Podcasts News Easy Prey Credit Card Skimming with Scott Schober

Credit Card Skimming with Scott Schober

Published: July 8, 2020, 10 a.m.

We\u2019ve all had that random fraudulent charge show up on our credit card and we wonder how did that happen.\xa0 Do I need to cancel my credit card? Do I need to get a new one?\xa0 Today we talk about credit card skimming with Scott Schober.\xa0

Scott Schober is the president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, a 48-year-old leading provider of advanced world-class wireless test and cybersecurity solutions.\xa0 Scott is a highly sought after author and expert for live security events, media appearances, and commentary on ransomware, wireless threats, drone surveillance hacking, and cybersecurity for consumers and small businesses. He is the author of Hacked Again and Cybersecurity is Everybody\u2019s Business.\xa0\xa0

Scott shares his many experiences about personally being hacked and finally getting the money back. We talk about what you need to know, how to protect yourself, and more.\xa0\xa0\xa0

Show Notes:
  • [01:02] - Scott shares how he got involved in cybersecurity.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • [02:01] - Cybercriminals want to silence you.\xa0 They don\u2019t want you to share tips or expertise on how to keep companies secure or even individuals. \xa0 These attacks lead to the creation of his first book, Hacked Again.\xa0
  • [03:02] - In that process, he learned that there were some fundamental things that they were doing wrong.\xa0 So he had to relearn and reimplement best practices for the company and himself.\xa0
  • [03:34] - We should create more secure passwords and not use them across multiple sites.\xa0\xa0
  • [06:14] - Anonymity is extremely powerful in the criminal empire.\xa0 Criminal gangs often get educated to conduct criminal activity.\xa0\xa0
  • [08:42] - We can now use technology to fight back.\xa0\xa0
  • [10:29] - The challenge is to get the skimmers out before it even happens.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • [12:02] - Follow the money and it usually tells you why things are done or not done.\xa0
  • [14:12] - Scott uses Apple Pay and Google Wallet when possible.\xa0\xa0
  • [15:22] - When you\u2019re at a gas station use cash if you are afraid of a skimmer.\xa0 Use common sense.\xa0 If things look like they have been tampered with, use caution.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • [17:17] - The part of the iceberg sticking out of the water is the surface web that we use for searches and purchases.\xa0 Below is tons of information that don\u2019t make a lot of sense to us working at the surface web.\xa0
  • [19:38] - If you see a small transaction on your credit card ($0.50/$1) it could likely be that it is on the dark web and has been posted to be tested.\xa0\xa0
  • [21:37] - It is hard for law enforcement because this is an attractive way to make money.\xa0\xa0
  • [22:50] - Don\u2019t be complacent.\xa0 Start out by doing best practices across the board in your personal life and business.\xa0\xa0
  • [23:12] - The best thing to do is to add layers of security like multi-factor or two-step authentication.\xa0\xa0
  • [24:29] - Scott doesn\u2019t share his actual birthday on social media, because that is one of the critical pieces of information if someone tries to compromise your identity.\xa0\xa0
  • [26:07] - When setting up security questions put a password instead of the actual answer that can be researched about you.\xa0\xa0
  • [27:42] - They discuss the pros and cons of freezing your credit.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • [29:25] - The process and investigation when Scott lost $65,000 took months, but he did finally did get the money back.\xa0\xa0\xa0
  • [31:28] - Cybercriminals create fictitious accounts, steal money from multiple people in a bank, and quickly close them out.
  • [33:32] - You can do things to prevent it from happening to you.
  • [35:49] - You can\u2019t be too trusting to anyone. Don\u2019t use their means of communication to verify.\xa0
  • [37:49] - Take a few minutes to question everything. Use caution.\xa0
  • [40:07] - Many of these scams look very convincing.\xa0\xa0
  • [42:50] - Your better to spend the time and effort upfront securing things then pay for it later.\xa0\xa0
  • [44:04] - A small business owner can do small practical things to protect themselves.\xa0\xa0

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.\xa0

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