We’ll be back in two weeks with all-new Scamfluencers episodes. In the meantime, we’re returning to one of our favorites. After surviving a difficult childhood, Teal Swan starts a family and reinvents herself as a spiritual leader for the Internet age. She gains a huge following by talking openly about a wide-range of topics, including taboo mental health issues. In her videos, she’s warm, candid, and relatable. But her unconventional approach may have some dark consequences. If you ...
May 19, 2025•42 min•Ep. 159
Paul Bragg used showmanship and outrageous claims to grow his health food company into a wellness empire. But after he died in his 90s and passed the company to his daughter, Patricia, people started asking questions. And soon it’s revealed that Paul and Patricia’s empire was built on a foundation of lies… about their products, and about themselves. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen ...
May 12, 2025•54 min•Ep. 158
Michael Milken is known as the King of Junk Bonds. In the early 80s, he pioneered a novel way to finance companies that traditional investors normally wouldn’t touch. His high-risk, high-reward investing strategy upended decades of Wall Street norms. And it made celebrities out of Michael and the corporate raiders he funded, like T. Boone Pickens, Rupert Murdoch, and Carl Icahn. Michael did make it possible for smaller companies to access capital. But he did it by breaking norms, ethical codes, ...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 157
Lamont Jones leaves Dauphin County Prison for the last time, a free man ready to move on with his life. But when his young cousin dies in that same jail, he learns that this is not the only mysterious death that has plagued Dauphin County Prison. The search for the truth will put him at odds with a reality TV show coroner who claims to speak for the dead and people in power who all have something to hide. Listen to Death County, PA: Wondery.fm/DCPA_FD See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...
Apr 29, 2025•6 min
Francois-Marie Banier is facing an uphill battle in French courts when he learns he’s being sued by Liliane Bettencourt’s only daughter, Francoise. When the French media learn of the accusations of financial abuse against the L’Oreal heiress, he becomes the butt of a joke, twisting the L’Oreal slogan, “Because he’s worth it.” But thanks to a nosy butler and 20 hours of secret recordings, a new scandal overtakes Francois-Marie’s melodrama: Mediapart, a scrappy, new newspaper, gets a hold of the r...
Apr 28, 2025•51 min•Ep. 156
Francois-Marie Banier overcame indifferent parents to reach the heights of the Parisian art scene. His novels, plays, and photography gained him famous friends like Salvadore Dali, Princess Caroline of Monaco, and Johnny Depp. But he’s also known as a striving social climber who seeks the affections of older French women to bankroll his artistic projects. When he’s hired to photograph L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, at one point the richest woman in the world, they hit it off instantly. As ...
Apr 21, 2025•51 min•Ep. 155
A Wondery original podcast so compelling it was reimagined for TV starring Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Sissy Spacek, and more… When Molly's diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, she decides to do something bold: she leaves her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to help her feel alive. She shares the funniest and most touching details with her closest friend, host Nikki Boyer. As they peel back the layers, we learn that Molly isn’t just grappling with breast cancer...
Apr 15, 2025•6 min
Conrad Black turned ownership of a single Canadian newspaper into a global media empire, and he used his wealth and status to cozy up to conservative superstars like Magaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger. For years, he and his business partner lived large, looted company coffers to buy gulf stream jets, fund pet charity projects, and of course, throw lavish parties with famous people. But when a savvy investor reveals his self-dealing, Conrad will face the fight of his life to preserve his status...
Apr 14, 2025•56 min•Ep. 154
After her latest biography flopped, Lee Israel was hard up for money to buy booze and cat food. So, she used her research skills to access celebrity letters in prominent archives, stealing them and adding juicy tidbits to hike up their value. The librarians are clueless, and the collectors she sells to are flipping her letters for big bucks. But Lee discovers that the feds are not as charmed by her con artist bon mots. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations...
Apr 07, 2025•48 min•Ep. 153
When Thelma and Louise was being made in the early 1990s, production was in and out of financial trouble. Behind this shortage of cash was an Italian businessman and epic scammer named Giancarlo Parretti, who managed to buy multiple movie studios on two continents through falsified loans from a corrupt bank. Still at large in Italy, Giancarlo seems to be a scammer with nine lives. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wond...
