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 conversat...
Jan 10, 2025•57 min
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 el...
Dec 20, 2024•30 min
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 thi...
Dec 13, 2024•31 min•Ep. 209
Imagine you've just had everything stolen from you by a ruthless scammer. You are wondering how you will pay your bills, maybe even have enough money to buy food. And then a bill arrives from the IRS – you owe taxes on the stolen money. Unfortunately, scam victims across the country are getting hit with huge tax bills thanks to a change in the tax code a few years ago. In this episode, you'll meet Chester, a retiree from California who is living this very nightmare right now, as well as the lawm...
Dec 06, 2024•38 min•Ep. 208
Thanksgiving is a time for sharing food with family and feeling grateful. It means a lot to Georgete, a struggling mom who just wants to make the holiday special for her kids. She relies on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to get by, and when her Thanksgiving dinner is essentially stolen from her, she is devastated. The theft is part of a highly organized crime and Georgete is one of hundreds of thousands of victims, resulting in $150 million of taxpayer money stolen by ...
Nov 22, 2024•43 min•Ep. 207
Alice hires a local handyman, Joey, as a live-in caregiver after her shoulder surgery. She recovers, but soon COVID-19 hits, and Joey, who is down on his luck, stays on to help around the house. Alice has known Joey for years and trusts him completely. But one morning when she opens her monthly bank statement, everything about her relationship with Joey changes.
Nov 15, 2024•40 min•Ep. 206
Debbie, a Colorado native and mother of three adult children, leads a fulfilling life of travel, salsa dancing and volunteer work. While her life is full, she would like to have someone to share it with. So, Debbie looks for love online and meets a seemingly great guy named Russell who claims to be a successful businessman. After weeks of daily texts and phone calls, they plan to meet. That's when things get complicated – Russell, who is dealing with a work crisis overseas, needs her help to mak...
Nov 08, 2024•59 min•Ep. 205
It's a typical busy day for Amanda as she sees her teenaged daughter off to work. But five minutes later, everything changes when she receives a call from a local number and hears her daughter's voice crying. A man comes on the line with a chilling threat for Amanda if she doesn't do exactly what he says. Technologies like AI are making virtual kidnappings and similar scams easier than ever for criminals. Bob talks with Vijay Balasubramaniyan about this ever-evolving technology and how listeners...
Nov 01, 2024•48 min•Ep. 204
Dennis, an 82-year-old proud father and grandfather, makes a connection with a woman he meets on Facebook named Jessie. Jessie claims to have made a lot of money through crypto investments and offers to teach Dennis how she did it. Having developed a trusting relationship with Jessie and hoping to build an inheritance for his family, Dennis decides to invest his savings. When it is revealed that the investments are a scam and Jessie is a fraud, a devastated Dennis takes his own life. Now his son...
Oct 25, 2024•53 min•Ep. 203
In this 2019 episode, Marlene is enjoying the Atlantic City boardwalk with a friend when a young woman approaches her. The woman introduces herself as Savannah and offers to give Marlene a psychic reading. Figuring it will cost her just a few dollars, Marlene takes her up on the offer. Savannah takes Marlene back to her shop. During the reading she picks up on many of the troubles Marlene is facing in her personal life. Having gained Marlene's trust, Savannah offers her various items for sale in...
Oct 18, 2024•25 min
In Part 2 of this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher, as the head of her local dart league, has been leading the charge to help Jeremiah Jon Smith, who they believe is dying from cancer. But when Jeremiah's wife leaves him, she shares her doubts with Darlene about his illness. A police investigation reveals the devastating truth: Jeremiah has been faking his cancer and exploiting his friends' generosity in order to line his pockets.
Oct 11, 2024•45 min
In this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher is the head of her local Minnesota dart league, a close-knit group of dart enthusiasts who rally around champion dart player Jeremiah Jon Smith when they learn he is dying from cancer. They raise thousands through fundraisers and a GoFundMe page, going as far as paying for Jeremiah's wedding. It seems like they're doing the right thing, so why does Darlene have doubts?
Oct 04, 2024•28 min
Kim is grieving the tragic death of her son, who was serving in the Army, when she learns that she is the sole beneficiary of his military death benefit. To help with financial decisions at such a vulnerable time, an adviser named Caz Craffy is offered by the military. Kim plans to use the money to buy a home, but Craffy insists that she make investments in stocks of specific interest to him. One day Kim is contacted by the FBI and learns that Craffy is under investigation for redirecting milita...
Sep 27, 2024•44 min•Ep. 202
Neill is a successful ER physician and business owner who has regrets after a recent missed investment opportunity that proved to be lucrative. So he jumps on board after meeting Clinton Herzog who is offering buy-ins for his dental clinic chain in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, this new investment opportunity turns out to be a classic Ponzi scheme and Clinton disappears with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the doctor and his friends.
