Todd Alper is a recently retired lawyer and teacher in New York City. One day in 2020, he learns that there are many people trying to locate the lawyer Todd Alper, even though he hasn’t actively practiced law in several years. To his astonishment, an online search reveals a website for a law office in his name. Criminals are impersonating him in an elaborate scheme targeting owners of timeshares. Todd is devastated that his name is being used to defraud innocent people, and he begins the long fight to regain his identity and his sense of control.

In Part 3 of this 2022 episode, when Therin Miller walks into the FBI office to throw himself on the mercy of the government, he’s not sure if he will leave a free man. To clear his name, he becomes an FBI informant, recording conversations with his roommate and business partner, Brant Holloway, and his associate Lyle Livesay. Therin’s work results in indictments on multiple counts of bank fraud related to the luxury car scheme, plus the arrest of a Russian mobster in Ukraine. But even with the criminals behind bars, will Therin’s life ever go back to normal?  

In part 2 of this 2022 episode, Therin Miller’s exciting new business venture with his roommate, Brent Holloway, is quickly becoming a nightmare. Not only does the luxury-car dealership seem to be part of an elaborate scam, but his girlfriend, Kristin, uncovers a connection to some very dangerous people, including notorious Russian-born mobster Mani Chulpayev. Therin could be an accessory to some serious crimes. Terrified of going to prison, or worse, he and Kirsten come up with a plan. 

In this 2022 episode, National Guardsman Therin Miller never imagined that placing an online ad for a roommate would result in something far scarier than anything he faced on two tours of combat zone duty. His new roommate, Brant Holloway, is a friendly, well-mannered local business owner. The two become fast friends, so when Brant suggests they go into business together, Therin is intrigued. Before he realizes it, Brant and his adviser, Lyle Livesay, have drawn him into a crime ring involving luxury cars and the Russian mob. His escape ― helped by his girlfriend, also a National Guard member ― is a tale of courage and honesty.

The heartwarming story of a homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt, who spends his last $20 to help a stranded woman captures national media attention when the woman and her boyfriend start a GoFundMe campaign to help him get on his feet. Kate McClure and Mark D’Amico raise more than $400,000 in just a few weeks. However, when things don’t seem to add up, investigators quickly learn this story is all based on a lie.

In part 2, Kelly and her husband Ryan, who is retired from the Navy, are reeling from the theft of his Facebook account and fear it may be used for military-related scams. World-famous wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen is fighting his own battle against scammers impersonating him on social media. His impostors have stolen thousands of dollars from fans who think they are donating to his causes or carrying on a romantic relationship with him. To make matters worse, both Kelly and Paul have reported impostor accounts to Meta and have been told those fake accounts aren’t violating the terms of service.

National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen is renowned for incredible, one-of-a kind images of polar bears, leopard seals, narwhals and other unique species in some of the world’s coldest, most menacing climates. Sharing these intimate portraits and his experiences in places few will ever visit has gained him a large, devoted following on social media. Unfortunately, scammers have also taken notice and are operating hundreds of impostor accounts targeting his followers. Meanwhile, a veteran and his wife fight to reclaim his highjacked Facebook account from scammers.

YouTube star Kitboga has turned scam baiting into performance art, delighting his 3.3 million followers with his many characters and laughs at the expense of online criminals. It started out as pure curiosity, and a way to avenge his grandparents who'd been victims of scams, but along the way, he's helped return money and hijacked accounts to victims, and he's taught a lot of viewers how online scams work. Bob sits down with Kitboga for a humorous and enlightening conversation.

Our smartphones contain access to just about everything that’s important to us, so when criminals figure out how to exploit vulnerabilities in security on mobile devices, the results can be disastrous. In this episode, we’ll hear about a group of young criminals who use the technique of SIM swapping to target the cellphones of high-earning crypto investors and steal millions of dollars. We’ll also learn what steps you can take to safeguard your own accounts.

While we are busy planning holiday gatherings and travel and buying gifts, scammers are working overtime coming up with ways to target us. In this special bonus episode, Bob sits down with Amy Nofziger, from the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, to talk about the ways criminals are following seasonal trends to exploit common scams. These include social media ads, shipping text messages, gift cards, charity giving, pet scams, seasonal work and holiday travel.

Have you ever thought about who might be on the other end of those scam calls and messages we all receive? The answer could be far more sinister than you might imagine. The “scammer” may also be a victim of human trafficking. These people are lured by the promise of well-paid jobs to travel to countries in Southeast Asia and are then forced to work in prison-like scam compounds. A BBC journalist and brave volunteers work to expose this brutal practice.

When David meets a woman, based in the Philippines, on a dating app he feels he’s made a real connection. While not romantic, over the course of a year they develop a deep friendship. One day she comes to David with a problem: She needs some help dealing with a property owned by her ailing grandmother. It starts with a small loan, but as the issues pile up, David exhausts his personal resources and borrows money from family and friends. His life spirals out of control when he loses his home, and the discovery of the scam causes friends and family to turn their backs on him. With the help of a support group, David finds healing and begins to rebuild his life and help others facing the same challenges. 

You’ve heard the advice: When you receive an unexpected phone call from a company, hang up and call its verified phone number. But can you trust an internet search to find a valid number? Criminals have figured out how to deceive search engines including Google and put fake phone numbers in search results that look like the real thing. This malvertising, or malicious advertising, can lead to disaster for consumers like Marcia whose search for Amazon’s customer service number goes very wrong. 

This week, we are bringing you a very special episode about a new development in the tech world that threatens to make things much easier for criminals – artificial intelligence. AI is already being used to supercharge the common grandparent and imposter scams because it’s relatively cheap and easy to clone a person’s voice and make it say whatever you want. We use examples with Bob’s own voice to show you how it’s being done and what to look out for.

In 2018, The Perfect Scam brought you the story of the French psychic Maria Duval mail fraud impostor scheme. For decades, criminals, led by a man named Patrice Runner, used Duval’s name and image on letters sent all over the U.S. and the world, promising good fortune in exchange for regular payments, and threatening disaster for those who ignored the solicitations. Federal investigators estimate the scam impacted 1 in 300 Americans and raked in over $200 million. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service finally put a stop to the letters in 2014, but even when we covered the story in 2018 Runner was still on the run. In this episode, Bob checks in with USPIS Inspector Clayton Gerber to find out how the fight for justice is going, and learns how one of the world’s largest marketing companies, Epsilon, played a major role in the scheme. 

Caring for ailing senior dogs is a passion project for Helen and her husband, who run the nonprofit dog hospice Old Dogs Go to Helen. They rely on donations to pay for the dogs’ medical and comfort care until they pass on. One day, they receive a text message appearing to be from the nonprofit’s Bank of America account, which leads them through a familiar series of steps to secure their accounts from a possible fraud. While Helen thought she was averting a crisis, she was actually the victim of a sophisticated bank impersonation fraud.  

In part 2, Gerard Puana stands accused of stealing the mailbox of his niece, the deputy city prosecutor, Katherine Kealoha. Surprisingly, this strange crime will lay bare that Katherine’s luxurious lifestyle is fueled by a reverse mortgage on her grandmother’s home, and that her husband, Louis, is using his power as police chief to cover up the crime.

In this 2021 episode, Katherine and Louis Kealoha report that their mailbox has been stolen, a strange occurrence in the upscale Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala. Even stranger is that Katherine claims that her uncle Gerard Puana is the mailbox thief, an accusation he vehemently denies. When the case goes to court, though, the Kealohas’ secrets are exposed, revealing a terrible case of family financial fraud. 

Thieves think that stolen cryptocurrency is the perfect crime — anonymous, secret and safe from seizure. But prosecutor Erin West and her team are proving them wrong, recovering millions of dollars in stolen cryptocurrency and returning it back to victims. West is a six-year veteran of REACT (Regional Enforcement Allied Computer Team), a cross-agency task force addressing the escalating problem of high technology crime. In this special episode, Bob talks with Erin about the top five things everyone should know about cryptocurrency scams, including whether money lost to scams is recoverable and if scams are traceable. Erin will discuss steps that can be taken if you’ve experienced a crypto scam, as well as the impact law enforcement can have when agencies have the right tools, knowledge and collaboration. 

Keith is retired from his cybersecurity career and spends his time as a boat captain taking people on scenic cruises of Cape Cod Bay. He isn’t really looking for love when he receives an online friend request from a divorcee named Anna, who is based in Hong Kong. A long-distance romance develops, and they make plans for Anna to accompany Keith to his daughter’s wedding. When Anna tells Keith about an investment opportunity in foreign currencies, he is intrigued. But Keith will soon learn that Anna might not be the person he thinks she is and that similar cryptocurrency scams are skyrocketing in New England.

In part 2, after a scammer she meets playing Words With Friends steals most of her family’s savings, Kathy is so distraught that she attempts to take her own life. She survives thanks to the quick actions of her husband and police, and with the support of her family and professional help, Kathy starts on the road to recovery. The emotional wounds of scams are deep, but Kathy is healing by sharing her story. She hopes that others who might be feeling the way that she did know that there is life and even joy after a scam — Kathy and her husband recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. 

Like many of us, Kathy struggles in the early days of the pandemic to adjust to isolation from family and friends. She enjoys the diversion of playing Words With Friends and soon strikes up a friendship with a fellow player. For months the friends continue playing online games and chatting on WhatsApp, until one day he asks Kathy for a loan. He says he is stuck in Mexico and having trouble accessing his accounts. Kathy sees no harm in helping out a friend, especially when he promises to quickly pay the money back. When the repayments never come, Kathy comes to the devasting realization that it was a scam and that most of her and her husband’s retirement savings are gone. Distraught and ashamed, Kathy begins to have thoughts of suicide. This is the story of one woman’s survival from the darkest of days.    This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988, a free nationwide service where professionals can listen and get you the help you need. 

Jerry Hsu, a retired engineer living in Florida, receives a phone call from someone claiming to be his cellphone provider. They are threatening to cut off his service because the Shanghai Police Department says Jerry is speaking out against the Chinese government and engaging in money laundering. As a Taiwanese immigrant, Jerry is frightened; there must be a misunderstanding. The person on the other end of the line is very persistent and convinces Jerry to work as a secret agent for the police, and he eventually wires up to $1 million from his bank account in order to protect himself. After Jerry transfers the last of his life savings and realizes this was all a scam, he shares what’s happened with his son, who is a filmmaker in New York City. The father-son duo then decide the best way to share Jerry’s unfortunate experience and alert other families is to create a documentary film. And in this heartbreaking yet -warming film, Jerry plays himself.

Lisa is an avid concertgoer with extensive experience buying and selling tickets online. So when pop megastar Taylor Swift announces she’s coming to town, Lisa is determined to find the highly sought-after tickets for her teenage daughter and her three friends. After messaging dozens of online ticket sellers and weeding out apparent scams, she finally finds a local man selling four tickets. She is reassured when he offers to transfer the tickets to her via Apple Wallet before receiving payment. The tickets look great, and the girls are overjoyed. When a friend raises suspicions, Lisa drives to the box office to verify the tickets only to discover that they are very convincing fakes.

Wayde McKelvy and Troy Wragg stir up enthusiasm for their company, Mantria, and a green energy revolution they promise in the form of a product called “biochar.” Their “garbage to gold” scheme attracts scores of investors and even the attention of former President Bill Clinton. But soon the Securities and Exchange Commission discovers that Mantria is a Ponzi scheme, laced with bogus claims and false promises of enormous returns, ultimately defrauding investors out of millions of dollars.

In Part 2 of this 2019 episode, after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend in the same day, a distraught Debra pays a visit to a psychic. Little does Debra know that the shop is part of a larger criminal organization, and psychic Sylvia Mitchell is a scammer who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients. A series of readings leads to Sylvia stealing $28,000 of Debra’s money and cutting off communication. Debra enlists the help of Bob Nygaard, a private investigator and retired police officer who specializes in psychic scams. Together, they bring Sylvia Mitchell to justice.

