Easy Prey

A drink can be out of your sight for only a moment, but that may be all it takes for someone to tamper with it. Spiking can happen in bars, restaurants, festivals, and even among people who already know and trust each other. It also goes far beyond alcohol. Drinks, food, vapes, cigarettes, and other substances can be altered without someone's knowledge, leaving them vulnerable before they fully understand what is happening.
Dawn Dines has spent more than 20 years working to change how people understand and respond to spiking. She is the founder and CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, a UK charity focused on education, prevention, training, and better safeguarding practices. Her work has helped bring spiking into the public conversation and pushed for stronger laws, better training, and more support for people who have experienced it.
Dawn talks about the experiences that led her into this work and what she has learned from victims over the years. She explains some of the signs that a person may have been spiked, why it can be so difficult to know exactly what happened, and what friends or staff can do when someone suddenly seems far more intoxicated than they should be. She also shares practical ways people can look out for each other while still going out and enjoying themselves.
Show Notes:
[00:44] Dawn Dines shares how her 20-year campaign against spiking helped push for changes to UK law.
[02:18] Spiking can involve drinks, food, vapes, cigarettes, and even needles, not just alcoholic beverages.
[04:27] Dawn recalls two frightening experiences while traveling that showed her how easily someone could be drugged without their knowledge.
[07:32] She explains why she continued campaigning despite years of resistance and how public pressure helped bring greater attention to the issue.
[10:41] Spiking affects both men and women, and Dawn describes how widespread the problem has become around the world.
[13:37] Victims may struggle to understand what happened, especially when friends or family assume they simply drank too much.
[16:35] Dawn explains how quickly symptoms can develop and why getting to a trusted person immediately can make a difference.
[19:54] Education can help hospitality workers, security teams, and the public recognize when someone's behavior changes suddenly.
[23:06] Victim blaming, embarrassment, and memory loss are among the reasons many incidents are never reported.
[26:58] Bars and restaurants can reduce risk through staff training, drink covers, safety information, and clear procedures for helping customers.
[28:41] Dawn discusses the growing awareness of spiking and why cooperation across countries, venues, and law enforcement matters.
[31:48] Witnesses, security footage, recovered substances, and quick reporting can all help investigators build a case.
[34:18] Dawn encourages people to stay vigilant and look out for one another without allowing the threat of spiking to stop them from enjoying their lives.
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Dawn Dines - LinkedIn
Stamp Out Spiking

What sounds like the plot of a crime thriller was Sharon Armstrong's real life. An online romance drew her into an elaborate web of lies involving overseas contracts, invented emergencies, and several people playing carefully planned roles. By the time she arrived at an airport in Argentina with five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside her suitcase, she still believed she was carrying business documents for the man she loved.
Sharon was arrested and spent more than two years in an Argentinian prison before returning home without a conviction. During that time, she had to confront the truth of what had happened and find a way to forgive herself. She later wrote about the experience in her book, *Organized Deception*. Today, she is an author and international scam awareness advocate who works to educate the public, support survivors, and challenge the shame that often keeps victims silent.
In this episode, we talk about how the criminals built trust so quickly, why warnings from loved ones can be difficult to hear, and how organized scam networks use kindness and personal values against the people they target. Sharon also explains why she no longer says she "fell for" a romance scam. She was deliberately targeted by sophisticated criminals, and she believes the attention belongs on those who planned the deception rather than on the person they harmed.
Show Notes:
[01:12] Sharon begins the story of moving to Australia and unexpectedly being signed up for an online dating site.
[03:36] A convincing introduction quickly develops into an intense romance with someone claiming to be an engineer.
[04:52] The first request for money tests the trust that had already been built through a carefully fabricated story.
[06:18] The scammers introduce new characters and create a plan for Sharon to travel to London through Argentina.
[09:07] Family concerns grow as the relationship begins to take priority over the people who had always mattered most to her.
[11:34] A suitcase supposedly carrying business documents arrives after Sharon has spent a confusing week alone in Argentina.
[13:21] Airport officials discover five kilograms of cocaine hidden beneath the lining of the suitcase.
