How Hacks Happen

Scams touch every part of life, including the movies. In this episode, we talk about three scammers from the land of the silver screen: Alison Gu, a convicted fraudster who tried to hire Chinese-speaking actors as witnesses for her case; Zach Horowitz (aka Zach Avery), an actor who conned his friends and major investors out of millions of dollars with fake contracts; and Mary Carole McDonnell, a TV producer who pretended to be an heiress to a huge fortune so she could borrow millions and disappear before the bill came due. Resources: Defendant hires 7 actors for her fraud trialActor Pleads Guilty to $650 Million Ponzi Scheme, Faking Netflix and HBO DealsThe 73-year-old ‘fake heiress defrauding banks out of millions’Send us Fan Mail Support the show

Glitch or fraud? Let's explore "money glitches" popularized on social media, and the consequences faced by people who used them. Resources: The Chase Money 'Glitch': How a Viral Fraud Scheme BackfiredWhat you need to know about "Klarna method" posts on social mediaRingleader sentenced in multimillion-dollar fraud operation which saddled victims with crushing debt Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

AI is undoubtedly the technology of the year for hacks and scams. While scammers are busy using AI to make scams more convincing, scam baiters are fighting back with ingenious grandma-style AIs that keep scammers busy for hours on end. There have also been some spectacular busts of scam centers. What’s next, AI scammers chatting with AI scam baiters? Now, that would be entertaining. Resources Meet Daisy, the AI 'granny' chatbot that wastes the time of phone scammersSpaceX disables thousands of Starlink devices being used by Myanmar scam centersChina sentences 5 to death for building, running criminal gang fraud centers in Myanmar's lawless borderlandsMyanmar has declared a 'zero tolerance' policy for cyberscams, but the fraud goes onContent creators, banks use AI to waste scammers' timeI Built a Bot Army that Scams Scammers Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Ever get your hair cut and wonder, "Is my barber part of an international scammer ring?" In November 2025, the FBI arrested Victor Marion, the owner of Mecca Barber Shop in San Diego, and eighteen of his buddies for scamming elderly victims out of $40 million with the classic tech support and refund scams, and for laundering the funds through the shop. Come along and find out how the scams worked, and learn what's next for Marion and his friends. Resources: 22 charged in elder scam targeting over 500 seniors: FBI San DiegoFeds: Barbershop owner led California-based laundering cell in $40 million elder fraud scheme Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

If Facebook has seemed scammy for the past few years, it's not your imagination. A leaked internal document shows that Facebook, and its parent company Meta, are well aware that many of their ads and posts are scams, but they make too much money off of them to do anything about it. Get all the details on this scathing report from Reuters that has rocked the scambuster world. Resources Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents showMaggie McGaugh on YouTubePleasant Green on YouTube Send us a text Psst! The Folium Diary has something it wants to tell you - please come a little closer... YOU can change the world - you do it every day. Let's change it for the better, together. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Do you tap "Accept" without reading subscriber agreements? Those long-winded documents can strip away your legal rights, and even hijack your face, your voice, and your life. Let's peek inside the dystopian world of Subscriber Agreements for streaming services and see what little goodies they hold for us. Netflix in Your Neighborhood Privacy PolicyNetflix Privacy PolicyDisney+ Subscriber AgreementDisney agrees to have Florida wrongful death lawsuit decided in courtWhat Do Consumers Understand About Predispute Arbitration Agreements? An Empirical InvestigationDisney wants to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit because of a Disney Plus agreement Send us a text Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and it's time to clean house! Let's get rid of all those dust bunnies (weak passwords) and vacuum under the sofa cushions (no multi-factor authentication) and even do a check under the bed for that half-eaten Pop Tart (vulnerable emails). Hear about a few instances where poor cybersecurity led to unfortunate consequences, so you can avoid the same fate. Resources $61K, gone just like that for Oro Valley couple.Dream Kitchen Renovation Ruined by a ScamPassGAN: A Deep Learning Approach for Password GuessingHistoric UK KNP transport firm collapses after ransomware attackHacker leaks account data of 12 million Zacks Investment usersResearchers Instantly Crack Simple Passwords With AILost $45k to Wire Fraud Scam on E*TRADE – Even with MFA Enabled. Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

AI is great for researching topics and digging up information. But what happens when people start to humanize their chatbots, and think they're talking to God? Or that they are God? Let's look at what makes AI come up with delusional theories, and why it tells people they're right even then they're wrong. Resources People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual FantasiesTowards Understanding Sycophancy in Language ModelsI, Robot by Isaac Asimov Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

There's a new scam going around, where a thief gets you to unlock your phone under the guise of needing to make a call, then runs off with the phone and sends themselves all your money through your apps. Learn how to protect yourself and your money with a simple smartphone trick for iPhone and Android. Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

The finale of HBO's Silicon Valley series pointed up a subtle parallel to the real-world challenges in vulnerability reporting—rather than risk going to jail, Pied Piper chose to burn the company to the ground. For decades, white hat and gray hat hackers had no place to report cybersecurity flaws without fear of legal hassles. Nowadays we have Bug Bounty programs, where hackers get paid to find and disclose security flaws, and even get some cash for their work. Resources Internet Scanner Finds Security HolesCERIAS - Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and SecurityA history of bug bounty programs & incentivised vulnerability disclosureWearing Many Hats: The Rise of the Professional Security HackerHacking the Pentagon Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

