Synthetic IDs can be used to open fake accounts, but without a person to file the fraud claim, how should companies deal with this type of deceit? There is no crime where someone doesn’t need to pay for the loss. Either way, the loss is passed on to the consumers in some way or another.

Today’s guest is Steve Lenderman. Steve is currently the Head of Fraud Solutions North America at Quantexa and has over 25 years of experience in financial crimes investigation. His previous roles include being the Senior Vice President of Fraud Prevention Investigations at Bank Mobile Technology, the Director of Strategic Fraud Prevention at ADP, and the Fraud Operations Lead for PayPal Business Loans. He is a certified fraud examiner and actively contributes to the anti-fraud community.

• [1:07] - Steve shares his background and what his current role is at Quantexa.
• [4:04] - For those who are interested in a career path in cybersecurity or fraud, Steve has some tips.
• [6:07] - What is synthetic identity? Steve describes what it is and why we should be concerned about them.
• [8:59] - Although still mostly built around financial data, synthetic IDs have also morphed into other nefarious uses.
• [10:56] - All fraud in general is underreported, but synthetic IDs are extremely underreported, so data is not accurate, although still very high.
• [12:37] - Synthetic IDs can be used to open a credit card and then after several purchases, fraudsters leave the card open and unpaid.
• [14:21] - Some think that synthetic IDs and fake accounts are victimless.
• [18:59] - To understand how fraud works, Steve had to create synthetic IDs.
• [22:15] - Over the years, it has gotten even easier to do, which is alarming.
• [25:13] - Credit repair using a CPN is illegal fraud using synthetic IDs.
• [26:40] - Synthetics are all built around data and the ease of collecting data in the last few years has increased the ease of creating them.
• [27:57] - Criminals have learned that they can use synthetic IDs in more ways and in more industries.
• [31:04] - Small businesses are particularly easy targets for synthetic ID use.
• [33:16] - It is possible for synthetic IDs to also be used to create a new business.
• [34:53] - Technology has also made it possible for a deep fake to be created to match a synthetic ID.
• [36:49] - A lot of synthetic IDs are created with unused credit.

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Criminals do their own recon to study how vendors craft their emails and how they can structure them to match. Scammers know employees are busy and that they want to act promptly on requests, but they also understand it takes time to verify the validity of the email. How do we train employees to know what is real and what isn’t?

Today’s guest is Josh Bartolomie. After joining Cofense in 2018 as the Director of Research and Development, Josh currently serves as the Vice President of Global Threat Services. He has over 25 years of IT and cybersecurity experience. He designed, built, and managed security operations centers, incident response teams, security architecture, and compliance for global organizations.

• [1:08] - Josh shares his background and what he does in his current role at Cofense.
• [4:06] - After all these years, email continues to be an easy way for scammers to target many people at one time and victimize a percentage of them.
• [5:52] - Wherever there are a lot of people, that is where attackers will go because that is a bigger pool of success for them.
• [7:08] - You used to be able to block emails with an unsubscribe button, but now we rely on those emails, too.
• [9:50] - The goal is not to stop them altogether, because at this point it isn’t possible. The goal is to dissuade people from clicking links and trusting emails.
• [11:47] - With AI and LM, crafting emails has never been easier for scammers.
• [13:48] - Organizations get hit in different ways, but HR generally gets targeted a lot.
• [16:54] - Intellectual property theft is also a part of email crafting.
• [20:14] - Chris shares the story of an unfortunate experience.
• [25:10] - Acknowledge that these things do happen and they can happen to you.
• [27:33] - Always call the vendor. It’s an extra layer and extra work, but never trust an email that says something has changed when it comes to finances.
• [28:54] - Organizations should have a strong reporting culture.
• [30:55] - Employees can report emails that seem suspicious. The majority of them are spam emails, rather than scams, but they should be reported.
• [34:02] - What constitutes a spam email? What is the difference?
• [36:13] - Organizations tend to cut IT and cybersecurity when there are budget cuts.
• [39:18] - This is changing every single day.
• [41:46] - Scammers collect data and create profiles. They are very sophisticated in their strategies to target organizations.

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Some scammers love the challenge of deceiving those they target while others are forced to scam. Those that thrive off of destroying others try to heighten your emotions very quickly. Both excited and angry responses can get you into making irrational decisions.

Today’s guest is Doug Shadel. Doug is a former fraud investigator and special assistant to the Attorney General at the Washington State Attorney General’s office. He served as state director for AARP Washington and Strategy Director for AARP’s national anti-fraud efforts. Doug has collaborated on numerous educational videos and academic studies and co-authored five books about fraud. He also co-authored the AARP Fraud Frontier 2021 Report. He is currently Managing Director of Fraud Prevention Strategies LLC, a Seattle-based consulting firm.

