Bob Sullivan’s podcast projects

Bob is currently the host of AARP’s The Perfect Scam podcast. Listeners ride along weekly as scam victims and professional con artists tell their stories. A 2023 Webby award winner

Debugger is a podcast about technology and democracy, produced with help from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Breach is a deep-dive audio documentary that investigates history’s biggest hackers. Bob is co-host with Alia Tavakolian of Spoke Media. Season 1 uncovers the role of Russia in the massive Yahoo hack; Season 2 examines the comedy of errors that led to the Equifax breach. Sponsored by Carbonite. A Shorty Award finalist.

No Place to Hide is a 6-episode miniseries examining the state of privacy in America, from abusive digital police tactics to abusive romantic partners who hunt down victims through cyberspace. Bob co-hosts with Spoke Media’s Alia Tavakolian. Part fiction, part non-fiction. Sponsored by Intel.

“So, Bob?” is a weekly investigation of the unintended consequences of technology.

LATEST EPISODES

The state of Internet: ‘Huffing and puffing, blowing bubbles into dirty water’

April 11, 2021 Bob Sullivan 0

First up: Richard Purcell, one of the first privacy executives. From him, you’ll learn as much about working on the railroad as you will about the abuse of power through privacy invasions. But before that, I try to explain what I mean by “original sin” in the introduction, and why [Keep reading]

Welcome to Debugger, a podcast sponsored by Duke University

April 11, 2021 Bob Sullivan 1

Is there an Original Sin of the Internet? Join me on a journey to find out. Today I’m sharing a passion project of mine that’s been years in the making. I’m lucky. I’m getting old. Much better than the alternative! My career has spanned such a fascinating time in the [Keep reading]

Law enforcement scandal ended by 99-year-old’s stirring courtroom testimony

April 9, 2021 Bob Sullivan 1

Florence Puana at her deposition Last week, I told you about Florence Puana — the 99-year-old woman who ended Honolulu’s biggest law enforcement scandal ever. Puana, you might recall, moved to Hawaii right before the Pearl Harbor attacks, raised nine children there, and lived to see her 100th birthday. She [Keep reading]

The scammer called days after her husband’s funeral

March 12, 2021 Bob Sullivan 1

Some scam stories hurt more than others. In this one, Janet lost her husband of 52 years, and days later, got a call from someone who claimed she worked with her husband’s former employer. There was a life insurance policy, the caller said, but there were unpaid premiums. As anyone [Keep reading]

Podcast: How Debbie left an online lover scam, with help from her son

March 4, 2021 Bob Sullivan 4

Romance scams cost Americans $500 million each year, the FBI says. And the crime is soaring fast. Lonely people isolated at home during the pandemic are an attractive target for thee criminals. We’re currently exploring this awful phenomenon in a two-part podcast series at AARP’s The Perfect Scam. In last [Keep reading]

Mom is giving all her money to a fake online lover — hear her cry for help

February 23, 2021 Bob Sullivan 0

You live with someone for 50 years. You do everything with them. Eat, sleep, cry, laugh, suffer. Then one day, you’re alone. Just thinking about that void can take your breath away. Now imagine someone steps into that void and manages to …ease the pain, just a little. Anyone would [Keep reading]

How an email could cost you your home in a mortgage closing scam

February 16, 2021 Bob Sullivan 0

Wire fraud scams during real estate transactions are perhaps the most believable kind of digital con I’ve ever seen. Buying or selling homes is already an incredibly stressful time. Consumers are classic “tourists” in the land of title companies and wire transfers, vulnerable because everything feels unfamiliar. Add to that [Keep reading]

Pet scams during Covid are big business; listen to a couple of sad tales with happy endings

February 1, 2021 Bob Sullivan 2

As most readers know, I have a dog named Rusty. I’m on my third rescue dog now. Lucky, Rusty’s older brother, played a big part in a lot of stories I’ve written, so I was really excited to talk with today’s guests in The Perfect Scam podcast, Danny and Alison, [Keep reading]

Podcast: Families ripped apart by guardianship disputes

January 26, 2021 Bob Sullivan 0

Former Florida guardian Rebecca Fierle was arrested last year and charged with aggravated abuse of an elderly person after she signed a do not resuscitate order on behalf of a 75-year-old man in her care — against his will — and he died when his feeding tube was capped. That’s [Keep reading]

The Perfect Scam podcast: Jonathan confronts the ‘Irish heiress’

January 22, 2021 Bob Sullivan 0

Jonathan Walton: So, unpleasant stuff. Mair Smyth: Okay. Jonathan Walton: You’ve been lying to us the whole time about everything Mair Smyth: About what? Jonathan Walton: The whole time. That was a lie. That last four grand you needed that came out of nowhere, that was a lie. You’ve [Keep reading]

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