What is Red Teaming, and what does it have to do with cybersecurity? In this episode, we look at how Red Teamers are hired to attack company security using all manner of tactics, from tossing malware-infested USB sticks into parking lots to posing as an HVAC technician. We also take a look at one of the most notorious Red Team exercises in history, when two Coalfire employees were arrested and fought a long legal battle, just for doing their jobs. Resources Inside the Courthouse Break-In Spree That Landed Two White-Hat Hackers in JailDarknet Diaries Episode 59: The CourthouseCoalfire Systems websiteDEF CON 22 - Eric Smith and Josh Perrymon - Advanced Red Teaming: All Your Badges Are Belong To UsHow RFID Technology Works: Revolutionizing the Supply ChainNolaCon 2019 D 07 Breaking Into Your Building A Hackers Guide to Unauthorized Physical Access Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

What goes on under the hood of random number generators (RNGs)? Here we look at one of the best sources of randomness—static from electronic chips—and discuss terminology like entropy and bias, the role of the Birthday Paradox in RNGs, and the fake bias of the Excel RAND function. We'll even do a simple exercise you can try with your friends to see who picks the most "random" number of all. Resources: How Slot Machines WorkRAND FunctionBritons most likely to pick 7 as "random" number Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Ever heard of the Internet of Things, or IoT? This episode explores the use of random numbers in our everyday devices, and how they’re often not as secure as our PCs. We also look at how Apple gets it right, and what we can do to keep our devices secure in this connected world. Resources Securing the IoT Ecosystem: Challenges & SolutionsData security of IoT devices with limited resources: challenges and potential solutionsWhat Is IoT Security? Challenges and RequirementsApple Platform Security GuideHardware Accelerated Crypto Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

This episode explores the mysterious world of random number generators (RNGs) in video games. Looking at popular games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Diablo II, we describe how players hack these random numbers in the same ways hackers hack encryption keys. This episode lays the groundwork for Part 2, a discussion of RNGs in encryption. Resources: How Many People Play Minecraft 2025 (Active Players)Pre-determined RNG?Diablo II Seeded Category - Rule / General Discussion10 Perfect Minecraft Seeds You'll Want To Play FOREVERSend us a text Technically Friends Be a fly on the wall as global tech experts Harrison Wolf and Timothy Reuter catch up... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Need cash quick? Why not try a payday loan? While it might look like a better option than a credit card on its surface, the truth is that payday loans can be rather ugly and expensive, and can trap you in a cycle of debt if you don't know how it works. Find out how some states and countries keep a lid on exploding fees for short-term loans, and why a credit card is a far better option. Resources: The Victims of Payday LendingPayday Loan Information for Consumers: Legal Status of Payday Loans by StateFCA confirms price cap rules for payday lendersHigh cost loansCan taking out a payday loan help rebuild my credit or improve my credit score? Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

New season, new theme music—and even more hacks and scams to explore. Thanks for coming on these adventures with me. Let's do some more! Send us a text Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Scammers are still at it, happy to ruin our lives in search of a quick buck. Let's look at job scams that attempt to steal personal information, sextortion scams preying on teenage boys, and a really nasty threatening email I personally received. Know your scams, so you can keep yourself safe. Resources: These teenage boys were blackmailed online – and it cost them their lives'You might as well end it now': Terrorized by sextortion plot, a 17-year-old takes his lifeHow To Identify Fake Job Postings: 10 Warning Signs Send us a text Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Hacks used to be impressive, utilizing bits and pieces of technology that made us sit up and pay attention. Nowadays, every scam, breach, or sketchy text message gets labelled a "hack" when it's really just lazy use of existing technology, or an outright scam. Let's take a closer look at how the meaning of “hack” has changed, from the complex brilliance of NotPetya in 2017, to today's flood of scams powered by stolen data and AI fakery. It’s the end of the Age of the Great Hack, and the rise of the Age of Many Scams. Resources: Healthcare Data Breach StatisticsBeing Infected by NotPetya: What Maersk learnedNotPetya: A Columbia University Case Study Send us a text Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

In this episode of How Hacks Happen, we delve into the complexities surrounding trash possession and legalities. Besides the legal distinctions between lost, mislaid, and abandoned property, there are the risks posed by scammers who rifle through trash for personal information so they can steal your identity or call you up and pretend to be your bank. No trash is safe in this world we live in, so shred, burn, and sanitize your trash before throwing it out. Resources: Dumpster Diving for Documents: The Low-Tech Threat Fueling High-Stakes Identity TheftCalifornia v. GreenwoodState v. HempeleSend us a text Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!

Can you tell if someone is guilty just by looking at them? Let's delve into the infamous case of Amanda Knox, the American exchange student who was wrongfully accused of murdering her roommate in 2007. We'll talk bad cell phone forensics, media sensationalism, and cultural biases, and how they can lead to dire consequences for those who are judged not by evidence, but by how they act differently than society expects them to. Resources Amanda Knox websiteSentence of the Court of Assizes of Perugia in the Murder of Meredith KercherTalking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't KnowTeacher Recorded Laughing During Apalachee School Shooting May Have Been the Bravest Person in the RoomVideo of teacher laughing during school shootingCentral Park jogger case. Send us a text Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!