A swashbuckling South African expat, Benjamin Mauerberger, rose up as a boiler-room stock hustler in Southeast Asia, then reappeared years later with a diplomatic passport and extraordinary wealth. When reporters start pulling at threads, they uncover an entirely new identity: this stock scammer seems to now be a key player in the industrial “pig butchering” scam economy. How does a small-time con artist end up orbiting political dynasties, buying yachts and private jets?… And what happens when ...
May 28, 2026•33 min•Ep. 30
Join your Chameleon host Josh Dean and his partner in (dumb) crime, comedian Rory Scovel, as they dive into the incredible story of a shady Swami who scammed Newark, New Jersey into adopting the Hindu city of Kailasa as a “sister city.” The problem: Kailasa doesn’t exist. And the swami behind it? A notorious scammer who’s on the run from various charges, some of them very serious. “Very embarrassing for the city,” one Newark resident told CBS. “Truly no words,” said another. Crimeless is a produ...
May 27, 2026•37 min
Fyre Festival was sold as the most exclusive party on earth — a luxury music festival in the Bahamas for influencers, celebrities, and the ultra-wealthy. It became one of the most shared disasters of the social-media era, but by the time the truth had emerged, thousands of people had already bought into the dream. And if the organizer was right, could be persuaded to do so again. And again. And again. Read Gabrielle Bluestone’s book Hype: Inside the Fyre Festival and the Golden Age of Grift Watc...
May 21, 2026•41 min•Ep. 29
The story of a mild-mannered guy who charmed his way into the lives—and bank accounts—of women on two continents by posing as a wealthy heir with big crypto dreams. But Ken’s real talent isn’t getting your money — it’s disappearing before anyone can prove what he’s done. To listen to Natalie and Abukar’s podcast: Catch Me If You Ken Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com...
May 14, 2026•31 min•Ep. 28
A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder should have been a footnote—a guy who raced once, finished 24th, and faded away. But in early 2026, Ryan Wedding resurfaces as a fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, accused of running a sprawling cocaine network and ordering hits across borders. How did a middle-class kid from a ski family end up here? Ready Alyssa and Tisha’s reporting on Wedding for ESPN Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleo...
May 07, 2026•45 min•Ep. 27
As a lonely, grieving teenager in the early days of the internet, Celeste Mott is drawn into a secretive message board called "The Looking Glass": a place where self-proclaimed vampires demand total belief, reward devotion, and punish doubt. What begins as fantasy soon becomes something much more dangerous: a closed world built on manipulation, hierarchy, and psychological control. Years later, Celeste tells the story of how she was pulled in, why it was so hard to leave, and the charismatic fig...
Apr 30, 2026•49 min•Ep. 26
Gay Talese thought he’d landed a once-in-a-lifetime story every journalist dreams about: a motel owner who built a hidden viewing platform so he could watch guests in their most private moments and kept meticulous “research” notes for decades. But when Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi starts pulling at the threads, the story begins to unravel into something messy. A source who can’t stop exaggerating, and journalist who may have wanted to believe a little too much. Chameleon is a production o...
Apr 23, 2026•45 min•Ep. 25
The unsettling story of Leslie Wexner—the Midwestern retail billionaire who built Victoria’s Secret, then gave Jeffrey Epstein extraordinary access to his money and credibility. But how much did he know? Listen to Vanessa and Justine’s podcast Fallen Angel Read Gabriel Sherman’s Vanity Fair article on Epstein and Wexner. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...
Apr 16, 2026•40 min•Ep. 24
The rise and spectacular fall of Eddie Antar, the electronics mogul behind the Crazy Eddie brand. Who scammed his way from the streets of Brooklyn to Wall Street and then vanished without a trace. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....
Apr 09, 2026•30 min•Ep. 23
Shortly after Christmas, Sharon gets a terrifying call. A stranger tells her the pelvic mesh inside her body has been recalled. It's a “ticking time bomb," and she needs emergency surgery to remove it. So Sharon flies to Florida. What she’s walking into is a scam embedded in America’s mass tort machine: stolen medical data, a call center, and huge profits powered by the pain of women like Sharon. To learn more about this story: Book: The Pain Brokers , Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, Atria/One Signal,...
Apr 02, 2026•39 min•Ep. 22
For 563 days, Harry believed the love of his life was dying of stage-four cancer. Then Rachel’s husband called, and everything Harry thought he knew collapsed. A pattern emerges, revealing a woman he no longer recognizes and a trail of emotional wreckage stretching back decades. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of person...
Mar 26, 2026•34 min•Ep. 21
In 2001, Harry meets Rachel in Houston. And so begins a complicated and uncertain kind of love story. An on-again, off-again connection that would stretch across two decades of tragedies, lucky breaks, and relentless second chances. Sometimes the hardest lies to see are the ones you want to believe the most... Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ...
Mar 19, 2026•28 min•Ep. 20
Syed Arbab looked like the next financial prodigy—a frat house day trader who turned beer-soaked bravado into a successful hedge fund. Except that wasn't exactly the whole truth. When the SEC came knocking, Syed doubled down, lied, and kept going. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....
Mar 12, 2026•36 min•Ep. 19
She thought she'd met the real deal: a decorated Navy officer, stationed at the Pentagon, opening hospitals in war zones. But what begins as a whirlwind romance slowly unravels into a portrait of compulsive deception. In the aftermath, this seasoned journalist is determined to get to the bottom of not just how and why her partner lied, but why she believed him. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...
