Stolen Podcast with Erin West
The Stolen podcast is a weekly look into the hidden world of transnational digital crime. Join host Erin West — prosecutor, cybercrime investigator, global keynote speaker, and your guide into the dark corners of the internet.
Hear from law enforcement, cybersecurity experts, and the victims who’ve lived it. Erin investigates the global rise of digital crime — scams, cyber fraud, and other forms of online exploitation — and the people caught in the crossfire. These are the voices behind the headlines and the crimes that cross borders and boundaries.
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Explore previous episodes of the Stolen podcast.
Investment Scam Exposed: A Victim’s Journey of Fraud and Frustration
Episode 58: Despite his careful research and skepticism, scammers defrauded Syd of $50,000. Next came the challenge of dealing with law enforcement.
Solutions: What AI Can’t Fake — How Location Became the New Identity
Episode 57: Incognia’s André Ferraz provides a look at how location-based identity verification can reshape scam and fraud prevention.
How Smart People Get Scammed: Psychology and Manipulation
Episode 56: Dr. Martina Dove uses a real-life romance scam story to explain the psychological strategies scammers use to manipulate their targets.
Romance Fraud: One Woman’s Journey from Target to Survivor
Episode 55: A scammer used calculated, precise psychological manipulation in a six-month romance fraud that dismantled Kirsty’s finances, her sense of self, and nearly her life.
How Crypto, the Dark Web, and Fentanyl Deaths Are Connected
Episode 54: Keven Hendricks, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, pulls back the curtain on the dark web and the connections with cybercrime and drug sales.
You Can’t Believe Your Eyes: The Deepfake Crisis
Episode 53: Carl Bogan and Erin talk about the evolution of deepfakes — from his pioneering viral video to today’s need to protect businesses and consumers from scams and fraud.
How Romance Fraud Hijacks Your Brain Chemistry
Episode 52: Anna Rowe, fraud survivor and co-founder of LoveSaid.org, explains why romance fraud works and why it’s important change the language people use to talk about it.
A Criminologist’s Research-Driven Take on the Scam Crisis
Episode 51: Dr. David Maimon joins Erin to discuss what research reveals about online fraud, how scammers select their victims, and why we need to look in a different direction to prevent fraud.
$196 Billion Stolen in Scams — And We’re Still Blaming Victims
Episode 50: AARP’s Kathy Stokes and Erin West talk about some of the overlooked dimensions of the scam epidemic — including how we talk about victims and the positive work being done to address the crimes.