[15:46] Sharon describes surviving the first days minute by minute before spending two and a half years in prison.
[18:09] Criminals study a target's values, kindness, history, and online presence to create a story that feels deeply personal.
[20:58] A dramatization of Sharon's story shows how organized manipulation can gradually change someone's behavior and relationships.
[23:16] Her experience as a probation officer did not protect her from grooming that closely resembled techniques she already understood.
[25:07] More than 7,000 messages over five months reveal the intensity of the communication and how difficult it was to recognize from inside the relationship.
[28:13] Healing begins when Sharon decides to forgive herself rather than continue carrying shame for what the criminals did.
[30:04] Denial can become a safe place when accepting the truth feels more painful than continuing to believe the story.
[32:08] Public humiliation adds another layer of trauma after details of Sharon's arrest are released to the media.
[34:27] Each day in prison begins with a choice to move toward happiness rather than allow the experience to make her bitter.
[37:52] Writing, speaking publicly, and sharing her story become important parts of rebuilding her life.
[40:09] Sharon rejects the phrase "fell for a scam" and explains why victims should be described as people deliberately targeted by organized criminals.
[42:18] The title Organised Deception shifts attention toward the people who intentionally planned and carried out the crime.
[43:17] Victim blaming can make people feel safer because it allows them to believe the same thing could never happen to them.
[46:02] Sharon believes being arrested may have saved her life and kept her from being trafficked through an even more dangerous country.
[48:34] Families increasingly reach out for help as they recognize the seriousness of romance scams and look for ways to support someone they love.
[50:01] Sharon shares how listeners can connect with her through Stand Up 2 Scams and learn more about Organised Deception.
[51:37] A reminder that scam victims are not alone and that the shame belongs with the ruthless criminals who targeted them.
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Sharon Armstrong
Organised Deception 
Stand Up 2 Scams - Facebook

Everybody is searching for ways to increase income. Unfortunately, MLMs often look like an easy way to start a business without taking on the cost of a traditional company. The pitch sounds simple. Buy the product, follow the plan, and put in the work. The numbers behind those promises often tell a different story.
Today's guest, Stacie Bosley, has spent years studying what really happens inside MLMs. She is a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota and holds a Ph.D. in applied economics. Her research covers multi-level marketing, consumer protection, income claims, and pyramid scheme fraud. She has also served as an expert witness in cases involving the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We talk about what separates an MLM from a pyramid scheme or a Ponzi scheme. Stacie explains why these opportunities attract smart and motivated people. We'll learn about the role of recruitment including those hidden expenses and fake or misleading success stories. We also learn questions people should ask before investing their money and time in any business opportunity.
Show Notes:
[01:03] Stacey explains how her background in applied economics led to research on multi-level marketing, pyramid schemes, and income misrepresentation.
[03:22] Early experiences in rural Wisconsin and changes in retail and internet commerce sparked an interest in how people pursue business opportunities.
[05:07] Pyramid schemes rely on a pay-and-recruit structure that mathematically leaves most participants with losses.
[08:57] Adding a legitimate product does not change the underlying structure when profits still depend primarily on recruitment.
[10:33] Ponzi schemes generally use investment language, while pyramid schemes tie a participant's compensation directly to recruiting others.
[12:38] Products, demographics, religious communities, and other affinity groups can shape how MLM opportunities are marketed.
[16:17] Reward-responsive people may be attracted to the recognition, status, and sense of competence these opportunities promise.
[19:47] Anyone considering an MLM should define what they hope to gain and examine their realistic chances of reaching that goal.
[22:53] The appeal of a turnkey "business in a box" can cause people to skip the research they would normally do before starting a business.
[25:32] Earnings often look far worse after product purchases, training costs, conference fees, and other expenses are deducted.
[28:13] Companies making income claims have a responsibility to explain what participants typically earn and spend.
[31:02] Disclaimers such as "results not typical" do little to correct exaggerated success stories or earnings claims.
[34:08] MLM losses can affect finances, relationships, social connections, and a participant's sense of personal worth.
[37:12] Limited time, money, and energy can be diverted into opportunities that fail to improve a family's financial situation.
