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Easy Prey

Easy Prey

By: Chris Parker
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Chris Parker, the founder of WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, interviews guests and tells real-life stories about topics to open your eyes to the danger and traps lurking in the real world, ranging from online scams and frauds to everyday situations where people are trying to take advantage of you—for their gain and your loss. Our goal is to educate and equip you, so you learn how to spot the warning signs of trouble, take quick action, and lower the risk of becoming a victim. Biographies & Memoirs Politics & Government True Crime
Episodes
  • When Cybercrime Gets Personal

    When Cybercrime Gets Personal
    Mar 18 2026
    Most security breaches don't begin with sophisticated code or elaborate technical exploits. They begin with a phone call, a convincing email, or someone at a help desk who just wanted to be helpful. The human layer is often the weakest link, and the criminals who understand that are the ones causing the most damage. My guest today is May Chen-Contino. She's the CEO of Unit 221B, a threat disruption company that delivers actionable intelligence to enterprises, law enforcement, and government agencies. Her background spans cybersecurity, fintech, and SaaS leadership at companies like PayPal and eBay, and she brings a distinctly mission-driven lens to the work, shaped equally by a career in business and a background as a Krav Maga instructor. Unit 221B operates less like a typical security vendor and more like a specialized investigative unit, with a team that includes tenured ransomware experts, incident responders, and former law enforcement, all focused on one outcome: criminal arrest. May has seen firsthand how ransomware gangs operate with their own codes of conduct, how a younger generation of cybercriminals is throwing those rules out entirely, and why paying a ransom is increasingly a bet that doesn't pay off. We talk about why social engineering has overtaken technical hacking as the dominant attack vector, what organizations and individuals should never do in the aftermath of a breach, and how crimes against children online often go unreported for the worst possible reasons. May also shares a story from her own experience being scammed on eBay, and what she did about it, which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches this work. Show Notes: [1:28] May shares her background and how she came to lead Unit 221B, a threat disruption company serving enterprises, law enforcement, and government.[1:41] May traces her path into cybersecurity, explaining how a lifelong sense of justice and a friendship built through Krav Maga training led her to a team of investigators doing real criminal work.[5:55] May recounts being scammed while selling luxury shoes on eBay, describing how a fraudulent PayPal email convinced her the sale had failed after she had already shipped the item.[8:22] Rather than accepting the loss, May engaged the scammer directly, intercepted her own shipment through FedEx, and used a photoshopped payment screenshot to flip the situation on him.[11:36] The story ends with May recovering her shoes, followed by a candid note that this approach carries real risk and is not something she would recommend to others.[12:57] May outlines Unit 221B's core work, including criminal investigations, threat intelligence, pen testing, and incident response, all oriented toward federal prosecution and criminal arrest.[16:52] The evolving threat landscape, contrasting professional ransomware organizations that tend to honor agreements with a younger generation of cybercriminals who operate without limits.[18:44] May describes this younger criminal group in detail, noting members are predominantly 14 to 26 years old, English-speaking, and motivated as much by social status as financial gain.[21:49] May explains why wiping systems and restoring backups after a breach is one of the most damaging mistakes an organization can make, eliminating evidence and removing any path to prosecution.[23:04] She walks through Unit 221B's incident response process, covering digital forensics, insider threat identification, and determining who is behind an attack before advising on next steps.[26:32] May addresses the ransom payment question directly, recommending against paying as a default while acknowledging that knowing your adversary is essential to making the right call.[28:04] The discussion covers the legal and PR dimensions of a breach, including notification obligations and why some organizations choose to go public about what happened.[31:08] May pushes back on the perception that law enforcement doesn't help, explaining that federal agencies are understaffed and must prioritize cases, but are genuinely committed to the work.[34:08] The issue of victims deleting evidence before reporting, and how frequently this forecloses any possibility of investigation or prosecution.[34:55] The conversation turns to crimes targeting children, including sextortion, and why open dialogue between parents and kids is critical to getting victims to come forward before lasting harm is done.[37:18] May reflects on a keynote she gave at Harvard's Bold Conference for young women, describing the tension between advice to build an online presence and the real safety risks that come with it.[38:51] May shares practical security guidance for young people online, including being mindful of what appears in video backgrounds, using strong passwords, and enabling two-factor authentication.[40:35] May identifies AI-assisted attacks and social engineering as the two most significant forces reshaping the threat landscape, with...
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    46 mins
  • Stopping Phone Scams

    Stopping Phone Scams
    Mar 11 2026
    Phone scams get dismissed as background noise or just annoying interruptions and unknown numbers with robotic voices we learn to ignore. But behind that noise is an industry built on psychology, automation, and staggering profitability. My guest today is Alex Quilici. He's an engineer, entrepreneur, and the CEO of YouMail, a company focused on protecting consumers and businesses from unwanted and fraudulent calls. Alex has spent years analyzing how robocalls and scam campaigns are designed, how they evolve, and why they continue to work despite better technology and increased awareness. What began as a voicemail platform shifted into fraud prevention after users unintentionally revealed a powerful truth that even small friction can disrupt scam operations. He shares how his own father got pulled into a tech support scam which cemented his mission to move beyond blocking calls and toward tracing and stopping scams closer to their source. We talk about how scam calls are engineered, the tactics that trigger panic and urgency, and how criminals use data breaches, AI tools, and impersonation to sound convincing. We also explore what's changing, including fewer random calls, more targeted attacks, rising text and messaging scams, and the difficult balance between stopping fraud and allowing legitimate calls through. Alex shares practical ways consumers and businesses can reduce risk, along with a candid look at why this problem is so persistent and where it's likely heading next. Show Notes: [2:23] Alex explains how YouMail shifted from a voicemail company into fraud prevention after noticing users using an out-of-service message to deter robocallers.[3:25] Discussion turns to robocall volume, with Alex estimating billions of calls per day and roughly five billion robocalls per month.[4:10] About half of all robocalls are unwanted, while the rest include legitimate reminders from doctors, hospitals, and financial institutions.[5:05] Alex notes that legitimate telemarketing still exists but is now heavily overshadowed by sketchy and scam-driven campaigns.[6:40] Scam calls have declined in raw volume, yet attackers are becoming more targeted and efficient.[7:15] Scammers increasingly pivot to texts, email, and messaging platforms where third-party blocking is harder.[9:27] Alex describes limited progress shutting down shady telemarketers but better success against large-scale illegal robocall operations.[11:05] Sense of urgency emerges as the dominant tactic, often involving fake charges, legal threats, or financial panic triggers.[13:10] Modern scams combine spoofed caller ID with breached personal data to create highly convincing impersonations.[16:27] Scammers are compared to extremely motivated marketers who rapidly adopt AI and optimization techniques.[17:30] The economics are startling, with scam campaigns generating enormous profits at extremely low cost per call.[18:44] Alex advises letting unexpected calls go to voicemail and returning calls through verified, official channels.[20:50] Panic-based bank account scams are highlighted as particularly dangerous because fear overrides logic.[23:19] Businesses are identified as vulnerable targets, especially through employees' personal mobile phones.[31:52] Enforcement efforts are increasing, and Alex predicts stronger regulatory pressure over the coming year.[35:54] Impersonation scams tied to toll roads, DMVs, crypto, and romance schemes are flagged as growing threats.[38:19] A simple defensive principle is reinforced: pause, disengage, and verify independently before taking action.[41:44] Alex outlines YouMail's call-screening approach, adding friction that blocks automated scam systems while allowing real callers through. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web PageFacebook Pagewhatismyipaddress.comEasy Prey on InstagramEasy Prey on TwitterEasy Prey on LinkedInEasy Prey on YouTubeEasy Prey on PinterestYouMailAlex Quilici - LinkedIn
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    45 mins
  • Stolen Identity - Stolen Peace

