Episode 46: Erin West sits down with Marc Evans, an active metropolitan fraud detective and the founder of Fraud Hero, for a deep dive into the mechanics of modern social engineering scams. Marc brings front-line insight into the schemes hitting hardest right now—from tech-support cons and business email compromise to casino heists pulled off entirely over the phone. He traces his own path into fraud investigation, including a personal brush with identity theft that almost cost him his law-enforcement career before it began.

Marc and Erin unpack how scammers exploit psychology — manufacturing authority, urgency, and trust — to steal money before victims even realize what has happened. They talk about how cryptocurrency ATMs have become the payment method of choice for scammers, and cover the efforts to rein them in. Marc shares his vision for Fraud Hero, an education platform designed to stop scams before they start by giving everyday people and businesses the knowledge he uses on the job.

Amy Nofziger has spent 24 years running AARP's Fraud Watch Network Helpline — and the one thing she wants every victim to know is this: you are not alone, and this is not your fault.

In this episode, Erin and Amy dig into why shame keeps victims silent, why the loneliness epidemic is a scammer's best weapon, why brilliant people fall hardest, and why if your gut felt off — that was your body trying to protect you. If you've been scammed, love someone who has, or just want to understand why these crimes are so devastatingly effective, this episode is for you.

What if the person on your screen isn't real? Author and cybersecurity expert Perry Carpenter joins Erin West to break down how deepfakes, AI-generated voice cloning, and synthetic media have become the scammer's most powerful weapons — and why your own desire to believe is their greatest asset.

Perry is the author of Faik: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deception, and he doesn't pull punches. In this episode, he live-demos deepfake face-swapping technology that costs $60 and installs like any app, explains why deepfake detection software is always one step behind, and reveals how scam operations run Telegram channels where criminals share tips, troubleshoot their tech, and celebrate their "sales goals."

Erin and Perry also dig into the psychology that makes victims so vulnerable — and what regular people can do right now to stay grounded in a world where reality is increasingly malleable.

You'll learn:

• How cheaply and easily deepfake face and voice tech is available to scammers today
• Why confirmation bias is more dangerous than the technology itself
• The difference between AI, deepfakes, and synthetic media — and why it matters
• What to tell your family members about verifying what they see online
• Why scam compounds operate like legitimate businesses — complete with Telegram support channels

Perry and Erin will both be speaking at SXSW 2026 — catch them live in Austin.

Learn more about Operation Shamrock: operationshamrock.org

Stolen is hosted by Erin West, former Santa Clara County prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock.