Episode 30: Confessions of a Corporate Spy

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To learn more about our guest Robert Kerbeck and to buy the book RUSE:

https://www.robertkerbeck.com/

To those in the world of corporate espionage, Robert Kerbeck is known as the best corporate spy there ever was. He perfected the art of social engineering, or “rusing” as Robert likes to call it, to gain access to sensitive internal information from some of the largest companies in the world.

Robert took “live an interesting life” to the next level. For most, making millions of dollars as a corporate spy would probably be more than enough adventure for a lifetime. But for Robert, that was just one life chapter. As an actor, Robert appeared in well-known 1990s television shows like Melrose Place, ER, Sisters, Star Trek, NYPD Blue and Chicago Hope. He interacted with several celebrities including George Clooney, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Yoko Ono, Kevin Spacey and even O.J. Simpson. Today, Robert is an accomplished author having published two award-winning books, RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street and Malibu Burning.

In this episode of Privacy Files, we talk to Robert about his journey from actor, to corporate spy, to published author. His journey is a wild one. It’s not just a lesson in how to prevent social engineering attacks. It’s also a lesson that it’s never too late to pivot in one’s career.

Whether you are in corporate security or are simply someone interested in understanding how sophisticated scams work, this episode will not disappoint.
From techniques such as “sense of urgency” to “quid pro quo” to “authority figure,” Robert explains the strategies he used to employ to quickly build trust with total strangers–and ultimately acquire what he wanted: valuable corporate intelligence.
Today, Robert helps the “other side” as he shares his vast knowledge from his many years spent spying on corporations to educate security teams on what to look for.
While his corporate spying days are well in the past, Robert asserts that “rusing” is alive and well. In fact, he believes it might be as strong as ever.

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