Maria Genova

About Maria Genova

Maria Genova, writer and investigative journalist, became one of the most requested female speakers in the Netherlands in the field of privacy, identity fraud and information security after her bestseller ‚Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker‘. Her practical and interactive lectures draw crowds. Through her enthusiasm and passion for the subject, she knows how to convince everyone that you should think seriously about the topics of privacy and cybercrime and through clear examples she also shows how and why.

Maria is not an ICT professional herself and therefore does not use difficult words or technical language. She explains everything very clearly, in an engaging way and gives many tips. She shows how easily the computer networks of many companies are hacked via their own employees and how the hackers misuse the information found. Employees usually play into the hands of fraudsters and hackers out of ignorance. She also demonstrates the impact of identity fraud when customer data is stolen. Identity fraud is the fastest growing form of crime. Adults and young people scatter data on the Internet without the idea of someone using it to cause any harm. But the consequences can be enormous.

Maria gives the participants many tips on how to increase their digital safety. For example, how do you remember dozens of passwords and is Wifi actually safe? Are companies allowed to copy your passport or identity card and what is the best way to protect your computer and mobile against hackers? How do you distinguish a real invoice from a fake one and how do you know if an attachment to an email is safe? The participants are always very happy with the many practical tips. The most common reaction after the lecture is: „This was an eye-opener“.

Many companies and organizations have invited Maria Genova for awareness sessions for their employees. She has given lectures for companies such as KPN, ING, Schiphol, Eneco, Achmea, PWC, De Telegraaf Media Groep, PostNL, BOL. com, Delta Lloyd, GasUnie, De Nederlandsche Bank, The Walt Disney Company, but also various ministries, dozens of municipalities, health care institutions, universities, entrepreneurial associations, housing corporations, ict-companies, educational institutions, etc. She is contagious, enthusiastic and has a lot of interaction with the audience to get everyone involved.

Maria Genova was 19 when she came to the Netherlands. She graduated from the Academy of Journalism in Tilburg and worked for several newspapers and magazines. She now has many books to her credit, including several bestsellers. She wrote books about failing youth care, loverboys and sexting, hacking and identity fraud. Her book ‚Komt een vrouw bij de h@cker‘ became a hit in the business world. Her book ‚Man is stoer, vrouw is hoer‘ became a bestseller. In ‚Vrouwen te koop‘, Genova exposed various abuses in the Netherlands, which led to parliamentary inquiries.