What happens when a teacher, criminologist, sociologist and self-described geek – yes, that’s all one person – turns her attention to one of the biggest threats we all face: scams?

Episode 70 of Startup 360, sees Simon and Julie “TreLLM” sit down with Lively founder Stacey Edmonds, creator of gamified school and business scam education sites  Dodgy or Not, and Phishy or Not, to explore how social engineering, scams and generative AI are changing how we need to think about cyber safety.

Stacey’s early career in teaching, youth work and criminology shaped a different approach to cyber education: replacing the old skool punishment for wrong answers in box ticking exercises with critical-thinking skills and “digital instincts” to recognise online manipulation.

The conversation ranges from industrialised cybercrime and “ransomware-as-a-service” to romance scams, and sextortion, which has its own 170-page How To manual.

Stacey explains why scammers, marketers and behavioural scientists often rely on the same fundamental principles of influence — and how genAI has dramatically lowered the skill and research required to target individuals.

For founders, the message is clear: AI speed cannot replace governance. And shipping a product is not the same as building a sustainable business.

There’s also a remarkably simple defence against increasingly sophisticated scams: pause. Slowing down, questioning the pressure and recognising the tactics being used against us may be one of our most valuable digital skills in the AI era today.

You can also catch Stacey at the Startup Standup comedy night in Sydney on October 14.

Startup 360 is a SmartCo. Media production, produced and edited by Matt Jackson, and supported by Deel. Hire, manage and pay – anyone, anywhere.

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and read StartupDaily.net for all the ANZ tech news for free.