• [1:08] - Doug shares his background and career in fighting fraud.
• [2:43] - Robo-calls have been a long lasting problem that Doug has been working on with AARP and Nomorobo.
• [7:11] - Over the years, Doug has interviewed numerous scammers. They all say their primary goal is to get a victim in a heightened emotional state.
• [9:07] - Doug describes the research that shows when people are in a heightened emotional state, they are more likely to fall victim to a scam.
• [10:57] - Block the incoming robocalls to begin with to help avoid a scammer manipulating you into a heightened emotional state.
• [13:17] - It still is very dangerous to answer these phone calls because a lot of them are really persuasive and really good at what they do.
• [14:34] - There isn’t a specific demographic profile. Doug explains what people who fall victim to a scam have in common.
• [16:49] - The FCC has come down hard on robocallers, but this has just caused scammers to be more careful and even more skilled.
• [18:09] - Have you recently received calls asking for a donation? Doug describes how these work.
• [21:12] - The number one red flag of a robocall is the threat of loss.
• [25:22] - Caller ID is not reliable. It is very common and easy for scammers to spoof a call.
• [27:48] - There are some legitimate needs for people to be able to spoof a call.
• [29:42] - Assume it is a scam if you did not initiate the contact.
• [33:08] - By and large, scammers will not cause violence on a victim, even if they threaten them. They follow the path of least resistance.
• [36:02] - Doug describes some software he uses to edit videos that incorporates AI. These tools are great, but are also used by scammers.
• [39:26] - Grandparent scams are really common. Doug describes what people have said after falling victim.
• [40:40] - There is an illusion of invulnerability. If you are convinced that you are not vulnerable to something, you won’t do anything to prevent it.
• [43:04] - There’s a lot more money for scammers to make in scamming an employee of a large company than individuals.
• [46:10] - The pandemic also had a big impact on the scamming industry.
• [50:50] - The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline is 1-877-908-3360.
• [53:00] - Always report a scam when you know of one. It helps more than you know.

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Thieves used to rob banks and steal physical money, but in a digital world, it is much easier to sit behind a keyboard and deceive you into giving it to them. Fortunately, there are specific things you can do to protect your finances before scammers get into your accounts.

Today’s guest is John Buzzard. John is a nationally recognized financial industry fraud expert who has delivered significant influence in credit card fraud, risk, and security services for financial institutions throughout the United States.

• [0:56] - John shares his background and what he does currently in the financial industry fraud space.
• [2:31] - Everything old is new again. Things come back in a cyclical fashion but have a new digital spin.
• [3:49] - There’s a price to pay for convenience especially if we don’t keep an eye on things and be aware of what can go wrong.
• [5:19] - Be conscious of where you bank and make purchases.
• [7:46] - Set up alerts so any activity in your bank accounts, including deposits, is made known.
• [11:34] - There are different viewpoints on freezing your credit.
• [17:15] - There are some capabilities in apps that can block certain types of activity.
• [20:35] - During and post-Covid, we have gotten into a “tap and go” contactless experience when making purchases.
• [22:20] - New payment techniques are safe. John discusses Apple Pay as something secure that he likes to use for safety and convenience.
• [25:40] - John explains card chips and what happens when they aren’t working.
• [27:59] - If there is fraud, it is handled differently if it is a chip transaction or a mag swipe.
• [31:01] - John shares an experience in wanting to create a new PIN for an account.
• [33:39] - What shouldn’t you share on social media to help prevent scams and fraud?
• [37:54] - When you have a complete stranger reaching out to you, no matter how they do it, they’re job is to get you disturbed and upset so that you react.
• [40:24] - Speaking in passcodes and passphrases is totally acceptable. That is often the thing a criminal does not have, even if they have your password.
• [44:16] - From a resolution standpoint, when you go to your financial services provider, as a consumer you do have rights.

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After a data breach, many criminals are beginning to use deep learning AI to categorize the information they have stolen. They’re using a steady amount of micro attacks on individuals and businesses and not just full-scale assaults.

Today’s guest is Robert Blumofe. Bobby joined Akamai in 1999 to lead the company’s first performance team. While serving as one of Akamai’s chief architects, he was instrumental in the design and development of their intelligent edge platform which now handles trillions of internet requests daily. Bobby’s technical past lends itself to a passion in machine learning and AI and he holds a PhD in Computer Science from MIT.

• [1:02] - Bobby shares his background and current role at Akamai.
• [2:32] - When he joined the company in 1999, he didn’t really know what Akamai did.
• [4:29] - Customers recognized that Akamai could have the capabilities to see all the traffic to their websites and potentially block attacks.
• [7:02] - Machine learning is really remarkable. Akamai has been using deep learning as a tool to solve problems for their security products.
• [9:25] - AI has become a big part of everything we do.
• [10:35] - The quantity and quality of the data used by AI is what differentiates the machine learning and models of an enterprise.
• [12:36] - Bobby discusses what the next five years could look like for cyber criminals.
• [15:24] - Criminals only need one success out of thousands or millions of targets.
• [17:32] - Social media platforms really do want to do the right thing but there’s only so much they can do.
• [18:39] - As a consumer, you have to be on guard and not necessarily trust where information is coming from.
• [20:42] - Any new significant development in technology is hard to differentiate from magic, especially in the early days of development.
• [23:04] - Machine learning is remarkable and as a technologist, Bobby wants to love it. But there are so many examples of misuse.
• [25:29] - Use the technology, but check the output.
• [29:10] - When solving a simple problem, does the AI really need to know everything? They access so much data that isn’t useful.
• [31:19] - Just because an entity can carry on a conversation, doesn’t mean it has authoritative knowledge.
• [33:04] - What is zero trust?
• [34:51] - A misconception is that AI will take over and plan like sci-fi movies.
• [39:11] - You need to have all the checks and balances in critical areas.
• [42:07] - Leadership in organizations needs to prioritize efforts and be very involved.
• [44:52] - We need to assume that AI will continue to develop and criminals will continue misusing the technology in new ways.
• [47:23] - The changes and advances have been so fast recently, that we may need the opportunity to pause.

