Scams & Cons

You'd think people who are at the top of their game -- the big money folks -- would be savvy enough to not get scammed. You'd be wrong. There are all kinds of people who have the intelligence and ability to spot a con, but are taken in anyway. Today we'll tell you their tales, what scams took them in and how it worked. Support us on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

In this week’s news, scammers are leasing private swimming pools for parties and the homeowners aren’t pleased. Gold is gaining ground on gift cards as a way of paying off scammers and we tell the story of a scammer who topped off his victim's phone card to continue a pitch. Support us on Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Arkansas, scammers are tricking pastors into urging parishioners to buy gift cards. Another city loses more than a million to scammers and city leaders believe it was a good thing. And in Las Vegas, skimmers are being used to copy credit card information before running up huge bills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 7 begins Sept. 2 and there's a lot to talk about. Scams & Cons News moves to Monday and a new edition will come out each week. Regular episodes will continue on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. We've got stories about child birth scams, easy money scams and interviews with magicians who compare their skills of misdirection against those of con artists. It's...

In this week's news, we'll tell you about a woman who lost a half million dollars in a Social Security scam, con artists who offer up free pianos, then trick the customer into paying high shipping fees. You'll also hear how your smart TV could be robbing you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's news, a man disguises himself as a woman to scam the groom out of his estate and pet owners are being told their companions are in danger in order to con people out of medical expenses. Hear these stories and much more on this week's Scams & Cons News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Woman told she is on "secret probation" loses hundreds of thousands of dollars, 60 Minutes Australia asks if Belle Gibson is a liar and Canadian police bust an international scam ring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the difference between a hoax and a scam? Are they the same thing? In this episode, we take a crack at the answer -- unless this whole program is a hoax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A woman falling down escalator marks return of pigeon scam, members of British Parliament get caught in a honey trap and a Pennsylvania man loses $165,000 to romance scammer. Hear these stories and much more at ScamsAndCons.com or wherever you get podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Uber driver was killed while delivering a package for a scammer and a Canadian scammer in jail for a $175 million e-mail fraud in the U.S. while a man cons people into letting him use their phones, then drains their bank account. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A woman scammed by promise of free home make-over, a scammer tries to hoodwink Drew Barrymore's guests and an Alabama woman has admitted to faking her own disappearance after earlier claiming she had been kidnapped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you write a check, you expect it to be secure, after all, you did write it in ink. That means bupkus unless you used a secure check and security pen. These days, scammers can use household chemicals to eliminate what you have written and fill in the blanks with whatever they want to whomever they want. They will even trace your signature so the banks won't notice. In this episode, we&apo...

An East Tennessee woman stops a scam by people posing as a representatives of Publishers Clearing House and a Wisconsin woman must pay taxes on $200,000 she lost to a scammer. A federal law once protected such victims from taxes. The law was cut. We also tell the story of a Toronto man who encountered a scammer that left him physically broken and unable to walk. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Identity theft was once fairly easy. Watch someone's mailbox for a credit card offer, then send it in with a new address; discover something like your Social Security number, then route that money to their bank account. There were lots of ways. But now there's a new one -- a fabricated synthetic identity. It's you without really being you. It can take your money in a quick hit or dr...

In separate incidents, a man and a woman are arrested for romance scams. A boy in Taiwan agrees to have both legs amputated to gain insurance money and a woman who wanted a puppy pays the money, only to be told it's a scam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It sounds exotic to fake your death, then just walk away, expect it almost never works. One woman was found in her home closet. Another was found by just pinging her phone. Then there is the woman who researched how to fake her death and took it so far as to hold her own death certificate in her hands. There are many ways to fake your death, but we don't advise that you try them ... unless yo...

News: A Nebraska woman is conned out of a gold bar and a woman buys the wrong kind of gift card, frustrating a scammer, but still losing her moneyLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

t would seem if federal and state governments wanted you to disappear for your safety, it would be an easy thing to do. They can create all the documents you need, give you some money to get started and grease the wheels needed to get a new job. If only that were the case. Being uprooted is just as difficult -- if not more so -- than taking a powder on your own. In this episode, you'll hear f...

Woman recovers $147k from scammer and a man tries to own the New York HotelLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The theme of this series has been the long con of vanishing. Instead of a scammer targeting you, you are the one scamming everyone else. To be successful, you must do this the rest of your life, making it possibly the longest con of all. Maureen is the victim of this con. Her husband went missing and while she verified he was still alive, she doesn't know why he left -- or even if he is still...

Scams & Cons News for March 21, 2024Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once you've decided to vanish, the question is: where do you go? In this episode we explore those possibilities and what you need to keep in mind when choosing a place. The odds are you'll end up somewhere that's not familiar and among people you don't know. That loneliness is one of the main reasons that a vanishing con fails. We'll tell you how people cope with that ......

Scams & Cons News for March 7, 2024Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The longest con of all may be vanishing -- leaving the place you know, going somewhere unfamiliar and never having contact with anyone or anything from your past life. In this episode, we tell you how to go missing and avoid those who will be looking for you. Private Investigative ServicesLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scams & Cons News for February 15, 2024Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices