The Perfect Scam

Chris Mancinelli shares the harrowing story of his father, Alfred, who falls prey to relentless online romance scams. With insights from Marty DeLima, a professor studying the impact of scams on older adults, they discuss the family's emotional turmoil and the shame that often accompanies such deception. Chris reveals their desperate attempts to help Alfred, navigating complex family dynamics and the psychological effects of fraud. Together, they emphasize the importance of open communication and strategies to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.

Chris Manzanelli shares his harrowing experience as he and his brother uncover their father Alfred's entanglement in multiple scams, including a romance scam with an impostor posing as WWE star Alexa Bliss. The podcast delves into the uneasy interactions between father and sons as they explore troubling financial patterns while trying to maintain familial bonds. It also highlights the emotional toll of scams on both the victims and their loved ones, emphasizing the complexities of elder care and the vulnerability exacerbated by isolation during the pandemic.

Niki Hutchinson shares her heart-wrenching tale of being duped in a crypto-dating scam, where she lost her inheritance and trust in emotional connections. With insights from Jean Chatzky, a seasoned financial editor, they explore the dangerous intersection of romance and cryptocurrency. Niki recounts the thrill and eventual disaster of investing under false pretenses while Jean highlights essential strategies for recognizing scams and protecting one's finances. Their conversation reveals the emotional turmoil of trusting too easily and the importance of cautious investments.

In this episode, Cathy Jr., a retired Army Reserve veteran, shares her harrowing experience of falling victim to a deceptive work-from-home reshipping scam. Joined by Melissa Lanning, Executive Director at the Better Business Bureau Institute of Marketplace Trust, they delve into the emotional and financial struggles of job seekers. They discuss the red flags of reshipping scams, the clever tactics used by scammers, and the importance of vigilance in the digital job market. Listeners also gain valuable insights into reporting scams and accessing support resources.

80-year-old David lives in a tight-knit community, frequently helping his neighbors with yard care and other tasks. So when he gets a knock on the door from two brothers claiming they are working on his neighbor's home, and noticed a hole in his roof, David agrees to let them fix it. But one repair turns into many as the brothers find more and more work that needs to be done on his house. David's daughter is suspicious, and when she finds out that the work has cost her father over $450,000, she jumps into action to help catch the criminals.

Rodney Baldus, a retired truck driver from Minnesota, believes he is the recipient of a large inheritance belonging to his late wife. The inheritance is in Italy, but he is told he must first fly to Africa to sign papers before going on to Italy. Since his travel expenses are all paid for, Rodney is not suspicious of criminal activity. Unfortunately, Rodney is now sitting in a crowded jail cell in Mozambique with little hope of ever getting out, and his daughter, Nicole, fears for her diabetic father's life. Rodney is what is sometimes called a blind mule, a victim who was persuaded to transport money or contraband for a criminal gang, an unwitting participant in a serious crime. Journalist Mariana van Zeller, host of National Geographic Television's Trafficked, tells his story.

Ray is retired but always looking for interesting opportunities. So, when he gets a cold call from a whiskey brokerage firm asking if he wants to invest in some of the world's rarest whiskeys, he's intrigued. He meets with a wealth manager, Casey Alexander, who is well-mannered and professional. Ray feels confident investing over $300,000 in whiskey, although around this time, the investment scheme catches the attention of a U.S. attorney and the FBI.

In this 2023 episode, YouTube star Kitboga has turned scam baiting into performance art, delighting his 3.6 million followers with his many characters and laughs at the expense of online criminals. It started out as pure curiosity, and a way to avenge his grandparents who'd been victims of scams, but along the way, he's helped return money and hijacked accounts to victims, and he's taught a lot of viewers how online scams work. Bob sits down with Kitboga for a humorous and enlightening conversation. 

In this 2022 episode, host Bob Sullivan welcomes special guest Alexis Conran. Conran’s insight into the mind of a con man comes from acting as one on the popular BBC show The Real Hustle. On the series, Conran, an actual trained magician, and his team perpetrate scams on unsuspecting consumers and then reveal the crimes to the victims (now in the hundreds), all in the name of educating the public. Conran discusses what he’s learned about the criminal mindset and what he has identified as the elements of deception.

We use our smartphones for just about everything these days, and that makes them a prime target for scammers. Online banking often relies on a code sent in a text message to verify the account holder's identity, but criminals have figured out a way to impersonate the phone and intercept these messages. This is exactly what happens when Jeff receives an SOS message on his phone, and before the day is over, thieves steal tens of thousands of dollars from him. The good news is, there's a simple thing we can all do to safeguard our phones and our accounts today.