy until she lost everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E100 · Tue, June 13, 2023
This week, we’re celebrating our hundredth episode! Featuring listener questions, Adam, Beau and Travis look back on one hundred episodes of scams, hacks, Tin Foil Swans, experts, novices and dad jokes. A special thanks to you listeners. Come back for another 100! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E99 · Tue, June 06, 2023
Charlie Webster hosts the hit podcast “Scamanda,” which takes us on a dark journey of discovery with a young woman who pretended to have cancer to bilk Good Samaritans on GoFundMe. Listen to hear the kinds of scams you can find on all crowd-sourced micro donation sites and how to avoid them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E98 · Tue, May 30, 2023
Karen Johnson is a catfisher-turned-scam avoidance coach turned–you guessed it–catfishing victim. The scam that got her is a classic, opening the door to a Pandora’s Box of the usual advice about avoiding the most common scams out there. But the thing that really got us thinking is the role AI played in almost every aspect of this week’s show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E97 · Tue, May 23, 2023
Identity theft is the third certainty in life behind death and taxes, but the way scammers come at you changes all the time. That’s why we invited ITRC head Eva Velasquez to fill us in on the three biggest trends in identity-related crime this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E96 · Tue, May 16, 2023
Jen Destefano’s story made national news. Her daughter Brie was abducted and the kidnappers let them speak to each other to prove it. But while they had demands for big money, they didn’t actually have her daughter. Was it a deepfake, a really good actor or a prank taken way too far? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E95 · Tue, May 09, 2023
When we first heard about this, Adam was like, “come on, guys, jury duty scams?.” That said, Travis and Beau didn’t know so much about them. The upshot, an intro to jury scams with a State Department employee who saw it coming, not because he’s a G-man, but because he’s addicted to Halloween decorations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E95 · Tue, May 02, 2023
As a Daily Show correspondent, comedian Roy Wood, Jr. knows a thing or two about fake news and truthiness as well as the truth-and-a-half that is comedy. By skewering the media and the people in the news, he has special insight into how misinformation affects the way we think about the world and what we know. This episode originally aired December 12, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E94 · Tue, April 25, 2023
Lola Blanc and Meagan Grainger are the hosts of Trust Me, a podcast about cults and scams, and are this week’s guests. They're here to help us figure out the gooey center of the Venn diagram formed by cults, cult leaders and scam artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E93 · Tue, April 18, 2023
Robert Kerbeck rubbed elbows with some of the top actors of his time including Calista Flockhart, Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman and George Clooney. But like all working actors, he needed a side gig to survive. This week we talked to starving actor turned millionaire corporate threat actor about the sensitive information he was able to snooker out of his targets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E92 · Tue, April 11, 2023
Author, Actor, Comedian Dan Ahdoot is no stranger to What the Hack or actually being hacked. Which is why it’s kind of weird he’s back on the show to talk about how he’s done nothing to keep himself from getting hacked again. (It’s funnier than it sounds.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E91 · Tue, April 04, 2023
Nicole Perlroth’s book This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is a masterpiece on the topic of cyberwar and the zero-day hacks that make it deadly. Join us as we explore with Perlroth a cyberscape where mistakes are weaponized, backdoors abound and we all have zero degrees of separation from spies and the people they spy on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E90 · Tue, March 28, 2023
When he graduated from college, Jason was heading into a big career in television. He had the apartment in the big city, and a wide-open vista of opportunity–and then he got hacked. Check out this week’s episode to hear how a few pieces of purloined mail was a major detour on the way to success and fortune. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E89 · Tue, March 21, 2023
You may be surprised to hear that celebrity culture extends to catfishing profiles. We talked to the man behind the most-used face in dating scams. You’re going to want to hear what he had to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E88 · Mon, March 13, 2023
If you only learn one thing about cybersecurity, it should be that all new technology, in the wrong hands, is a crime waiting to happen. Rob Shavell of Delete.Me started a company based on this truth. So we decided to have a nice long conversation about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mon, March 06, 2023
April’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and decided she needed to have some fun. On a dating site, she met a much younger man who owned a diamond mine. What followed was either Stockholm Syndrome or a pastiche of the sunk cost fallacy. Was she addicted to her scammer? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E86 · Mon, February 27, 2023
Solana Foundation hype man Austin Federa was kind enough to join us this week to discuss one of the bedrock truths when it comes to money: People like to steal it. Seriously, listen to this one if you think cryptocurrency has its own special category of crime, because you might be missing the forest for the trees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E85 · Mon, February 20, 2023
Michelle Dennedy is to privacy what Einstein is to relativity but with the addition of rules that involve proper panty protocols. If there’s a new trend in identity-related crime, she knows about it, has an opinion and can help guide you to a better place without getting got by it. A must-listen episode especially if you’ve ever researched mental health care online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E84 · Mon, February 13, 2023
China’s spying via dirigible is incorrigible but in sync with its many digital deviancies. We tried to get Xi Jinping as a guest this week, but didn’t hear back so we decided to explore the news about Chinese spy balloons in context with other attacks, why it matters (or doesn’t) and why (at least one of us thinks) Mark Zuckerberg is just as bad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E83 · Mon, February 06, 2023
Jordan is a classic go-getter. At age 17, he was running a successful e-commerce site reselling knock-off consumer electronics through a website connected to a drop shipping company. Unfortunately, the tidy profit he made on a product that was perfectly legal but a wee bit questionable, put him on the radar of scammers who knew a LOT about him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E82 · Mon, January 30, 2023
In the wake of the Great Reset and Covid, millions of people have pursued their dreams of a better, financially stable and less stressful life. Business analyst and author Jill Schlesinger gives us a rundown on how to distinguish these dreams from reality and how to avoid getting scammed in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E81 · Mon, January 23, 2023
If you’ve listened to the show more than once, you know Adam talks A LOT about credit freezes.This week he makes a jaw-dropping (and somewhat shameless) confession: The Great Cred-u-cator only got around to freezing his own credit last week! Hear what his no-shame zone admission can teach us all about the things we don’t do to stay safe online. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E80 · Mon, January 16, 2023
Misinformation is almost always born in the primordial slime of the internet, that swamp of blogs, newsletters, and other private discussion groups that most of us never read. Unless most of you happen to be Media Matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E79 · Mon, January 09, 2023
Britt was starting a new career and between jobs, so there was no money coming in and she stopped checking her bank balances for a while. When she finally did take a look, a substantial piece of her nest egg had vanished. We find out where it went and how the theft may have gone down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E78 · Mon, January 02, 2023
Online scams, hacks and the cybersecurity fails that feed them don’t stop for the holidays, and neither do we! That said, a lot of people do take a break this time a year, which is why we’re guest-less this week. But hey, you’ve still got us and there’s plenty of news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E77 · Mon, December 26, 2022
As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time for our annual look back at all the guests who made 2022 a special year. Adam, Beau, Travis and Andrew Steven, the man with two first names who’s usually busy producing the show, talked about our favorite moments with Al Franken, Malcolm Nance, Roy Wood, Jr., Deviant Ollam, Dan Ahdoot and others. Thanks to all of our listeners for a great 2022. We hope you’ve had as much fun listening to the show as we’ve had making it. And if you really like us, please take a moment to tell us about it in a review wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps people find the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E76 · Mon, December 19, 2022
Kate is a reservation school teacher in South Dakota. She’s financially responsible, and understands a thing or two about cybersecurity. Unfortunately, everything she knew flew out the window when her car got repossessed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E75 · Mon, December 12, 2022
As a Daily Show correspondent, comedian Roy Wood, Jr. knows a thing or two about fake news and truthiness as well as the truth-and-a-half that is comedy. By skewering the media and the people in the news, he has special insight into how misinformation affects the way we think about the world and what we know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E74 · Mon, December 05, 2022
Bob Sullivan does a lot for his trusty golden retriever Rusty, including the maintenance of a busy social media presence. So, you can imagine his horror after losing his phone and with that his access to Rusty’s account. How’d it happen? Cyber! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E73 · Mon, November 28, 2022
Jessica Roy’s wallet was stolen in a bar and soon her identity was stolen, too. Listen to this cyber-savvy reporter’s saga about doing everything right to protect herself while crime after crime was being committed in her name. And that was before things took a turn for the worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E72 · Mon, November 21, 2022
Question: What happens when you try to make money off an international crisis by posing as a former Navy signals intelligence guy? Answer: Not much. Just back from Ukraine, Malcolm Nance is a high profile legionnaire, which made him a target for scammers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E71 · Mon, November 14, 2022
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
S1 E70 · Mon, November 07, 2022
Jennifer Kraus knows her way around the world, and is not an easy target for scammers, which is why they targeted her mother. Scams these days slip and slide from analog to digital. The one that we’re talking about today cost about $1000. It arrived via snail mail and email to the same home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E69 · Mon, October 31, 2022
You have heard us talk about two-factor authentication, and if you’re not using it wherever possible you should be. Having said that, hackers know how to get around it these days. In this episode, cybersecurity professional Adam Burley is back to tell us the story of a hacked C-suite client whose situation was more sophisticated than it seemed at first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E68 · Mon, October 24, 2022
Philippa’s business software wasn’t working right, so she Googled for tech support and called the first number listed. Almost immediately, hackers were in her computer looking for sensitive data. This week we explore a new attack vector: online ads and business listings used as lures for unsuspecting victims, and how to avoid getting “got” by them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E67 · Mon, October 17, 2022
WTH superfan Fumiko dated a sniper she met on the triathlon circuit who was not awesome and left her with questions that Oprah could have answered with great aplomb, but she asked us because, well… We don’t know. But we’re super grateful to have a superfan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E66 · Mon, October 10, 2022
Penetration testing may sound a little skeevy, but it is a term of art in the security business. Physical penetration testing….well. Deviant Ollam is a big name in that world with well-documented adventures in getting into places that are supposed to be, well, impenetrable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E65 · Mon, October 03, 2022
This week Beau goes on a road trip to the Big House in Michigan where he ran afoul of a parking scam outside the third-largest sports arena in the world. We’re going to have to call this one a limited bandwidth / zero available parking scam. Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E64 · Mon, September 26, 2022
If you have never listened to Chris Hutchins explain how to get free travel, you’ve probably been paying too much for your vacations. Turns out, a threat actor was listening to him and stole his miles. Download this week’s episode to hear how he hacked the situation to score even more points. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E63 · Mon, September 19, 2022
Red Queen Dynamics founder Tarah Wheeler knows a thing or two about smashing norms in the cybersecurity industry. But as a human being, she also has some experience being compromised. You’ll definitely want to tune in as she tells us about her own goal as a cybersecurity executive, and how she practices cybersecurity in her own life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E62 · Mon, September 12, 2022
Joelle was on the launch team for the What the Hack podcast, so she knows a thing or two about scams. But when her credit card was hit for thousands of dollars, even we didn’t know what happened–that is, until Travis figured it out (sort of). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E61 · Mon, September 05, 2022
Investigative journalist and podcaster Andrew Gold talked to us before about the way magicians work. His second appearance on the show explores a more serious topic. This is not an easy listen, but Germany’s controversial approach to potential sex offenders raises some privacy and ethics issues that are central to the topics we discuss on WTH. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E60 · Mon, August 29, 2022
Caitlin Brodnick hosts the ScamWow podcast where she talks about what we talk about, and she has a must-listen podcast. When she’s not in front of a microphone, she spends a lot of time trying to figure out if Reality TV is actually real. Here’s what we found out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E59 · Mon, August 22, 2022
All Dara Starr Tucker wanted was an affordable place to live not quite in the center of things–a place to breathe easy. When she found what looked to be a dream rental for a third of her budget, she was excited, but when she got there her Spidey-sense told her to run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E58 · Mon, August 15, 2022
When it comes to privacy, Ann Cavoukian is a legend. She created Privacy by Design during her tenure as Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, which landed her in the upper echelon of cybersecurity peeps. And she’s Raffi’s sister! Check it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E57 · Mon, August 08, 2022
If you followed the news in the early 2000s, you probably remember the ShadowCrew cybercrime group. Brett Johnson rolled with them. These days he’s on the right side of the law, helping people avoid getting hacked, scammed and otherwise crimed… You don’t want to miss this one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E56 · Mon, August 01, 2022
Looking for the blue checkmark on Instagram is the easiest way for consumers to tell if they are dealing with a cloned account, but it’s not so easy to get. The site provides crucial exposure to creatives of all stripe. The problem is scammers are everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E55 · Mon, July 25, 2022
Rudy Shepherd was not used to selling his own work online. He had a gallery for that. But when the relationship with that gallery ended, he had to fend for himself, giving new meaning to the phrase, “learning on the job.” Listen in as he takes us on a tour of the Zelle hell with a scammer who knew just what to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E54 · Mon, July 18, 2022
There are tens of millions of small and medium-size businesses in the United States alone, and depending on their state incorporation, many are in danger of business identity theft. Andy Pham is an American hero by many standards, for sure with regard to the right to become wildly successful. He’s truly living the American Dream. Having grown up in Communist Vietnam for the first ten years of his life, his mom sent him to the United States where she believed he would have a better life and avoid being drafted into the war in Cambodia. She was right. His story of success is eye-popping, but what happened to him on the scam front is almost beyond belief. Download the latest episode to hear how a nasty dentist managed to steal a five million dollar project from Pham, and how he got it back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E53 · Mon, July 11, 2022