Mar 31, 2025•58 min•Ep. 152
Billy Mitchell became the king of arcade games when he achieved a perfect Pac Man score, and held the highest score in Donkey Kong. But in the early 2000s, a documentary about an upstart trying to be the best at Donkey Kong leads fans to examine how Billy actually achieved those high scores. Nearly two decades later, the jury is still out on whether Billy was ever truly the King of Kong. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...
Mar 24, 2025•48 min•Ep. 151
We’ll be back next week with all-new episodes but in the meantime we’re bringing back a very timely episode. In 2024, President Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people in one day… including one of our very own Scamfluencers. Rita Crundwell had horse girl dreams, and she used her job as comptroller of a small Illinois town to pull off a colossal fraud. She poured millions into showing quarter horses and lived extravagantly… until one nosy co-worker unraveled the entire scheme. Rita ba...
Mar 17, 2025•45 min•Ep. 150
The Matharoo sisters have gone from globe-trotting tastemakers to detained prisoners. Stuck in an airport hotel without their passports or phones, they decide to take matters into their own hands – and hatch a bold escape plan. Before long, their story goes from local gossip fodder to an international scandal. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery Ap...
Mar 10, 2025•37 min•Ep. 149
While we work on some brand-new episodes, we’re returning to one of our very first episodes about two jet-setting sisters from Canada, Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo. In 2016, a mysterious apology video surfaces online. In it, the sisters claim they’re the masterminds behind a vicious gossip site that’s been stirring up scandal and controversy in Nigeria. The only problem? The video is a fabrication — and the truth is even stranger. Want to hang out with us IRL? Reserve your spot today for...
Mar 03, 2025•37 min•Ep. 148
When Priscila Barbosa moves to Boston from Brazil in 2018, she sets out to pay off her debts and send money back home by driving for rideshare platforms like Uber and Lyft. Eventually, she decides her cut isn’t enough, and she rallies other undocumented immigrants to create one of the most lucrative illicit rideshare rings in Beantown. But this millennial #girlboss learns that suspicious groupchats and Instagrams flaunting her cozy new lifestyle will hurt her chances of staying one step ahead of...
Feb 24, 2025•53 min•Ep. 147
During the early 2000s Brian Wansink made his mark as a “food psychologist” with quirky studies backed by the USDA and Cornell. His research led to the 100-calorie snack pack, the side plate for dinner, and the idea that Elmo stickers led kids to eat healthier. But one tone-deaf blog post led a pack of scientists to dig into Brian’s data. What they found was a hunt for bite-size takeaways, a lack of ethical rigor… and a whole lotta junk science. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcas...
Feb 17, 2025•46 min•Ep. 146
In the early 80s, a German magazine thought it had the scoop of the century: access to Adolf Hitler’s secret diaries. But as soon as excerpts of the diaries were released, critics pounced. Soon, the magazine that published them, the expert who verified them, and the journalist-slash-Nazi-enthusiast who sourced them are found to be victims of an artful forger… and of the allure of a story so incredible, it really was too good to be true. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curat...
Feb 10, 2025•55 min•Ep. 145
In the early 2000s, Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista was seen as the ultimate mining mogul: he was a speedboat-racing showman and a playboy who liked to show off his wealth. To expand his empire, Eike spun a web of bribes and fraud with high-ranking government officials. So when he was finally brought down, it created one of the biggest corruption scandals Brazil has ever seen. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wonde...
Feb 03, 2025•52 min•Ep. 144
In the midst of the Great Depression, out-of-work salesman Charles Darrow sold the board game he created, Monopoly, to Parker Brothers. The game was an overnight success, and Charles became a hopeful example of the American dream. But soon, fellow game obsessives questioned Charles’s inventor status. Decades later, another game creator’s tireless pursuit of the truth reveals Monopoly’s subversive origin story and the twisted journey it took before landing in Charles Darrow’s hands. Be the first ...
Jan 27, 2025•44 min•Ep. 143
In 1997 Beverly Dollarhide hears miraculous news: her missing son, Nicholas, has been found in Spain. But the person she thinks is her teenage son is actually a grown man, a well known French identity scammer named Frederic Bourdin. And, after Frederic is brought back to the United States to be with his pretend family, the mystery of the real Nicholas Barclay’s disappearance grows deeper. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at http...