[40:03] A company may be operating as an MLM regardless of its chosen label if participants earn from the activity of recruited sellers.
[42:22] Important questions include the typical startup cost, ongoing expenses, earnings, profitability, and participant retention.
[44:23] Claims that unsuccessful participants simply quit or failed to work hard can be used to dismiss troubling outcome data.
[46:12] Encouraging sellers to recruit their own competitors conflicts with basic principles of supply and demand.
[48:03] A large number of local sellers may be presented as community support even though it can indicate market saturation.
[49:47] Resources such as Stacey's TED Talk, Truth in Advertising, and her published research can help people investigate these opportunities.
[50:59] A reminder to look beyond the sales pitch and ask what people actually earn after expenses.
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Stacie Bosley - Hamline University
Stacie Bosley - LinkedIn

A familiar voice on the phone or a recognizable face on a video call used to offer some reassurance that you knew who you were dealing with. AI has changed that. Voice cloning, face swaps, and real-time video impersonation now allow scammers to convincingly pose as executives, job candidates, romantic interests, or even family members. Understanding how these attacks work and where they may be headed is a central part of Tom Cross's work as Head of Threat Research at GetReal Security.
Tom has spent more than 30 years studying cybersecurity threats, software vulnerabilities, and the methods attackers use to exploit technology. Before joining GetReal Security, he held leadership roles at IBM X-Force, Lancope, and Drawbridge Networks, and he has shared his research at major security conferences including Black Hat and DEF CON. His current work focuses on deepfake-enabled social engineering and the development of tools that can detect digital impersonation, including signs that are often too subtle for a person to recognize.
In this episode, we learn how little audio is needed to clone someone's voice, why live video is no longer reliable proof of identity, and how deepfakes are being used in romance scams, investment fraud, identity theft, and remote hiring schemes. We also talk about AI agents that can carry on persuasive conversations, adjust their behavior based on a victim's reactions, and repeat those tactics on a massive scale. The discussion offers a revealing look at why familiar advice for spotting fakes is quickly becoming outdated and what individuals and organizations will need to do differently as the technology improves.
Show Notes:
[01:05] Tom shares how his early work in vulnerability research led to a career studying sophisticated cybersecurity threats.
[03:32] Running a bulletin board system as a teenager helped spark an enduring interest in hacking and computer security.
[06:11] A look back at early online communities, text-based games, Fidonet, and the pre-internet era.
[09:36] The conversation shifts to deepfake research and the technology being developed to detect manipulated media.
[11:29] Deepfakes are divided into audio, visual, file-based, and real-time forms, each creating different risks.
[15:20] Modern voice clones can fool both people and biometric authentication systems, making specialized detection increasingly important.
[18:30] Virtual backgrounds and other subtle processing artifacts may reveal manipulation even when nothing looks obviously wrong.
[20:31] Deepfake detection has become another cybersecurity arms race as attackers continually improve their methods.
[22:30] Romance scams, investment fraud, remote job schemes, and identity theft are among the growing uses of deepfake technology.
[25:26] Scammers succeed by exploiting desires, expectations, and the human tendency to rationalize warning signs.
[27:56] Large-scale phishing and business email compromise attacks only need a small percentage of targets to respond.
[29:22] Criminal compounds in Southeast Asia use trafficked workers and deepfake tools to conduct scams on a massive scale.
[30:27] North Korean remote workers may use stolen identities and shared deepfake personas to secure jobs at American companies.
[33:45] Purpose-built criminal software combines face swapping with appearance-enhancing features designed for romance scams.
[35:05] Common visual tests for identifying deepfakes are becoming unreliable as the technology advances.
[39:24] Emotional investment makes detection even harder because people often explain away signs that something is wrong.
[40:47] Building authentication into the internet could help people determine whether digital content is genuine.
[42:13] AI agents may soon conduct automated scams that respond naturally, apply pressure, and adjust to a victim's behavior.
[45:14] Automation could allow criminals to target hundreds of thousands of people while making impersonation increasingly convincing.
[46:22] Machine learning may create self-improving scams that test countless variations and concentrate on the tactics that work.
