Hacking Humans – “Love was the hook.”
Podcast: Hacking Humans (N2K Networks)
Episode: Love was the hook
Date: February 12, 2026
Theme: Deception, influence, and social engineering in cyber crime, with a focus on romance scams in honor of Valentine’s Day.
Episode Overview
This episode examines the persistence and evolution of romance scams, exploring how cyber criminals exploit emotions for financial gain. The hosts discuss real-world stories of romance-based frauds, the psychology behind them, and the increasing sophistication of scams in the digital era, including the use of AI and social media. The episode also features an expert interview with Simon Horsewell, a senior fraud specialist, offering actionable advice on recognizing and defending against romance and confidence scams.
Key Segments & Insights
1. Phishing Scams & Realism in Fraud Attempts
[00:14–06:56]
- The hosts read a listener’s email about a suspicious Bank of America “fraud alert” text.
- The message had the hallmarks of a phishing scam—urgent deadlines, clickable links, odd check numbers—but after due diligence, proved to be genuine (albeit badly designed) and required an hour-long hold with the bank's fraud department.
- Insight: Even legitimate institutions send messages that strongly resemble scams, making it difficult for users to discern real from fake.
- Quote:
- Joe Kerrigan: “This reeks of a scam message.” (03:46)
- Maria Fernanda: “Who’s gonna do that? That’s crazy.” about waiting on hold for an hour (05:32)
- Discussion of how minor details like slight changes in a URL (e.g., “bank0famerica.com” or “B” as “l” plus “c”) are used in phishing.
2. Chicken Talk Tangent (Skip for Core Content)
The hosts share updates on backyard chickens—a brief lighthearted detour before the main stories.
3. Feature Stories: Romance and Confidence Scams
A. The Crown Prince of Dubai Scam
[14:04–22:58] – Presented by Maria Fernanda
- Victim: “Laura,” a Romanian businesswoman contacted on LinkedIn by someone claiming to be the Crown Prince of Dubai interested in humanitarian investments.
- The scam spanned two years, involved thousands of messages and an in-person meeting with an alleged “financial manager.”
- Key twist: Scammers went to the trouble of arranging a real-life meeting and creating fake bank websites and documents.
- Loss: Nearly €3 million stolen; only a small portion (~€100k) recovered.
- Internal schism among scammers: After a dispute about dividing the money, one scammer exposed the “prime” scammer’s real identity to the victim.
- Scammer flaunted his wealth openly on social media, helping authorities track him.
- Quotes:
- Maria Fernanda: “The chat goes on for two years. Thousands and thousands of messages … it actually does lead to romance at some point.” (15:33+)
- “One of the scammer partners turned in his buddy.” (19:42)
- Dave Bittner: “No honor among thieves.” (19:47)
B. The Handyman Serial Romance Scammer
[23:11–35:55] – Presented by Joe Kerrigan
- Story of Heather Rovitt, a 46-year-old Canadian real estate broker.
- Meets “Jace,” a handsome handyman sent by her service, who soon becomes her boyfriend and moves in.
- Red flags: Items go missing, suspicious behavior, evidence of Jace on dating apps using multiple aliases (“Jace Donato”, “Mike”, etc.), lack of stable employment, and evasiveness about his own life.
- Heather eventually uncovers through accessing his email that Jace was simultaneously courting hundreds of women on dating apps.
- Her loss totals around $150,000–$200,000 in cash and valuables.
- Notable discussions: The importance of social support networks and how isolation can make a person a target.
- Quotes:
- Maria Fernanda: “You in danger, girl.” (25:55)
- Dave Bittner: “He moved in with her. Makes me wonder ... maybe he sensed that she didn’t have the support network.” (34:58)
4. Expert Interview: Simon Horsewell on Modern Romance Scams
[38:55–53:16]
- Background: Simon Horsewell, Senior Fraud Specialist at Entrust, with over 20 years of experience.
- Romance scams have existed far before the Internet, but digital life and social media make it easier to scale and target victims.
- Modern Playbook:
- Scammers use social/dating platforms to establish contact.
