Scam Goddess

This week, Laci welcomes Kyle Gordon (The Simpsons, Kyle Gordon Is Great) to giggle over Matthew Piercey, who ran a $35 million Ponzi scheme, then fled the FBI on an underwater scooter. When he surfaced, agents were waiting for him with dry clothes his wife had provided. Plus, in Scammer of the Week, a California man was charged with multiple counts of second-degree burglary and grand theft after...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Nimesh Patel (Thank You China )  to discuss James Hogue, named one of Time’s Top 10 Imposters, this runner turned bike-thief fooled an Ivy League school into thinking he was a student but was really a 31-year-old con man. Plus, the Red Power Ranger has been arrested by the FBI because of COVID fraud. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 06/27/2022)   C...

This week, Laci welcomes Jennifer Welch (I've Had It Podcast) to explore Juliette D'Souza, an ordinary British woman who masqueraded as a healer with a secret connection to a source of power deep in the Amazon rainforest. For over 10 years, she convinced 11 victims to hand over $1 million, nailing their cash fortunes to a tree deep in the South American jungle. Stay schemin’! Did you miss out on a...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Sara Levine & Danny Murphy ( Not Another True Crime Podcast)  to discuss Elizabeth Swaney, who proudly made it to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, without doing a single trick in her sport. Plus, the FDA demanded Alex Jones stop advertising questionable dietary supplements as coronavirus treatments, threatening legal action if he didn't stop. Stay S...

This week, Laci welcomes Jake Halpern and Jess McHugh (Deep Cover Podcast) to discuss Boston's 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. Several works of art worth half a billion dollars were stolen, making it the biggest property crime in U.S. history, and it’s still unsolved, with the art still missing. There’s a $10 million reward on the table for any information leading directly to its s...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Tahir Moore ( The Unhitch King, Insecure)  to discuss John Darwin, a British man who faked his death and disappearance to avoid a mountain of debt. Plus, a home in Virginia was put on the market with an occupant still living in the basement. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 05/30/2022)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV Show, Scam Goddess, now on Fre...

This week, Laci welcomes Gayle King (CBS Mornings, Oprah Daily) to dive into all your scams and stories, CONgregation! Together, they explore Gayle's experience traveling to space, the hype of the Chicago pope, a listener's letter about pregnancy fraud as revenge against multiple situational relationships, and how a fake Axl Rose conned a fan into committing tax fraud. Plus, in Scammer of the Week...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Lady Bunny and Monét X Change ( Wigstock, RuPaul's Drag Race)  to discuss Amy Bock, a 20th-century con woman who famously disguised herself as a wealthy sheep farmer, convincing another woman to marry her. Plus, Goldman Sachs and Ozy Media try to work out their business relationship after someone impersonated an executive during a conference call. Sta...

On this very special 300th episode, Laci welcomes Wayne Brady ( Whose Line Is It Anyway? , Let’s Make a Deal ), Carl Tart ( Grand Crew , SNL ), and Oscar Montoya ( Minx , Wizards Beyond Waverly Place ) for a hilarious chat about all things sneakers. Wayne, Carl, and Oscar share their personal experiences with scams, including some of their first jobs. Laci regales the crew with what's hot in fraud...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Dexter Mayfield ( The Art of Being, Sandy Wexler)  to discuss a scammer known by over a dozen names in over a dozen states, all while leaving over a dozen broken hearts in her wake. Plus, an influencer gets in trouble for promoting a skincare line claiming protection from blue screen light. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 11/29/2021)   CON-gregati...

This week, Laci welcomes Kevin Ninh, aka FlawlessKevin ( Squid Game: The Challenge ), to unpack the story behind the viral cryptocurrency SQUID — a scam that rode the wave of the first season of Squid Game  on Netflix. The creators made off with approximately $2.5 million, inspiring the second season of the show to feature a crypto scammer character who exploits fellow players on the island. Plus,...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by AJ Gibson and Emile Ennis Jr. (Confess Your Mess Pod) to discuss the Australian identity thief who had a clear obsession with conning cops. Plus, a California man pleads guilty to a $1.1 million art fraud scheme. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 09/27/2021)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV Show, Scam Goddess, now on Freeform  and Hulu ! Order “Scam...