In this 2019 episode, Debra is a divorced mother and ballroom dancer who travels between her home in Florida and her boyfriend’s home in New York City, where she trains with her dance partner. When Debra loses her part-time job in New York and breaks up with her boyfriend on the same day, she’s distraught. Without the extra income from her job and a place to stay with her boyfriend, Debra knows she’ll have to quit ballroom dancing — even though she and her partner have been climbing the ranks on the Pro-Am circuit. During a walk in Greenwich Village, Debra sees a psychic shop she’s often passed by before and decides to stop in, hoping to find answers. Instead of finding answers, Debra finds herself in a five-year odyssey, desperately trying to find justice and trying to get back $28,000 that was stolen from her.

Hoping to build her hobby into a business, Penny takes an online training course in social media marketing. After this initial small investment, she is flooded with calls from companies selling different website services. They promise big returns, but her investment of more than $30,000 with multiple companies doesn’t lead to a single sale. Penny reports the scam, but it’s not until she gets a call from a news producer that she learns that the person behind the scheme is none other than The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah.

Consumers write far fewer checks than they did in the past, so it may seem surprising that the once-common crime of check washing is making a dramatic comeback. Criminals steal a check out of the mail, wash off the payee’s name and other information, and then cash the check and steal money from the owner's account. In this episode, we’ll learn how the crime is evolving and becoming more violent, putting mail carriers in danger, as well as how you can safeguard your checks from falling into the hands of criminals.

Retiree Susan moves from California to a beautiful Victorian home in Montana to be closer to her son and his growing family. One day, Susan notices some unusual charges from her Amazon account. She takes all the necessary steps to dispute and resolve the charges, but a few weeks later, she receives a call from “Amazon” informing her of additional fraudulent activity on her account. This call and the subsequent investigation by a man posing as a DEA agent, will put everything that Susan has, including that Victorian home, in jeopardy.

Derek Alldred has spent decades using fake identities to date and steal money from hundreds of women around the country. He’s been arrested numerous times on fraud charges, but Derek skips town as soon as he is released on bail, and resumes committing his crimes in a new location. This time is different: After Derek drains Linda’s retirement account and leaves her in debt, she is determined to see him get his due. She bands together with other women also deceived by Derek, and they finally bring this serial romance scammer to justice.

After her divorce, Linda decides to take a chance on online dating. She’s pleasantly surprised to make an instant connection with a man named Rich. He’s handsome, charismatic and has an impressive résumé — a Navy reservist working on his PhD. The relationship progresses quickly, with Linda and her young son moving into Rich’s new house. One day Linda receives a troubling message from a woman name Missi who claims to also be dating Rich. Linda discovers that he’s been lying to them both. His real name is Derek Alldred and he has a criminal record a mile long, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from numerous women. Linda and Missi decide they have to do something to keep this serial romance scammer from finding his next target.

In this bonus episode, Bob sits down with David Etue, CEO of Nisos, The Managed Intelligence Company®, to discuss a fascinating study his team recently conducted to learn more about  criminal online activity to better protect online users. For the study, “Catphishing the Catphisher,” researchers set up fake social media profiles and waited for criminals to connect in hopes of engaging in conversation. Although they expected the study to take several months, maybe even a year, Etue and his team were quite surprised with such quick results. Wait until you hear what happens. 

In part 2, a call from Reuters journalist Brian Grow confirms Diana’s worst fears about what really happened to her stepfather’s remains. As Brian digs deeper into the story, the truth he uncovers about Sunset Mesa Funeral Home and the body brokering scheme is worse than anyone could have imagined. The conviction of Megan Hess brings some needed closure to families devastated by her shocking betrayal of trust.

Planning a loved one’s burial or cremation is a difficult experience under the best of circumstances. When Diana’s stepfather, Cactus, gets sick during the early stages of Alzheimer’s and sees a billboard advertising simple cremations for $695 at Sunset Mesa Funeral Home, he requests that his family cremate him and not spend a lot of money. But when Cactus dies and his cremains go missing under mysterious circumstances, it sets off a series of events that not only exacerbates the family’s grief, but also tips off a lengthy investigation by Reuters journalists that rocks a small community in western Colorado and exposes the dark, unregulated side of the body trade industry.

In part 2, Philadelphia homeowners fight to be released from their 40-year contracts with MV Realty. Complaints from all over the city and the state reach the Pennsylvania attorney general, who files a lawsuit against the company for allegedly misleading consumers. Attorneys general in several other states follow suit, and state lawmakers race to take action against what they call unfair real estate agreements.

Homeowners all over Philadelphia are being inundated with ads for MV Realty’s Homeowner Benefit Program on social media, through robocalls, and some people even receive a knock on their door. The pitch is simple: Get a quick cash payment in exchange for a promise to use MV Realty as their real estate agent if they decide to sell their home in the future. Many homeowners say they were never informed that the contract is for 40 years and MV Realty can take out a mortgage on their home.

After the loss of the family dog, Tana is determined to find a new canine companion for her husband who suffers from dementia. Hoping to surprise him for Christmas, Tana finds a breeder online and sends payment, but the puppy doesn’t arrive, and the breeders keep asking for more money for expenses. Hear how investigators from Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Group follow leads on these types of crimes every day, leading to international arrests and litigation. 

Huntington, West Virginia, is an idyllic college town on the Ohio River, but it’s also the epicenter of a massive international internet crime ring. Federal prosecutor Katie Robeson hasn’t been on the job long when she learns that a woman in Huntington is acting as money mule, transferring millions of dollars overseas. Following the money, Katie and her team uncover an elaborate network of criminals, based in Huntington, targeting people all over the country.

In this special episode of The Perfect Scam, Bob hosts a roundtable discussion on changing the conversation around victim blaming. Far too often, the blame for financial fraud is directed at the victims rather than the criminals. This keeps victims from speaking up and enables the crimes to continue. Bob welcomes special guests: Kate Kleinert, a romance scam survivor-turned-advocate; Paul Greenwood, a former prosecutor and head of San Diego’s Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit; and Mark Solomon, former police detective and president of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators.

This April marks five years of “The Perfect Scam” podcast! Since launching in 2018, we’ve brought you stories of fraud told by the people who lived them, stories of trauma but also of bravery and triumph. With the FTC reporting a staggering $8.8 billion in losses to scammers in 2022, we remain committed to continue bringing you the very latest information and resources to give you power over scams.

In Part 2, criminals are running the grandparent scam all over the San Diego area. Often crimes like this go unsolved, but FBI agent Brady Finta and his law enforcement partners believe this situation is unique. There is a video and an eyewitness. Arresting the messenger who took Susan’s $9,000 might just bring down an entire criminal operation. But investigators must proceed carefully.

When Susan gets a frantic call from her “grandson” saying he’s been in a terrible accident, she doesn’t waste any time. She rushes to get him the $9,000 he requested for legal fees, but as soon as she hands the money to the courier, the phone line goes dead. She knows instantly that it was a scam. Similar crimes are popping up all over her area, and the stack of case files is pretty big by the time it lands on FBI agent Brady Finta’s desk.

As FBI Special Agent Cook and partners at the Department of Health and Human Services dig deeper into the records of Novus Healthcare, they are shocked to find fraud every step of the way. From falsifying required doctor visits to providing kickbacks to referring doctors, Novus CEO Bradley Harris and doctors, nurses and administrators are driven by greed. Together, the hospice group defrauded Medicare of more than $27 million and may have contributed to the premature deaths of countless patients.   

Hospice is an essential service that many families depend on during a difficult time, but the combination of loved ones under emotional stress plus hospice benefits provided by Medicare  can attract unscrupulous operators. When Judy’s mother enters care with Novus Healthcare, a Dallas-based hospice provider, Judy soon realizes that something isn’t right. Rather than providing comfort, Novus staff push back on even the most basic care requests. Meanwhile, Novus and its CEO, Bradley Harris, are attracting the attention of FBI Special Agent Thomas Cook. What he and his colleagues uncover is even worse than they imagined.

In this bonus episode, Bob Sullivan invites anti-fraud activists Frank McKenna and Ayelet Biger-Levin to take stock of where we are in the fight against fraud and look ahead to the trends listeners should watch for in 2023. Learn how criminals exploit advances in technology (such as bots, deep fakes and ChatGPT) and how an old scam is making a big comeback.

In part 2, Jill Alper has already made a $10,000 investment in Dr. Dan’s medical spa business when her friend Holly Saunders learns that he is a con man with a lengthy criminal record. Determined to stop him from targeting his next victim, the friends team up with the FBI to lay a trap for Dr. Dan, culminating with a dramatic sting operation at a restaurant.

Longtime friends Jill Alper and Holly Saunders are dazzled when they meet Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Dan, a man of many talents and interests. When Dr. Dan invites them to invest in his medical spa business, Jill dives in with a $10,000 offering. Holly, though, is beginning to think Dr. Dan may not be the man he claims. Will this scammer be any match for these friends when they team up with the FBI?

Five months after a hung jury, Chemirmir is again brought to trial. This time a conviction brings a much-needed feeling of justice. But family members brought together by this tragedy won’t stop until they’ve made a difference by helping protect all seniors. In Part 4, the last in our series, AARP’s Tina Tran shares how ageism and missed opportunities on the part of institutions and law enforcement allowed Chemirmir to go undetected, and she offers tips on how we can best protect our loved ones. 

The arrest of Billy Chemirmir and the identification of more victims confirm the suspicions of many family members. Chemirmir has even been working as a home health care worker under an assumed name in the home of one of his victims. Law enforcement builds its case and takes it to trial, but will the families get the justice they deserve?

Reports of a suspicious person, posing as a maintenance worker, entering Dallas-area independent living communities are followed by an attack on a resident. The survivor’s description leads police to a man who has a history of trespassing. Could a victim’s jewelry box be the evidence they need to catch him?

Four women move to independent living communities in the Dallas area, hoping to continue enjoying their active lives in the security of their new homes. They are each found dead in their apartments in 2016, and their deaths are ruled as due to natural causes, but missing jewelry and strange circumstances raise suspicions among family members.

The Perfect Scam returns on December 2nd with a special 4-part series in connection with AARP – The Magazine.  Host Bob Sullivan takes a deep dive into this tragic tale of deceit, stolen identity, murder, and ultimately, the fatal ageism that permitted a killer to continue his spree for years.

After 25-year-old Niki Hutchinson loses her mother, she uses some of her inheritance to start fresh in California. Not knowing anyone, she does what many people do today and joins a dating app to make connections. She develops a friendship with a man named Hao and, in time, he offers to teach her how to invest in cryptocurrency. With some small successes and lots of encouragement from Hao, she dives in and invests her inheritance, plus some of her dad’s money as well. That’s when her friend becomes less helpful.

When Sheratan Johnson receives a call from an unknown number, she’s startled to hear the man on the other end of the line claim he’s kidnapped her daughter from gymnastics class. Hearing her daughter’s screams, Sheraton follows all the kidnapper’s demands, and also texts her ex-husband, Brian, who goes into battle mode. Armed and ready to take on the kidnapper, he races across the city to get their daughter back, leading to a dramatic confrontation at a foreclosed house.

In Part 2 of this special report, we look further into the dark side of the gift card market, where criminals turn gift cards into a tool to steal money from unsuspecting consumers in a way that’s completely untraceable and irreversible. We’ll hear from University of Minnesota researcher Marti DiLiema, who conducted a study with undercover shoppers, and delve into whether retailers’ efforts to combat gift card fraud are successful.

Many people see the colorful racks of plastic gift cards in checkout lines as convenient last-minute gifts. But criminals see a tool to steal money from unsuspecting consumers in a way that’s completely untraceable and irreversible. The crime is so common that Americans report the theft of $50 million via gift cards every three months, and many other cases are never reported. In this two-part special report, we meet three people who share their experiences with scams involving gift card payments and find out what researchers have discovered about measures to combat this pervasive form of fraud.

