Beyond Connected

An 85-year-old man receives what looks like a harmless PayPal refund email… and within days, he out $200,000. He was ashamed and lost. But instead of staying silent, he worked with the police to set up a sting operation, seeking at least partial justice for his misfortunes.

In this episode, we break down one of the most sophisticated refund scams we’ve seen, how it unfolded step-by-step, and the red flags everyone should know about....

You didn't hand over your life to big tech, but your smart devices did it for you. In this episode, Kurt breaks down the five most alarming privacy clauses buried inside the smart home gadgets most of us already own: your TV, your Ring doorbell, your Amazon Echo, and yes, even your car. The revelations are infuriating — and most of it was turned on by default the moment you plugged in. The good news? Kurt walks you through exac...

Dorothy Rhode got a text that looked exactly like a legitimate Apple Pay fraud alert. She called the number in the message, and the man who answered already knew her name, her address, and which banks she used. 

He told her she'd been targeted by corrupt bank employees, that he was working with the FBI and FDIC, and that she needed to pull $15,000 in cash immediately and tell no one. She got in her car and drove to the bank....

In this episode of Beyond Connected, we dive deep into the world of AI-powered toys and the risks they pose for children. AI companies insist their chatbots aren’t meant for kids, yet third-party developers are creating toys that put these chatbots directly into the hands of children. RJ Cross, a researcher from the Public Interest Research Group PIRG joins the show to uncover the loopholes, risks, and what parents need to know.

Wha...

Today on Beyond Connected, we’re answering your biggest cybersecurity questions - from suspicious texts to deepfake scams and outdated computers.

Are you unknowingly putting your personal data at risk? Let’s break it all down.

• Is this text message a scam? Here’s how to find out.

• Is a dedicated financial computer a smart idea? If you do it right, yes!

• How do I saved my loved one from a deepfake impersonation or romance scam? This ...

In this episode of Beyond Connected, we speak with Chrisanna Elser, whose life took a shocking turn when a police officer knocked on her door and accused her of stealing a package from a nearby home.

Lucky for her, she was the perfect person to fight this kind of case. Using footage from her dash cam, surveillance systems, and even her Google Timeline, she quickly assembled the evidence to prove her innocence. 

What began as a simple...

What would it feel like to perform a duet with your 14-year-old self?

In this episode, we sit down with entertainment icon Donny Osmond to talk about the surreal experience of sharing the Las Vegas stage with an AI powered digital version of himself. Using archival photos, voice samples from his teenage years, and next-generation stage technology, Donny is literally performing with his younger self in front of a live audience.

Bu...

In this powerful episode of Beyond Connected, we sit down with wellness icon Susan Powter for one of the most raw and inspiring conversations we've ever had. After disappearing from the spotlight at the height of her fame, Susan opens up about financial collapse, exploitation, isolation, and surviving rock bottom.

And there's one huge reason why this story belongs on our show: technology did not destroy her life. It helped save i...

Online scams are evolving fast, and everyday people are paying the price.

In this episode, we invited Philip Martin, the Chief Security Officer at Coinbase, to chat about cybersecurity best practices and how to avoid the proliferation of scams online. We dig into how modern cybercrime actually works, from password reuse and data breaches to bank impersonation scams and social engineering attacks. You'll ev...

What really happens when a school decides to take smartphones out of students' hands?

In this episode, we sit down with an education leader who made a bold move 2 years ago: removing smartphones from the school day. What followed was a huge increased in student focus, connection, and a complete shift in student culture.

This is a real conversation about technology, attention, parenting, educat...

Online scams are exploding and identity theft at an unprecedented rate. In this episode of Beyond Connected, I'm breaking down five common myths about identity theft and explaining how scammers easily manipulate people using personal data, technology, and psychological pressure.

This conversation dives into how cybercrime actually works today and why smart, careful people are still getting scammed every da...

This episode is a warning for every family living in the age of AI.

An elderly Southern California woman named Abigail was targeted by a ruthless cyber scammer using deepfake video and impersonation tactics. The scam was so convincing that she believed she was in a real relationship with Steve Burton from General Hospital. What happened next is heartbreaking. Abigail was manipulated into sending money ag...

We've been getting some fantastic messages ever since we opened our call line a couple months back, so this week we're doing a voicemail box special! We cover a great variety of topics here: 

• How do I transfer my photos and data to my new phone and I have no access to my old phone?

• How o...

Many tech companies like to start off the year with exciting new product announcements, and 2026 is no different. Last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I was absolutely blown away by the latest and greatest in the tech world. This week on the show, I wanted to break down my favorite picks, including a crazy futuristic new TV, a robotic vacuum that can actually climb stairs, LG's dazzling new play in ...

Trucking is a tough job. Driving 10+ hours a day by yourself through long stretches of empty highways. Being away from your family and friends for weeks at a time. It's no wonder that the trucking industry is facing some of the worst turnover rates in any sector. To make matters worse, trucking companies are struggling to find new recruits more than ever before. Now, I know this is certainly a hot-button topic. And I know there are...

Many folks think they'd never fall for a malicious financial scam, but the reality is that these bad actors are becoming more and more adept at emotionally manipulating their victims. On this week's episode, I sat down with Joe Allen, a disabled man out of Connecticut who fell victim to a vicious cryptocurrency investment scam. Stuck at home and out of work, Joe got a text message offering him exclusive access to a cry...

Happy holidays from the CyberGuy team! If you're a regular listener of the podcast and/or reader of our newsletter, chances are you got some fancy new tech gadgets for the holidays! It can be easy to get wrapped up in all of the fun new features and entertaining apps these devices have to offer, but it's also crucial to utilize privacy and security settings. A lot of new phones, computers, and TVs will track and share ...

Wouldn't your niece or nephew like a cuddly teddy bear that could also tell them a bedtime story?

That's the idea behind a flood of new AI toys. Powered by ChatGPT, they can have full conversations with your loved ones. So what's the issue? Well as Researcher R.J. Cross explains, there are quite a few issues. In her study with the Public Research Interest Group, she found that these toys would describe sex...

2025 was an incredibly diverse and exciting year for technological innovation, so for this week's episode I wanted to highlight 10 of my favorite inventions.

Whether you're an aspiring tennis player looking for a high-tech way to level up your game or a water sports enthusiast looking for the next cool boat to hitch to your dock, sports tech innovation is at an all-time high. And if you're into sustainability, Glacier's recycling r...