This week, Laci welcomes Ira Madison III (Pop Culture Writer for GQ, Keep It! Podcast) to discuss Sean Kingston and his mom, accused of defrauding vendors out of 1 million dollars. They discover Sean Kingston's troubled past, Janice Turner's eyebrows, his discography, and where it all stands today. Stay schemin’!   Keep the scams coming and snitch on your friends by emailing us at ScamGoddessPod@g...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Eliot Glazer ( Broad City, An American Pickle ) to discuss Lee Israel, a well-known writer who turned to forgery fighting to survive after her declining career as an author. Plus, a group of lawyers and doctors are busted in a massive trip-and-fall scheme. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 09/20/2021)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV Show, Scam Godd...

It's that time of year, students are finishing school for the summer, and some are graduating for good. Now imagine being unable to graduate because you owe money to your school, despite being promised a debt-free education. Laci welcomes the fabulous Zachariah Porter and Jonathan Carson ( Camp Counselors Podcast ) to the show to discuss the fiasco behind Jay-Z's Roc Nation school launched at Long...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Bridger Winegar ( Black Monday, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ) to discuss Sergei Mavrodi, the man behind one of the world’s largest Ponzi schemes. Plus, a 73-year-old Long Island woman helps the NYPD catch a scammer. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 02/21/2022)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV Show, Scam Goddess, now on Freeform  and Hulu ! Order “Sca...

Can you imagine living in a mansion on a skyscraper 400 feet above the ground? No? Neither can the fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, who fled the country before ever setting foot in it. Laci welcomes Zach Cherry ( Severance , You ) to strap on a wingsuit and dive into the story of the self-proclaimed "King of Good Times," his flashy airline, and how his downfall led to the creation of India’s Fug...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Mitra Jouhari ( The Big Sick, Three Busy Debras ) to discuss Christian Gehartsreiter aka Clark Rockefeller, who spent 30 years passing himself off as an educated, wealthy aristocrat while taking advantage of people. Plus, three political operatives are accused of defrauding $3.5 million from PAC scams. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 01/03/2022)  ...

This week, Laci welcomes Jessi Klein and Liz Feldman from the Here To Make Friends podcast, who share about being victim to the latest Toll Road scam. Then, Laci takes the gals down the winding road of today's Historic Hoodwink following a Con-Mum who scammed her own son, which leaves Jessi and Liz speechless. Stay scheming’!   Make sure to listen to the Here To Make Friends podcast.   Keep the sc...

On this week's Fraud Friday, actor Behzad Dabu joins us to discuss how one summer camp shut down after 6 days of opening and is being referred to as the “Fyre Fest” of summer camps. Plus, a woman steals from a Walmart just by pretending to be a manager. Stay Schemin’! (Originally released 8/16/21)   Research by Kaelyn Brandt.    Sources: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/inside-the-landmark-forum_b_9...

Joel Kim Booster (Wondery’s Bad Dates  and Bravo’s Love Hotel ) joins Laci to dive into all of your  scams and stories, CON-gregation! First, Joel shares his own heartbreaking story of being caught shoplifting. Then, they dive into letters revealing an Ocean’s Eleven -level grocery store checkout scam (also… stop locking everything up, grocery stores!!!), how to dupe the public transit system with...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Clark Moore (Love, Simon, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) to discuss a particular scam involving the Ukrainian Marriage industry. Plus, we look into how scammers are taking advantage of billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s pledge to donate half her fortune. Stay schemin'! (Originally Released 07/26/2021)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV Show, Scam Goddess, now on Freef...

Hide your makeup compact, 'cause Jillian Bell (Summer of 69, Kinda Pregnant) is here to help Laci give a primer on a group of criminals concealing concealer. Yup, we're talkin' cosmetics crime rings! Tune in to hear how Ulta, Sephora, and other makeup retailers have become hot targets for thieves looking to resell product. Plus, Jillian shares how she conned her high school prom limo driver. Stay...

In this week's Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by Chris Gethard (The Special Without Brett Davis, Don't Think Twice) to discuss how a CEO created a Hype House style podcasting network that led to lawsuits, trash and fallout. Plus, someone stole more than 42,000 pounds of pistachios in California and that was just nuts. Stay schemin'! (Originally Released 07/12/2021)   CON-gregation, catch Laci's TV S...

Nobody was tripping in 2010, and maybe that was because all the cool people in the zeitgeist were wearing bracelets that claimed to harness the power of holograms to make you stronger, faster, more flexible, and possibly sexier, too. Jon Gabrus (ActionBoyz, Game Over, Man!) joins Laci to test their knowledge of physical balancing and placebos in the body. Plus, we break down the superstitions in s...