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AI search tools are being used by criminals to sort through data breaches and data dumps they’ve stolen to target as many individuals as possible. After your phone has been swapped, they’ll have the ability to access all your SMS messages and phone calls. But there are precautions you can take.

Today’s guest is Mark Kreitzman. Mark is a seasoned cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience in building cybersecurity companies. Mark brings insights into evolving threats facing mobile security and data privacy. His expertise in our increasingly mobile world makes him a valuable resource in discussing how to mitigate your risks as it pertains to mobile communications.

• [1:02] - Mark shares his background in cybersecurity and what he does now in his career.
• [2:08] - In 2017, Mark experienced a SIM swap scam.
• [5:30] - He used his anger and paranoia to help develop Efani, a cybersecurity focused mobile service.
• [8:51] - When you get SIM swapped and the carrier recognizes that you’ve been attacked, they go into liability protection mode.
• [11:16] - Mark shares some of the details of what happened in his experience and explains that he still doesn’t know if he was specifically targeted.
• [14:00] - Through fraud, scammers can actually become resellers.
• [17:27] - SIM swapping started as a way to target and harass celebrities.
• [20:52] - Once scammers have information, they can get into many different accounts because people tend to use the same passwords.
• [23:14] - Everybody’s information is floating out there. Data breaches give scammers and fraudsters access to so much.
• [24:19] - Mark describes what you will see on your phone from your end when a SIM swap scam has occurred.
• [28:42] - Efani is a mobile service provider. Mark explains how they are different.
• [31:28] - With a $5 million insurance policy, Efani does everything possible to protect it.
• [34:54] - Efani is extremely busy because there are so many cases of this problem.
• [37:07] - When you give a carrier your social security number to open an account, you are essentially opening a credit account.
• [39:58] - Unfortunately, many people don’t know about this type of scam. It is a silently growing trend.
• [42:08] - With Efani, mobile carriers are never given a customer’s information.
• [45:45] - Mark tends to live on the paranoid side after being a victim of this type of scam. He shares what he does when he travels.
• [49:05] - Using a VPN while traveling is a great idea to help protect yourself.
• [51:44] - Right now, Efani has a promo code you can use for your plan just for Easy Prey listeners: Efani.com/EasyPrey

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Many assume that scammers just target the more mature in age, but they go after everyone. Younger people who may have been manipulated may not have the same amount of money to lose, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t being targeted.

Today’s guest is Kathy Stokes. Kathy is the Director of Fraud Prevention Programs with AARP. She leads the AARP social mission work to educate older adults on the risks that fraud represents to their financial security. She currently serves on the advisory council to the Board of International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators and on the advisory council to the Senior Issues Committee of the North American Securities Administrators Association.

• [1:02] - Kathy shares her background, what she does at AARP, and what AARP actually is.
• [3:50] - AARP has had a Fraud Watch Network for a while, but its current form is different from years past.
• [5:29] - There is a concerted effort to bring the generations together to educate others in the community.
• [7:26] - It is a common misconception that older people are targeted more often than other age groups.
• [10:38] - The biggest barrier is something that is beginning to break down. It’s the shame and victim blaming. We are at a turning point.
• [12:50] - Unfortunately, police officers are not able to do much for financial crimes, but it is still important to report them.
• [16:01] - Most scams are considered “low ticket” items, even if it is several thousand dollars and that’s all you have.
• [18:08] - AARP has a resource for how to talk about scams with family members who have been a victim of a scam. https://www.aarp.org/saythis
• [20:50] - Rewording how we talk to and about victims of scams is changing.
• [24:23] - You have to have a strong and unique password for literally everything.
• [25:27] - Even just one extra layer of protection in the form of two-factor authentication is helpful.
• [28:10] - No one will ever ask you for an authentication code over the phone.
• [30:20] - There’s got to be something we can do as a society to help victims with the money they’ve lost.
• [32:48] - We cannot trust incoming communication, including calls, emails, and texts.
• [36:45] - Education and continuing to talk about this will help keep the trend of less victim shaming going.
• [39:30] - Victims can change the verbiage as well. Report the scam and file a police report.
• [41:29] - You can and should also report scams you know about even if you did not experience a loss.
• [43:10] - A number to use to reach the Fraud Watch Network is 877-908-3360.
• [48:09] - If someone you know has been a victim of a scam, don’t get mad at them for “falling for it,” get mad that this was done to them.

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