Hosts Annie-Mei and Anika unpack social engineering or “human hacking”, with insights from books by Chris Hadnagy and Kevin Mitnick. They break down the attack lifecycle, common tactics (phishing, pretexting, tailgating, quid pro quo), and how AI is supercharging scams, then share practical defences: pause-and-verify, reduce digital footprints, and normalise double-checking at work and home. A clear, actionable guide to spotting and resisting manipulation online and off.

Practical takeaways

• Pause and verify: If there’s urgency, slow down. Confirm via a second channel (Teams/Slack/phone) using contact details you already trust.
• Know your own levers: List your motivations and soft spots (travel deals, pets, promotions, family). Expect lures to target them.
• Harden your photos & profiles: Ask permission before posting others; avoid location tags; check backgrounds for whiteboards, monitors, ID, or addresses.
• At the door: Challenge tailgating politely; ask for ID and verify with the office before granting access—even to someone in high-vis.
• At work: Prefer frequent, tailored awareness over once-a-year training; normalise “it’s fine to check with me” in leadership; run realistic simulations.
• At home: Talk with family and friends about what not to share on your behalf.

Resources for further education:

• Chris Hadnagy — Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking
• Kevin Mitnick — The Art of Deception; The Art of Invisibility

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Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals

Annie-Mei and Anika are joined by Wadzi Nenzou, who is the founder of 'Our Scam Stories'. Wadzi shares her mission of educating people about investment scams to help them build wealth without losing hard-earned money. With over 18 years of experience in financial services, Wadzi discusses the importance of sharing scam survivor stories to reduce stigma and educate the public. The conversation covers the increasing sophistication of scams, common scam tactics, and which demographics most likely to be targeted.

Annie-Mei talks about the time she was scammed in China.

Do you have a scam story that you'd like to share? Make sure to get in touch with Wadzi. Links to the website and her LinkedIn below.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:45 Guest Background and Achievements
03:33 Journey to Scam Education
05:27 Impact of Scams and Statistics
06:45 Reasons Behind Scam Vulnerability
08:42 Sophistication of Modern Scams
10:12 Stigma and Empathy for Scam Victims
22:15 Targeting Vulnerable Groups
24:10 Personal Scam Stories and Social Connections
27:57 Men and Scams: A Personal Story
29:17 Risk Aversion in Women and Financial Impact
31:55 Mental Health and Vulnerability to Scams
32:51 The Tragic Reality of Pig Butchering Scams
36:06 Fighting Back: Erin West and Operation Shamrock
37:13 Our Scam Stories: A Platform for Victims
39:43 The Importance of Sharing Scam Stories
45:37 Conclusion and Social Links

Show Links:

Connect with Wadzi on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadzanainenzou/

Learn more about Our Scam Stories:

https://www.ourscamstories.com/

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Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals

Annie-Mei and Anika discuss their experiences of going to cybersecurity conferences. They talk about what you can expect and how not all conferences are the same. Anika explains her experience at BSides Canberra and doing the CTF challenge. Annie-Mei talks about her first time going to the biggest hacker conference in the world - DEFCON. Spoiler alert: it was awesome.

00:00 Introduction

01:08 First Cybersecurity Conference Experiences

05:52 BSides Canberra: A Community-Focused Event

07:42 The Fun and Challenges of Cybersecurity Conferences

15:52 Speaking at CyberCon Canberra

18:56 DEFCON: The Pinnacle of Cyber Conferences

22:26 Exciting Badge Experience at DEFCON

22:46 Planning Your First DEFCON Visit

23:17 Social Engineering Competition Highlights

24:53 Traditions and Talks at DEFCON

25:48 Navigating the Las Vegas Convention Center

27:34 AI Village and Deep Fake Experience

28:16 After Parties and Networking

33:00 Memorable Talks and Personal Stories

36:13 The Importance of Public Speaking

41:02 Opportunities from Conference Talks

46:02 Encouragement for Aspiring Speakers

48:12 Conclusion and Reflections

Show Links:

BSides Canberra: https://www.bsidesau.com.au/

DEFCON: https://defcon.org/

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Find us on Instagram and YouTube @thecybersecuritygals