The Perfect Scam

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, Kirsten, 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.