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PODCAST

Scamfluencers

You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. On Wondery’s new weekly series, join co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These influencers claim to be everything from charismatic

society & culture

All Episodes

00:38:35

ENCORE: Coachella Con Artist

Scamfluencers ·

2024/03/11

With the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on the horizon, we’re revisiting an epic Coachella scam. This encore episode follows a wealthy, glamorous and mysterious business woman looking to cash in on the California dream. When she announces her latest project — a luxury resort she plans to build in the desert — she quickly nets millions of dollars. There’s just one problem: Her dazzling property is nothing more than a mirage.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California

en

00:44:38

ENCORE: The Book Bandit

Scamfluencers ·

2024/03/04

The mystery thickens in this rerun about a puzzling phishing scam. When some of the biggest authors, publishers, and agents in the world become targets, it throws the industry into chaos – and turns everyone involved into an amateur detective. Rumors about the scammer’s identity – and motives – abound. And as the scammer gets bolder, his targets become determined to crack the mystery wide open. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

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00:06:12

Listen Now: The Spy Who

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/27

These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own.Search and follow The Spy Who wherever you listen to podcasts, or binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery+ on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery

en

00:42:51

The King of Good Times

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/26

Vijay Mallya loves racing cars and partying hard – and being an heir to a multi-million dollar empire makes it easy to do both. When Vijay takes over his father’s company, he doubles down on its beer brand, launches a glamorous airline, and buys a Formula 1 racing team. He becomes a hometown hero and an inspiration to many people in India – until they discover that his victories are coming at their expense. This episode contains a reference to suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling

en

00:41:38

The Shark Tank Charlatan

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/19

Nate Holzapfel is a natural salesman. When he goes on the television show “Shark Tank” in 2012, he wows investors with his line of ratchet-style belts, which he claims are “like a giant zip tie for your pants.” His company takes off, but Nate still isn’t satisfied – he wants to live even larger. That’s when he decides to take on a much darker business venture: defrauding the most powerless people he can find. This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and assault. If you or someone

en

00:44:33

Death Becomes Him

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/12

Alexandre Despallieres gets to live out his lifelong fantasy of recording a pop song when he’s just 19 years old. He thinks it’s his chance to achieve everything he’s always wanted, including music industry stardom. But when the single falls flat, Alexandre will have to find other ways of becoming rich and famous – even if it means lying, committing crimes, and swindling the wealthy benefactors who fall in love with him. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice

en

00:06:24

Listen Now: Academy - Featuring Myha'la

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/06

Welcome to Bishop Gray Academy, a world of high-stakes and cut-throat competition. Academy, a riveting coming-of-age audio drama co-produced by AT WILL MEDIA and Wondery, follows the story of Ava Richards, a scholarship student who transfers to Bishop Gray, one of the most elite and competitive boarding schools in America. As Ava tries to find her place in this high-pressure environment, she soon crosses paths with an underground society known as The Night of the Wolf, which caters to the

en

00:42:55

The Solar-Powered Scammer

Scamfluencers ·

2024/02/05

When Jeff Carpoff starts a business making portable solar generators, it becomes an instant hit among big corporations, Hollywood studios, and deep-pocketed investors. They think they’re getting a good deal on green energy – and a huge tax credit to go along with it. But Jeff’s clients don’t realize that he’s been playing them. And when he flies too close to the sun, it’ll blow the fuse on his whole operation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

en

00:40:59

Rebecca: A Real Showstopper

Scamfluencers ·

2024/01/29

When Louise Forlenza sees a production of “Rebecca” in Europe, she knows she wants to be the one to bring it to America. But she and her co-producer are going to need major cash to put on a Broadway musical. They put all their hopes in a mysterious angel investor, but when he turns out to be too good to be true, their show risks going up in flames. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

en

00:44:29

The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa Giudice

Scamfluencers ·

2024/01/22

Teresa Giudice learns from her Italian-born parents that the most important thing in life is family. When she starts a family of her own with her long-time lover, Joe, he does everything he can to give her the American dream — including fabricating tax documents and taking out phony loans. When Teresa joins the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, her stardom rises with a flip of a table. But once she’s in the spotlight, she’ll have to answer for her over-the-top lifestyle. See Privacy Policy