Jan 20, 2025•54 min•Ep. 142
When Apollo Nida joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2009, he’d recently been released from prison and was expecting a child with his superstar lawyer wife, Phaedra Parks. Apollo had every reason to stay on the straight-and-narrow, but he immediately went back to scamming. His identity theft ring, feuds with castmates, and eventually threatening behavior to Phaedra herself add up to a twisted tale that’s scandalous even by Housewife standards. Be the first to know about Won...
Jan 13, 2025•50 min•Ep. 141
Joe Francis created an empire of spring break smut with the “Girls Gone Wild” video series. But the story behind the alcohol-fueled antics is darker than you think. Scaachi interviews Jamila Wignot, director of the docuseries “Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story” as they revisit Scaachi’s original reporting on Joe Francis, and the questionable filming practices, sloppy record-keeping, illegal tax write-offs, and assault allegations that brought Girls Gone Wild to its ignoble end. See Privacy Polic...
Jan 06, 2025•49 min•Ep. 140
In the second part of this two-part epic, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker go their separate ways and carve out very different paths — but they both still love being in the spotlight. Tammy becomes a fixture on daytime and reality TV, while Jim gets out of prison and goes right back to televangelizing. This time, he’s embracing a whole new scheme: shilling products for the apocalypse. Next week, we’ll be back with all-new episodes. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated rec...
Dec 31, 2024•38 min•Ep. 139
This month a musical featuring a Scamfluencers alum closed its doors on Broadway. Tammy Faye featured music by Elton John and told the story of a televangelist who stole America’s heart with her humor, earnestness, and impressive eye makeup. You may no longer be able to see the musical, but we’re giving you the next best thing: a return to our own coverage of Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim. Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker get their start in Christian broadcasting in the early 1960s and qui...
Dec 30, 2024•40 min•Ep. 138
Dr. Oz has been making headlines again – but not for a scam. Now that he’s been tapped to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we’re revisiting how this former TV doctor survived scandal and shifted into politics. In the mid-90s, Dr. Mehmet Oz is a rock star surgeon with a reputation for performing on high-profile clients. He eventually scores his own television show, and soon he becomes daytime television royalty. Oprah even dubs him “America’s doctor.” But his drive for st...
Dec 23, 2024•43 min•Ep. 137
Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pri...
Dec 16, 2024•37 min•Ep. 136
At the turn of the century, Manhattan social climber John Gluck stepped in to answer children' s letters to Santa. But as soon as donations started flooding into his newly formed Santa Claus Association, John went from Saint Nick to Grinch, skimming off the top and living large. He ran his Claus con for more than a decade before real-life Boy Scouts rallied to take him down. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wond...
Dec 09, 2024•45 min•Ep. 135
In this episode we examine America’s favorite pastime: gambling. With loosening regulations, the explosion of online betting sites, and the full support of major sports leagues, sportsbetting has become ripe for scam. In this episode we meet an accountant who worked the system and bilked an NFL team out of millions, an interpreter who conned one of baseball’s greatest players, and a basketball player who bet against himself. In all three cases, the stakes are high and hopes are dashed when luck ...
Dec 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 134
Come join Sarah and Scaachi for a very Scamfluencers holiday special. We’ll give thanks to the scammers we’ll never forget, review our naughty and slightly-less-naughty list, and roast the ones who deserve it… along with chestnuts on the open fire. We’ve got updates on some of our most infamous scammers, and we name a few scammers-to-be who we hope get indictments in their stockings. We’re making like Grinches crashing a Whoville party and toasting to the most American thing of all: scamming!&nb...
Nov 25, 2024•46 min•Ep. 133
Senator Bob Menendez and his wife have just been indicted for wheeling and dealing with the government of Egypt, along with many other crimes. In a bid to save his career, Bob throws his co-conspirators under the bus—including his wife, Nadine. But after decades avoiding consequences, Bob faces a mountain of evidence in court. He’s about to go from lion of the Senate to major liability. Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free...
Nov 18, 2024•35 min•Ep. 132
