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Easy Prey

Easy Prey

Von: Chris Parker
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 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. Politik & Regierungen True Crime
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  • Stolen Identity - Stolen Peace

    Stolen Identity - Stolen Peace
    Mar 4 2026
    Identity theft gets talked about a lot, but usually in the abstract: freeze your credit, watch your statements, don't click suspicious links. What doesn't get talked about nearly enough is what it actually feels like when someone isn't just using your card number, but is actively living as you. My guest today is Brooklyn Lyons. She's 25, recently married, and by her own admission, had no particular expertise in fraud or cybersecurity before October of 2024. That changed when her car window was smashed in a parking lot, and her work bag, laptop, wallet, driver's license, and everything was gone by morning. What followed wasn't a quick nightmare with a clean ending. It stretched across months, multiple counties, a jail communication system, the dark web, and a wanted fugitive who dyed her hair to look more like the face on a stolen ID. Brooklyn didn't just sit with it. She pulled criminal records, reverse-searched phone numbers, tracked an inmate's transfers across four facilities, identified a suspect on her own, and eventually filed a civil lawsuit without an attorney. We talk about what it feels like when someone is pretending to be you, not just spending your money, but messaging people as you, signing up for accounts as you, building a life in your name. We also get into the specific steps she took to fight back, the tools she wishes she'd known about sooner, and what recovery actually looks like when the case isn't closed, and the person still hasn't been caught. Show Notes: [1:47] Brooklyn introduces herself as a 25-year-old from Texas with no prior experience in fraud or identity theft.[2:13] She describes moving to the DFW area after getting married in June 2024 and being aware of the high rate of car break-ins in the region.[3:32] Her car window is smashed overnight, and her work bag is stolen, containing her laptop, wallet, driver's license, and all her cards.[4:03] Brooklyn's immediate response is to freeze her credit with all three bureaus and cancel her cards within 10 to 15 minutes.[4:57] Despite locking everything down, her cards are maxed out, and a police report is filed with little follow-up from law enforcement.[5:12] A period of quiet follows before a letter arrives around Valentine's Day 2025 claiming she rented a U-Haul and never returned it.[5:48] Experian alerts her that her driver's license has been found on the dark web, arriving almost simultaneously with the U-Haul letter.[7:14] While checking USPS Informed Delivery for a wedding invitation, Brooklyn spots a certified letter from a county jail addressed to her with an inmate's name listed beneath hers.[8:28] She contacts the jail and discovers an inmate had listed her as his girlfriend when booked, requesting she pick up his belongings before a prison transfer.[9:53] Brooklyn looks up the inmate in the state conviction database and finds a record including identity theft, car burglary, organized crime, and credit card abuse of the elderly.[11:58] A jail investigator reveals that the inmate's girlfriend had created an account in Brooklyn's name using her driver's license photo, editing her own appearance to match Brooklyn's features.[14:02] Brooklyn traces the same pattern across multiple county jail facilities the inmate passed through, confirming the woman repeated the identity fraud at each one.[15:13] A detective confirms the woman has stolen or attempted to use 17 other identities, and that Brooklyn is the only one who has caught on so far.[16:52] Four police departments become involved, and Brooklyn begins coordinating with investigators across all of them through a shared email thread.[19:22] Pulling her credit report reveals phone numbers tied to the suspect, leading Brooklyn to discover PayPal accounts, Cash App profiles, and a Facebook page created in her name.[20:58] Brooklyn uses a PayPal password recovery prompt to identify the first three letters of the suspect's real name.[22:03] She requests all jail booking documents containing her name from every county involved and receives text message logs from one department.[22:33] Using a birthday and partial name found in the messages, Brooklyn searches mugshots.com and identifies the suspect herself, later getting vague confirmation from investigators.[24:38] Chris asks whether the suspect and inmate were in a relationship, and Brooklyn explains they appear to share a child and were trying to manage a custody situation.[27:57] Brooklyn investigates whether a Verizon phone number was tied to an account in her name and later finds the suspect's real email embedded in her electricity account profile.[29:27] Brooklyn details changing her driver's license four times throughout the ordeal and suspects the woman is using her information for utility accounts to avoid being found.[31:02] Two police departments issue arrest warrants for the suspect, but she remains at large and difficult to locate.[31:33] Brooklyn files a civil lawsuit on her own without an attorney, ...
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    52 Min.
  • Inside Modern Fraud

    Inside Modern Fraud
    Feb 25 2026
    Fraud doesn't always announce itself with obvious warning signs. Quite often, it shows up wrapped inside something that feels routine — a purchase you've made before, a link that looks legitimate, a message that arrives at just the wrong moment. Nothing feels suspicious, so your guard stays down. By the time questions start forming, the transaction is already done. My guest today is Iremar Brayner. He's spent more than 15 years working in fraud prevention and risk management across payments, retail, ride-hailing, fintech, and digital marketplaces. In his role at G2A, he leads fraud strategy for one of the world's largest digital entertainment platforms, where speed, approval rates, and loss prevention are constantly pulling against each other. We discuss why scams continue to work despite smarter tools, how "friendly fraud" complicates the picture, and why digital goods create very different risk patterns than traditional retail. We also get into automation, AI-driven decisions, and what it really looks like to manage fraud in real time. Show Notes: [1:36] Iremar shares how his career in fraud prevention began, moving from bank customer service into reviewing suspicious transactions.[2:45] He explains why he completed law school but chose not to become a lawyer, and how legal training shaped his understanding of fraud psychology.[4:10] Fraud is framed as an emotional event, with urgency, financial stress, and excitement often lowering a person's defenses.[6:16] Digital marketplaces attract fraudsters due to low-cost items and products like gift cards that are easy to cash out.[7:10] The concept of card testing emerges, where stolen payment details are validated through small purchases.[8:05] Iremar discusses the rise of friendly fraud, where legitimate customers dispute transactions after receiving goods.[9:30] Major product launches, such as highly anticipated game releases, create predictable spikes in fraud risk.[11:05] Marketplace fraud requires managing risk on both sides, verifying sellers while monitoring buyers in real time.[12:40] He describes G2A's shift away from manual review toward fully automated transaction decisioning.[14:15] The tension between frictionless customer experience and effective fraud prevention is unpacked.[16:05] Automation and AI are positioned as essential tools for scaling fraud defenses without overwhelming operations.[18:10] AI's real impact is discussed: not changing fraud itself, but making attacks faster and more scalable.[20:05] Iremar explains why human judgment still plays a critical role alongside AI systems.[21:41] Fraud patterns differ across industries, illustrated through examples from ride-hailing platforms.[23:10] Abuse of referral and incentive programs reveals how self-referrals became a common fraud tactic.[24:40] Identity misuse by drivers highlights risks tied to document verification.[25:50] Face recognition and customer reporting become tools for detecting account misuse.[27:15] High-value luxury marketplaces introduce entirely different fraud and logistics challenges.[29:10] Practical consumer advice: buy from reliable sources, review refund policies, and question unrealistic pricing.[30:05] Seller protection strategies focus on accurate product descriptions and shipment tracking.[32:05] The most common complaints in marketplaces are items not received and items not as described.[33:20] Iremar recounts becoming a fraud victim after a fraudulent airline ticket charge.[35:00] A WhatsApp impersonation attempt using his photo targeted his mother.[36:10] Verification habits are emphasized as one of the strongest defenses against scams.[37:40] The risks of social media and account takeover scenarios are discussed.[39:30] Challenges around encouraging broader adoption of two-factor authentication.[40:05] Career advice for those interested in fraud prevention as a profession. 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 PageFacebook Pagewhatismyipaddress.comEasy Prey on InstagramEasy Prey on TwitterEasy Prey on LinkedInEasy Prey on YouTubeEasy Prey on PinterestIremar Brayner - LinkedInG2A
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    42 Min.
  • Money Laundering

    Money Laundering
    Feb 18 2026
    Organized crime is often imagined as something violent, chaotic, and obvious. But today, it looks far more polished than that. It operates like a multinational business, spread across borders, built on trust networks, specialization, and efficiency rather than brute force. This episode looks at how modern scams, fraud, and money laundering actually work and why they're so hard to spot before serious damage is done. My guest is Geoff White, an investigative journalist who has spent decades covering organized crime, cybercrime, and financial fraud. His reporting has appeared on BBC News, Sky News, The Sunday Times, and other major outlets, and he is also the creator of The Lazarus Heist, the hit podcast and book series exploring North Korea's global hacking operations. His latest book, Rinsed, examines how technology has transformed the world of money laundering. We talk about how modern criminal networks are structured, why scams now rely on patience and psychology rather than speed, and how money laundering functions as a service industry that quietly supports fraud at scale. The conversation also explores why victims are sometimes unknowingly used to move stolen funds, how urgency is weaponized to override judgment, and why slowing down remains one of the most effective defenses people have. Show Notes: [01:08] Geoff shares his background and why the organized crime + technology overlap is where he's spent his career.[02:52] Why longer-form work (books, podcasts) is often the only way to explain complex crimes that don't fit into a quick news segment.[03:56] Old-school enforcement was violence; modern crime groups often can't use that when partners are anonymous and overseas.[04:23] The trust networks holding global crime together can be more fragile than people assume.[05:06] The strange "trust inside crime" dynamic especially in ransomware, where criminals must appear "reliable."[06:18] Competition today looks more like corporate rivalry than street violence, especially in ransomware affiliate ecosystems.[07:41] Do these groups evolve from traditional cartels or arise from new tech-native criminals? Geoff says it depends on the region.[09:58] The skill split of elite coders builds ransomware, while newer recruits use social engineering to get initial access.[11:34] Money laundering adapts fast with crypto, game currencies, NFTs while the core "service business" model stays the same.[12:46] The "cost" of laundering: fees can be extreme for newcomers, and lower for experienced players with connections.[13:53] A disturbing case where victims are daisy-chained to launder money and reinforce the romance-scam illusion.[15:12] Why money mules are treated as disposable and how many don't realize the seriousness until law enforcement shows up.[16:48] The tactic of letting victims withdraw a little money to make a platform feel legitimate and why it works so well.[18:09] Geoff connects today's tactics to classic con mechanics ("putting the mark on the send") and the psychology behind it.[19:22] Geoff describes seeing an "escalator scam" firsthand: small payouts early, then pressure to pay to "unlock" higher earnings.[21:51] The scary shift is that scams now look polished and patient, stretching across multiple channels and weeks (or longer).[23:12] The more we "self-custody" money and identity online, the more security responsibility shifts onto individuals.[24:32] A major crypto seizure case raises a messy question when seized assets grow in value, who gets the upside?[28:46] Geoff's practical defense: slow down on anything money-related, create space, and don't let urgency steer decisions.[31:17] Why today's scammers play the long game of months of relationship-building can lead to life-changing losses.[34:29] Repeat victimization: recovery scams and fake "investigators" often target people right after they've been hit.[36:08] "Traceable" doesn't mean "recoverable," why freezing and returning stolen crypto is legally and logistically hard.[38:44] UK reimbursement changes shift liability between sending and receiving banks but there are tradeoffs and open questions.[41:28] Geoff reacts to US payment quirks (card taken away, tip written in pen) and why it still surprises outsiders.[45:11] Closing advice is to learn from other people's stories and run "what would I do?" scenarios before a crisis hits. 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 PageFacebook Pagewhatismyipaddress.comEasy Prey on InstagramEasy Prey on TwitterEasy Prey on LinkedInEasy Prey on YouTubeEasy Prey on PinterestGeoff WhiteGeoff White - LinkedInGeoff White - Instagram Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks The Lazarus Heist Crime Dot Com: From Viruses to Vote Rigging, How Hacking Went Global
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    47 Min.
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