The Perfect Scam

Latest Episodes:

Suicide After a Scam: One Family's Story Oct 25, 2024

Show notes

Dennis, an 82-year-old proud father and grandfather, makes a connection with a woman he meets on Facebook named Jessie. Jessie claims to have made a lot of money through crypto investments and offers to teach Dennis how she did it. Having developed a trusting relationship with Jessie and hoping to build an inheritance for his family, Dennis decides to invest his savings. When it is revealed that the investments are a scam and Jessie is a fraud, a devastated Dennis takes his own life. Now his son and daughter share his story in hopes of reaching just one person who might be going through a similar situation.

Archive Episode: Beware the Boardwalk Psychic Oct 18, 2024

Show notes

In this 2019 episode, Marlene is enjoying the Atlantic City boardwalk with a friend when a young woman approaches her. The woman introduces herself as Savannah and offers to give Marlene a psychic reading. Figuring it will cost her just a few dollars, Marlene takes her up on the offer. Savannah takes Marlene back to her shop. During the reading she picks up on many of the troubles Marlene is facing in her personal life. Having gained Marlene's trust, Savannah offers her various items for sale in the shop, promising that they will solve her problems. Marlene chooses a few things within her budget to purchase and starts to leave. But Savannah's not done with her yet. She gives Marlene her phone number with an offer to continue to help her. It all seems innocent to Marlene, but this chance encounter with a boardwalk psychic will morph into a long, complex relationship that will leave her nearly broke.

Archive Episode: GoFundMe Scam Targets Dart Community, Part 2 Oct 11, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher, as the head of her local dart league, has been leading the charge to help Jeremiah Jon Smith, who they believe is dying from cancer. But when Jeremiah's wife leaves him, she shares her doubts with Darlene about his illness. A police investigation reveals the devastating truth: Jeremiah has been faking his cancer and exploiting his friends' generosity in order to line his pockets.

Archive Episode: GoFundMe Scam Targets Dart Community, Part 1 Oct 04, 2024

Show notes

In this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher is the head of her local Minnesota dart league, a close-knit group of dart enthusiasts who rally around champion dart player Jeremiah Jon Smith when they learn he is dying from cancer. They raise thousands through fundraisers and a GoFundMe page, going as far as paying for Jeremiah's wedding. It seems like they're doing the right thing, so why does Darlene have doubts?

U.S. Army Financial Advisor Defrauds Soldier's Grieving Family Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

Kim is grieving the tragic death of her son, who was serving in the Army, when she learns that she is the sole beneficiary of his military death benefit. To help with financial decisions at such a vulnerable time, an adviser named Caz Craffy is offered by the military. Kim plans to use the money to buy a home, but Craffy insists that she make investments in stocks of specific interest to him. One day Kim is contacted by the FBI and learns that Craffy is under investigation for redirecting military benefits to investments that pay him high commissions.

Dentist Runs Affinity Fraud Scheme in Austin Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Neill is a successful ER physician and business owner who has regrets after a recent missed investment opportunity that proved to be lucrative. So he jumps on board after meeting Clinton Herzog who is offering buy-ins for his dental clinic chain in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, this new investment opportunity turns out to be a classic Ponzi scheme and Clinton disappears with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the doctor and his friends.

You May Not Be a Winner: Sweepstakes Scam Empties Woman's Savings Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

The Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes is famous for showing up at winners' homes with a giant check and transforming lives. So when Kathy receives a call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, saying that she's the next lucky winner, she begins dreaming of all the good she can do for her friends and family. However, after several months of empty promises and tens of thousands of dollars in "taxes" that she must pay upfront, a concerned neighbor convinces Kathy to go to the police.

Sisters Help Bring Down a Magazine Telemarketing Scam Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

When Penny signs up for a few magazine subscriptions, she thinks she is helping some kids with a school fundraiser. Little does she know that it will lead to years of harassment from telemarketers and the theft of much of her savings. But it will also lead Penny and her sister Nancy to help bring down a 20-year conspiracy that robbed more than 150,000 victims nationwide of millions of dollars.

Archive Episode: Undercover Hacker Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

In this 2021 episode, an IT professional in the UK who goes by the alias Jim Browning is battling cyber scams. Fed up with robocalls disrupting his day, Jim decides to fight back. As con artists try to scam him, Jim uses his professional training to reverse engineer his way into their computers. With the ability to see everything on these computers, Jim works to thwart their operations and save potential victims.

Archive Episode: The Credit Card Con Queen Aug 23, 2024

Show notes

In this 2021 episode, credit card scammer Lisa Reid's methods are sophisticated, creative and callous. After gaining credit card information from the wealthy seniors she targets, Lisa goes on lavish shopping sprees at high-end retailers, leaving her victims with bills of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when one of her victims teams up with the FBI, this credit card con queen is finally brought to justice.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected