Brushing Scams with Venkat Margapuri
Easy Prey26 Feb 2025

Brushing Scams with Venkat Margapuri

Scams come in many forms but receiving a freebie from a scammer doesn't make sense. If something shows up at your door that you didn't order, should you be worried? Brushing scams are becoming more common and while they may seem harmless at first they can be a gateway to fraud, identity theft and financial loss.

Today we're diving into how these scams work, why they exist and the real dangers behind them. Our guest is Dr. Venkat Margapuri, an assistant professor of computer science at Villanova University. His research focuses on AI applications in agriculture and healthcare but he's also spent time studying online fraud and digital security. He's here to help us understand what's really going on when scammers send you something for free and most importantly what you should do about it.

Show Notes:
  • [00:44] Venkat is an assistant professor in the department of computer science at Villanova University. A lot of his research is focused on artificial intelligence, image processing, and security.
  • [01:53] Brushing scams are where you receive products that you haven't ordered. It's a fraudulent e-commerce scheme. They try to get reviews or add additional sales for their product.
  • [04:48] Venkat explains why it's not a good idea to scan those QR codes in products. You don't want to put your credentials into the website.
  • [05:41] This is where brushing leads to phishing scams by getting people to enter information into a fake website.
  • [06:20] The major risk of receiving these packages is identity theft.
  • [09:30] Scam charges on Amazon can be used to verify stolen credit card credentials and overconfidence often leads to being scammed.
  • [10:52] We discuss where these scammers find people's addresses.
  • [13:05] A lot of scammers are really smart people who got into the wrong business. Key qualities include narcissism and psychopathy.
  • [17:05] When you receive these packages just dispose of them. Don't scan the QR codes.
  • [21:25] A scam where they send emails with the link to free Apple Gift Cards. Be careful about what you post on social media.
  • [22:43] Assume unsolicited contact is a scam.
  • [23:50] Don't share personal information. Look out for things that are out of the norm.
  • [27:04] Venkat talks about advance fee scams.
  • [28:14] Being careful about geographic perceptions.
  • [31:18] Be cautious if you are being rushed.
  • [32:18] Whenever you suspect something isn't right, err on the side of caution and don't do it.

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

Links and Resources:

Episoder(321)

Art Heists

Art Heists

The world of art theft looks glamorous in the movies, but the reality is far more complicated. From multi-million dollar forgery schemes to undercover FBI operations recovering stolen national treasur...

29 Apr 37min

The Power of Prediction

The Power of Prediction

We make predictions all the time including about the weather, about traffic, about what someone is going to say next. It feels natural, even rational. But when algorithms start making predictions abou...

22 Apr 39min

Privacy vs Reality

Privacy vs Reality

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 jo...

15 Apr 58min

Wired to Trust

Wired to Trust

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 notic...

8 Apr 41min

Intimate Partner Fraud

Intimate Partner Fraud

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 trai...

1 Apr 45min

Identity without Passwords

Identity without Passwords

Every day, employees at hotels, restaurants, and resorts across the country are doing exactly what they were hired to do: being warm, responsive, and eager to help. It's what makes hospitality work. I...

25 Mar 38min

When Cybercrime Gets Personal

When Cybercrime Gets Personal

Most security breaches don't begin with sophisticated code or elaborate technical exploits. They begin with a phone call, a convincing email, or someone at a help desk who just wanted to be helpful. T...

18 Mar 45min

Stopping Phone Scams

Stopping Phone Scams

Phone scams get dismissed as background noise or just annoying interruptions and unknown numbers with robotic voices we learn to ignore. But behind that noise is an industry built on psychology, autom...

11 Mar 45min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
det-store-bildet
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
e24-podden
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
frokostshowet-pa-p5