A 2026 Blueprint to End the Scamdemic
The house is on fire. Erin West calls for a united effort to address the global scam crisis.
Episode 30: Erin West delivers the keynote she planned to give at the GASA Global Anti-Scam Summit America 2025 this week. Listen to her unfiltered, no-fluff breakdown of the global scam crisis, Southeast Asia’s compounds, Big Tech’s profits, and why 2026 must be the year we divide and conquer.
This episode exposes the truth, calls out the enablers, and lays out what must happen to finally fight the scamdemic.
Erin discusses the ongoing crisis of scams and the need for accountability and collaboration among various stakeholders. She emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships, the media's role in raising awareness, and the need for collaborative innovative strategies to combat the scamdemic.
“Let’s make 2026 the year that we stopped talking about it and that we did it.” — Erin West
West calls for a united effort in 2026 to address the issue effectively and hold those responsible accountable, while also highlighting the need for better reporting systems to track scams and community engagement to educate the public.
There's been progress, but much remains the same. We must acknowledge the gravity of the scam crisis and the need to go beyond conversation to action.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and other major podcast platforms.
Episode Chapters
00:00 — Introduction and Context of the Crisis
02:07 — Progress and Accountability in Combating Scams
05:00— The Role of Stakeholders and Public-Private Partnerships
07:07— The Importance of Media and Advocacy
08:54— Identifying and Addressing the Root Causes
11:17 — Strategies for 2026: Divide and Conquer
13:29 — The Need for Collaboration and Information Sharing
16:18 — Innovative Solutions and Success Stories
19:20 — The Role of Technology in Combating Scams
22:06 — Empowering Local Law Enforcement
25:11 — Conclusion: A Call to Action for 2026
Useful Links
Overview: The Scam Problem
Sponsors of Stolen
BioCatch prevents financial crime by recognizing patterns in human behavior, continuously collecting 3,000 anonymized data points – keystroke and mouse activity, touch screen behavior, physical device attributes, and more – as people interact with their digital banking platforms. With these inputs, BioCatch's models reveal patterns that distinguish the criminal from the legitimate.
Scamnetic is a leader in AI-powered scam detection and prevention, protecting individuals, businesses, and financial institutions from digital scams. With solutions like KnowScam and IDeveryone, Scamnetic delivers real-time scam insights, identity verification, and intervention. Restoring trust, reducing losses, and empowering organizations to safeguard customers in an increasingly complex digital world.
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