Fraudsters

Latest Episodes:

Race Hustlers Part V – Two Cooke’s Cook Up a Fraudulent Bank for Freedmen Feb 04, 2021

Show notes

This is our last installment of our Race Hustlers series. If you haven't heard of the Freedman's Bank, you need to listen to this episode.

Special thanks to Mehrsa Baradaran for writing The Color of Money.

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Race Hustlers Part IV – White Ladies Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

We all remember the day Rachel Dolezal broke the internet in 2015, but at this point is it even surprising when we hear about a white lady pretending to be Black or Puerto Rican or Spanish? What drives a person to lie about something as fundamental as their racial or cultural identity?

Today we're dissecting the appropriations and the non-apologies from Dolezal to Hilary "I vacationed once in Spain so I am Spanish" Baldwin - all for your listening pleasure.

Huge thanks to all the wonderful guests who joined us for this episode!!

Elena Romero - fashion, hip hop, and Latinx journalist.
Elisa Prosperetti - visiting professor of history at Mount Holyoke College.
Lauren Michele Jackson - author of White Negroes. Follow Lauren on Twitter @proseb4bros for more thoughts on culture and cultural appropriation.

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Race Hustlers Part III - Holy Hotepery! (still dr. umar) Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

Last week we looked at the claims and credentials of Dr. Umar Johnson–the Prince of Pan-Afrikanism, Frederick Douglass' great grand cousin, and blood relative of Ramses the II (according to a spiritual medium), etcetera, etcetera. Today we reflect on his influence and impact.

Thanks to Mojak Lehoko for his thoughts for this episode.

Huge thanks to Ebony Chappel–@ebonythewriter on social–for such a wonderful, thoughtful interview.

Thanks to Lisa Kelly-Vance for helping us understand school psychology. Shout out to all the school psychologists for being awesome!

Lastly, special thanks to YT's Make A Change, Lenon Honor, King Kong Crazy, Ms. Lauren, Anti Afro Svengalis, the "Dr. Umar is a Fraud" facebook group, and all the other folks on YT and social media who have been diligently documenting Dr. Umar's nonsense for years and years. You made this mini-series possible!

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Race Hustlers Part II – Dr. Umar, the PayPal Prince of Pan-Afrikanism Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

Part II of Race Hustlers features a new huckster: Dr. Umar Johnson – the self proclaimed Prince of Pan-Afrikanism and "most influential Black scholar in the world." While not yet convicted by a court of law, citizen journalists and Black media outlets have been speculating on and interrogating this man for years about his beliefs, his credentials, and the school that Dr. Umar has been fundraising for for nearly a decade. Will the Frederick Douglass Marcus Garvey RBG Leadership Academy for Black Boys ever materialize or is it just another con-artist's ruse to pocket good faith donations?

Special thanks to Lisa Kelly-Vance for consulting on this episode.

Thanks to all those who shared their Dr. Umar stories online and made this episode possible.

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Race Hustlers Part I — David Duke, Grand Wizard of Racism INC. Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

You know David Duke the racist, but do you know David Duke the con artist? What's that? You don't want to know David Duke at all?

This is Part I of our newest mini-series, Race Hustlers, on con artists who leverage race as a part of their scams.

Special thanks to Marilyn Mayo of the Anti Defamation League for sharing her wisdom with us for this episode.

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Barry Minkow Part III – All the Movie Magic in Hollywood Couldn't Save this Flick Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

Ever wondered what a real movie set is like? How about a movie set with mobsters, Star Wars, and a con-man at the helm? Tune in for the third installment of our mini-series on Barry Minkow and a behind the scenes look at possibly the worst movie ever made.

Special thanks to Jonathan Meyer–script doctor and screenwriter–for his insider insights and hilarious anecdotes. Check out his awesome new radio serial on a serial killer: Midnight Tales From The Bluff City right after you listen to Fraudsters!

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Barry Minkow Part II – The Triple Double of Frauds Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

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Barry Minkow Part I – ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaning and ZZZZ Worst Fraudster Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Episode 17 kicks off our mini-series on possibly our worst fraudster yet - Barry Minkow.

Part I is devoted to his youth and only his youth. Barry as a teen committed more fraud than most could in a lifetime–from securities fraud to check kiting to credit card fraud to carpet cleaning cons–all while in the company of nazis and mobsters.

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Kevin Trudeau Part III — The Global Information Network of Illuminati and 14 CDs Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

On the final episode of our series on Kevin Trudeau, we delve into one of his most recent and most outrageous scam – a multi-level marketing company called the Global Information Network. It promised trade secrets of the illuminati, ferraris, and inner peace all for the low, low price of many thousands of dollars, recruiting your friends and family, and giving up things you love in order to become "coachable."

Special thanks to Linnea, former GIN member, for sharing her experience.

Special thanks to Professor Edward Balleisen, fraud expert and author of Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff, for his historical contextualization of fraud and thoughtful insights.

Special thanks to Cosmic Connie of Whirled Musings for sharing her wealth of knowledge on GIN with us.

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Kevin Trudeau Part II – A Colonic a Day Keeps the Doctor Away Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

In Part II of our series on the notorious infomercial scammer Kevin Trudeau we cover how to lose 300 pounds in 30 minutes, go to prison sleep-away camp, and get a presidential pardon!

Special thanks to Howard Beales, Former Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC, for a wonderful conversation.

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