[49:18] AI lowers the technical barrier to cybercrime by helping people create tools they could not build on their own.
[51:06] Phones and messaging platforms may eventually require stronger controls as automated calls and texts become more common.
[53:09] Digital signatures, watermarks, and verified content could help distinguish malicious deepfakes from authorized uses.
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GetReal Security
Tom Cross - LinkedIn

Most people use technology all day without giving much thought to what is happening behind the screen. We trust routers that may not have been updated in years, depend on internet systems few of us understand, and now turn to artificial intelligence for everything from travel plans to home repairs. That convenience comes with tradeoffs. In this episode, we look at the weaknesses built into our connected world and what happens when our technical knowledge fails to keep pace with the technology surrounding us.
Sherrod DeGrippo leads threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, where she oversees teams working to identify and respond to increasingly complex cyber threats. During more than two decades in information security, she has held senior leadership roles at Microsoft and Proofpoint, along with positions at Nexum, Symantec, Secureworks, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Sherrod was named Cyber Security Woman of the Year in 2022 and regularly shares her expertise at industry conferences and through outlets including BBC News, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The New York Times. She is also the author of *Threat Driven Software Development: Defending Modern Online Services*.
We discuss how outdated home routers become tools for criminal and nation-state attacks, what could happen as technical knowledge disappears, and why foundational internet systems may be more vulnerable than people realize. Sherrod also explains why the greatest danger from AI may not be a dramatic technological disaster, but the gradual loss of human connection as people choose frictionless answers over real conversations. Along the way, she shares practical examples of where AI genuinely helps, where its limits become obvious, and why slowing down still matters when emotion or urgency begins driving a decision.
Show Notes:
[01:48] Sherrod introduces herself and traces her 23-year career from government network security to threat intelligence.
[03:00] An early lesson in buffer overflows sparked a lasting interest in both hacking and protecting systems.
[05:10] Growing up around AT&T gave Sherrod firsthand experience with telephone networks, copper lines, and beige boxing.
[08:17] Technology has shifted from something people opened and explored into consumer devices few people truly understand.
[11:24] As technical knowledge disappears, the people who understand how systems actually work are becoming increasingly rare.
[13:41] Older internet users often understood where their data traveled, while today's devices constantly communicate in the background.
[16:22] Network security remains critical because once malicious traffic reaches a device, the problem has already become much larger.
[17:57] Outdated home routers provide an attractive attack surface for criminals and foreign governments.
[20:12] The conversation turns to the fragility of DNS, internet protocols, and the systems supporting the global network.
[22:13] Chris shares his experience with denial-of-service attacks and seeing legitimate online services exploited by malware.
[25:48] Sherrod explains why AI's greatest danger may be the gradual loss of human relationships rather than a dramatic physical threat.
[29:23] AI works well for tedious tasks, but human connection, creativity, and judgment should not be handed over so easily.
[31:35] Living intentionally means deciding what experiences matter instead of allowing technology or other outside forces to decide for us.
[34:10] Frictionless technology may leave people more vulnerable to scams by training them to expect immediate and effortless results.
[35:33] Social engineering uses modern tools, but manipulation, espionage, and theft have existed for thousands of years.
[38:14] AI may eliminate certain jobs while also giving people more time to focus on customers, relationships, and other human-centered work.
[40:44] A furnace repair shows how AI can guide basic troubleshooting and reduce the need for some professional diagnostic visits.
[43:08] AI can help someone become competent in many areas, but having access to it does not make anyone an expert.
[45:44] Used intentionally, AI can remove unwanted planning and create more opportunities for people to spend time together.
[47:18] Strong prompts, detailed skill files, and personalized instructions may become more valuable than traditional prompt engineering.
[49:10] A gift card scam demonstrates how fear and urgency can push someone to ignore repeated warnings from others.
[51:30] Sherrod advises pausing whenever a strong emotion begins driving an unusual financial or personal decision. 
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Sherrod DeGrippo
Sherrod DeGrippo - LinkedIn
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42
Threat Driven Software Development: Defending Modern Online Services