In this episode of Detonation Point, Matt O’Neill sits down with Hieu Minh Ngo - once America’s most prolific identity thief, and the man he arrested. They revisit hacked data brokers, fake PI licenses, and the sting in Guam, while unpacking the social engineering tactics, money motives, and human blind spots that fuel cybercrime. Two former adversaries now share lessons for keeping data safe.

In this Detonation Point episode, Matt O’Neill interviews former prosecutor Erin West, known for tackling SIM swapping and pig butchering scams. They discuss the evolution of these crimes, challenges for law enforcement, and the need for public-private collaboration. Erin highlights the emotional toll on victims, the importance of awareness, and initiatives like Operation Shamrock that mobilize resources against cyber-enabled fraud.

In this episode, Matt and Carole discuss the evolution of cybercrime, the role of cryptocurrency in facilitating ransomware, and the challenges faced by law enforcement in combating these crimes. Carole shares her unique career path and insights into the regulatory landscape surrounding cryptocurrency and cyber insurance. The conversation highlights the need for better information sharing among financial institutions and the modernization of anti-money laundering frameworks to effectively address the growing threat of cybercrime.

In this episode, Matt talks with Dr Srinidhi Varadarajan, Chief of Cyber Intelligence at Elastio. Srinidhi shares how accidentally infecting his school computer as a teenager led him to build one of the first antivirus solutions—and sparked a lifelong mission to outsmart cybercriminals.

They discuss how Elastio’s technology is built to withstand EDR bypass and evasion tactics, why it follows an “assume breach” approach, and how AI is reshaping the battle between attackers and defenders in cybersecurity.

In this episode of Detonation Point, Matt O’Neill sits down with Stephen Dougherty, Principal Investigator at Dougherty Intelligence and Investigations, for a deep look into the evolving world of financial crime. From the rise of Business Email Compromise (BEC) and deepfake-driven fraud to the growing role of AI and transnational criminal networks, Stephen offers a frontline perspective on how cyber-enabled scams are reshaping modern crime.

Together, they unpack the real-world impact of government slowdowns, the complexities of asset recovery, and the urgent need for a national anti-scam center. The conversation moves from heartbreaking victim stories to pragmatic strategies for prevention — including how collaboration, intelligence sharing, and public awareness can turn the tide.

In this episode of Detonation Point, Matt O’Neill sits down with Nick Palmer of Group-IB to unpack how cybercrime has evolved from isolated attacks into a global, organized enterprise. Together, they explore how ransomware-as-a-service and the industrialization of digital crime have changed the threat landscape — and why traditional defenses can no longer stand alone.

Nick shares an inside look at how Group-IB tracks and disrupts cybercriminal networks, the blurring lines between cyber and financial fraud, and why collaboration between private and public sectors is now mission-critical. The conversation dives into the growing use of AI in fraud, the challenges facing e-commerce and financial institutions, and the urgent need for intelligence sharing to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated adversaries.