The Perfect Scam

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.