Cybercrime in the Age of AI, with Bogdan Botezatu

​​Scams are a trillion-dollar industry; keep your loved ones safe with Bitdefender: https://bitdefend.me/90-StarTalk Is there anything real left on the internet? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore deepfakes, scams, and cybercrime with the Director of Threat Research at Bitdefender, Bogdan Botezatu. We explore how scammers exploit psychology and technology. How does AI supercharge a problem that has existed for centuries? They trace the evolution from local cons to deepfake-driven global scams, where AI can mimic trusted figures, even Neil himself. Neil tells the story of when Terry Crews once texted Neil about a fake Big Bang video, but Neil realized Terry had been tricked. How can you tell when something is fake? Are we all failing daily Turing tests? They reveal how cybercriminals now operate like corporations, running call centers and hiring staff to avoid detection. Then, the psychology takes center stage: loneliness, greed, and the need to believe make us easy targets. We learn about “pig butchering” scams and how the good guys use “honeypots” to learn scammers' methods. Can we ever be sure what’s real online? The conversation turns to “Dead Internet Theory,” AI influencers, and the growing overlap between cybercrime and national security. Could deepfakes destabilize governments, not just wallets? Thanks to our Patrons Bubbalotski, Oskar Yazan Mellemsether, Craig A, Andrew, Liagadd, William Roberts, Pratiksha, Corey Williams, Keith, anirao, matthew, Cody T, Janna Ladd, Jen Richardson, Elizaveta Nikitenko, James Quagliariello, LA Stritt, Rocco Ciccolini, Kyle Jones, Jeremy Jones, Micheal Fiebelkorn, Erik the Nerd, Debbie Gloom, Adam Tobias Lofton, Chad Stewart, Christy Bradford, David Jirel, e4e5Nf3, John Rost, cluckaizo, Diane Féve, Conny Vigström, Julian Farr, karl Lebeau, AnnElizabeth, p johnson, Jarvis, Charles Bouril, Kevin Salam, Alex Rzem, Joseph Strolin, Madelaine Bertelsen, noel jimenez, Arham Jain, Tim Manzer, Alex, Ray Weikal, Kevin O'Reilly, Mila Love, Mert Durak, Scrubbing Bubblez, Lili Rose, Ram Zaidenvorm, Sammy Aleksov, Carter Lampe, Tom Andrusyna, Raghvendra Singh Bais, ramenbrownie, cap kay, B Rhodes, Chrissi Vergoglini, Micheal Reilly, Mone, Brendan D., Mung, J Ram, Katie Holliday, Nico R, Riven, lanagoeh, Shashank, Bradley Andrews, Jeff Raimer, Angel velez, Sara, Timothy Criss, Katy Boyer, Jesse Hausner, Blue Cardinal, Benjamin Kedwards, Dave, Wen Wei LOKE, Micheal Sacher, Lucas, Ken Kuipers, Alex Marks, Amanda Morrison, Gary Ritter Jr, Bushmaster, thomas hennigan, Erin Flynn, Chad F, fro drick, Ben Speire, Sanjiv VIJ, Sam B, BriarPatch, and Mario Boutet for supporting us this week. Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Bogdan Botezatu 04:50 - Global Impact of Scams 07:20 - Scamming Tactics 11:28 - Deepfakes & Falling For It 20:30 - Neil Getting Deepfaked 24:52 - How to Tell You’re Watching a Deepfake 28:02 - The Psychological Aspect 33:04 - Pig Butchering & Honey Pots 39:59 - Is Anything Real Left on the Internet? 45:29 - How to Avoid Getting Scammed 47:20 - Defending Against Cybercrime 51:31 - Internet of Things & National Security 56:11 - Continuing the Cat & Mouse 58:15 - Addressing the Stigma 01:01:30 - Closing Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson