The Perfect Scam

In this 2021 episode, after 80-year-old Alan returns from a trip to the Middle East and Africa, where he visited new "friends" he made online, his wife grows suspicious that he's involved in a scam and contacts the FBI. That's when rookie FBI agent Mike gets involved. Over the next nine months, Alan becomes Mike's informant as they work to prosecute scammers who aren't even on American soil.

In part 2, James is becoming suspicious of the people who are "helping" him sell his Lake Tahoe time-share. After several months of paying fees, he learns that he's in the middle of a common, and dangerous, time-share resale scam. The people he thinks are real estate agents are actually members of a notorious Mexican cartel who have shifted their business from drug trafficking to the even more lucrative business of scams.

When James receives a call from a company offering to sell his Lake Tahoe time-share, he jumps at the chance to off-load it. They find a buyer in Mexico and draw up a contract through an escrow company in New York City. James is told he only has to pay a fee to transfer the property, which will be reimbursed by the buyer. Unexpected fees and expenses continue to pile up, but James does not get any closer to completing the sale. Little does he know that his time-share sale is connected to a dangerous Mexican drug cartel.

Jody and her husband love to travel, and they love to save up credit card reward points to make their family vacations more affordable. When they start getting notifications that some of their points have been redeemed without their permission, they are led on a monthslong ordeal to secure their accounts from criminals who are turning those hard-earned points into cash.

The pandemic is tough for Victor's small business, but the loan he receives from the Paycheck Protection Program is a lifeline. Years later, he receives a call from someone claiming to be from the sheriff's office. The caller says Victor's loan application has been flagged as fraudulent and he must pay the money back right away or face arrest. Victor doesn't realize that his loan information is public and easily accessible to scammers, who use it to their advantage.

Lorraine is grieving her father when she receives a letter claiming to be from Florida Power & Light notifying her to contact them. A kind "operator" named Anna walks her through the process of switching the account from her father to setting up a new one in her name and paying a deposit. A few weeks later, a notice from the real Florida Power & Light arrives in Lorraine's mailbox and she realizes Anna wasn't who she said she was. The criminals have gotten away with the $300 deposit, and the information they have stolen is much more valuable.

Amid quickly changing technology and social trends, criminals are constantly developing new methods of defrauding consumers. In this bonus episode, Bob talks with Amy Nofziger of the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline to discuss six of the fastest-growing scams. These include new forms of check fraud, celebrity impersonation, sweepstakes and grandparent scams, along with the technology of voice printing and scams related to the upcoming summer Olympics.

The criminal side of the internet, the Dark Web, is unknown to most of us. This week's guest, criminologist David Maimon, takes us behind the curtain into a world where criminals talk to one another anonymously and the personal identifying information of thousands of unsuspecting victims is up for sale. Learn how Maimon's research warns of emerging trends and how consumers can protect themselves.

A woman falls for an online romance scam as she communicates with someone impersonating a Korean celebrity. The relationship turns romantic but requires a hefty sum of money for a meeting. She faces emotional turmoil and financial loss, highlighting the dangers of falling for impersonation scams. The aftermath shows her seeking support from friends and community, emphasizing the importance of warning others and seeking justice against scammers.

Marlene is suffering from terrible back pain and preparing to have surgery in a few days when her computer suddenly begins flashing a fraud warning. The tech support operator tells her that her account has been compromised. Fearing the money she needs for her surgery will be lost, she pushes through the blinding pain and races to her bank and a cryptocurrency ATM in hopes of saving her money.