- wöchentlichErscheinungsrhythmus
- 56 mintypische Länge
- vor 4 Tagenletzte Folge
You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. Join co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These influencers claim to be everything from charismatic healers to trusted financial insiders to experts in dating. They cast spells over millions. Why do we believe them, and how does our culture allow them to thrive? From Black Swan Murder to a fake social media influencer to an audacious Hollywood Ponzi schemer, each season will take the listener along the twists and turns, the impact on victims, and what’s left when the facade falls away.
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You Can See Everything: Elizabeth Holmes, Up Close and Impersonal | 239
Elizabeth Holmes checks off so many 21st century buzzwords: girlboss, tech founder, media darling, and fraudster. Now, she’s the subject of one of the buzziest documentaries in decades. Just a month before she was set to begin serving her 1
Listen Now— Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe
A Hollywood stuntwoman turned personal injury attorney. A handsome disbarred lawyer with a dark past. And an elaborate scheme that leads to murder. Vanessa Motta gives up a career of fake car crashes for real ones. But her law career in New
Nevin Shapiro: Gameday Grifter | 237
When Nevin Shapiro becomes a booster for his beloved Miami Hurricanes, he doesn’t just want to root for his favorite team – he wants to be their go-to guy. To one who leads the football team out of the tunnel by day, then rolls up to the cl
Rosie Keo & Samantha Barbash: In the Club, We All Scammed | 236
Back in the 2000s, Rosie Keo is a scrappy young single mom barely making rent – until she meets Samantha Barbash, a seasoned dancer who shows Rosie that the real money isn’t on the pole…it’s in the wallets of the men sitting around them. To
Listen Now: My Mom’s Murder
Lauren Malloy was a baby when her mother, Lori, was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. For thirty years, no one told her. Everyone said Lori died of natural causes. Then a stranger sent Lauren a message — and the lie collapsed. Now
David J. Friedland: Swimming with the Sharks | 235
David J. Friedland spent the 60s and 70s climbing the ranks of New Jersey’s Democratic political machine – greasing palms, brokering backroom deals, and making sure every spotlight in Hudson County was pointed directly at him. David wasn’t
Kevin Trudeau: As Schemed on TV | 234
Before he was a bestselling author and late-night TV fixture, Kevin Trudeau was hustling his way through multilevel marketing schemes. He worked his way onto infomercials, then into bookstores, building a fortune by peddling easy, feel-good
Bridgegate: The Phantom Tollbooth | 233
The Bridgegate scandal was a prime example of New Jersey political corruption at its most ridiculous. At the center was Chris Christie – the brash Republican governor riding a landslide re-election and a fast track to the White House. But w
Carl Rinsch: Lights, Camera, Fraud | 232
Carl Rinsch had everything Hollywood loves in an up-and-coming director: talent, charisma, and the ability to make people believe. His obsessive perfectionism was written off as the mark of a visionary. But when Netflix handed him millions
Milli Vanilli: Girl You Know It’s (Not) True | 231
When news broke that Milli Vanilli were lip-syncing frauds, it was a defining moment in pop-culture. Forty years later, their name is still synonymous with fakery. But Rob and Fab weren’t the masterminds. Behind them was a Svengali producer
ENCORE: Martha Stewart: The Homemaker Hustler Part 2 | 230
We’ll be back next week with a brand new episode of Scamfluencers. In the meantime, enjoy the conclusion of Martha Stewart: the Homemaker Hustler: In the summer of 2003, Martha Stewart is indicted for obstruction of justice and lying to inv
Encore: Martha Stewart: The Homemaker Hustler Part 1 | 229
We’ll be back in two weeks with new episodes, but in the meantime, we’re revisiting an episode about one of America’s most famous lifestyle moguls: Martha Stewart spends decades building her lifestyle empire from the ground up. Her cut-thro
Sam Israel: Greed Is Good Part 2 | 228
This is part two of our series about Sam Israel – a wealthy hedge fund manager whose company starts quickly hemorrhaging money. Rather than admit defeat, Sam lies to his clients, and when they start asking questions, he bets everything on a
Sam Israel: Greed Is Good Part 1 | 227
Sam Israel was born into wealth, but he wanted to prove he could make it on Wall Street on his own. So he started a hedge fund – and almost immediately started losing money. But instead of admitting failure to his investors, he decided to l
Miracle Children: The Price of Admission | 226
T.M Landry was a small independent school in Louisiana that gained national fame for sending kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to Ivy League schools. The viral videos were inspiring. The acceptance letters were real. But behind the scenes
Juliette D’Souza: The Sham Shaman | 225
Juliette D’Souza had no medical degree and no spiritual training – but she convinced her clients she was a gifted healer and shaman. For more than a decade, her natural charm gave her control over her followers and their life savings. But w
Martin Armstrong: The Man Who Bet Billions on Pi | 224
Martin Armstrong is a Wall Street outsider who builds a financial prediction model with a hidden connection to the number pi. And whether it’s fortune-telling or just a fluke, Martin’s system really does predict some major economic events.
The Wildenstein Family Part 2: The Art of the Steal | 223
In our last episode, we followed the Wildenstein family over the span of four generations as they came to dominate the art world. The family prized success – and secrecy – above all else. But when the Wildenstein men attempt to cast aside t
The Wildenstein Family Part 1: The Art of the Steal | 222
For over a century, the Wildenstein family has quietly dominated the art world, amassing one of the largest private collections ever assembled while most people have never even heard their name. The anonymity isn’t an accident; it’s a strat
Bill Mize: The Car Crash King | 221
Bill Mize always believed he was destined for fortune – he just couldn’t figure out how to get it. After flaming out as a restaurateur and drug dealer, Bill finally found his calling: orchestrating a sprawling fraud ring of staged slip-in-f
Trevor Milton: The Elon Musk of Semi-Trucks | 220
Trevor Milton called himself a serial entrepreneur and his playbook was simple: pick a futuristic idea, promise it will change the world… then talk about it constantly online. His biggest pitch was an emissions-free semi-truck that would ma
John McAfee: The Antisocial Virus | 219
John McAfee was a brilliant but volatile programmer who helped pioneer antivirus software, making himself a fortune in the early days of personal computing. But he had an addictive personality and a short attention span, so after walking aw
ENCORE: Lance Armstrong: Tour De Fraud | 218
We’ll be back next week with new episodes. In the meantime, in honor of next month’s Tour de France, we’re revisiting one of the most infamous sports scandals of the early 2000s: Lance Armstrong’s determination to win helps him survive canc
ENCORE: Rod Blagojevich: All the Governor’s Men | 217
We’ll be back soon with all new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this episode about Rod Blagojevich, the infamous governor of Illinois who used his office to line his pockets. Rod Blagojevich is an ambitious son of immigrants who knows how
ENCORE: Jho Low: How to Buy Friends and Influence People | 216
We’ll be back soon with new episodes. In the meantime, enjoy this episode about Jho Low, the fraudster who charmed Hollywood’s elite while allegedly stealing over $4 billion from one of Malaysia’s sovereign wealth funds. Jho Low, a Malaysia
Kyle Sandler: The Alabama Startup Scam | 215
Kyle Sandler spent much of his life searching – for an identity, for a purpose, for a place where he fit in. But when he discovers he has a gift for sales, everything changes. Kyle takes his talents to a small town in Alabama, where he open
Marianne Smyth: The Fake Irish Heiress | 214
For years, globe-trotting con artist Marianne Smyth used her charm to manipulate the people closest to her – including her own daughters. Her scam was a classic: she told people she was an Irish heiress with millions on the way, and all she
Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz: A Farewell to Arms | 213
Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz were two Miami Beach stoners with zero military experience and absolutely no background in military procurement – but they had audacity to spare. The childhood friends hustled their way into nearly $300 mil
Bess Myerson: Miss America on Trial | 212
Bess Myerson rose to fame as the first - and still only - Jewish Miss America, antisemitism on the pageant circuit. She parlayed this visibility into a successful television career, then made the leap into New York City politics in the 1970
Eddie Antar: The Criminal Antics of Crazy Eddie | 211
Eddie Antar was the king of the deal, the man whose ads screamed at you from your TV set promising prices so low they were practically insane. He turned Crazy Eddie into a retail phenomenon, making himself and his family incredibly wealthy
