The Perfect Scam

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.