The Perfect Scam

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.