Internet Safety in the Age of AI

Do you have the tools to keep safe on the internet? Constable Chris Mueller of the Medicine Hat Police Service explains how scammers gather personal information and use AI to make phishing, romance, emergency, and business-payment scams more convincing. He shares with Brian practical ways to reduce risk, from unique passwords and multi-factor authentication to verifying requests through a separate channel and reporting cybercrime. Chapters 00:00 Why online safety starts with changing password habits 01:04 Where scammers find your personal information 03:18 Data breaches, credential stuffing, and stronger passwords 06:09 The rising cost of cybercrime and AI-enabled deception 08:05 Spotting phishing emails and AI-assisted romance scams 11:21 Verify invoice and banking changes by phone 13:07 Voice cloning and emergency scams: don’t rely on a familiar voice 15:00 Reducing identity-fraud risk and using public Wi-Fi carefully 19:24 Why software updates and device locks matter 23:23 Malicious ads, cookies, and VPNs 29:25 Password managers and suspicious charging cables 32:02 Layer security and report cybercrime Key Points to help keep you protected: Constable Mueller describes how scammers collect clues from public social media profiles, obituaries, and company data breaches. A reused password can enable credential stuffing; Mueller recommends unique strong passwords, password managers, and multi-factor authentication. AI can make phishing emails, romance scams, and voice-cloned emergency calls more persuasive, so verify what the person is asking through another channel. For payment-change requests, call a known contact directly before transferring money, even if the email thread looks legitimate. Reduce exposure by limiting public personal information, keeping devices and apps updated, locking devices, and avoiding sensitive activity on public Wi-Fi. Mueller discusses ad pop-ups, browser cookies, VPNs, password generators, and the risks of plugging in unfamiliar charging cables. Reporting cybercrime helps police identify patterns and share intelligence, even when an individual case may be difficult to solve. Medicine Hat Fire Department reminds you to charge your devices with the cord that came them. Third party cords can damage your rechargeable batteries and lead to fire. Hey we need your support. Like and subscribe to Bring Back The Porch Podcast Support the show