Brett Johnson - How I Unbecame The FBI's Most Wanted Cyber Criminal: Part 1

How'd it Happen?

Brett Johnson is a former US most wanted cyber criminal turned good guy. The United States Secret Service called Brett “The Original Internet Godfather.” Brett’s rollercoaster of a story is one you don’t want to miss as you’ll hear about his role in refining modern financial cybercrime, being convicted of 39 felonies, escaping prison, and how he built the first organized cyber crime community. This community called “Shadow Crew” laid the way for modern cybercrime channels today.

Brett was sentenced to 90 months in prison, but that isn’t where his story ended. After a life of crime, Brett finally took responsibility for where his life had ended up, and found redemption with the FBI. This was a chance to turn his life around and use his past for good, and so he took it. Today, Brett is considered one of the leading authorities on cyber crime, identity theft, and cyber security. Now, he works hard to protect others from the type of person he used to be.

This episode is part 1 of 2 with Brett Johnson, so make sure to tune in next week for the second half of this fascinating conversation. In part 1 you will hear what it's like to grow up with a mom that's a fraudster, how he learned to steal at age 10, and meeting the first decent person at age 16. Brett’s insight on what makes cybercrime easy for criminals, what cyber criminals look for, and why cyber crimes go unreported.

Key highlights:

• Brett’s childhood of abuse, and what he learned from his parents that influenced him throughout his life
• The first crime Brett ever committed as a child
• The Eastern Kentucky mentality
• How being a “social engineer” benefitted Brett as a criminal
• How Brett met the first decent human being in his life
• How Brett lost a full scholarship for acting
• How he got into internet crime
• The first lesson cyber criminals learn
• How trust is established online
• What predators look for online
• What needs to happen for cybercrime to be successful?

Connect with Brett Johnson:

Website: anglerphish.com

LinkedIn: Brett Johnson

Podcast: The Brett Johnson Show

Cybercrime 101 Blog

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