His Mom Was Told Her Daughter Was Kidnapped (Patrick Coughlin)
When Patrick Coughlin's mother Beth got a call telling her that her daughter had been kidnapped and would be killed unless she paid up, it wasn't real — but it was terrifyingly convincing. In this epi...
29 Jul 49min
We Went to Nigeria to Hunt Sextortion Scammers (Paul Raffile)
Erin and researcher Paul Raffile spent six days on the ground investigating the criminal network behind sextortion, a scam that has been linked to over 60 teen suicides worldwide. What they found: a Y...
22 Jul 56min
From Blueprint to Action: Turning a Scam Prevention Strategy Into Policy (Kate Griffin)
In this episode, host Erin West sits down with Kate Griffin of the Aspen Institute's Financial Security Program to unpack how she brought together 80 organizations — from banks to tech companies to no...
15 Jul 46min
From Casino Scam Compounds to Digital Arrests: A 30-Year Fraud Fighter's Warning (Frank McKenna)
Episode 61: Erin West connects with Frank McKenna, a 30-year fraud-consulting veteran and founder of Point Predictive, who has built four separate industry data consortiums — including efforts that no...
8 Jul 49min
"I Thought LinkedIn Was Safe": How a Utah Woman Lost $850,000 in a Scam
Episode 60: Anola Johnson thought LinkedIn was the one platform safe from scammers — professional, vetted, serious. A connection request two days after a work trip to Paris changed that. Over the foll...
1 Jul 52min
The Boat Into Myanmar: Mariana van Zeller Inside the Scam Compounds Nobody Sees
Episode 59: Her heart stopped when Mariana van Zeller climbed into a boat to cross into Myanmar. In this episode of Stolen, Erin West sits down with the National Geographic journalist behind Trafficke...
24 Jun 56min
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. Erin West sits down with a former securities indust...
17 Jun 34min
SOLUTIONS: One Thing AI Can't Fake — How Location Became the New Identity (Andre Ferraz -- Incognia)
Episode 57: A scammer can counterfeit your face, your voice, and your documents. What they can't fake is where your phone actually goes. That's the solution André Ferraz built. The founder of Incognia...
10 Jun 43min