en

00:43:08

Martha Stewart: The Homemaker Hustler Part 2

Scamfluencers ·

2024/01/15

In the summer of 2003, Martha Stewart is indicted for obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. She stubbornly maintains her innocence and vows to fight the charges, but her cover-up falls apart during a messy and humiliating public trial. She and her stockbroker are facing prison time, but she’s determined to come out on top – no matter what it takes to get there. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

en

00:38:27

Martha Stewart: The Homemaker Hustler Part 1

Scamfluencers ·

2024/01/08

Martha Stewart spends decades building her lifestyle empire from the ground up. Her cut-throat business savvy helps make her America’s first self-made female billionaire. But when she becomes embroiled in an insider trading scandal in 2002, it’ll spark a media circus and threaten to muddy her squeaky clean image. A damning investigation by the U.S. government promises to take her down – alongside some of her closest friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy

en

00:46:00

ENCORE | Brittany Dawn: Fitness Faker

Scamfluencers ·

2024/01/01

Just in time for the new year, a cautionary tale: In this re-run from last year, Brittany Dawn rises to Instagram fame as a body-positive influencer. She launches an online business as a personal trainer and fitness coach and sells “personalized” plans to help others who are struggling with the same issues she did. But when her clients discover their plans are not at all what was advertised, they decide to team up – and uncover the truth about Brittany’s business. This episode contains

en

00:01:00

New Year, New Scams: What’s Ahead in 2024

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/28

Hey Scam Fam! We are taking a quick break for the holidays, but we'll be back with new episodes on January 1 on W+ and on January 8 wherever you get your podcasts. We're kicking off the new year with some absolute bangers -- including a pioneering girl boss, a Real Housewife, and a reality show scammer who turned out to be a big-time con man. Until then, check out our previous episodes and some of Wondery's other series, like The Big Flop. Happy New Year! See Privacy Policy at

en

00:43:11

ENCORE | The Fine Art Fugitive

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/25

‘Tis the season for spending obscene amounts of money. That’s something superstar art dealer Inigo Philbrick excels at. In this re-run from last year, the art world hustler starts making big money “flipping” works of art. Before long, he’s selling shares of paintings to investors all over the globe, all while becoming known for his jet-setting and expensive taste. But when he makes too many promises he can’t keep, this art world svengali will lose it all. See Privacy Policy at

en

00:37:53

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud | Part 2

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/25

In the second part of this two-part epic, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker go their separate ways and carve out very different paths — but they both still love being in the spotlight. Tammy becomes a fixture on daytime and reality T.V., while Jim gets out of prison and goes right back to televangelizing. This time, he’s embracing a whole new scheme: shilling products for the apocalypse. In the second part of this two-part epic, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker go their separate ways and carve out very different

en

00:38:49

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud | Part 1

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/18

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker get their start in Christian broadcasting in the early 1960s and quickly become television superstars. As their fame explodes, they build an empire complete with their own network, a theme park, and a super-sized luxury lifestyle for themselves. But when their spending – and their scandals – get out of control, they’ll face their own kind of judgment day. This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor looking for

en

00:41:42

The House Hunter

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/11

After starting his own law firm in the early 1990s, David J. Stern gains a reputation for churning out foreclosure cases. His biggest payday comes during the mortgage crisis, when millions of Americans lose their homes. Their loss is his gain. But when wronged homeowners begin to fight back, they’ll unravel the fraud at the heart of the system. This episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know has experienced has experienced sexual harassment and

en

00:48:00

George Santos: Putting The “Con” In Congress

Scamfluencers ·

2023/12/04

It’s hard to know what to believe about George Santos’ wild origin story. Since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, almost every facet of his life has been called into question — from his name and religious background to his former marriage and previous employment. But when the Justice Department starts digging into his campaign fundraising reports, they discover an even bigger bombshell. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

en

00:40:41

Encore: There's Something about Martin | Part 2

Scamfluencers ·

2023/11/27

In the second part of this two-part rerun from last December, journalist Christie Smythe wants to dig deeper into the man who’s become the face of corporate greed. She begins following him everywhere, and she decides he’s not the villain the press has made him out to be. But when their relationship comes to light, the damage will already have been done. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

en

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