In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Dawn Sarno, a leading expert on cyber scams, discuss the prevalence and detection of phishing scams. Dawn explains that phishing often targets older adults due to their perceived lack of tech savvy and higher financial stakes, but notes that younger adults are also vulnerable, often due to impulsivity and poor online habits. She highlights the rise of AI-generated deep fakes, which make scams more convincing and harder to detect. Dawn advises slowing down and verifying suspicious communications, emphasizing the importance of cyber hygiene practices, such as using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. She also emphasizes the importance of vigilance and reporting scams to help prevent others from falling victim.

Key Takeaways:

• Differences and similarities between fraud, phishing, whaling, deep fakes, scams, and spam.

• Older adults are often targeted by scams, but they also typically have more to lose relative to a younger adult. While factors associated with age, like loneliness and abnormal cognitive decline, may make you more vulnerable to falling for a scam, Dr. Sarno's research generally suggests that there may not be a huge difference in detection abilities between younger and older adults.

• Cyberscams are a numbers game. People often send out messages to large groups (such as everyone at a university) rather than targeting one person at a time.

• If you notice that something's not right, report it, because this is going to help the social media platform or your organization's IT department find these scams and prevent them from reaching other people.

"One big thing I would stress is that if people are ever in doubt, they should never click a link or open an attachment, because that curiosity alone could lead them to have some problems." — Dr. Dawn Sarno

Connect with Dr. Dawn Sarno:

Professional Bio: https://sciences.ucf.edu/psychology/person/dawn-sarno/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dawn-sarno-790a1558

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

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