Remote work, which was a necessity for many during the pandemic, is now commonplace. While it’s hard to beat the commute, criminals are paying close attention to this trend too. In this episode, a recent MBA graduate lands what feels like her dream job at a start-up that advocates for women’s empowerment. The company culture is great and the job is interesting. But when her paychecks never show up, she begins to suspect the work-from-home job is too good to be true.

Phone scams are about as old as the telephone itself, and while the world keeps changing, phone scams stick around … and the criminals get savvier. These days, the typical American consumer gets around 200 robocalls a year. In this bonus episode, our host Bob Sullivan sits down with Alex Quilici, the CEO of YouMail, a robocall data center, to discuss why these phone scams are still so common, how they’ve evolved and what you can do to protect yourself.

Devastated to learn that her fiancé, celebrity surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, has been lying to her, journalist Benita Alexander calls off the wedding and begins investigating the man she was planning to give up her career and move halfway around the world for. When she goes public with her story, she learns that a Swedish journalist, Bo Lindquist, is about to expose the deadly truth behind the doctor’s miracle surgeries.  

Journalist Benita Alexander is swept off her feet by a dashing Italian doctor, Paolo Macchiarini, while filming a documentary about his miraculous surgeries. They become engaged and plan a lavish dream wedding, to be attended by celebrities and officiated by none other than Pope Francis himself. But before the wedding can happen, Benita makes a discovery that may prove the doctor is not all he claims to be.  

In Part 2, after Tom and Dianne’s computer and bank accounts are hacked, they rely on a bank fraud investigator named Marcus to guide them through the lengthy process of moving their money to safe accounts. But when Tom asks to see a paper trail, Marcus suddenly disappears — with their $600,000 in life savings. Tom and Dianne are left to pick up the pieces with the help of friends and family.  

For many, computers have been the connection to the outside world during the pandemic. When Dianne and Tom are hacked, they find that connection suddenly cut off. Worse yet, the retired professors’ bank accounts and entire life savings are now at risk. Frantic, they work with a bank employee to move their money to safe accounts, which includes meeting couriers to transfer boxes of cash. 

In Part 2, 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.

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?

In the second part of our special report, Bob sits down with experts to learn why cryptocurrency-based scams, like the one Mei Mei experienced, are exploding in popularity. Amy Nofziger, director of victim support, shares stories from the AARP Fraud Watch Network™ Helpline, and Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention, discusses changes that are needed to protect consumers. Cryptocurrency scholar Lee Reiners provides a big-picture view of why crypto enables scams. 

The first part of our special report delves into one cryptocurrency scam. Mei Mei, who is looking for her dream job, starts building her professional network on LinkedIn. When one of her connections invites her to invest in cryptocurrency, she is cautious, doing her research on the company and making only a small initial investment. When it pays off, her confidence grows and she decides to invest a significant amount of money, with devastating results.

When a scammer posing as a Bank of America employee steals the money for Lura’s new baking business, she is left feeling hopeless. But with a little encouragement from her sister, Lura seeks help from her local TV station and gets results, at the same time bringing needed attention to a growing problem of fraud in person-to-person payment apps.

After many years in the corporate world, Lura decides to turn her passion for baking into a small business. She secures a loan, perfects her recipes and then, the day after her big launch, her bank calls. They tell her she’s been hacked and helpfully walk her through the steps to recover the funds. When she calls back the bank, though, she’s stunned to learn that it wasn’t her bank who called at all, but an impersonator. Her money is gone. Will her dreams of owning her own business also disappear? 

With over 2 million subscribers, Scammer Payback captivates YouTube viewers with his ability to spot scams and flip the script on the scammers. In this special interview, host Bob Sullivan sits down with Scammer Payback (also known as Pierogi) and learns more about the man and the methods behind his successful channel. They’ll talk about how Pierogi got started, his most interesting confrontations, his experiences inside the call centers where these scammers work, and his tips for listeners on how to stay safe and keep their information secure.

In this bonus episode, host Bob Sullivan welcomes special guest Alexis Conran. Conran’s insight into the mind of a con man comes from acting as one on the popular BBC show The Real Hustle. On the series, Conran, an actual trained magician, and his team perpetrate scams on unsuspecting consumers and then reveal the crimes to the victims (now in the hundreds), all in the name of educating the public. Conran discusses what he’s learned about the criminal mindset and what he has identified as the elements of deception.

Matthew, a one-time wealthy investment star, has a rare and deadly form of brain cancer. In Part 2, on a trip to the bank, Matthew’s mother, Jan, is shocked to discover that her son’s bank accounts are nearly empty. Even worse, Matthew is convinced the police are coming to arrest him at any moment. Jan, who lives in California, and Matthew’s brother, Justin, who lives in North Carolina, have to work across the country to unravel what has happened and find a way to put a stop to the scam.

Matthew, a successful Chicago investment analyst, is diagnosed with a rare and fatal form of brain cancer, which he fends off at first. Four years later, though, the disease takes a turn for the worse and his life is turned upside down. Partially paralyzed, suffering from brain fog and in a great deal of pain, he goes looking for relief online. What he finds are the worst kind of internet criminals lurking on the dark web, looking for people just like him, suffering in their darkest hours.

When investigators from the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission begin showing up at the homes of Dominion Investment Group clients, it becomes clear that Daryl Bank is not the trustworthy adviser and radio host he presents himself to be. Bank, Roger Hudspeth and their associates have been skimming 20 percent to 70 percent off the top. At this point, there are hundreds of victims, who’ve lost around $25 million — much of it spent on Bank’s lavish lifestyle. 

On his Saturday-morning radio show, Daryl Bank advises listeners on retirement investments and avoiding scams. He and his firm, Dominion Investment Group, target retirees like Charlotte Annas and her husband, Pat, who decide to invest their hard-earned retirement savings, and Richard Fairchild, who is working and wants to save more for his daughter’s college tuition. But when federal and state investigators start looking into the company, it’s clear that that trust has been broken.

When Therin Miller walks into the FBI office to throw himself on the mercy of the government, he’s not sure if he will leave a free man. To clear his name, he becomes an FBI informant, recording conversations with his roommate and business partner, Brant Holloway, and his associate Lyle Livesay. Therin’s work results in indictments on multiple counts of bank fraud related to the luxury car scheme, plus the arrest of a Russian mobster in Ukraine. But even with the criminals behind bars, will Therin’s life ever go back to normal?

Therin Miller’s exciting new business venture with his roommate, Brant Holloway, is quickly becoming a nightmare. Not only does the luxury-car dealership seem to be part of an elaborate scam, but his girlfriend, Kristin, uncovers a connection to some very dangerous people, including notorious Russian-born mobster Mani Chulpayev. Therin could be an accessory to some serious crimes. Terrified of going to prison, or worse, he and Kirsten come up with a plan.

National Guardsman Therin Miller never imagined that placing an online ad for a roommate would result in something far scarier than anything he faced on two tours of combat zone duty. His new roommate, Brant Holloway, is a friendly, well-mannered local business owner. The two become fast friends, so when Brant suggests they go into business together, Therin is intrigued. Before he realizes it, Brant and his adviser, Lyle Livesay, have drawn him into a crime ring involving luxury cars and the Russian mob. His escape ― helped by his girlfriend, also a National Guard member ― is a tale of courage and honesty.

Brad is in an uphill battle he never expected: He can’t convince his father that he’s the victim of a classic lottery scam. Even after talking to a veteran police detective and having a judge declare his son the conservator of his finances, Brad’s father just won’t stop sending money to the criminals. By the time his father has lost almost all of his life’s savings, Brad can’t believe it could get any worse. Then, he learns his father is not only a scam victim, but is also working for the scammers ― as a money mule.

Believing he has won a multimillion-dollar lottery prize, Paul heads to the airport to claim his winnings. When he returns empty-handed, his son Brad learns that his father has wired $50,000 in prize fees to criminals outside the country. Despite Brad’s efforts to convince his father of the scam, Paul remains optimistic the prize money is still coming and sends even more money, nearly $150,000. Desperate, Brad enlists the help of a police detective and becomes conservator of his parents’ finances. But to Brad’s dismay, this is only the beginning.

Recently widowed, Janet has dedicated her life to helping others. When a friend tells her about a charity serving disabled veterans, she is eager to do what she can. The founder, John Paul Hope, is disabled and ill with terminal cancer. Together, they come up with a plan: Janet will give John Paul three acres of the land on her ranch on which he will build tiny homes for veterans in need. After the deed is signed, she realizes he has actually taken 30 acres! Janet comes to the terrible realization that John Paul Hope is not who he says he is. 

After building up his side business and Instagram following over a few years, Tim takes the leap to run his business full time. When he sees a testimonial video from an Instagram friend boasting of her successful cryptocurrency investment, he decides to make a small investment with extra cash from his booming sales. He is, in turn, asked to make his own testimonial. Before he knows what has happened, his account has been hijacked and a hacker is using the video to steal money from his friends.

The Perfect Scam returns February 11th with more shocking tales of fraud and deceit. Host Bob Sullivan, along with fraud experts, helps equip listeners with the tools to protect themselves against scams.

In the 2019 episode, the FBI is on to Farid Fata, an oncology doctor in Michigan who has been administering unnecessary cancer treatments in order to steal $34 million from Medicare. George, the practice’s office manager, has gathered enough evidence to bring the case to the authorities. It lands of the desk of Agent Drake during his first week with the FBI’s health care fraud team. Investigators are disgusted by what they find and work to bring Fata to justice.

In this 2019 episode, when oncologist Soe Maunglay moves to Michigan, he’s excited to join Farid Fata’s practice. But Fata’s controlling and odd ways make him question his decision to take the job. When Maunglay looks into a patient’s records, he’s shocked at what he finds: Fata is giving chemotherapy and other treatments to patients who don’t need it, some of whom don’t have cancer at all. His motive? Stealing money from Medicare.

In this 2019 episode, a bustling oncology practice in Michigan is hiding something sinister. Patients come to Farid Fata at their most vulnerable, after they’ve been diagnosed with cancer or to receive the life-altering diagnosis. But when Angela, an oncology nurse, arrives at one of Fata’s well-regarded clinics for an interview, she finds that nothing is as it seems. Horrified by what she sees, she reports the doctor for committing an unthinkable form of Medicare fraud.

When 96-year-old Mary steps off the plane in California for a vacation with her sisters, her niece can tell that something isn’t right. Her normally vibrant aunt looks tired and frazzled. But the truth is even wilder than she thinks: Aunt Mary believes she’s in the midst of an elaborate operation working with a government agent to catch the criminals who have stolen her identity.

In this 2019 episode, journalist Alex Palmer tells the story of his great-granduncle, colorful conman John Duval Gluck, who created the Santa Claus Association. Before Gluck started his charity, letters from New York City children to Santa were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity and created the Santa Claus Association in 1913. The organization claimed to use the donations it collected to answer children’s letters to Santa and deliver them Christmas gifts. For a time, the charity did just that. For 15 years money and gifts flowed to the association, and Gluck became a Jazz Age celebrity. But efforts to crack down on corruption in New York ultimately resulted in the uncovering of irregularities that would lead to the charity’s downfall. 

When Shirley Gibson learns that her property in Miami’s historic West Grove neighborhood has been sold by someone using a forged deed, she is determined to fight. Working together with journalist Phil Prazen and lawyer David Winker, they uncover an elaborate real estate scam targeting dozens of elderly property owners in this historically Black neighborhood. Law enforcement is soon on the trail of the criminals, but will Shirley get her land back?

Miami’s historic West Grove neighborhood has recently become a hot real estate market. So hot, in fact, that it has attracted the attention of scammers. It wasn’t always so. Shirley Gibson’s family has owned property in West Grove since her great-grandmother immigrated from the Bahamas over 100 years ago. Now in her 80s, Shirley had hoped to pass on the property to her niece and nephew. But when Shirley goes to pay her taxes one day, she learns that her property has been sold without her knowledge for $230,000. When another of her properties shows up on Zillow, it becomes clear this is not a fluke but an elaborate real estate scam, targeting property owners in this historically Black neighborhood.  

Rochelle scores a great deal on a house in northern Virginia, only to have her dream home transformed a few months later into Pet Scam Central. Day after day, strangers show up on her doorstep, claiming they’ve arrived to pick up a puppy they paid for. Some have driven over six or twelve hours with their family. Unfortunately, Rochelle must break the news that she has no puppies to sell, and the hopeful would-be owners leave heartbroken, confused and out hundreds of dollars. Even worse, over the course of a year, Rochelle finds herself accused of being the con artist. Desperate, she turns to a local news station for help in putting an end to the scam.  

Young ICU nurse Whitney Kirkpatrick’s life is turned upside down when the police show up at her door looking for her boyfriend of nine months, Gregory Thomas. He is not the wealthy, successful oil executive he claims to be. Instead, Gregory has spun an elaborate web of lies — and he’s been funding his extravagant lifestyle with Whitney’s money. With the support of family and friends, Whitney finds the strength to move on and to educate others about identity theft and white-collar crime.  

Recent graduate Whitney Kirkpatrick is starting her career as a nurse when she meets Gregory Thomas, young and driven, and already the CEO of an oil company. His Southern charm, ambition and lavish lifestyle win over Whitney, her friends and her family. Then strange things begin to happen: large withdrawals from her bank account, calls from creditors late at night and pieces of Gregory’s story not adding up.

When her parents begin to show signs of memory decline, Kay Bransford steps in to help manage their finances. She quickly discovers a caregiver’s nightmare: An abundance of questionable charities have homed in on her generous parents. Angered that her parents are being targeted because of their cognitive challenges, Kay creates a system to help other caregivers protect their loved ones. CharityWatch director Laurie Styron shares advice on how to be cautious while still being generous.

Dave Lieber is intrigued when he receives an invitation to attend a real estate seminar hosted by Tarek and Christina of hit HGTV show Flip or Flop. The event is packed with fans and hopeful real estate flippers, but instead of meeting their favorite stars, attendees sit through a pitch for get-rich-quick seminars costing thousands. Dave, a journalist for the Dallas Morning News, is so shocked at what he sees, he investigates further, uncovering a slew of unethical practices by Zurixx LLC, the seminar company, that ultimately attracts the notice of the Federal Trade Commission.

When Isabella realizes the man she loved is a fraud, she turns her heartbreak into a determination for justice. Working with local law enforcement and the FBI, Isabella uncovers information linking her case to a large organized crime syndicate. Her tenacity pays off when Robert Asante and accomplices are arrested and charged with stealing millions of dollars. Isabella now has the strength to share what she’s learned and helps other victims of romance scams

When 70-year-old widow Isabella finally tries online dating, she’s quickly swept off her feet by a handsome man named Michael who’s been hired by General Petraeus for an important mission in Afghanistan. When his luggage is lost, including a vital piece of equipment, Isabella steps in to help, lending Michael more than $17,000 to replace it. Thanks to her, the mission is a great success and there is a reward — of gold bars. Though Isabella pays more than $100,000 to a company, neither Michael nor the gold ever arrives. Over the course of another year of broken promises, in debt and heartbroken, Isabella realizes that this all may be part of an elaborate scam. 

In this 100th episode, host Bob Sullivan revisits some of the most popular episodes and welcomes special guest Amy Nofziger, AARP’s director of victim support. Bob and Amy hear from listeners who have used what they’ve learned to avoid becoming victims and offer tips for protecting yourself from scammers. They also discuss why it’s so important to change the narrative of victim blaming. 

In this bonus episode, Bob Sullivan and his team of scam busters discuss the business of scams with Brett Johnson, also known as “The Original Internet Godfather.” Johnson walks viewers through why scammers want gift cards, the potential dangers of cryptocurrency and how you can best protect yourself against swindlers.

When Charlotte Robinette receives a phone call from kidnappers demanding a ransom for her daughter Kristen, her daughter’s voice on the phone convinces her that the situation is dire. Over the next four grueling days, the kidnappers wear Charlotte down, keeping her on the phone, sending her all over Phoenix and having her wire money to Mexico. Finally, she’s instructed to travel with the remaining cash to a small town across the border, where she’s told she can rescue her daughter. Little does she know, a stop by the U.S. Border Patrol may end up being a lifesaver.

After anxiously waiting for her fiancé, Tony, to arrive at the airport, Kate Kleinert is shocked when she receives a call from his attorney, who says that Tony has been arrested on a drug charge. He tells Kate that he’ll need $20,000 to bail Tony out of jail. Out of money and insisting that she be allowed to visit the man she expects to marry, Kate begins to suspect something is off, especially when Tony makes odd requests for more payments. Brokenhearted, Kate leans on her sisters and finds the courage to heal.

Eleven years after losing the love of her life, 68-year-old widow Kate Kleinert receives a friend request online from Tony, a handsome surgeon working in Iraq for the United Nations. After accepting his request, she gets caught up in a whirlwind romance, and they quickly fall in love. A few months later, Tony asks to borrow money, initially for help with his daughter’s expenses. She sends him money via gift cards and continues to do so whenever he asks, even though his attempts to pay her back by wire transfers fail. After doling out $39,000, Kate anxiously waits by the phone, excited to finally meet her now fiancé in person, only to find that Tony has run into legal trouble at the airport.

As 72-year-old Steve Steele is released from jail, not only can he hardly stand or walk, but he is worried about how he will recover the property stolen by Elizabeth, the caregiver who worked for him. That’s where Steve’s attorney, Brent Smith, comes in, waging what becomes a nearly two-year battle.

After 72-year-old Steve Steele’s life partner passes away, his housekeeper, Elizabeth, offers to work as his caregiver. Over time, Elizabeth takes over Steve’s finances, even persuading him to deed her his homes. It all comes to a head one Christmas Eve, when Elizabeth accuses Steve, who can hardly stand or walk, of assault and the police cart him off to jail for months. When the public defender’s investigator meets Steve, though, she quickly senses this is elder abuse. The judge agrees and releases Steve, but now he faces an even bigger battle: How does he get his homes back? And will Elizabeth be held accountable for her crimes?

Rookie FBI agent Mike meets 80-year-old Alan, who has sent $600,000 to “friends” he met online. Typically, international scammers are notoriously hard to prosecute. After hearing that Alan visited the scammers in the Middle East and Africa, though, Mike senses a unique opportunity to lure the con artists to the United States. The pair devise a scheme so that the swindlers can be arrested and convicted of their crimes.

After 80-year-old Alan returns from a trip to the Middle East and Africa, where he visited new “friends” he made online, his wife grows suspicious that he’s involved in a scam and contacts the FBI. That’s when rookie FBI agent Mike gets involved. Over the next nine months, Alan becomes Mike’s informant as they work to prosecute scammers who aren’t even on American soil.

In the middle of the night, Jeremy Vincent is awakened by a call from his mother’s number. When he answers, he’s shocked to hear a man’s voice on the other end threatening to harm his mother — who lives thousands of miles away in rural Missouri — if Jeremy doesn’t send money. After an agonizing back-and-forth exchange, Jeremy panics and hangs up, calling 911 despite the callers’ warnings. Officers are sent to the home of his mother, where, luckily, they find her safe and well. It is a virtual kidnapping scam.

When Melany Robinson discovers that she has breast cancer in July of 2020, she decides she needs to plan something positive to look forward to in 2021 — a much needed vacation. After scouring the internet, she finds the perfect home on Craigslist in her favorite place, Park City, Utah. But six months and almost $20,000 later, Melany discovers that her dream rental is part of an elaborate scam.

When Judy gets a call from a man claiming to be a police officer who says a car registered to her was found full of drugs, she’s skeptical. Before Judy can hang up, though, the man discloses the Social Security number used to purchase the vehicle—her full Social Security number. Shocked, and convinced he’s telling the truth, Judy follows the man’s detailed instructions. She leaves her house immediately, speaks to no one, and obeys his command to stay on the phone. With hours passing, $15,000 missing from her bank account, and no sign of her, Judy’s concerned family scours their small town in hopes of finding her.

In this 2020 archive episode, Annie believes she's found the perfect online friend, but in reality, she’s being lured into an elaborate romance scam.

In the UK an IT professional 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.  

In this 2019 episode, curious about the barrage of robocalls he himself receives, journalist Alex Palmer decides to look into how robocalls work and why they’ve become so popular. Alex discovers the case of a set of illegal robocalls that temporarily stalled a Virginia-based paging provider, disrupting the ability of hospitals to get in touch with emergency services personnel. As a result, local doctors, nurses, EMTs and firefighters were at risk of missing critical pages. Due to the resulting public safety hazard, the Federal Communications Commission made tracking down the source of these robocalls a top priority. Meanwhile, travel-review website TripAdvisor is being inundated with complaints from customers that it is soliciting them through robocalls to use its travel rewards program. But TripAdvisor isn’t making the calls and doesn’t have a rewards program. With its reputation at stake, TripAdvisor puts its top fraud experts on the case.  The FCC and the travel site will eventually learn that they are on the hunt for the same man, Adrian Abramovich.

In part 2, Gerard Puana stands accused of stealing the mailbox of his niece, the deputy city prosecutor, Katherine Kealoha. Surprisingly, this strange crime will lay bare that Katherine’s luxurious lifestyle is fueled by a reverse mortgage on her grandmother’s home, and that her husband, Louis, is using his power as police chief to cover up the crime.

Katherine and Louis Kealoha report that their mailbox has been stolen, a strange occurrence in the upscale Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala. Even stranger is that Katherine claims that her uncle Gerard Puana is the mailbox thief, an accusation he vehemently denies. When the case goes to court, though, the Kealohas’ secrets are exposed, revealing a terrible case of family financial fraud.   

In this bonus episode, fraud expert Frank Abagnale joins us to use Google’s autocomplete function to ask some of the internet’s most burning questions, such as How do you spot a scam on Facebook marketplace? What are scammers doing with gift cards? And… Did Frank really escape from a plane?

Five days after her husband’s funeral, Janet gets a call. The woman on the line claims to be from the state retirement system calling about a $50,000 life insurance policy belonging to Janet’s husband. But there’s an issue: A few late payments mean that the system can’t pay out the policy unless Janet comes up with $4,450 to pay the overdue balance.

After being a widow for almost a decade, Debbie tells her kids that she’s interested in looking for love again. She finds a match on a dating site, so when another man she chats with while playing an online game expresses interest in her, she tells him she has a boyfriend. Little does Debbie know, both men are scammers, and it will take her family’s best efforts to pull her out of their web. 

What do you do when you learn your parent is wrapped up in a scam? Christine’s mother is a giving, caring woman who never raised her voice in anger throughout Christine’s childhood. But when her mother starts online dating, her personality changes. Now she’s up at all hours of the night texting with a man she’s never met. She’s dismissive and easily angers if family members question the relationship. When her mother begins giving this new online boyfriend her hard-earned money, Christine really starts worrying, and with good reason. Christine’s mom, it turns out, is addicted to her online relationships forged with multiple scam artists. Across the country, another family deals with a similar issue.

Every year mortgage closing scams cost homebuyers millions of dollars and, tragically, sometimes even their homes. These scams aren’t new, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a rise in this type of fraud. We hear from Paul, who moved back to his hometown to care for his mother but finds that his life savings and his new home are in jeopardy because of a scam. We speak with experts and victims about how these schemes work, who’s operating them, and what to look out for.

Credit card con artist 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. 

Danny searches for a new four-legged best friend after his beloved Weimaraner dies of cancer. Alison looks for a second Maine coon to keep her current cat company after a difficult move. Both families find themselves caught in the web of online con artists riding the rising wave of pandemic demand for pets.

Even though they live in different states Larry Davis, 74, regularly speaks to and visits his 85-year-old stepmother, Kise, so he is stunned when her neighbor calls to inform him that someone came and took her away. Determined to help his stepmother, Larry embarks on a long legal battle to bring Kise home.

Reality TV producer Johnathan Walton discovers that his neighbor and best friend, Mair Symth, is not who she claims to be. Not only is Mair lying about having a multimillion-dollar inheritance, she’s using these lies to extract money from Johnathan. As her web of lies unravels, Johnathan discovers Mair’s other victims and makes it his mission to stop his former best friend from hurting anyone else.

Reality TV producer Johnathan Walton has worked on shows like American Ninja Warrior and Shark Tank. But for Walton, the most vicious shark he ever encounters comes in the form of a new neighbor, Mair Smyth. Claiming to be Irish royalty, Smyth says she is battling her family for a $25 million inheritance. The two develop a friendship, until Walton discovers his new best friend is an international con artist who’s stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from multiple people, including him.

In this bonus episode, fraud expert Frank Abagnale is back once again to address your questions on scams. Frank sorts through viewer emails to answer questions about the latest swindles, including an Amazon impostor scam and how to spot PPE (personal protective equipment) fraud.

Over several years the Savastano’s have poured nearly a million dollars into their close friend Monique Brady’s real estate endeavor and are shocked to learn the business is a scam. Monique is not flipping foreclosed houses as she claims to be, she’s actually running a Ponzi scheme. Concerned for their friend of two decades as well as getting their money back the Savastano’s reach out to Monique, but she stops taking their calls. As more details come forward about her scheme the Savastanos learn that Monique has stollen more than ten million dollars from her close friends and family. 

Kim and Sal considered Monique Brady family. Their children were close friends, and the families even vacationed together. Despite her booming house-flipping business, everyone who knew Monique described her as generous and down-to-earth. Monique’s success and go-getting personality convinced Sal, who worked in mortgages, to invest in her projects. But when the IRS shows up at Sal’s office asking questions about Monique, everything the they think they know about their good friend begins to unravel.

Kathy discovers that her therapist, Dr. Scott C. Redman, is not what he seems: Not only is he not a psychologist, he’s been practicing for years without any real credentials. Rather than accept that he’s been caught, Redman assumes a new identity and sets up shop at another clinic. This time he poses as a psychiatrist, prescribing medications to his new patients. However, the authorities are on to Redman and are determined to stop this serial con artist.

When Kathy’s former therapist announces he’s leaving, she does her due diligence to find a replacement. She searches online and reads patient reviews before settling on Dr. Scott C. Redman. Over the next 2 1/2 years, Dr. Redman treats Kathy. Then, one day, Kathy finds out that her doctor isn’t who he claims to be. In fact, he’s a professional con man who’s impersonated psychologists for a decade.

In this 2018 episode, Andrea’s husband secretly operates a Ponzi scheme for 15 years, stealing millions of dollars from investors, including their family, friends and neighbors. This is her story of how she found out about the scheme and what’s happened to her life since.

Marni is one of the 147 million Americans whose personal information was exposed in the Equifax data breach. She immediately takes action, freezing her credit and signing up for a credit monitoring service. Marni thinks the ordeal is behind her until she finds that despite her efforts new accounts have been opened in her name. Marni’s scammer has found a way to unfreeze her credit. Marni takes additional action to protect her credit, but the scammer is just getting started.

William Neil Gallagher has made a name for himself as a financial wizard, publishing several financial self-help books and hosting a radio show. Known as the “Money Doctor,” Gallagher handles investments for members of his close-knit Christian community in Dallas. Many of his clients are seniors, lured in by Gallagher’s prestige and promises that he cares not just about their money, but about them, too. Little do his clients know that Gallagher not only does not have the license required to offer investment advice, he also has not been investing their money at all. Gallagher is perpetuating a Ponzi scheme. 

Most people in Dallas, Texas, know William Neil “Doc” Gallagher as the “Money Doctor.” The radio host and author of financial self-help books holds himself up as a pillar of his close-knit Christian community. Doc uses his smooth radio voice to emcee for Dallas’ much loved Senior Follies singing group. He offers financial advice to anyone willing to lend and ear and lavishes friends and acquaintances with gifts. But all of Doc’s good deeds come with sinister strings attached. The “Money Doctor” is using his power and influence to steal more than $20 million from investors in a Ponzi scheme.

Most people in Dallas, Texas, know William Neil “Doc” Gallagher as the “Money Doctor.” The radio host and author of financial self-help books holds himself up as a pillar of his close-knit Christian community. Doc uses his smooth radio voice to emcee for Dallas’ much loved Senior Follies singing group. He offers financial advice to anyone willing to lend and ear and lavishes friends and acquaintances with gifts. But all of Doc’s good deeds come with sinister strings attached. The “Money Doctor” is using his power and influence to steal more than $20 million from investors in a Ponzi scheme.

This 2018 episode tells the story of the elusive French psychic Maria Duval. A letter arrives in the mail from Maria, she warns you of danger, but promises good fortune — if you send her money. This is the setup for one of the longest-running scams in U.S. history. These predatory letters were sent to millions of Americans and raked in over $200 million. Who is Maria Duval, and is she really the mastermind of this fraud scheme?

This 2018 episode tells the story of Jeff Caldwell. Jeff has lived for decades as a couch-surfing con man preying on the kindness of the outdoors community. He spins tales of hikes he’s never completed and exploits the sympathy of his marks with sad stories of his past to rip them off. But after meeting Melissa on an dating site, Jeff’s lies finally catch up with him.

After a rough divorce, Patricia’s friends encourage her to try online dating. There she meets Jeff, who passes himself off as a wealthy businessman. The two share similar interests and after an online courtship, Patricia falls for him. But every time the two plan to meet in person, Jeff cancels. Then, while on a business trip to Dubai, Jeff says he needs Patricia to send him money. Patricia begins to get suspicious. Certain her online boyfriend is a con artist, she decides to convince him to reveal his true identity.

After the death of her husband, friends encourage Debbie, a former intelligence officer, to try online dating. There she meets a handsome man who claims he’s a British doctor living in America but working overseas. Wanting to ease into a new relationship, Debbie is happy to have a long-distance confidant. The two grow closer, texting every day. Then, two years in to the relationship the unthinkable happens: Debbie’s online boyfriend reveals he’s a scammer.  

White-hat hacker Rachel Tobac takes on “The Perfect Scam,” scouring the internet and gathering intel about host Michelle Kosinski, that a hacker could use in a real-life scenario. Rachel, a three-time DEF CON conference capture-the-flag second place winner, is the CEO and cofounder of SocialProof Security, which helps people and companies keep their data safe. Rachel shares her knowledge of social engineering and walks Michelle through a "live" phishing scam.

Celebrity photographer Joe Scarnici spent thousands of dollars trying to complete an assignment in Indonesia for someone posing as billionaire Christina Ong. Another photographer, Carley Rudd, had a similar experience with a person claiming to be Wendi Deng. Comparing notes, they realize they are caught up in a scam that has been weaving its way through Hollywood freelancers. Investigators pick up the case, trying to decipher who is behind the scam and why they’re doing it.

Joe Scarnici works around the globe as a celebrity photographer, so when he gets a call from a man who proclaims himself the assistant of billionaire Christina Ong, he’s intrigued but not shocked. The assistant says Joe was recommended to Ong by one of his past clients, Martha Stewart. After speaking about the project, a photo shoot of Olympic athletes in Southeast Asia, Joe decides to sign on. A contract is signed and he flies to Indonesia, where he becomes entangled in a complex scheme that has plagued the entertainment industry for years.

Seventy-nine-year-old Jack receives a call from a young woman claiming to be his granddaughter, Grace. She tells Grandpa Jack that she’s in jail as a result of a car accident and begs him to call her attorney. The attorney claims that Grace was texting and driving and needs money for bail. Jack is instructed to send the money in cash through the mail. Before the ordeal is over, Jack sends $19,000 through the mail — but with the guidance of the police, he’s able to fight back against the scammer.

When Kathy’s purse is stolen, she follows the standard protocol: informing the police and canceling all of her credit and debit cards. She thinks the theft is an isolated incident. But a month later while making a $21 purchase, her new debit card is declined. Later at home, she receives calls from multiple bank branches regarding checks she’s supposed to have deposited, but Kathy hasn’t deposited any checks. Kathy realizes she is a victim of fraud — but is shocked to learn the intricate scheme her stolen purse has pulled her into.

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, scammers are taking advantage of this unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty. In this special episode, we’ll hear from the Department of Justice about a new crop of coronavirus-related scams, including info on what to look out for and how to protect yourself. Then, Shannon, an essential worker and coronavirus survivor, shares her story of her encounter with a fake pop-up COVID-19 testing site in Kentucky.

In Utah, Machal is busy caring for three of her grandchildren while her daughter recovers from surgery, when she gets a phone about her Social Security number. The man on the phone claims to be from the Social Security Administration and says that multiple bank accounts have been set up by a drug cartel using Machal’s number. He tells Machal that her family is in danger, she needs to act quickly. She is told that the drug cartel is watching her, so for their safety, she is to tell no one what’s happening. Especially not her husband Kyle, a member of Utah’s house of representatives. Kyle shares how he found out about the scam that stole his family’s lifesavings.

Barbara Corcoran is known for her business acumen, and with nearly 50 years in real estate under her belt, the 70-year-old mogul is still going strong. Corcoran can be seen every week as an investor and judge on ABC’s hit showShark Tankand remains an active player in real estate development. Armed with this knowledge, scammers employ an elaborate email phishing scheme in an attempt to steal Barbara’s money.  

Annie and her children think the worst of the romance scam is over, until she comes home to flowers on her doorstep. Annie assumes they’re from Mark, the man she has learned is a con artist, but the flowers are addressed to a woman named Sasha, and sent by a man Annie’s never heard of. As Annie looks into the mysterious delivery, she and her family discover this scam is bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined. 

Annie makes the tough decision to put her husband of 35 years into a nursing home for his dementia. She finds her new life without him lonely and decides to join an online dating site to look for a platonic friend. After some time she meets Mark, a widower and architect living in California. Annie, who lives in the Midwest, finds the distance perfect as she wants only a friendship. Annie believes she's found the perfect friend, but in reality she is being lured into an elaborate romance scam.

In part two of this special two-part episode on virtual kidnappings, we speak with the FBI to discuss how these scams started, why they’re so successful and what is being done to stop them. We talk to the FBI Special agent who cracked a virtual kidnapping ring, and — with virtual kidnappings on the rise in the U.S. — you’ll learn what to do if you receive a call. Then, for the first time ever, fraud expert and our host Frank Abagnale and his son, FBI Special Agent Scott Abagnale, sit down to do an interview together. They talk about growing up in the Abagnale household, Scott’s road to becoming an FBI agent, and what it was like when Frank taught one of Scott’s classes at the FBI Academy.

On an uncharacteristically rainy Southern California day, Kathie gets a call that will change her life. Her cellphone displays the caller as unknown. Even though she’s hesitant, Kathie decides to answer. On the line she hears screaming and a man claiming to have Kathie’s daughter. The man addresses both Kathie and her daughter by name,  but something about the interaction feels off. Terrified, Kathie isn’t sure what to do next. Unbeknownst to Kathie, she has been drawn into a “virtual kidnapping,” a horrific extortion-based scam that’s claiming victims across the country. In the first half of this two-part episode, you’ll learn how these scams operate and why they’re so successful. 

On this special episode of the podcast, our host, fraud expert Frank Abagnale, answers your questions. We dive into viewer emails to get Frank’s take on a wide variety of subjects, including using public Wi-Fi, DNA testing and cash transfer apps. Tune in to hear the answers to your burning questions and get Frank’s tips on how to protect yourself against fraud.

On this special episode of the podcast, our host, fraud expert Frank Abagnale, answers your questions. We dive into viewer emails to get Frank’s take on a wide variety of subjects, including using public Wi-Fi, DNA testing and cash transfer apps. Tune in to hear the answers to your burning questions and get Frank’s tips on how to protect yourself against fraud.

During the housing market crash, homeowners across the United States found themselves drowning in mortgage payments that they could not afford to make. Scammers like Jonathan Herbert took advantage of this crisis to steal money from unsuspecting homeowners. Herbert created Federal Mortgage Marketplace, a company that claimed to be government affiliated and able to help homeowners reduce their mortgage payments. Herbert preyed on homeowners whose desperation to avoid foreclosure made them particularly susceptible to the scam. Instead of providing any form of assistance as he promised, Herbert stole his clients’ mortgage payments, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars lost, with some victims even losing their homes.

Hackers are thought of as villains who use their advanced computer skills to gain unauthorized access to data and wreak havoc. But “ethical” or “white hat” hackers help companies protect themselves against attack. These information security experts use the techniques employed by malicious hackers to reveal real-world vulnerabilities that could result in a hack. Ethical hacker Jason Glassberg is a founder of a company that has been hired by Fortune 500 companies to hack into their systems and expose weaknesses. On this episode of the podcast, Jason discusses his work and the emerging technologies hackers are using to scam companies and individuals.

A pop-up appears on your computer screen, freezing the browser. It warns that your computer has been infected with malware and urges you to call a toll-free number for assistance. The number connects you to Client Care Experts, and the person who answers claims to be an IT specialist. But the person on the other end of the line is no expert. He is one of more than a hundred employees who are sitting in a boiler room in Florida, answering calls day and night, making false claims and manipulating callers into buying software they don’t need. This may sound like a typical IT scam. However, before it is shut down, Client Care Experts’ meticulously run scam will steal more than $25 million dollars from 40,000 victims around the world.

TPS Ep 53 – Description Maurine 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 Maurine a psychic reading. Figuring it will cost her just a few dollars, Maurine takes her up on the offer. Savannah takes Maurine back to her shop. During the reading she picks up on many of the troubles Maurine is facing in her personal life. Having gained Maurine’s trust, Savannah offers her various items for sale in the shop, promising that they will solve her problems. Maurine chooses a few things within her budget to purchase and starts to leave. But Savannah’s not done with her yet. She gives Maurine her phone number with an offer to continue to help her. It all seems innocent to Maurine, but this chance encounter with a boardwalk psychic will morph into a long, complex relationship that will leave her nearly broke.

Beloved Vermont children’s entertainer-turned-filmmaker Mac Parker has been raising funds for his film “Birth of Innocence” for nearly a decade. The film has yet to be completed, and what investors were promised — a three year, $1 million project — has ballooned in both time and cost. When the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation steps in to investigate irregularities in Mac’s fundraising practices, they discover he’s operating a $28 million Ponzi scheme. They dig deeper and find Mac has a silent partner named Lou Soteriou, a chiropractor in Connecticut who is being purposefully hidden from investors. Over the years, Lou has received more than $4 million in payments from Mac. Realizing the scope of the case, Vermont investigators call in the FBI. As federal agents unravel this enormous Ponzi scheme, it becomes clear that the relationship between Mac and Lou is a complicated one. The investigators are left wondering, who really is the mastermind behind this crime?

Malcom “Mac” Parker aspires to be a filmmaker. In Vermont, Mac is known as a beloved children’s entertainer, appearing on public television and performing around the state. Mac is so well respected in his community that when he begins to raise funds for his film “Birth of Innocence,” investors are quick to jump on board. His promises of high returns and a chance to be a part of the film industry sweeten the deal. Mac claims that he will need approximately $1 million and three years to complete his film. However, nearly a decade passes. The film continues to go unfinished and Mac raises well above his $1 million goal. Investors grow weary and when investigators step in to sort out the mess, they discover that Mac is embroiled in a $28 million Ponzi scheme.

In upstate New York, an older couple receives a startling call from an unknown voice.  They are told their grandson has been in a car accident. The caller knows their grandson’s name, where he lives and other details about his life.  The caller shares alarming news that police suspect his grandson is at fault for the accident and are holding him in jail. If the grandparents want to help their grandson, they’ll need to pay for a lawyer and send money immediately. Terrified, the grandparents agree to cover the legal fees to get their grandson out of jail. They follow the caller’s instructions and send $5,400 in gift cards.  Then the caller demands $10,000 cash. The grandparents don’t yet realize that they are victims of the grandparent scam, a con targeting seniors by preying on their devotion to their families. In the U.S., grandparent scams are on the rise, with nearly $41 million in reported losses in 2018, up from $26 million in 2017. Before the ordeal is over, the couple will receive dozens of calls demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars and threatening their grandson.

New Yorker Jerry Needleman was married for over 40 years when his wife passed away in 2008. The devoted couple never had children, and now in his 80s, Jerry settled into a quiet life alone as a widower. Meanwhile in Florida, a woman named Sylvia is pursuing a relationship with a retiree. The man has spent thousands of dollars on his much-younger girlfriend. When they become engaged, the man’s son steps in. In 2012, the family successfully sues Sylvia for fraud. One year later, Jerry is out for his daily walk when he comes across a distraught woman crying on a park bench. The woman is Sylvia. Jerry stops to see if she is OK, unknowingly embarking on what will be a four-year ordeal that includes a marriage, a divorce, a second marriage and annulment — and nearly $2 million lost to a romance scam.

Journalist Alex Palmer tells the story of his great-granduncle, colorful conman John Duval Gluck, who created the Santa Claus Association. Before Gluck started his charity, letters from New York City children to Santa were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity, and created the Santa Claus Association in 1913. The organization claimed to use the donations it collected to answer children’s letters to Santa and deliver them Christmas gifts. For a time, the charity did just that. For 15 years money and gifts flowed to the association, and Gluck became a Jazz Age celebrity. But efforts to crack down on corruption in New York ultimately resulted in the uncovering of irregularities that would lead to the charity’s downfall. 

We’ll be back with new episodes in November. In the meantime, enjoy this bonus episode featuring The Perfect Scam show producers as they test their fraud-busting knowledge in a game of True or False, with questions from host Frank Abagnale’s new book, Scam Me If You Can. 

Chinese Americans are being targeted by scammers in schemes known as the “Chinese consulate scam” and the “blessing scam,” through which victims have lost millions. When Mandarin-language calls began to bombard residents across the U.S., authorities take a deeper look. They find that these illegal robocalls are targeting areas with large Chinese American populations. Victims of the Chinese consulate scam are told they are in legal trouble with the Chinese government. The scammers then persuade them to hand over money or personal information to resolve the phony problem. Victims lose $150,000 on average. And, in Chinatowns across America, scammers are targeting older Chinese Americans in the blessing scam, aka the ghost scam. This scam uses some victims’ traditional beliefs to lure them into an elaborate con that involves a team of scammers who work in tandem to steal valuables and cash.

Looking for a change of pace, FBI agent Gasper decides to move from New York, where he’s lived his entire life, to North Dakota. As he settles in to his new field office in the Midwest, Gasper discovers that there are an alarming number of lottery scams being perpetrated against residents in his area. The cases are complex, and with many of the scammers overseas, they are hard to bring to trial. But Gasper is set on getting justice for the victims of these swindles and dedicates himself to investigating the crimes. Meanwhile, Nancy, a 78-year-old retired financial planner, receives a letter stating that she’s won the lottery. To claim her prize, she just needs to pay the taxes on her winnings. She isn’t sure if the claim is legitimate and is hesitant to proceed. But after receiving multiple assurances from the scammers over months, Nancy gives in and sends them $20,000 and becomes one of the many victims Gasper will interview as part of his investigation. After years of painstaking work, the FBI agent finally gets the break he’s been looking for. He links a U.S. resident to the lottery-scam ring that operates overseas. This is the connecting piece that Gasper needs and will lead to a large-scale U.S. trial, the arrest of 27 scammers, and justice for 95 victims.

Pat, an 81-year-old woman from Kentucky, receives a call that she has won a $7.5 million lottery prize. Pat can’t believe her luck. Unaware that the call is a scam, she begins speaking with the scammers multiple times a day. Over the next seven months, they befriend Pat in an effort to convince her that she’ll receive the prize money as soon as she pays taxes on her winnings. Slowly they gain Pat’s trust, and she starts sending money to the scammers. Every time she thinks she has made a final payment and will receive her prize, the scammers come up with a new issue requiring her to send more money. Eventually the scammers take over $100,000 from Pat. Unfortunately, Pat’s story is common among lottery-scam victims. Often by the time these scams are uncovered, victims have lost thousands of dollars, and because of the difficulties in tracking down and prosecuting scammers, most never receive restitution. However, determined to get a better outcome for citizens, the state of Kentucky has dedicated resources to fight back against scammers. Investigators in the Kentucky Attorney General’s office have been working to track down and prosecute scammers, and their efforts are paying off. In the last four years the Kentucky Attorney General’s office has returned $2.1 million to victims of fraud. When they hear about Pat’s case they dive in, following the money, hoping to apprehend the scammers and get justice for Pat.

After losing her job and boyfriend in the same day, a distraught Debra pays a visit to a psychic shop. Little does Debra know that the shop is part of a larger criminal organization and Sylvia, the psychic who gives her a reading, is a scammer. After a series of readings of increasing cost, Sylvia tells Debra that all of her troubles stem from her trust issues surrounding money. To solve these problems Sylvia prompts Debra to hand over a $28,000 check — to prove that she trusts others with her money. Sylvia promises to hold on to the check and return it the next day. However, Sylvia immediately cashes the check and cuts off all communication with Debra.   Debra tries a number of ways to get her money back — including contacting the police — to no avail. Eventually Debra is referred to Bob Nygard, a private investigator and retired police officer who specializes in helping victims of psychic scams. Debra tells Bob about her case, and he agrees to take it on. Bob works to chase down the facts, trying to get Debra justice. He finds that Sylvia has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims. It takes five years, but Bob finally gathers enough evidence to take down Sylvia.  

Debra is a divorced mother and ballroom dancer who travels between her home in Florida and New York to train with her dance partner. When Debra loses her part-time job in New York and boyfriend in the same day, she’s distraught. Without the extra income from her job and a place to stay from her boyfriend, Debra knows she’ll have to quit ballroom dancing — even though she and her partner have been climbing the ranks on the Pro-Am circuit. Walking in Greenwich Village, Debra sees a psychic shop she often passes. Today it catches her eye. She is searching for answers and decides to stop in. The shop is well- appointed with lavish decor and plaques that show additional locations in glamorous cities around the world. Sylvia, the psychic who comes to give Debra a reading, is dressed to the nines — like many professionals you would see in New York. After the initial reading, Sylvia says she can help Debra but that she’ll need to come back for a deep reading. When Debra returns for the two-hour deep reading, Sylvia determines that Debra has trust issues, particularly when it involves money. Seeking closure and desperate for a solution to her problems, Debra starts to believe and trust Sylvia. The psychic tells Debra to write her a check for $28,000 and promises she will hold on to it for one day. When she returns the check, Sylvia tells Debra that her money and trust issues will be solved. Debra follows Sylvia’s instructions and gets the money for the check from a home equity loan. However, as soon as she hands the check over, Debra realizes she has made a terrible mistake.

Rob, a veteran in his 70’s, was a caretaker for his wife for years. He is still grieving her death when he receives a call from a woman claiming to be from social security. The woman tells Rob that his social security number has been used to defraud multiple banks and there is a warrant out for his arrest. Even more troubling for Rob, the woman tells him that he will need to get all new identification cards. Rob has been looking forward to taking his special needs daughter on a much needed vacation and worries he won’t be able to get a new license in time for the trip. In a frenzied state, he begins to comply with the instructions of the woman on the phone. But as her directions get stranger, Rob begins to question if he’s doing the right thing. He realizes that he may be the victim of a scam. Unfortunately, by this time the scammers have already emptied out Rob’s savings account. Rob is distraught as this means he’ll have to cancel his trip with his daughter. But, just when he’s about to lose all hope, Rob’s community steps in to help.

After 26 years of service, U.S. Army Col. Bryan Denny retires from an incredible career in the military and begins to receive odd messages. They’re coming from women around the world who claim to be in online relationships with him. But Bryan isn’t on any dating sites. Meanwhile Kathy Walters is learning about the online boyfriend of her friend Sharon. They plan to marry, but Sharon has never met the man in person because he claims to be in the military stationed overseas. Sharon shows Kathy a picture of the man she knows as Ross, but the name on his uniform reads Bryan Denny. Unsure if her friend is in a real romance or caught up in romance scam, Kathy begins to investigate. She heads to Facebook, and what she finds is shocking. The same picture Kathy’s friend has fallen in love with is featured in multiple profiles across the internet under a wide variety of names. That’s when Kathy knows she needs to track down the real Bryan Denny. After some digging, Kathy is able to locate him and reaches out to see if Bryan has any knowledge of what’s going on. Bryan has been fielding calls, emails and sometimes in-person visits from women who’ve fallen in love with his picture. Together, Bryan and Kathy uncover hundreds of fraudulent social media and dating site accounts that are using Bryan’s image, as well as images of his family members, to entice women into romance scams. Disgusted by what they’ve found, Kathy and Bryan decide to fight back against these scammers.

TripAdvisor and the Federal Communications Commission are conducting separate investigations into the same series of robocalls that have caused a public nuisance. The FCC became aware of the calls when they shut down a paging service used to communicate with emergency personnel. TripAdvisor began to investigate when its customers reported that these calls were fraudulently using the travel site’s name to sell vacation packages. Finally, after months of investigating, the head of TripAdvisor’s anti-fraud (“anti-fraud,” not “fraud” team) team, Fred Garvin, gets a break in the case. He personally receives one of the robocalls that have been plaguing TripAdvisor’s customers. Working backward to find the source of the call, TripAdvisor gathers the information it needs to track down where the calls are coming from. Once it has sufficient evidence, TripAdvisor reaches out to the FCC. To the website’s surprise, the FCC has also been tirelessly investigating the same robocalls. Now working together, TripAdvisor and the FCC build a case against the source of the calls, “Robocall King” Adrian Abramovich. The FCC finds that in a three-month period,  Abramovich is responsible for making more than 96 million robocalls. These illegal calls use the names of companies such as TripAdvisor, Marriott, Expedia, and Hilton to trick victims into purchasing vacation packages. With the culprit identified, the FCC gets to work shutting down Abramovich’s operation.

The average American is on the receiving end of more than 150 robocalls a year. Some robocalls, which are automated telephone calls placed by a computerized auto dialer, have legitimate purposes. Unfortunately, many of these calls are used to pester or scam consumers. In June 2019 alone Americans received 4.35 billion robocalls, with scams and telemarketing making up over 50 percent. Curious about the barrage of robocalls he himself receives, journalist Alex Palmer decides to look into how robocalls work and why they’ve become so popular. He finds that advances in technology and the low cost of placing robocalls—as little as 4 cents per dial—have made this nuisance a popular marketing tool for scammers. After digging deeper into the trend, Alex discovers the case of a set of illegal robocalls that temporarily stalled a Virginia-based paging provider, disrupting the ability of hospitals to get in touch with emergency services personnel. As a result, local doctors, nurses, EMTs and firefighters were at risk of missing critical pages. Due to the resulting public safety hazard, the Federal Communications Commission made tracking down the source of these robocalls a top priority. Meanwhile, travel-review website TripAdvisor is being inundated with complaints from customers that it is soliciting them through robocalls to use its travel rewards program. But TripAdvisor isn’t making the calls and doesn’t have a rewards program. With its reputation at stake, TripAdvisor puts its top fraud experts on the case. The FCC and the travel site will eventually learn that they are on the hunt for the same man, Adrian Abramovich.

In a Texas suburb, a typical lottery scam has turned into something much more sinister. A scammer has promised a retired couple a fictitious lottery payout if they continue to send him money for fees and taxes. With their life savings gone, the victims are forced to sell their home. But the swindler isn’t done with them yet, as his constant calls have created a bond between him and the 70-year-old woman, who may be suffering from dementia. He realizes that she has grown fond of him and pivots from a lottery to a romance scam. He promises her a beautiful life together on the sandy beaches of Jamaica, where he’s based. The con man tells her that all he needs is money in order to start building an oceanfront dream home that they can share. To come up with the funds, he proposes a disturbing plan. He demands that she kill her husband and flee to Jamaica with the proceeds of their home sale. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which has been monitoring a trail of cash making its way from the U.S. to the scammer in Jamaica, discovers the couple in Texas and sends an agent to their home. When the agent arrives, little does he know he’s about to walk into a murder plot.

A woman in a Texas suburb is enjoying her retirement years with her husband when she gets a call that will change their lives. According to the voice on the phone, she’s won an overseas lottery. Millions of dollars and a new luxury car will be delivered to her front door. But before she can collect the cash and other prizes, she must send money to the man on the phone. At first, she’s told she needs to pay taxes, then lawyers’ fees. As the demands to send cash mount, her bank account is drained. Nine months later, the couple has lost everything and is forced to sell their home. Lottery scams are on the rise in the U.S., with more than a half-million complaints in North America in the past three years. The island nation of Jamaica is a hotbed for this criminal activity. These scams have cost Americans millions of dollars and led to increased gang warfare in Jamaica that has upped the murder rate there. To combat this growing issue, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force, along with other U.S. agencies, are dedicating resources to shut down lottery scams. One postal inspector came across a scammer’s financial trail that led back to the Texas couple who’d been drawn in by a lottery scam. When the inspector arrived in Texas, he couldn’t believe what he found: Not only had the scammer drained the couple’s savings, but he was now operating a romance scam — with the woman as his target.

Desiree, the “Sweetheart Swindler,” has made off with $15,000 of 76-year-old Jim’s money. Once a millionaire, Jim lost his real estate empire during the recession, and now thanks to Desiree he has also lost the savings he worked tirelessly to rebuild. Desiree has moved on to a new mark, Doug, a veteran living in Nevada. This time around Desiree’s husband joins her in the con, approaching Doug in a parking lot and offering to come to his home to fix dents in his car. On one such visit, Desiree tags along. Eventually she starts to visit Doug on her own. Each time she enters Doug’s house she gathers information, stealing his Social Security number and other personal information. Doug, who has always been close with his sister Patty, calls her when things start to go missing from his home. Patty arrives to find Doug’s life in complete disarray. There are papers and unopened mail covering every surface of his house. Patty digs in,  finding multiple credit cards in Doug’s name that he knows nothing about. There are bills for women’s clothes, dinners, cash advances and even a car. Wracked with debt that he can’t account for, Doug is on the verge of losing his house. After talking to Doug’s home health care worker, Patty figures out that the bills may be connected to a woman who makes frequent visits to the house. Patty tries to track down this woman. Meanwhile, authorities in Texas, where Desiree has a home, are also on the hunt for her, but she’s skipped town. Little does Desiree know that her crime spree is coming to an end: Authorities in Texas have tracked her to an address in Nevada — Doug’s.

Jim spent much of his life building a real estate empire on the West Coast. In the process he became a millionaire, profiled in newspapers and on television. But in 2007, when the recession hit, Jim lost his vast fortune. At 76, Jim is running a small resort in Lake Tahoe, working to slowly rebuild his finances, when he receives a mysterious call. The woman on the other end of the line asks for Jim by name. She introduces herself as Desiree and asks if Jim remembers her. He doesn’t, but Desiree is unfazed, claiming to have met Jim at the resort while she was a guest. She wants to get to know him better and before the call ends, Desiree has arranged another trip to the resort to visit a flattered Jim. Desiree arrives with a business opportunity for Jim, who quickly realizes she thinks he’s still wealthy. She’s visibly disappointed to find that Jim’s house is no longer a mansion but a renovated Airstream trailer. At every turn of the visit, Desiree finds a reason to ask Jim for money — she needs investors for a new business and money to pay a family member’s mortgage — but Jim isn’t in a position to lend or invest money. Desiree decides it’s time to go home. When Jim returns from taking her to the airport, he has an uneasy feeling. He looks to make sure the checkbook the resort keeps to pay vendors is still there. It is, but the stash of cash he keeps in the same drawer, the little savings he has left, is gone. Jim immediately contacts the authorities, but Desiree, who will eventually come to be known as the “Sweetheart Swindler,” is just getting started.

Bobby Thompson was once a respected fundraiser, generating millions of dollars for his charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. When a Florida journalist uncovers that the charity is a scam, Thompson goes on the run. Eventually he starts a new life as “Don Morsette” in Portland, Ore. Living in a boardinghouse and claiming to work as a consultant for Boeing, Thompson thinks he’s outsmarted the U.S. marshals hunting him. He even keeps a DVD of the movie “Catch Me if You Can” and $1 million in cash in a storage locker. But the marshals arrest him outside his home, ending their two-year manhunt. Although they know Thompson is the man they’ve been looking for, marshals still don’t entirely know who he is. Thompson refuses to give his real name, signing court documents as “Mr. X.”    Who is Bobby Thompson, and what led him to steal money meant for veterans? Federal investigators are determined to answer these questions. While he sits in jail awaiting trial, they dive back into the case, speaking to people who knew the man who called himself Bobby Thompson. In the end, these conversations reveal two clues, a haircut and eye drops, that will ultimately uncover Thompson’s true identity. 

The man known to Washington’s elite and powerful politicians as Captain Bobby Thompson has disappeared. Due to an investigation by a Florida-based journalist, it’s been revealed that Thompson’s charity, the US Navy Veterans Association, is an elaborate scam. For years this charity has fraudulently collected millions of dollars under the guise of supporting military veterans. Rather than face up to his crimes, when a warrant is issued for his arrest, Thompson goes on the run. U.S. marshals are hot on his trail, but with more than 19 fake ids, Thompson is a hard man to catch. Every time authorities close in on him he proves to be one step ahead of them. Nearly two years go by, but law enforcement refuses to give up the chase. Finally, in 2012, a man going by the name of Don Morrissette shows up in Portland. He rents a room in a boarding house and claims to be a consultant for Boeing but spends his days at a local bar. It’s in this bar that U.S. marshals catch up with Bobby Thompson.

The U.S. Navy Veterans Association claimed to be a charity headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded by Bobby Thompson, known to top politicians as a retired lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, the charity’s stated purpose was to support veterans and their families. Using telemarketing firms, the association secured contributions from donors big and small, collecting from everyday people who wanted to honor the service of men and woman in the U.S. military by giving back to veterans in need. While that was a noble cause, nothing about the U.S. Navy Veterans Association was what it seemed. Buoyed by the eccentric Bobby Thompson, the association thrived on more than $20 million in revenue. Thompson’s status as a well-respected fundraiser allowed him to circulate among Washington’s elite, pose for pictures with presidents and donate large sums to political campaigns under the guise of championing veterans. But when Jeff Testerman, an investigative journalist from Florida, tracked Thompson down to ask a simple question about one of his political donations, Thompson was evasive and combative. Testerman knew there was a secret hiding behind Thompson’s behavior and dug in. Little did Testerman know how deep the lies and secrets of the charity and Thompson went. The U.S. Navy Veterans Association wasn’t sending money to veterans; it was an elaborate scam. And Jeff Testerman discovered that its founder was not a retired naval officer — nor was his name Bobby Thompson.

Darren Berg’s crimes are catching up to him. Through his company the Meridian Group, Berg has been operating Washington state’s largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors of more than $100 million. The FBI, the U.S. attorney’s office and the IRS are all on the case, combing through Meridian’s financial records. People like best-selling author J.A. Jance, who invested a half-million dollars with Berg on the recommendation of her financial adviser, are realizing they may never see their retirement savings again. Other investors who have already retired are grappling with the fact that they may lose their homes as a result of Berg’s crimes. Darren Berg is charged with nine counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Considered a flight risk, he’s remanded to custody. Berg claims to be cooperating with authorities, but they aren’t sure he’s being truthful. They think he might be hiding funds and planning an escape, and what happens next proves their suspicions.

It’s 2009 and Bernie Madoff has pleaded guilty to stock and securities fraud in New York. Covered heavily by the media, Madoff’s Ponzi scheme is front of mind for many Americans. It also has a group of investors on the West Coast concerned. They’ve placed their hard-earned savings with the Meridian Group, a company operating out of downtown Seattle. Its founder, Darren Berg, a well-known and respected businessman, reassures his investors that their retirement savings are safe. His firm has passed several audits, and Berg promises that there is no “magic” behind the company’s robust rate of returns. Besides Meridian, Berg runs a successful charter bus company with high-profile clients like Nike, the NFL and Google. In Washington state people trust Berg, and his charismatic personality has helped him assuage investors for years. But in 2010, the house of cards Berg had built begins to fall. One of Meridian’s largest investors wants to cash out, and Berg is unable to pay. Complaints roll in to the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington and the FBI. The authorities take a deeper look into the Meridian Group and confirm investors’ worst fears: They are part of the largest Ponzi scheme the state has ever seen. Darren Berg’s lavish lifestyle of yachts, mansions and private planes has been fraudulently funded by his investors. With the authorities working to shut the scheme down, the end of the Meridian Group is imminent, but Berg has one more trick up his sleeve.

The FBI is on to Farid Fata, an oncology doctor in Michigan who has been administering unnecessary cancer treatments in order to steal $34 million from Medicare. George, the practice’s office manager, has gathered enough evidence to bring the case to the authorities. It lands of the desk of Agent Drake during his first week with the FBI’s health care fraud team. Investigators are disgusted by what they find and work to bring Fata to justice.

When Dr. Maunglay moves to Michigan, he’s excited to join Dr. Fata’s practice. But Fata’s controlling and odd ways make him question his decision to take the job. When Maunglay looks into a patient’s records, he’s shocked at what he finds: Fata is giving chemotherapy and other treatments to patients who don’t need it, some of whom don’t have cancer at all. His motive? Stealing money from Medicare.

A bustling oncology practice in Michigan is hiding something sinister. Patients come to Farid Fata at their most vulnerable, after they’ve been diagnosed with cancer or to receive the life-altering diagnosis. But when Angela, an oncology nurse, arrives at one of Fata’s well-regarded clinics for an interview, she finds that nothing is as it seems. Horrified by what she sees, she reports the doctor for committing an unthinkable form of Medicare fraud. 

Single mother Sara is growing suspicious of the man she met online. He claims to be an Army major stationed in South Africa, but Sara’s family worries she’s being scammed. Meanwhile, another woman approaches law enforcement to report that she’s been swindled out of thousands of dollars by the same man in a romance scam. 

Sara thought she knew everything about the Army major and single father she met online. After months talking she found herself falling for him. But what Sara didn’t know was that the man she’d fallen in love with was actually the ringleader of a romance scam that bilked nearly $2 million from its victims.

On this special episode of The Perfect Scam, Frank breaks down all the ways fraudsters try to scam you through voicemail and email by claiming to be everything from IRS agents to bank officials. Frank gives the skinny on each scam, who’s behind them, and what you should and shouldn’t do if you get a scam message. Plus, the show producers share their own voicemails from scammers.

Bryon, a retired pastor, thought he’d met his dream girl online. For five years he conversed over the internet with Joy, who claimed to live in London. So when Joy asked Bryon to transport real estate papers, he had no idea he was being used in an elaborate plot to smuggle drugs. Bryon is one of hundreds of Americans over the age of 60 who were conned into unwittingly serving as drug mules in what the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging calls one of the worst scams it has uncovered.

Every year thousands of Americans get fraudulent calls from con artists claiming to be from the IRS. Working from call centers around the world, these fraudsters pressure targets with threats of jail, liens and garnished wages to scam them out of money. We uncover how these call centers work and speak to a 19-year-old who helped the FTC shut down one of the largest.

Jeff has lived for decades as a couch-surfing con man preying on the kindness of the outdoors community. He spins tales of hikes he’s never completed and exploits the sympathy of his marks with sad stories of his past to rip them off. Now Jeff’s lies are finally catching up with him. After stealing a car and credit cards, the con man has turned fugitive with the police hot on his trail.

When Melissa met Jeff Cantwell online, the two connected immediately. He was friendly, well spoken and shared her love of the outdoors. Jeff told Melissa stories of the daunting hikes he’d completed and shared the tragic loss of his family in a car accident. But these were just stories: In reality, Jeff “Cantwell” was Jeff Caldwell, a con man who’d spent decades ripping off members of the close-knit outdoor community.

Deep within the internet is the dark web, a space where criminals can anonymously buy and sell illegal goods and private information. Known as the “original internet godfather,” Brett Johnson created one of the dark web’s first online stores where criminals bought stolen credit cards, Social Security numbers, drugs and guns. After serving seven years in prison, Brett turned his back on criminal enterprise and became a consultant for the Secret Service. Brett walks us through how he became a con man, why he changed his ways and how you can protect yourself from cybercriminals.

A prominent philanthropist and the epicenter of the New York society scene, Brooke Astor lived a tumultuous but glamourous life. Left a fortune by her third husband, Vincent Astor, Brooke planned to live out her later years at her country estate. But when Brooke’s son refuses to let her do so, then sells his mother’s favorite painting (worth over $30 million), grandson Philip decides to step in. Philip’s efforts to return his grandmother to the country home she loved would uncover one of the most prominent cases of financial elder abuse in U.S. history, with millions lost and a family torn apart.

MSNBC anchor Richard Lui commutes from New York to San Francisco to help care for his father. Stephen Lui, who spent his career as a pastor and social worker, is now retired and suffers from dementia. After Stephen responds to mail from scammers, they begin bombarding him with hundreds of calls asking for money for fake charities and lotteries. But the Luis’ story is about more than being scammed, it’s about Richard and his family’s dedication to caring for Stephen.

CNN journalists Melanie Hickens and Blake Ellis have spent years investigating psychic Maria Duval. Letters in her name were sent to millions around the globe promising psychic protection in exchange for money. In 2016, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service permanently shut down the fraud scheme in the United States, but investigators have yet to find Maria, leaving Melanie and Blake to wonder whether she even exists.

A letter arrives in the mail from a woman claiming to have psychic abilities. She warns you of danger but promises good fortune — if you send her money. This is the setup for one of the longest-running scams in U.S. history. These predatory letters were sent to millions of Americans and raked in over $200 million. At the center of it all is the elusive French psychic Maria Duval. Who is Maria Duval, and is she really the mastermind of this fraud scheme? Or has she unknowingly lent a face and a name to one of the biggest cons in history?

Valerie, a 90-year-old retiree, believes she’s won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. She’s handed over tens of thousands of dollars to scammers in order to collect a prize that doesn’t exist. No matter how her daughters try, they can’t convince their mother she’s being scammed. With the stress from the scam damaging Valerie’s health, her daughters take drastic measures.

Valerie, a social and energetic retiree, can’t believe her luck when she receives a letter stating that she’s won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. When Valerie shares the news with her adult daughters, they don’t think much of it. Then large sums of money start disappearing from Valerie’s bank account, her telephone rings nonstop, and she retreats from social life. Concerned, Valerie’s daughter’s launch their own investigation and discover that their mother has been sucked into a dangerous scam.

We’ll be back with new episodes of The Perfect Scam on July 27. In the meantime, enjoy this bonus episode featuring the producers of the podcast showing off their fraud-busting skills in a pop quiz. And don’t forget to nominate The Perfect Scam for The People’s Choice Podcast Awards at www.podcastawards.com. Nominations open July 1.

In this episode of The Perfect Scam, Frank discusses his favorite scams. Then Will speaks with AARP Fraud Watch Network experts Kristin Keckeisen and Amy Nofziger to learn more about being on the front lines and helping victims who’ve been scammed.

In this episode of The Perfect Scam, we pull back the curtain on call centers and learn about the rise and fall of one call center employee who scammed victims daily. We’ve talked a lot about scams but not big-news breaches. Frank discusses major online breaches such as at Equifax, checking your credit scores, and monitoring your kids' credit/identity.

When Elaine makes a connection with a man on a dating site, she believes this could be something really special. Over time, the online relationship turns romantic. So when Elaine’s new boyfriend claims to be overseas on business and needs money, she’s willing to help. In the end, the man disappears — but only after Elaine had sent him thousands of dollars in cash. Online romance scams are the No. 1 scam for money reported lost. It happens every day, and con artists are only getting more clever on how to pull at your heartstrings.

Ann was the victim of something called a re-scam. The scammer claimed to be from her credit card company and was calling to notify Ann of fraudulent charges on her account. Ann is normally wary of giving out information over the phone, but her husband had recently been diagnosed with cancer — so she was distracted and let her guard down. By the time she realized it was a scam, it was too late. The scammer used the information she provided to steal thousands of dollars from Ann’s bank account. 

George and Sandra are retirees in Santa Monica, Calif. On a typical afternoon drive, they are confronted by a driver who claims George and Sandra hit his car. He demands that they pull over, and when a second driver pulls up claiming to have witnessed the accident, George and Sandra are shocked. But these two aren’t gullible. They tell the drivers to follow them, and when the fraudsters realize they are being taken to the police station, they quickly drive away. TIPS: Intimidation and urgency are red flags that someone is trying to scam you. Go to a police station or call the police if you feel unsafe. If you are in an accident, have an impartial professional assess the damage.

Beth receives a phone call and a follow-up message on her computer from a man claiming he’s from Dell. The message is strong: Her bank account is being hacked by Russians, and if she doesn’t pay up, they’ll steal even more of her money. Typically, Beth is able to pick up on scams, but Dell is a client she works with regularly — so her guard is down. The “Dell” representative tells her that she owes $3,998. “He gives me an address. I write the check out and mail it.” After quickly learning it was a scam, Beth is heartbroken and embarrassed. However, thanks to local law enforcement, Beth is able to recover all her money! 

Andrea’s husband secretly operated a Ponzi scheme for 15 years and stole millions of dollars from investors, including their relatives, friends and neighbors. This is her story of how she found out about the scheme and what’s happened to her life after her husband was convicted. 

Tracy is looking for companionship when she makes a connection online with a widower. They begin talking every day. Her new boyfriend tells her he must leave the country for work, but once he's overseas he starts asking Tracy to send money and electronics. Tracy thinks she is helping him with his business, but really she is being scammed. She sends him thousands of dollars in products before she learns the man is a known scammer. Despite her best efforts, she never gets her money back.

After her father dies, Grace is in charge of investing his lifetime savings. She decides to put the money into gold and silver. Along the way, she realizes the investment isn’t what she had thought it was.

Martha gets a message from the police department saying she's missed jury duty and there’s a warrant out for her arrest. In order to avoid being arrested, she needs to send $1,000 to the courthouse immediately. Wanting to do the right thing and not get in trouble with the law, Martha follows the instructions from the man on the phone. After a frantic chase around town — in which she purchases reloadable money cards and fears the police are following her — Martha sends the money.

Alex Goldman is the host of the Reply All podcast. When he gets a peculiar phone call from someone claiming to be from Apple tech support, Alex quickly realizes it’s a scam — and he wants to learn more about the scam artist and the industry he works in. Alex goes on a deep dive into the shady world of call centers and makes some startling discoveries.

Richard is a retired journalist who receives a call from someone claiming to be his grandson in jail. The young man on the other end of the line tells Richard he needs money to help him get out. By asking the right questions and not giving in, Richard discovers the man is a con artist.     

Coming soon from AARP, The Perfect Scam.