Keeping Your Parents Safe from Scams with Patrick Coughlin
- E84
- 56:08
- August 13th 2026
Why do smart, capable people fall for scams? According to cybersecurity expert Patrick Coughlin, it's not about being naive, it's about how our brains are wired, and how criminal organizations are exploiting that at scale.
Patrick spent over twenty years protecting governments and Fortune 500 companies from cyber threats. He co-founded TruSTAR Technology (acquired by Splunk) and now leads Savi Security, where his team built Scamwise, a free tool that gives an instant read on suspicious messages. When his 73-year-old mother was targeted by an AI voice scam, that experience led him to write his debut book, Dark Side of the Boom: How Scammers Hijacked the AI Revolution.
In this episode, we talk about the most common scams targeting older adults, how to bring it up with a parent without blame or condescension, real strategies to make them safer, why nine seconds can make all the difference and so much more
Rosanne Corcoran hosts Daughterhood the Podcast, conversations for adult children caring for aging parents, from dementia and caregiving to finances, end-of-life planning, and grief. More at https://daughterhood.org
Daughterhood The Podcast: For Caregivers
Daughterhood the Podcast is hosted by Rosanne Corcoran, whose caregiving journey began with the dementia diagnosis of her fiercely independent mother. That diagnosis opened the door to 12 years of sandwich caregiving, caring for aging parents while raising children.
Rosanne brings her authentic voice to each conversation and talks with experts in all fields about the challenges caregivers face when caring for their aging parents. Each episode offers practical guidance and honest conversation on dementia, caregiver support, financial and legal planning, end-of-life decisions, and grief. Whether you're just noticing changes in a parent or deep in the caregiving years, you're not doing this alone.
As Rosanne knows firsthand, caregiving is filled with uphill climbs, stress, and grief, all while trying to do the best you can every day. Join her in Daughterhood.
Rosanne cared for her mother over a 12-year span, from supportive caregiver to in-home, sandwich caregiver for her mother’s final 6 years.
After experiencing first-hand the stress and isolation caregiving brings along with the lack of meaningful resources for caregivers, Rosanne created Daughterhood The Podcast: For Caregivers.
In each monthly podcast, Rosanne carries her experience as a primary in-home caregiver and Daughterhood Circle Leader into each interview. Along with strategies and resources, this podcast also provides listeners with the comfort of knowing they are not facing these challenges alone.
The podcast’s subject matter has ranged from practical advice like dealing with dementia behaviors, to siblings and caregiving, to end of life issues, grief and everything in between. Guests have included physicians, best-selling authors, dementia experts, caregiving advocates and thought leaders.
Rosanne has been featured in CNN Health, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Barron’s, Next Avenue and others. She is also a proud member of AlzAuthors.
Next Avenue named her one of their Influencers on Aging 2024 and Agingcare.com named Daughterhood the Podcast: For Caregivers #1 in their list of Essential Caregiver Podcasts. Rosanne also facilitates multiple Daughterhood Circles monthly.