Neal O’Farrell is widely considered to be one of the world’s longest serving cybersecurity experts, 40 years and counting.
He was an advisor to the first Federal Communications Commission’s cybersecurity roundtable, and to President Barack Obama’s Stock Act Panel and an effort to reduce insider trading by members of Congress and senior government employees.
He was the first expert to train an entire police department, in 2003, and went on to launch the award-winning Identity Theft Council in 2009. He has counselled thousands of victims of fraud and scams, trained hundreds of police departments, helped to change consumer protection laws, and interviewed numerous thieves and fraudsters.
Neal also launched Think Security First, the nation’s very first Cyber Secure City and a unique experiment to raise the security awareness of an entire city (Walnut Creek, CA, pop. 64,000). As part of that initiative, the entire city – residents, businesses, schools, even the Mayor, city council, and police department – participated in extensive security awareness training.
Partners in the yearlong initiative included Microsoft, Cisco, McAfee, and AT&T, and received the endorsement of the US Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, and the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)².
A former editor for the Hack Proofing series of security guides, he’s currently a member of the expert review board for CNET with a focus on fraud and cybercrime. He also created Operation STOP IT! Stop Identity Theft, in partnership with America’s Police Chiefs and an effort to encourage more police chiefs around the country to take consumer fraud more seriously.
Neal has been quoted in numerous publications around the world including the New York Times, Forbes, Inc., the Wall St. Journal, the Huffington Post, CNN Money, BusinessWeek, USA Today, SmartMoney, CNET, Information Week, the National Law Journal, Today.com, NBC, CBS, CNBC, Fox Business, and the South China Morning Post.
Criminals are Posing as the FTC to Try to Steal Your Money and Information Neal O’Farrell, CNET.
I’m an Identity Theft Expert. This Is One of the Scariest Types of Fraud Neal O’Farrell, CNET.
Cybercriminals Are Using AI to Scam You – and You May Not Even Know It Neal O’Farrell, CNET.
Considering ID Theft Protection? A Cybersecurity Expert Breaks Down the Facts Neal O’Farrell, CNET.
Scammers Love Your Bank Accounts. Here’s How to Keep Them Safe, Neal O’Farrell, CNET.
THE IDENTITY THEFT COUNCIL
One of the country’s first community based initiatives to combat one of America’s biggest crime epidemics.
IN THE COMPANY OF THIEVES
One of the first documentaries to go inside the world of identity thieves, the prosecutors who chase them, and the victims they leave behind.
OPERATION STOP IT
Led by Neal O’Farrell, the first major crackdown on identity theft by America’s police chiefs.
SENIOR SCAMS IN PERSPECTIVE
Financial fraud cost older adults up to $81.5 billion in 2024.
Adults age 60 and older are more likely to report losses of $100,000 or more due to financial fraud.
Between 2020 and 2024 the number of seniors reporting losses to scams increased sevenfold.
Those in their 70s reported losing a median of $20,000 to investment scams, compared to the median of $1,551 stolen from victims in their 20s.
Scams are more than just financial losses and can impact mental and physical health, reduce trust and self confidence, increase isolation and loneliness, and even shorten lives.
Traditional scams targeting retirees and other older persons are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence, raising the risk of those targeted becoming victims to financial losses and identity theft.
