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PODCAST

What the Hack?

"What the Hack?" is the award-winning true cybercrime podcast--the place to hear memorable stories and get good advice.

true crime

All Episodes

41:41

Episode 157: Keren Elazari Decrypts the Ransomeware...

What the Hack? ·

2024/07/16

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

en

42:17

Episode 156: Beau’s Cousin Makes the Right Call

What the Hack? ·

2024/07/09

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

en

48:01

Episode 155: Andrew Steven Finds a Red Flag in His...

What the Hack? ·

2024/07/02

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

en

47:05

Episode 154: Can AI Commit the Perfect Crime?

What the Hack? ·

2024/06/25

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

en

33:52

Episode 153: Roy Gets Hacked by an Evil Clown

What the Hack? ·

2024/06/18

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

en

50:54

Episode 152: Max McCoy Investigates $47 Million That...

What the Hack? ·

2024/06/11

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

en

38:04

Episode 151: Axton Betz-Hamilton Gets the Shock of a...

What the Hack? ·

2024/06/04

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

en

46:03

Episode 150: Axton Betz-Hamilton Goes Looking For Her...

What the Hack? ·

2024/05/28

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

en

44:19

Episode 149: Paul Raffile Fights Sextortion No Matter...

What the Hack? ·

2024/05/21

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

en

40:53

Episode 148: Beth Should Have Dated the IT Guy

What the Hack? ·

2024/05/14

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

en

41:46

Episode 147: Kara Swisher Calls Out the Man Babies of...

What the Hack? ·

2024/05/07

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

en

40:16

Episode 146: Elizabeth Warren Tackles Big Tech

What the Hack? ·

2024/04/30

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

en

42:17

Episode 145: Becky Holmes Knows Who *Isn’t* Dating...

What the Hack? ·

2024/04/23

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

en

43:18

Episode 144: Erin West Puts the Bad Guys to Shame

What the Hack? ·

2024/04/16

Erin West is the Deputy District Attorny in Santa Clara County, California and the founder of Project Shamrock. Whether she’s prosecuting eye-popping SIM-swap money grabs or 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

en

52:35

Episode 143: Carina Follows Her Heart Into a Crypto Scam

What the Hack? ·

2024/04/09

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

en

48:13

Episode 142: Tarah Wheeler Narrowly Avoids Getting Got

What the Hack? ·

2024/04/02

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

en

45:07

Episode 141: Secret Service Agent “Mark” Works the...

What the Hack? ·

2024/03/26

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

en

35:42

Episode 140: Cybersecurity Girl Caitlin Sarian Tries...

What the Hack? ·

2024/03/19

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

en

46:19

Episode 139: Cory Doctorow Makes Us Wonder if...

What the Hack? ·

2024/03/12

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.”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

en

48:36

Episode 138: Presley Rhodes Fights an Army of Thirst...

What the Hack? ·

2024/03/05

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

en

220 results

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