Urgent messages. Too-good-to-be-true offers. “We just need your card to confirm.” When life gets loud, scammers get smarter—and that’s exactly when they strike. We sit down with cybersecurity veteran and mom, Allison “A.J.” Cutts, to explore how a $30k loss became a new blueprint for digital safety, stronger boundaries, and everyday resilience you can put into practice right now.
Allison has spent nearly three decades protecting sensitive data across healthcare and enterprise systems, but what changed everything was her own “perfect storm” in 2019: divorce, a sick child, and a job search that opened the door to a sophisticated HR scam. She breaks down the psychological playbook behind cybercrime: urgency, ego-stroking, and isolation—and shares the red flags she ignored: recruiters who refuse video, calls that always go to voicemail, and text-only follow-ups. We go deeper into the age of AI and deepfakes, why grammar errors are no longer a reliable tell, and how to verify legitimacy directly at the source.
You’ll hear a clear, simple safety stack to protect your peace and your accounts: use a password manager with unique, complex logins; enable multi-factor authentication everywhere; remove real birthdays and sensitive details from social profiles; reduce your digital footprint by closing stale accounts; and assume high-risk seasons like tax time and holidays attract targeted scams. For parents, Allison offers grounded ways to talk to kids about online predators, consent, and empathy without fear or shame.
Most of all, this is a story of resilience. Allison shows how to move from self-blame to action, how to recover credit and confidence, and how to trust your intuition again. Slow down. Breathe. If you didn’t ask for it, don’t respond. Your discernment is the strongest firewall you own.
If this conversation helped you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more women build digital safety, dignity, and confidence—online and off.
Connect with Allison below:
Website: https://cybersecuritychic.com/
Grab her free Essential Cybersecurity Checklist for Busy Mom's checklist below:
https://ebook.cybersecuritychic.com/opt-in-page-5420?fbclid=IwY2xjawOA3F9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGaGd6NjhFeVlEalh2UzVWc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuiNlw-YoXjtxmnEEFmXAh-7uhqVYHiy1ac0egcNJTQz9PdczwYJAB9V0XVi_aem_aUbpZ5r5LJ6e6lcTGGkl6Q
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisoncutts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aj_cyberchic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CyberSafeAJ
Cybercrime PreventionOnline Safety Tips For ParentsHow to Protect Your Kids Online Digital BoundariesFamily Digital WellnessRaising Confident Digital Natives Internet SafetyParental ControlsFrom Fear to Empowerment
Allison AJ CuttsCyber Safety Education
If you felt something shift inside you today… hold that. Honor it.
This is how we rise — one choice, one voice, one brave breath at a time.
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I’ll see you in the next episode. And until then… stay rising.