Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast

Biohacking or Black Market? The Dark Side of Wellness | Scott Carney

Dec 8, 2025
Scott Carney, an investigative journalist and author, dives deep into the murky waters of wellness fraud and organ trafficking. He reveals shocking truths about wellness influencers and their grifts. Carney uncovers the dark realities of organ brokering and discusses his findings on China's tissue-typing allegations. He shares how modern wellness scams mimic religious cons and critiques the monetization of hope among scientists and podcasters. Ultimately, he advocates for direct audience engagement and the power of independent storytelling.
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INSIGHT

Wellness Grifts Follow A Predictable Pattern

  • Scott Carney observes wellness influencers sell hope with science-like authority and supplement codes attached.
  • He warns the same grift patterns repeat across spiritual gurus and modern podcasters promising longevity or performance.
ANECDOTE

AG1 Founder’s Hidden Criminal Past Exposed

  • Scott recounts digging into AG1's founder Chris Ashenden and finding a rent-to-own fraud and misleading legal responses.
  • After publishing, legal threats collapsed and the company dropped its expensive law firm, giving Carney a public victory.
INSIGHT

Human Body Part Markets Are Widespread

  • Scott explains The Red Market documented global demand for human body parts across many markets.
  • He notes the trade has worsened since his book was published a decade ago.
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