Time flies when you’re having fun talking to people from all walks of life about getting scammed, hacked or otherwise cyberbamboozled. It seems like yesterday that we launched What the Hack with Adam Levin, but, this week marks our first anniversary! With highlights and noteworthy moments, our anniversary show is like a chocolate sampler, minus the gross ones with orange jelly that Travis likes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E52 · Mon, July 04, 2022
Michelle Waters was a middle school teacher before getting into the teaching tools business, so she has nerves of steel. But when her Facebook account was misappropriated and badly misused, she learned that even veteran teachers have a melting point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E51 · Mon, June 27, 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic put millions of people out of work and put billions of dollars in unemployment benefits up for grabs. What was a lifeline for the unemployed became a goldmine for scammers. In this episode, the scammer sometimes rings twice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E50 · Mon, June 20, 2022
Social engineering is still a new term for some people. We break it down in this episode by focusing on how reporters and magicians use it. (Get it? There’s a trick involved!) Check out this wide-ranging conversation with journalist Andrew Gold that covers shamans, a classic girlfriend’s mother tale and nose picking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E49 · Mon, June 13, 2022
You may have a little deja vu since Beau is constantly trying to get scammed, but in this episode, Adam, Beau and Travis talk about the scams they’ve stared down in the past–and of course Beau talks about the scam he fell for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E48 · Mon, June 06, 2022
An ugly divorce becomes fertile ground for an ex’s hacking skills as Hope is persistently compromised by forgotten backdoors to old devices and even a secret dressing-room camera. Hear how he kept getting in and what you can do if you’re worried about cyberstalkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E47 · Mon, May 30, 2022
Ever wonder if your phone was listening to you? Have you stared at one of your smart home cameras and got the vibe that you were in the first act of a horror movie? Well, this episode proves that the worst you can imagine is just one bad relationship away! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E46 · Mon, May 23, 2022
Adam was a guest on the Date/Able podcast recently, and he had a lot of fun. With a head full of “The Tinder Swindler,” he invited them to be guests on What the Hack to discuss something near and dear to our hearts: Gutting faux-meo catphishers for fun and whatever the opposite of not-losing money and precious time looks like for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E45 · Mon, May 16, 2022
Jeff Williams has been on the cybersecurity beat before it had a name. Currently the Global Head of Security at Avast, Jeff was working the ramparts at Microsoft in the mid-oughts when he was tasked with bombing the botnets and making spam email a thing of the past. Your inbox reveals the outcome, but the journey will make you safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E44 · Mon, May 09, 2022
Retired Secret Service Chief of Staff Brian Ebert is back to talk about the time two Romanian hackers accidentally hit security cameras with ransomware that were monitoring the inauguration of Donald Trump. Hear how a sketchy Amazon vendor selling smoking guns (the culinary kind) led the Secret Service to the hackers days before the inauguration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E43 · Mon, May 02, 2022
ConsumerMan Herb Weisbaum is a veteran protector of all things scammable. On this week’s episode, he joined us to talk about crypto scams. If you invest in crypto you might want to check your accounts to make sure your dough's still there, because there are a lot of ways for it to go walkabout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E42 · Mon, April 25, 2022
Daniel Arnold is a world-famous lenser known in equal parts for fashion and street photography, which may have made him a target. Tune in to hear his remarkably laid back reaction to becoming a victim of identity theft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E41 · Mon, April 18, 2022
Retired U.S. Secret Service chief of staff Brian Ebert joined us to recount the case of an international credit card skimming operation of mind-boggling proportions. Listen in as he tells a story that will make you freeze your credit before you even finish listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E40 · Mon, April 11, 2022
Bill knows a lot about staying safe online and he still got scammed, which is what makes him the perfect guest for What the Hack. Trying to buy some last-minute tickets for a hockey game, he was in the scammer’s sweet spot–rushed and needing something specific. Listen in as he tells us the tale of how he stalked his scammers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E39 · Mon, April 04, 2022
We like to think of our hackers (when they get you, they are yours forever) as being super STEM-smart computer lab rats, but as “Green Eggs and Dan” host Dan Ahdoot found out, sometimes they are thirteen-year-olds trying to earn some pocket money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E38 · Mon, March 28, 2022
If you’re looking for love and companionship online, you know there are tons of jerks and rabbit boilers out there. You need to be careful. Here’s a story that will make you delete that dating app forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E37 · Mon, March 21, 2022
Darknet Diaries host Jack Rhysider is back! This time he tells us about a superfan stalker. Ever wonder if all that personal stuff you post on social media might get you in trouble? This week’s episode features an OG cyber expert’s story about just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E36 · Mon, March 14, 2022
Jordan Harbinger is no stranger to the trust triggers that make people do things online and in real life. So, we figured he had some firsthand experience based on his coverage of hacking and social engineering on The Jordan Harbinger Show, but we didn’t know how wonderfully devious his stories from the early days were going to be. Check out this must-listen episode, or be hacked immediately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E35 · Mon, March 07, 2022
Identity theft, a Ghanaian car smuggling syndicate, and a mystery insurance policy that didn’t even make it into the episode – this story has it all, and from a previous guest we never imagined would become a victim of this sort of crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E34 · Mon, February 28, 2022
Adam Burley is a “second-generation nerd” (that’s “cybersecurity expert” to you). He makes a living protecting businesses and their networks. When the ransomware gang behind the Colonial Pipeline attack infiltrated an unprotected server, he faced a crash course in how Ransomware-as-a-Service gangs operate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E33 · Mon, February 21, 2022
Darknet Diaries host Jack Rhysider is no stranger to cybercrime, but he’s relatively new to NFTs, a digital space still in Wild West mode. Jack joined us to talk about NFT pitfalls and the pickpocket vibes he’s encountered while investing in them, some digital wallet woes and more. He also had great advice for anyone thinking about making a move in the NFT space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bonus · Thu, February 17, 2022
Today, we want to introduce you to Now, What's Next?, an original podcast from Morgan Stanley. This season of Now, What's Next looks at how the supply chain connects us all, and what happens when it breaks. The “Great Kettlebell Shortage” episode looks at why it was so hard to get kettlebells during the height of the pandemic. In this episode we meet Jay Perkins, the co-founder of Kettlebell Kings. During the beginning of the shortage, Jay sold out of two containers worth of product in about 10 minutes. While some businesses were hurting, others stepped in to fill the gap left by China. We hear from kettlebell manufacturers in Vietnam and the US who took the opportunity to make their move. Listen to Now, What’s Next? anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E32 · Mon, February 14, 2022
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
S1 E31 · Mon, February 07, 2022
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
S1 E30 · Mon, January 31, 2022
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
S1 E29 · Mon, January 24, 2022
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
S1 E28 · Mon, January 17, 2022
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
S1 E27 · Mon, January 10, 2022
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
S1 E26 · Mon, January 03, 2022
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
S1 E25 · Mon, December 27, 2021
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
S1 E24 · Mon, December 20, 2021
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
S1 E23 · Mon, December 13, 2021
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
S1 E21 · Mon, December 06, 2021
Kristine had been living la vida expatriate during Covid, when work called her back to New York City and she had to find a short-term rental. How’d a hardened reporter get sucked into a Craigslist scam? The same way we all do, and it’s a very good story. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E20 · Mon, November 29, 2021
Growing up in the shadow of child identity theft can be a struggle. For Axton Betz-Hamilton, her discovery of the culprit led to the shock of a lifetime. In the second installment of this two-part episode, we examine the massive financial and emotional toll of finding out a loved one wasn’t all that they seemed, and how to recover. Also discussed: stalkerware apps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E19 · Mon, November 22, 2021
By the time most people find out that they’ve been the victim of child identity theft, their credit is trashed. That’s what happened to Axton Betz-Hamilton. And like most victims of child identity theft, she was targeted by someone she knew. In the first installment of this two-part episode, the mystery of who stole Axton’s identity unravels in a very unexpected direction. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E18 · Mon, November 15, 2021
Does your business depend on social media? How about your social life? Would you be willing to pay to get your account back if it got hacked? That’s this week’s dilemma for a well-known eyewear designer. Hear what he did. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E17 · Mon, November 08, 2021
Josh works at a real estate company that oversees wire transfers every day. Hear the story about the time a single compromised email account almost cost his company big time. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E16 · Mon, November 01, 2021
If you've waded into cryptocurrency investments, you probably know about crypto scams. But what you don’t know about crypto wallets could be exactly what a thief needs to steal all those magic gains. We also talk about bears, if you're into that sort of thing. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E15 · Sun, October 24, 2021
What happens when you combine an actor, a well-followed Instagram account, an early morning alert and a master cleanse with a hacker? An account takeover and ransom situation, of course! Also covered in this episode: no-click exploits. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E14 · Mon, October 18, 2021