Sep 20, 2024•52 min•Ep. 201
The Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes is famous for showing up at winners' homes with a giant check and transforming lives. So when Kathy receives a call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, saying that she's the next lucky winner, she begins dreaming of all the good she can do for her friends and family. However, after several months of empty promises and tens of thousands of dollars in "taxes" that she must pay upfront, a concerned neighbor convinces Kathy to go to t...
Sep 13, 2024•38 min•Ep. 200
When Penny signs up for a few magazine subscriptions, she thinks she is helping some kids with a school fundraiser. Little does she know that it will lead to years of harassment from telemarketers and the theft of much of her savings. But it will also lead Penny and her sister Nancy to help bring down a 20-year conspiracy that robbed more than 150,000 victims nationwide of millions of dollars.
Sep 06, 2024•49 min•Ep. 199
In this 2021 episode, an IT professional in the UK who goes by the alias Jim Browning is battling cyber scams. Fed up with robocalls disrupting his day, Jim decides to fight back. As con artists try to scam him, Jim uses his professional training to reverse engineer his way into their computers. With the ability to see everything on these computers, Jim works to thwart their operations and save potential victims.
Aug 30, 2024•38 min
In this 2021 episode, credit card scammer Lisa Reid's methods are sophisticated, creative and callous. After gaining credit card information from the wealthy seniors she targets, Lisa goes on lavish shopping sprees at high-end retailers, leaving her victims with bills of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when one of her victims teams up with the FBI, this credit card con queen is finally brought to justice.
Aug 23, 2024•22 min
Summer is the prime time for road trips. And as more people are out there on the roads, scammers are eager to cash in. Drivers across the country are receiving fraudulent text messages claiming they have unpaid tolls. In this bonus episode, Bob invites Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center to discuss this trending scam.
Aug 16, 2024•23 min
Volunteer firefighters are vital to the communities they serve, selflessly giving up their time to provide lifesaving emergency fire, rescue and medical services. So, when the Volunteer Fire Department in Rockville, Maryland, are targeted by a scammer while they are in the process of purchasing two new ambulances, the community comes together to their rescue.
Aug 09, 2024•47 min•Ep. 198
Daniel no longer lives in his hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut, but he still owns a plot of land that was essentially his childhood backyard. When he returns to visit a sick friend, he is shocked to find that a developer has cleared the trees and is halfway through building a luxury home on his property. But how could something like this happen, when the land was never up for sale? Daniel learns how a criminal with forged documents impersonated him and completed the sale without his knowledge....
Aug 02, 2024•44 min•Ep. 197
Lori is enjoying her early retirement, pursuing her hobbies and caring for her animals in rural Ohio. One day, a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration leaves her rattled. He says her information has been compromised and she must work quickly to convert her money into gold bars. What happens next is part of the dangerous trend of online crime leading to in-person, real-life meetings with money mules.
Jul 26, 2024•45 min•Ep. 196
Phillip and his family are planning a move from Las Vegas to Denver and need a new place to live quickly. He finds the perfect rental house on Craigslist but he doesn't want to take any chances and flies to Denver to tour the home with the real estate agent. A few days after he moves in, a woman knocks on the door claiming she has also rented the house. They realize this is more than just a crazy mix-up when a second person arrives expecting to move in.
Jul 19, 2024•44 min•Ep. 195
Michael and Kelli are empty nesters after their three adult children move out, and they aren't prepared for how quiet and lonely the house becomes when their two dogs suddenly die. The couple turn to the internet, looking for a puppy to help fill the void left in their home and their hearts. Instead of finding a companion, the couple are targeted by criminals who steal almost every penny of their life savings.
Jul 12, 2024•44 min•Ep. 194
Lindsay, an Army veteran and single mother of a young daughter with cystic fibrosis, is taking a much-needed day to reconnect with an old friend over a game of golf. A friendly older man named Rob asks to join them. As they spend the afternoon on the golf course, he tells them that he spends his time raising money for various charities. He even knows of some great opportunities for fundraising for two causes close to Lindsay's heart: wounded veterans and cystic fibrosis. But as soon as she hands...
Jun 28, 2024•45 min•Ep. 193
In part 2 of this 2021 episode, Rookie FBI agent Mike meets 80-year-old Alan, who has sent $600,000 to "friends" he met online. Typically, international scammers are notoriously hard to prosecute. After hearing that Alan visited the scammers in the Middle East and Africa, though, Mike senses a unique opportunity to lure the con artists to the United States. The pair devise a scheme so that the swindlers can be arrested and convicted of their crimes.
Jun 21, 2024•32 min
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.
Jun 14, 2024•22 min
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.
Jun 07, 2024•46 min•Ep. 192
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 dange...
May 31, 2024•38 min•Ep. 191
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.
May 24, 2024•45 min•Ep. 190
