The Perfect Scam

Annie makes the tough decision to put her husband of 35 years into a nursing home for his dementia. She finds her new life without him lonely and decides to join an online dating site to look for a platonic friend. After some time she meets Mark, a widower and architect living in California. Annie, who lives in the Midwest, finds the distance perfect as she wants only a friendship. Annie believes...

In part two of this special two-part episode on virtual kidnappings, we speak with the FBI to discuss how these scams started, why they're so successful and what is being done to stop them. We talk to the FBI Special agent who cracked a virtual kidnapping ring, and — with virtual kidnappings on the rise in the U.S. — you'll learn what to do if you receive a call. Then, for the first time ever, fra...

On an uncharacteristically rainy Southern California day, Kathie gets a call that will change her life. Her cellphone displays the caller as unknown. Even though she's hesitant, Kathie decides to answer. On the line she hears screaming and a man claiming to have Kathie's daughter. The man addresses both Kathie and her daughter by name,  but something about the interaction feels off. Terrified, Kat...

On this special episode of the podcast, our host, fraud expert Frank Abagnale, answers your questions. We dive into viewer emails to get Frank's take on a wide variety of subjects, including using public Wi-Fi, DNA testing and cash transfer apps. Tune in to hear the answers to your burning questions and get Frank's tips on how to protect yourself against fraud.

On this special episode of the podcast, our host, fraud expert Frank Abagnale, answers your questions. We dive into viewer emails to get Frank's take on a wide variety of subjects, including using public Wi-Fi, DNA testing and cash transfer apps. Tune in to hear the answers to your burning questions and get Frank's tips on how to protect yourself against fraud.

During the housing market crash, homeowners across the United States found themselves drowning in mortgage payments that they could not afford to make. Scammers like Jonathan Herbert took advantage of this crisis to steal money from unsuspecting homeowners. Herbert created Federal Mortgage Marketplace, a company that claimed to be government affiliated and able to help homeowners reduce their mort...

Hackers are thought of as villains who use their advanced computer skills to gain unauthorized access to data and wreak havoc. But "ethical" or "white hat" hackers help companies protect themselves against attack. These information security experts use the techniques employed by malicious hackers to reveal real-world vulnerabilities that could result in a hack. Ethical hacker Jason Glassberg is a...

A pop-up appears on your computer screen, freezing the browser. It warns that your computer has been infected with malware and urges you to call a toll-free number for assistance. The number connects you to Client Care Experts, and the person who answers claims to be an IT specialist. But the person on the other end of the line is no expert. He is one of more than a hundred employees who are sitti...

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...

Beloved Vermont children's entertainer-turned-filmmaker Mac Parker has been raising funds for his film "Birth of Innocence" for nearly a decade. The film has yet to be completed, and what investors were promised — a three year, $1 million project — has ballooned in both time and cost. When the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation steps in to investigate irregularities in Mac's fundraising pr...

Malcom "Mac" Parker aspires to be a filmmaker. In Vermont, Mac is known as a beloved children's entertainer, appearing on public television and performing around the state. Mac is so well respected in his community that when he begins to raise funds for his film "Birth of Innocence," investors are quick to jump on board. His promises of high returns and a chance to be a part of the film industry s...

In upstate New York, an older couple receives a startling call from an unknown voice.  They are told their grandson has been in a car accident. The caller knows their grandson's name, where he lives and other details about his life.  The caller shares alarming news that police suspect his grandson is at fault for the accident and are holding him in jail. If the grandparents want to help their gran...

New Yorker Jerry Needleman was married for over 40 years when his wife passed away in 2008. The devoted couple never had children, and now in his 80s, Jerry settled into a quiet life alone as a widower. Meanwhile in Florida, a woman named Sylvia is pursuing a relationship with a retiree. The man has spent thousands of dollars on his much-younger girlfriend. When they become engaged, the man's son...

Journalist Alex Palmer tells the story of his great-granduncle, colorful conman John Duval Gluck, who created the Santa Claus Association. Before Gluck started his charity, letters from New York City children to Santa were destroyed, unopened, by the U.S. Post Office. Gluck saw an opportunity, and created the Santa Claus Association in 1913. The organization claimed to use the donations it collect...

We'll be back with new episodes in November. In the meantime, enjoy this bonus episode featuring  The Perfect Scam  show producers as they test their fraud-busting knowledge in a game of True or False, with questions from host Frank Abagnale's new book,  Scam Me If You Can . 

Chinese Americans are being targeted by scammers in schemes known as the "Chinese consulate scam" and the "blessing scam," through which victims have lost millions. When Mandarin-language calls began to bombard residents across the U.S., authorities take a deeper look. They find that these illegal robocalls are targeting areas with large Chinese American populations. Victims of the Chinese consula...

Looking for a change of pace, FBI agent Gasper decides to move from New York, where he's lived his entire life, to North Dakota. As he settles in to his new field office in the Midwest, Gasper discovers that there are an alarming number of lottery scams being perpetrated against residents in his area. The cases are complex, and with many of the scammers overseas, they are hard to bring to trial. B...

Pat, an 81-year-old woman from Kentucky, receives a call that she has won a $7.5 million lottery prize. Pat can't believe her luck. Unaware that the call is a scam, she begins speaking with the scammers multiple times a day. Over the next seven months, they befriend Pat in an effort to convince her that she'll receive the prize money as soon as she pays taxes on her winnings. Slowly they gain Pat'...

After losing her job and boyfriend in the same day, a distraught Debra pays a visit to a psychic shop. Little does Debra know that the shop is part of a larger criminal organization and Sylvia, the psychic who gives her a reading, is a scammer. After a series of readings of increasing cost, Sylvia tells Debra that all of her troubles stem from her trust issues surrounding money. To solve these pro...

Debra is a divorced mother and ballroom dancer who travels between her home in Florida and New York to train with her dance partner. When Debra loses her part-time job in New York and boyfriend in the same day, she's distraught. Without the extra income from her job and a place to stay from her boyfriend, Debra knows she'll have to quit ballroom dancing — even though she and her partner have been...

Rob, a veteran in his 70's, was a caretaker for his wife for years. He is still grieving her death when he receives a call from a woman claiming to be from social security. The woman tells Rob that his social security number has been used to defraud multiple banks and there is a warrant out for his arrest. Even more troubling for Rob, the woman tells him that he will need to get all new identifica...

After 26 years of service, U.S. Army Col. Bryan Denny retires from an incredible career in the military and begins to receive odd messages. They're coming from women around the world who claim to be in online relationships with him. But Bryan isn't on any dating sites. Meanwhile Kathy Walters is learning about the online boyfriend of her friend Sharon. They plan to marry, but Sharon has never met...

TripAdvisor and the Federal Communications Commission are conducting separate investigations into the same series of robocalls that have caused a public nuisance. The FCC became aware of the calls when they shut down a paging service used to communicate with emergency personnel. TripAdvisor began to investigate when its customers reported that these calls were fraudulently using the travel site's ...

The average American is on the receiving end of more than 150 robocalls a year. Some robocalls, which are automated telephone calls placed by a computerized auto dialer, have legitimate purposes. Unfortunately, many of these calls are used to pester or scam consumers. In June 2019 alone Americans received 4.35 billion robocalls, with scams and telemarketing making up over 50 percent. Curious about...

In a Texas suburb, a typical lottery scam has turned into something much more sinister. A scammer has promised a retired couple a fictitious lottery payout if they continue to send him money for fees and taxes. With their life savings gone, the victims are forced to sell their home. But the swindler isn't done with them yet, as his constant calls have created a bond between him and the 70-year-old...