This Conversation Could Save You Thousands of Dollars

Guest: Caitlin Sarian
Read time: ~4 min
Uploaded: 19 Feb 2026
Duration: 1:13:42
Views: 336.7K

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KEYPOINTS

01
Getting scammed is a matter of 'when,' not 'if'
Caitlin Sarian, known online as 'Cybersecurity Girl,' says cybersecurity is for everyone, not just experts. Cyber scams are so big that if they were a country, she says, they'd be the world's third-largest economy after the US and China, larger than Germany and Japan combined. Most people are easy targets because nobody taught them the basics.
02
The less you share, the less scammers can use
Her rule for any form asking for your birthday, real name or phone number: 'Why do they need it? Have they ever called you?' She signs up for things under an alias and never posts vacation photos while she's still away. Data brokers keep building profiles from what's public, so information you overshare can be used against you or your family.
03
AI can piece together your life from public scraps in seconds
A firm she works with that specializes in open-source intelligence can use AI to assemble a profile of a person within 20–30 seconds from social posts, blogs, news articles and even wedding registries. Your mother's maiden name and high school are easy to find. That's why she answers security questions as a made-up persona with consistent fake answers.
04
Free Wi-Fi isn't free
'If there's any free product or app, you are the product.' On public or plane Wi-Fi you're on someone else's network. Music and browsing are fine, but don't do banking or send things like a photo of your credit card. If you must use it, she recommends a VPN (virtual private network) or your phone's hotspot.
05
Reused passwords are the biggest risk
'Password' is still the most popular password, followed by '12345.' When one site leaks your password, attackers run software that tries thousands of variations of it on your other accounts, then use those accounts to scam you or your contacts. She uses a password manager (LastPass, 1Password, Keeper or the iPhone's built-in one) and checks login activity and locations on her email and social accounts every couple of months.
06
Scams run on panic
A common call claims to be the FBI or police: you missed jury duty, a hearing or a ticket, and they'll arrest you unless you pay. Callers know your address and your parents'. Any request to pay in crypto is a red flag. If your bank texts unexpectedly, don't click. Call the number on the back of your card.
07
AI voice cloning makes a family safe word essential
Scammers clone voices from podcasts, TV clips or social media to fake a loved one in trouble. Agree on a family safe word ahead of time. It takes two seconds to ask for it, and she says it's the only reliable check.
08
Use credit cards, not debit cards or payment apps, when you can
Debit cards, Venmo and Zelle are 'money in, money out' with little recourse. She avoids payment apps unless she has to. Credit cards give you fraud protection.
09
Check what apps collect before clicking 'accept all'
She asks three questions: what data are you collecting, why, and who are you sharing it with? A name and email is fine. Biometric, sleep or menstrual-cycle data is a reason to stop. Mel pastes terms into an AI assistant for a summary. Sarian uses biometric airport screening because she travels every week but says she'd skip it if she flew twice a year.

EXAMPLES

01
The $200 Venmo 'mistake'
A stranger sends you $200 on Venmo, then begs you to send it back because it was a mistake. The money came from a stolen card. When that charge is reversed, your payment back isn't, because you sent it willingly, so you're out $200. The takeaway: don't send it back.
02
A dog named Archie
The AI profiling firm found a couple's dog's name from a wedding-registry item, a dog bow 'for Archie.' A pet's name is a classic security answer.
03
Mel's mother-in-law
Mel's family recently had a scare when scammers almost got into her mother-in-law's accounts, which could have wiped out her savings and retirement.
04
A teen athlete targeted by sextortion
A teenage boy spent three or four months messaging someone he believed was a girl connected to his friends, and they exchanged photos. The scammer then demanded money, threatening to leak the photos and ruin his career and Olympic hopes. Sarian says these scams especially target boys. He told his aunt, who works in cybersecurity, and it was resolved. Report cases at the FBI's ic3.gov.
05
Instagram's location surprise
Mel describes an Instagram update that suddenly shared users' locations. Sarian says precise location is on by default for most people, and she estimates about 90% of users have it on.
06
Fake Let Them Theory copies and impostor staff
Mel's audience has been sold counterfeit copies of her book on Etsy and Shein (misspelled, spiral-bound or a nonexistent US paperback) and emailed by scammers posing as her company's employees.

OTHER RELEVANT

01
Her five essentials
(1) Use strong, unique passwords with multi-factor authentication. (2) Turn on automatic software updates for your phone and apps. (3) Freeze your credit at all three bureaus, which takes 5–10 minutes each, and unfreeze when you need a loan. (4) Wait 9 seconds before clicking any link and check the sender's address, or just call instead. (5) Limit your data online, for example with a deletion service like Incogni.
02
Make a stolen phone harder to hide
Thieves switch on airplane mode right away so you can't track the phone. Turn off airplane mode access from the lock-screen swipe-down menu so they'd have to power it off, and it will eventually be turned back on.
03
Protect your parents this weekend
Freeze their credit, update the passwords on their bank and retirement accounts, and set up multi-factor authentication with codes going to your phone so you notice odd login attempts. Brief them on current scams: hang up on any request for money and call a fraud helpline.
04
After a data breach
Sign up for the free credit monitoring that breached companies offer, but freezing your credit is the main defense against identity theft.