Fraudsters

In today's episode we dig deeper into that California energy crisis and outline Enron's side hustle - broadband. Special thanks to Collin Whitehead, a former Real-Time Trader in Enron's Portland office, for speaking to us for this episode. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podc...

In Part II of our final series of the season, we show how a few inordinately bad actors and weak regulation lead to state-wide rolling blackouts and surging energy costs. Special thanks to Harvey Rosenfield, founder of Consumer Watchdog , for walking us through this dark saga. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Pod...

20 years ago one of the largest corporations in the U.S - an energy trading corp. that boasted 750% annual growth – went down in flames. In 24 days it went from the pride of Houston to a stain on the country - pulling millions out of the economy, devastating its employees, and largely contributing to an energy crisis in California. In Part I of our final series of season 1, we talk about the men b...

Once upon a time there was a Scottish guy who failed up so hard that he got knighted. Then he sold boat rides to an island civilization populated only by malaria-carrying mosquitos. And because it was a long time ago and no one had phones, he got away with it. Don't believe me? Just listen. Bullshit really is timeless. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free...

Today we're diving into Wirecard, a fictitious and spurious payment processing company out of Germany. We ask tough questions like "why do all fraudsters wear black turtlenecks?" and "is Kraftwerk just robots?" Huge thanks to NYT reporter Christopher Schuetze (@CFSchuetze on Twitter) for speaking to us for this episode. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-fre...

For part II of our mini-series on Ruja Ignatova and OneCoin, we are joined by the amazing Jen McAdam, who founded a support group for victims of OneCoin after herself being defrauded of several thousands of dollars. Jen's story is so compelling that the rights to her forthcoming book 'Fake,' have already been purchased by MGM - Kate Winslet will play Jen in a movie directed by Scott Z. Burns and p...

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Seena and Justin take a trip back-in-time to the late 1800s to find the origin of the phrase "if you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you" and who was the person the media called, the Queen of Swindlers. Big thanks to author Tori Telfer and her book "Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion". Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to...

You've heard of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Rudy Giuliani, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Rupert Murdoch, and Trump but have you heard of Steven Hoffenberg? This man was involved in so much insidious shit his defense of himself was insisting that he was just running a ponzi scheme! All that and more on today's episode. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad...

Happy Valentines Day! Today we're talking RoMaNcE fRaUd 😍 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is our last installment of our Race Hustlers series. If you haven't heard of the Freedman's Bank, you need to listen to this episode. Special thanks to Mehrsa Baradaran for writing The Color of Money. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an...

We all remember the day Rachel Dolezal broke the internet in 2015, but at this point is it even surprising when we hear about a white lady pretending to be Black or Puerto Rican or Spanish? What drives a person to lie about something as fundamental as their racial or cultural identity? Today we're dissecting the appropriations and the non-apologies from Dolezal to Hilary "I vacationed once in Spai...

Last week we looked at the claims and credentials of Dr. Umar Johnson–the Prince of Pan-Afrikanism, Frederick Douglass' great grand cousin, and blood relative of Ramses the II (according to a spiritual medium), etcetera, etcetera. Today we reflect on his influence and impact. Thanks to Mojak Lehoko for his thoughts for this episode. Huge thanks to Ebony Chappel–@ebonythewriter on social–for such a...

Part II of Race Hustlers features a new huckster: Dr. Umar Johnson – the self proclaimed Prince of Pan-Afrikanism and "most influential Black scholar in the world." While not yet convicted by a court of law, citizen journalists and Black media outlets have been speculating on and interrogating this man for years about his beliefs, his credentials, and the school that Dr. Umar has been fundraising...

You know David Duke the racist, but do you know David Duke the con artist? What's that? You don't want to know David Duke at all? This is Part I of our newest mini-series, Race Hustlers , on con artists who leverage race as a part of their scams. Special thanks to Marilyn Mayo of the Anti Defamation League for sharing her wisdom with us for this episode. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen t...

Ever wondered what a real movie set is like? How about a movie set with mobsters, Star Wars, and a con-man at the helm? Tune in for the third installment of our mini-series on Barry Minkow and a behind the scenes look at possibly the worst movie ever made. Special thanks to Jonathan Meyer–script doctor and screenwriter–for his insider insights and hilarious anecdotes. Check out his awesome new rad...

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 17 kicks off our mini-series on possibly our worst fraudster yet - Barry Minkow. Part I is devoted to his youth and only his youth. Barry as a teen committed more fraud than most could in a lifetime–from securities fraud to check kiting to credit card fraud to carpet cleaning cons–all while in the company of nazis and mobsters. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of F...

On the final episode of our series on Kevin Trudeau, we delve into one of his most recent and most outrageous scam – a multi-level marketing company called the Global Information Network. It promised trade secrets of the illuminati, ferraris, and inner peace all for the low, low price of many thousands of dollars, recruiting your friends and family, and giving up things you love in order to become...

In Part II of our series on the notorious infomercial scammer Kevin Trudeau we cover how to lose 300 pounds in 30 minutes, go to prison sleep-away camp, and get a presidential pardon! Special thanks to Howard Beales, Former Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC, for a wonderful conversation. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  S...

In Part I of our series on the notorious infomercial scammer Kevin Trudeau we cover how to give yourself mega-memory, break any addiction 100% of the time, and all the other things THEY don't want you to know about! Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simp...

In part I of  Fraud Reich  we brought you historical fiction—the story of the  Hitler Diaries . Today we bring you a sci-fi thriller featuring Adolph Hitler, Hans Loads, David Bowie, and a fraudster named Trevor Ravenscroft. We’re talking the  “Spear of Destiny” — the alleged source of Hitler’s power and rot. Special thanks to Marcus Parks, founding father of the Last Podcast Network, for a magica...

Dear Diary, Many historically significant figures generate lore. Some say Shakespeare had a ghostwriter. Some say Nikola Tesla designed blueprints for a "death ray" before his passing. Some say Thomas Jefferson drank breast milk! Few theories, however, are as wild and as widely entertained as the Hitler Diaries were. On the 12th episode of Fraudsters Season 1, we talk where the myth began and how...

Remember when we actually said "world wide web?" Remember netscape? Remember the dot-com bubble? Remember Y2K? Remember when a car dealership company said it had the cure for AIDS and sold stocks for $9 through early internet message boards until someone from the FTC commented "hey, this isn't real?" No? On this weeks episode of Fraudsters we bring you Alfred Flores and Uniprime – a con on a .com...

The second installment of our two part mini-series on Anna Delvey (Sorokin). We get into Anna's apprehension, the circus of the trial, and Anna's own reflections from Rikers.   Special thanks to Emily Palmer for being such a wonderful guide throughout this series. You can find Emily on all social at @emilyepalmer. Special thanks to Todd Spodek a delightful interview. Special thanks to Joshua Suthe...