Mar 05, 2026•38 min•Ep. 18
Michael was 16, lonely, and stuck in a small Southern town when he met someone called Dennis on a vampire-themed online message board. What began as a thrilling, romantic connection soon spiraled into something darker. We follow Michael’s journey as he tries to make sense of the many layers of deception two decades later. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inform...
Feb 26, 2026•41 min•Ep. 17
When an Arizona reporter starts looking into a flurry of closures at country music-themed restaurants, he thinks it’s just another boring business story. But he uncovers a collapsing franchise empire and millions in fraud, all linked to a mysterious character with mob connections living a double life. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our colle...
Feb 19, 2026•34 min•Ep. 16
What's it like to have your image used as the bait in thousands of online romance scams? This is what happened to Janessa Brazil—whose image has been hijacked and used to con hundreds, maybe thousands, of lonely people out of hard-earned cash. This is a story of love, lies, and the faces behind a billion-dollar catfishing industry. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com ...
Feb 12, 2026•39 min•Ep. 15
They were a hot new band and storming up the charts. But something seemed off about Velvet Sundown. Was this the work of AI? When someone behind the band came out denying it, this looked like mystery solved. But this was only the beginning of an internet hoax with many layers. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...
Feb 05, 2026•40 min•Ep. 14
When one tech founder tweets a warning about a seemingly prolific engineer named Soham Parekh, it sets off an avalanche. Turns out, Soham has been hired and paid by dozens of start-ups, sometimes working at several at once. He dazzled founders with coding tests, then vanished into a fog of excuses. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...
Jan 29, 2026•28 min•Ep. 13
When the book The Salt Path was published, readers were moved by the story of a couple who, after losing everything, rebuilt their lives through nothing more than determination, their love for one another, and a very long walk. A decade later, journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou begins to pull at a thread—and what unravels is a much darker and more complicated tale. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz ...
Jan 22, 2026•43 min•Ep. 12
Brent Crane is being chased through a mall in the Philippines. He's on the trail of Page Turner, the company that has been accused of stealing $44 million from hopeful writers in one of the most brazen scams the book publishing world has ever seen. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising....
Jan 15, 2026•36 min•Ep. 11
Michael Esposito hired 50 journalists, promised them a dream job, and disappeared without paying a dime. Years later, he resurfaced under various new names, taking tens of thousands from couples on their wedding day. But one of his early victims never let it go in their attempt to unmask the scammer who just wouldn’t stop. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...
Jan 08, 2026•36 min•Ep. 10
In 1985, a priceless painting vanished from a university museum in Arizona. The FBI had no leads. 32 years later, it turned up behind a bedroom door in a suburban New Mexico home. Turns out the retired couple living there may have pulled off one of the most audacious art heists of the 20th century. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...
Jan 01, 2026•31 min•Ep. 9
The story of a Syrian-American blogger whose posts during the Arab Spring captured hearts around the world—including a woman in Montreal who believed she was falling in love. But Amina Arraf, the author of Gay Girl in Damascus, wasn’t real. She was a hoax. So how did so many people, including news organizations and governments, fall for it? And at what cost? Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz co...
Dec 25, 2025•43 min•Ep. 8
In 2012, a Ukrainian man enrolled at a high school in Pennsylvania, pretending to be a teenage prodigy named Asher Potts. He made the honor roll and became a local hero. Until the day police showed up in class and arrested him. The immigrant who scammed his way into the American dream. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...
Dec 18, 2025•35 min•Ep. 7
For years, someone was tricking publishers into handing over yet-to-be-published manuscripts—from bestselling authors and total unknowns alike. There were no ransom demands. The books were not leaked. The motive was unclear. An international mystery that baffled the publishing world for years. But two journalists in lockdown set out to solve the mystery and uncover the peculiarly obsessed culprit. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleo...
Dec 11, 2025•28 min•Ep. 6
Colton Harris-Moore was just a teenager when he began breaking into homes across the Pacific Northwest. But soon, he was stealing cars, boats... and then planes. This is the unbelievable true story of a kid outrunning the cops to become one of the first folk heroes of the internet age. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...
Dec 04, 2025•30 min•Ep. 5
A British band called The Zombies had a smash hit single in America with ‘Time of the Season’ in the late 60s. Shortly afterwards, four handsome Texans hit the road pretending to be the Zombies. This is the unbelievable true story of rock’s most brazen imposters… two of whom went on to form ZZ Top. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...
Nov 27, 2025•33 min•Ep. 4
A gifted, mysterious young man with a tragic past and talent for long-distance running is admitted to Princeton. He dazzles everyone from admissions officers to elite dinner clubs. But behind the alias “Alexi Santana” was James Hogue, a serial imposter who had left a long trail of lies in his wake. This week, the extraordinary story of the man who scammed his way into the Ivy League—and kept going. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chamele...
Nov 20, 2025•28 min•Ep. 3
In 2009, Vincent Richardson walked into a Chicago police station and reported for duty. No one noticed he wasn’t actually a cop. No one noticed he was 14 years old. This is the story of the teenager who fooled the system time after time. Was it a prank? A cry for help? Or something else entirely? Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audiochuck. Launching November 13th wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Chameleon on Instagram @chameleonpod Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. ...
Nov 13, 2025•30 min•Ep. 2