- Swift, over-the-top “love bombing” establishes emotional dependency.
- Scams can last weeks to years; multiple fraudsters might tag-team a victim (initiator, maintainer, closer).
- AI and generative technologies allow scammers to write flawlessly, deepfake photos/videos, and convincingly impersonate anyone.
- Key Hallmarks:
- Impossibly perfect or attractive contacts reach out unprompted.
- Intensely affectionate, fast-moving relationship paced by the scammer.
- Excuses to avoid meeting in person (“overseas job,” “constantly traveling”).
- A financial crisis eventually arises; money or cryptocurrency is requested.
- Defense: Preemptive awareness is best. Once emotionally invested, victims often rationalize warnings or interventions.
- Notable Quotes:
- Simon Horsewell: “They will reach out ... not going to be an ugly person.” (39:59)
- “The victim is emotionally invested … it is everything to them. They are in love. It is very real to them.” (45:23)
- “AI allows people who don’t necessarily speak English as a first language to communicate in perfect English ... deepfake face for video calls, voice mimicry.” (47:54)
- Advice for Families:
- Be alert to sudden intense relationships, requests for secrecy, refusal to meet/appear on video, and any sudden requests for money.
- Approach with empathy; “breaking the spell” is psychologically difficult for victims.
5. Catch of the Day: Department of Justice Scam Letter
[55:33–60:55]
- Hosts analyze a sophisticated scam letter purporting to come from the U.S. Department of Justice (DEA), accusing the target of being a possible witness to federal crimes.
- Even the hosts admit it could fool them—very official, with references to statutes and plausible legal threats, but upon review is confirmed as a scam.
- Quotes:
- Joe Kerrigan: “This seems real. I don’t know if this is fake. This would 100% work on me. Really?” (56:50)
- Dave Bittner: “Turns out it was actually a scam. Huh. So, wow. Beware.” (58:43)
- Lesson: Even savvy, security-focused individuals are at risk due to the sophistication of some scams.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On the impact of real-looking fraud alerts:
- “This reeks of a scam message.” – Joe Kerrigan (03:46)
- “I agree with Dave here that this has all the hallmarks of a scam.” – Joe Kerrigan (06:10)
On the psychology of romance scams:
- Simon Horsewell: “They will find everything you say amusing. You will have no disagreements as long as you’re not talking about not giving money.”
- “You can use generative AI ... to wear the face of the AI-generated person that you've created so that you now appear like them in a video call.”
On family/friend intervention:
- Maria Fernanda: “At this age, like, there’s gotta be more to it ... if it’s just he just shows up out of the blue and now he’s moved in with you.” (34:10)
- Joe Kerrigan: “Maybe he sensed something in her that she didn’t have the support network ... and he said, aha, I got one.” (34:58)
On the depth of victim belief:
- “The victim is emotionally invested and it's not a case of not being able to admit it … it is everything to them. They are in love. It is very real to them.” – Simon Horsewell (45:23)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:14–06:56: Phishing scam discussion, Bank of America fraud text
- 14:04–22:58: Crown Prince of Dubai LinkedIn scam story
- 23:11–35:55: Handyman romance scam case
- 38:55–53:16: Simon Horsewell interview: Modern romance scams and AI
- 55:33–60:55: “Catch of the Day” – DOJ scam letter
Actionable Takeaways
- Never trust urgent financial messages, even from real banks—verify via official channels.
- Be highly skeptical of romantic contacts who seem too perfect, move too fast, or avoid real-life/video meetings.
- Understand that shame, emotional investment, and manipulative psychology make it hard for victims to recognize scams, even when presented with evidence.
- AI tools are making scams more realistic and harder to detect—stay vigilant.
- Discuss these topics openly with friends and family; awareness is the best defense.
Episode Tone
Engaging, often playful and self-deprecating, with the hosts mixing humor, empathy, and frank security talk. The discussions are insightful yet accessible, balancing the seriousness of the topic with personal stories and banter.
For more details, links to articles and the documentary mentioned, see the episode show notes.