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Easy Prey

Easy Prey

By: Chris Parker
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About this listen

 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. Politics & Government True Crime
Episodes
  • Privacy vs Reality

    Privacy vs Reality
    Apr 15 2026

    Online security advice often sounds simple until you actually try to follow it. Between password managers, privacy settings, and data brokers, protecting yourself can start to feel like a full-time job. That gap between what sounds easy and what's actually realistic is where a lot of people get stuck.

    My guest today is Yael Grauer, a freelance investigative technology reporter who covers privacy, security, digital freedom, hacking, and mass surveillance. She also works as a program manager of cybersecurity research at Consumer Reports, where she manages Security Planner, a free resource that provides customized guidance to help people stay safe online.

    We discuss what actually matters when it comes to protecting yourself, why so much of the responsibility ends up on individuals, and how to approach security in a way that's realistic. She explains where the biggest risks tend to come from, what people often overlook, and how to make practical decisions without turning it into something that takes over your time.

    Show Notes:
    • [01:02] Yael explains her role at Consumer Reports and how she moved from investigative reporting into security and privacy work.
    • [04:26] Long lists of security steps can overwhelm people, often leading to inaction.
    • [06:52] Real progress requires pressure on companies and policymakers, not just individuals.
    • [09:41] Security advice quickly becomes outdated as platforms and settings constantly change.
    • [12:34] App permissions and privacy settings are often confusing and inconsistent across platforms.
    • [16:30] Panic and stress can make even simple security decisions harder in the moment.
    • [19:50] A practical approach is focusing on the risks most likely to affect you first.
    • [20:19] Media and pop culture create unrealistic expectations about hacking and surveillance.
    • [25:22] Yael shares personal examples of falling for phishing attempts despite her expertise.
    • [27:30] Timing and context can make anyone vulnerable, even those who understand the risks.
    • [30:00] The way you pay matters, with credit cards offering better protection in many cases.
    • [33:24] Social media platforms often fail to respond effectively to compromised accounts.
    • [36:27] Concerns about surveillance often center on location tracking and shared data.
    • [39:38] Tools meant for serious crimes can gradually be used for less critical enforcement.
    • [43:15] Clear, readable privacy policies help people make informed decisions about their data.
    • [45:08] Privacy isn't gone, but maintaining it requires ongoing effort and awareness.
    • [47:20] Data broker opt-out tools show progress, though they don't fully solve the problem.
    • [52:00] Different state laws create inconsistent protections and added complexity.
    • [55:13] Final advice focuses on taking small, practical steps instead of trying to do everything at once.

    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 Page
    • Facebook Page
    • whatismyipaddress.com
    • Easy Prey on Instagram
    • Easy Prey on Twitter
    • Easy Prey on LinkedIn
    • Easy Prey on YouTube
    • Easy Prey on Pinterest
    • Yael Grauer
    • Yael Grauer - LinkedIn
    • Yael Grauer - Consumer Reports
    • Yael Grauer - Instagram
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    58 mins
  • Wired to Trust

    Wired to Trust
    Apr 8 2026
    It's easy to think scams only work when someone misses something obvious. In reality, most of them don't look obvious at the start. They show up as normal situations with just enough friction to notice, but not enough to stop. That small gap is where people tend to move forward instead of stepping back. My guest today is Tali Sharot, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies how we form beliefs and make decisions. She's known for her research on the neural basis of human optimism, and her work has been published in leading journals. In her books, The Optimism Bias and The Science of Optimism, she explains why we expect things to work out and how that tendency can quietly expose us to risk. We discuss what's happening in those in-between moments, why a situation can feel slightly off and still seem reasonable enough to continue, and how past experience lowers our guard without us noticing. We also look at that brief internal hesitation people tend to override, and why it's often the most useful signal they have. By the time something clearly crosses the line, the decision has usually already been made. Show Notes: [01:14] Tali explains her background as a cognitive neuroscientist and how her work blends psychology, brain science, and behavior.[01:48] Her interest in the field began with a simple question about how the brain drives thoughts, emotions, and actions.[03:00] She shares a personal story about renting out her apartment that turned into a scam.[04:30] Early warning signs show up right away, including unusual requests and meeting conditions.[05:30] Despite noticing those signals, she moves forward and hands over the keys.[08:43] Looking back, she explains how she rationalized each red flag instead of acting on it.[10:02] That uneasy gut feeling is often based on real information your brain is processing quickly.[11:40] Repeated positive experiences can lower your guard and make risky situations feel familiar.[12:30] The "truth bias" leads people to assume others are being honest unless something clearly proves otherwise.[14:00] There's often a gap between what you feel in the moment and how you explain it afterward.[17:45] The emotional impact of being scammed can linger long after the financial loss is resolved.[20:47] The brain constantly predicts what should happen next and reacts when something doesn't fit.[21:30] Subtle cues like timing, tone, and facial expression can signal deception without you realizing it.[24:58] Repetition makes scammers more convincing by smoothing out inconsistencies in their story.[26:18] Online communication removes many of the signals people rely on to judge trustworthiness.[27:59] Setting simple personal rules can help you avoid engaging with common scam tactics.[31:00] People are more vulnerable when they want something to be true, especially in relationships or opportunities.[34:30] Even basic checks, like verifying an email address, can stop many scams early.[36:43] A lot of scams succeed because people don't pause long enough to look closely.[38:19] Familiar situations lead to less attention over time, making it easier to miss important details. s 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 PinterestTali Sharot - Affective Brain LabTali Sharot - MITTali Sharot - The Optimism Bias The Optimism BiasThe Science of OptimismBooks by Tali Sharot
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    41 mins
  • Intimate Partner Fraud

    Intimate Partner Fraud
    Apr 1 2026
    Most scams leave a digital trail. A fake email, a spoofed number, a fraudulent website. You can trace them, report them, sometimes even reverse them. But what happens when the scam has no digital trail at all, because it isn't happening on a screen? What happens when the con is standing right in front of you, making you laugh, meeting your friends, and planning a future with you? My guest today is Tracy Hall. She's an author, keynote speaker, and senior marketing executive with over 25 years at some of the world's most recognizable tech companies including eBay, Virgin, GoDaddy, and Afterpay. She is sharp, successful, and by every measure, exactly the kind of person you'd assume would see it coming. She didn't. And neither would you. In 2017, Tracy woke up to a Crime Stoppers video of an unidentified man being arrested outside a Sydney apartment. That man was her boyfriend of 18 months. Except he wasn't who she thought he was. The man she knew as Max Tevita a Bondi surfer, a finance executive, the person she was building a life with was actually Hamish McLaren, Australia's most infamous conman, a man who had been running long game cons for thirty years across multiple countries, stealing somewhere between eighty and a hundred million dollars from victims around the world. Tracy was his last victim before his arrest. He had stolen her entire life savings of $317,000 and far more than that. This is a story about what happens when the scam isn't a phishing email. It's a relationship. And it will change the way you think about trust, manipulation, and what any of us are actually capable of missing. Show Notes: [1:03] With 25 years as a senior marketing executive behind her, Tracy shares how a year after separating from her husband she began online dating, where she met a man calling himself Max Tevita.[3:25] Presenting himself as a Bondi surfer and chief investment officer, Max spent 18 months slowly and methodically guiding Tracy to invest her entire life savings with him.[5:55] A crime stoppers video changed everything. The man Tracy knew as her boyfriend was actually Hamish McLaren, a professional conman who had been defrauding victims globally for 30 years and stealing an estimated $80 to $100 million.[7:36] A masterful shapeshifter, McLaren adjusted his persona in real time based on Tracy's reactions, including quietly getting rid of his five cars after she called him out on it.[9:54] Tracy breaks down the psychological mechanics of the con, including similarity bias, mirroring, and how McLaren constructed a character she was essentially telling him she wanted.[11:05] Through elaborate "movie sets and scenes," McLaren built layers of authority and confirmation bias over 18 months, making investing her life savings with him feel completely logical.[14:21] Some moments only made sense in hindsight, including a childhood friend accidentally calling McLaren by his nickname "Ham Bone" and his instant, convincing cover story on the spot.[18:22] Humans default to truth, and Tracy explains how that biological wiring makes us uniquely vulnerable to manipulation, especially around emotionally charged stories.[19:29] Every victim got their own version of McLaren barrister, triathlete, business strategist as Tracy describes meeting others who had each been conned by an entirely different character.[22:53] Learning to trust other people wasn't the hard part. Tracy reflects on why rebuilding faith in her own judgment was far more difficult, and how shame dominated the aftermath.[25:21] Through professional help and a conscious daily decision not to let McLaren turn her into a cynical person, Tracy describes how she slowly rebuilt both her finances and her sense of self.[27:05] Understanding the psychology behind scams, cognitive biases, invisible contracts of trust, emotional exploitation is the best defense we have, and Tracy breaks down exactly how it works.[31:33] The medium may be different, but the tactics aren't — Tracy draws striking parallels between her in-person experience and digital romance baiting scams, showing how the emotional manipulation is nearly identical.[34:00] There is no demographic, age group, or intelligence level that is immune. Tracy makes the case that scammers hunt for vulnerability, and at the right moment, we are all soft targets.[36:12] By subtly discouraging Tracy from socializing with friends, McLaren was limiting outside scrutiny and Tracy explains why getting a new partner in front of your personal network as quickly as possible is one of the most important protective steps you can take.[40:24] No digital footprint is a major red flag. Tracy outlines key warning signs to watch for and recommends reverse image searches as a basic but powerful verification step when meeting someone new.[42:08] Every single time Tracy speaks publicly, someone approaches her afterwards with a story they have never told anyone a reminder that silence is exactly what these criminals depend on ...
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    46 mins
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