Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin
Sextortion: The Darkest Deepfake Scams, How to Protect Yourself and Laurie Segall's Hunt for “Mr. Deepfakes”
Tue, 03 Jun 2025
In the U.S., the cost of cybercrime in 2025 is estimated to hit $639.2 billion— up from $452.3 billion in 2024—an alarming surge fueled in large part by advancements in AI. Today, Nicole sits down with tech journalist Laurie Segall to uncover one of the darkest AI-driven scams: a disturbing scheme where scammers generate fake nude images to extort their victims. In this conversation, Laurie breaks down the most common deepfake crimes and scams, how to spot them, and how to protect yourself. She also shares the jaw-dropping story of her investigation into a shadowy figure known as “Mr. Deepfakes,” a man she describes as one of the most dangerous people on the internet, and what happened when she tracked him down and confronted him face-to-face. Nicole and Laurie zoom out to ask even bigger questions: What does this mean for women, for democracy, and for the future of AI? Spoiler alert: we are still very much in the Wild West. Follow Laurie’s work, and her investigation into Mr. Deepfakes here.
Full Episode
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I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. It's time for some money rehab. Today, I'm joined by one of the bravest voices in tech journalism, Laurie Siegel. And as you're about to hear, I've known her for about 100 years. But you know her, too. You've seen her on CNN, 60 Minutes.
And if you've been following her reporting over the last few years, you've probably found yourself both captivated and terrified. Laurie's latest work uncovers one of the darkest corners of the Internet. deepfakes, specifically the dangers of AI-generated images of real people in fake sexual acts. In our conversation, she explains the common deepfake crimes and scams and how to protect yourself.
We also talk about her totally insane investigation into Mr. Deepfakes, a man that she calls one of the most dangerous people online, and what happened when she actually tracked him down and confronted him. And finally, we talk to the Honestly, my takeaway, it's definitely still the Wild West. Ah, Laurie Siegel! I'm so happy to be here with you. I'm so happy to say welcome to Money Rehab.
Thank you. We've known each other for 100,000 years. Correct. We worked together at CNN. 50,000 years ago. Correct. But when I saw online that you were sextorted, first of all, I wanted to kill that person.
Yeah.
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