The teenage son of this week’s guest learned a lesson we've been banging on about for years--the hard way. Don't use your debit card when a credit card will do. There is a very specific reason we say this, and you can find out what it is right here. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E13 · Mon, October 11, 2021
The Covid epidemic shut down music venues around the world, but with our ever more connected planet, the bands played on. Music people moved their gigs online and Twitch became a major venue for that. That’s where Emily McVicker ran into trouble with a new version of the overpayment scam. Also in this episode: Can you steal a Tesla with a Raspberry? Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E12 · Mon, October 04, 2021
Some scams give us something to laugh about whether it's the sheer audacity or the incompetence that made them work. Loki’s story is not one of those capers. He was the victim of a catfishing scam where he figured as the catfish as the result of identity theft. But the worst part? The person who did it to him... Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E11 · Mon, September 27, 2021
Larry worked on the assembly line at Ford and a long list of impressive jobs to which he can now add “Scam Slayer.” Online criminals often target retirees, because they assume senior citizens are easy prey. Larry is an object lesson in how not to fall victim to the kinds of crime targeting the AARP crowd. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E11 · Tue, September 21, 2021
Mary is a lot of things. Cannabinoid cooking maven, former radio host, and her banter could make the saltiest sailor blush. When she was angling to find love (and sex) online, a rather young-sounding catfish took the bait and what followed was pretty funny. Read the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E9 · Mon, September 13, 2021
Like many of us, Joyce spent hours during the Covid lockdown connecting with friends by playing games online--in her case a MahJong app. Imagine her surprise when using a legitimate app to find a scammer trying to empty her entire bank account. The most likely culprit? You will rethink your game time when you hear what it was. Read the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E9 · Mon, September 06, 2021
How do you know when you’ve been hacked? What happens when you lose control of an account, but don’t see any other unusual activity? Ed found himself locked out of his Facebook account but there was no other indication of foul play. Listen in as we play a speed round of "did he or didn't he" get hacked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E8 · Mon, August 30, 2021
Paul Toma is in the business of making the world a greener place, which made him a target for someone looking to tap into his credit at a local bank. A stroke of luck was all that stood between him and economic ruin. Find out in the latest episode how Paul was compromised and why you should never reuse your passwords. See the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E7 · Mon, August 23, 2021
Dan Beeler of Boyne Resorts protects fans of the great outdoors from prying eyes and other online threats. Fending off the assortment of cyber attacks that come his way is all in a day’s work, which is why Dan was the first to know when his company got hit by ransomware. Hear what happened, and how Dan saved the day. See the transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E6 · Mon, August 16, 2021
Noah’s son had a boat coming to him, but finding one to buy during the pandemic was like trying to raise the Titanic. This episode focuses on that classic moment when Noah found a deal too good to be true. Boat-selling skullduggery ahead, as we learn how be like Noah when it comes to online scams. See the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E5 · Mon, August 09, 2021
Digital pirates pick up all sorts of viruses and bugs while downloading their treasures. Episode Five features a savvy digital native who picked up a nasty bug during a digital stroll down the gamer’s version of Memory Lane. Whether you think you’re immune to online contagion, or you just need a little pirate humor, we got it here. See the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E4 · Mon, August 02, 2021
Aunt Sally was happy to spend her time birdwatching and hanging out with her family. Then one day, a single typo put her in the crosshairs of a hacker who was intent on stealing all her money, rifling through her personal data and stealing her identity. Also: Don't post pictures of your vaccination card! Read the episode transcript . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E3 · Mon, July 26, 2021
As a journalist, he’s traveled to some of the most dangerous places in the world and managed to not get hacked. But the moment he gets some down time at home: O, the shame. Also covered: smishing, social engineering, 419 scams and once again, why you should never re-use your passwords. Read the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E2 · Mon, July 19, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic created massive unemployment and with that, a shadow pandemic of unemployment scams. In our second episode, Adam’s sister-in-law was targeted in two different states and tells us the tale. Also discussed: are biometrics better than passwords? Read the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
S1 E1 · Mon, July 12, 2021
Did you know that you can activate malware on your computer just by looking at an image posted in the comments of an online discussion? We're big on good cyber hygiene. Our first episode provides an important life lesson: Always use a burner computer to troll your enemies. And of course beware of evil clowns. Check out Roy’s story about the time he got hacked while trolling QAnon followers. Read the episode transcript here . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thu, May 13, 2021
What the Hack with Adam Levin is a production of Loud Tree Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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