Forensic Cyberpsychology: How AI is changing crime and human behavior

AI is changing more than workflows—it’s changing how we communicate, what we trust, and how criminals manipulate people. In this episode, I’m joined by James McDowell, Executive Director of the Cyber Crime Research Institute (CCRI) and an adjunct professor at American Military University, to unpack forensic cyber psychology: how human behavior shifts online, how “truth” gets distorted (deepfakes, social media personas), and why scam victimization is often about cognitive states and social engineering, not intelligence.

We talk through the Eliza Effect (why people humanize chatbots), automation bias (over-trusting systems), and the duality of technology—how the same tools that increase efficiency can also amplify fraud and exploitation. We also dig into revictimization: how shame, underreporting, and social withdrawal can create a cycle that fraudsters intentionally “reload.”

References:

LinkedIn Profile - James McDowell, PhD | LinkedIn

Amazon Link - Mind behind the screen - https://a.co/d/09Y9lYVc

CRI - Cybercrime Research Institute