    Stolen Identity - Stolen Peace
    Mar 4 2026
    Identity theft gets talked about a lot, but usually in the abstract: freeze your credit, watch your statements, don't click suspicious links. What doesn't get talked about nearly enough is what it actually feels like when someone isn't just using your card number, but is actively living as you. My guest today is Brooklyn Lyons. She's 25, recently married, and by her own admission, had no particular expertise in fraud or cybersecurity before October of 2024. That changed when her car window was smashed in a parking lot, and her work bag, laptop, wallet, driver's license, and everything was gone by morning. What followed wasn't a quick nightmare with a clean ending. It stretched across months, multiple counties, a jail communication system, the dark web, and a wanted fugitive who dyed her hair to look more like the face on a stolen ID. Brooklyn didn't just sit with it. She pulled criminal records, reverse-searched phone numbers, tracked an inmate's transfers across four facilities, identified a suspect on her own, and eventually filed a civil lawsuit without an attorney. We talk about what it feels like when someone is pretending to be you, not just spending your money, but messaging people as you, signing up for accounts as you, building a life in your name. We also get into the specific steps she took to fight back, the tools she wishes she'd known about sooner, and what recovery actually looks like when the case isn't closed, and the person still hasn't been caught. Show Notes: [1:47] Brooklyn introduces herself as a 25-year-old from Texas with no prior experience in fraud or identity theft.[2:13] She describes moving to the DFW area after getting married in June 2024 and being aware of the high rate of car break-ins in the region.[3:32] Her car window is smashed overnight, and her work bag is stolen, containing her laptop, wallet, driver's license, and all her cards.[4:03] Brooklyn's immediate response is to freeze her credit with all three bureaus and cancel her cards within 10 to 15 minutes.[4:57] Despite locking everything down, her cards are maxed out, and a police report is filed with little follow-up from law enforcement.[5:12] A period of quiet follows before a letter arrives around Valentine's Day 2025 claiming she rented a U-Haul and never returned it.[5:48] Experian alerts her that her driver's license has been found on the dark web, arriving almost simultaneously with the U-Haul letter.[7:14] While checking USPS Informed Delivery for a wedding invitation, Brooklyn spots a certified letter from a county jail addressed to her with an inmate's name listed beneath hers.[8:28] She contacts the jail and discovers an inmate had listed her as his girlfriend when booked, requesting she pick up his belongings before a prison transfer.[9:53] Brooklyn looks up the inmate in the state conviction database and finds a record including identity theft, car burglary, organized crime, and credit card abuse of the elderly.[11:58] A jail investigator reveals that the inmate's girlfriend had created an account in Brooklyn's name using her driver's license photo, editing her own appearance to match Brooklyn's features.[14:02] Brooklyn traces the same pattern across multiple county jail facilities the inmate passed through, confirming the woman repeated the identity fraud at each one.[15:13] A detective confirms the woman has stolen or attempted to use 17 other identities, and that Brooklyn is the only one who has caught on so far.[16:52] Four police departments become involved, and Brooklyn begins coordinating with investigators across all of them through a shared email thread.[19:22] Pulling her credit report reveals phone numbers tied to the suspect, leading Brooklyn to discover PayPal accounts, Cash App profiles, and a Facebook page created in her name.[20:58] Brooklyn uses a PayPal password recovery prompt to identify the first three letters of the suspect's real name.[22:03] She requests all jail booking documents containing her name from every county involved and receives text message logs from one department.[22:33] Using a birthday and partial name found in the messages, Brooklyn searches mugshots.com and identifies the suspect herself, later getting vague confirmation from investigators.[24:38] Chris asks whether the suspect and inmate were in a relationship, and Brooklyn explains they appear to share a child and were trying to manage a custody situation.[27:57] Brooklyn investigates whether a Verizon phone number was tied to an account in her name and later finds the suspect's real email embedded in her electricity account profile.[29:27] Brooklyn details changing her driver's license four times throughout the ordeal and suspects the woman is using her information for utility accounts to avoid being found.[31:02] Two police departments issue arrest warrants for the suspect, but she remains at large and difficult to locate.[31:33] Brooklyn files a civil lawsuit on her own without an attorney, ...
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    52 mins
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