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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

00:50:36

Francois-Marie Banier: The French Connection Part 1 |...

Scamfluencers ·

2025/04/21

Francois-Marie Banier overcame indifferent parents to reach the heights of the Parisian art scene. His novels, plays, and photography gained him famous friends like Salvadore Dali, Princess Caroline of Monaco, and Johnny Depp. But he’s also known as a striving social climber who seeks the affections of older French women to bankroll his artistic projects. When he’s hired to photograph L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, at one point the richest woman in the world, they hit it off instantly. As they

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00:05:52

Listen Now: Dying for Sex

Scamfluencers ·

2025/04/15

A Wondery original podcast so compelling it was reimagined for TV starring Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Sissy Spacek, and more… When Molly's diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, she decides to do something bold: she leaves her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to help her feel alive. She shares the funniest and most touching details with her closest friend, host Nikki Boyer. As they peel back the layers, we learn that Molly isn’t just grappling with breast cancer:

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00:55:36

Conrad Black: The Fleet Street Fleece | 154

Scamfluencers ·

2025/04/14

Conrad Black turned ownership of a single Canadian newspaper into a global media empire, and he used his wealth and status to cozy up to conservative superstars like Magaret Thatcher and Henry Kissinger. For years, he and his business partner lived large, looted company coffers to buy gulf stream jets, fund pet charity projects, and of course, throw lavish parties with famous people. But when a savvy investor reveals his self-dealing, Conrad will face the fight of his life to preserve his status and

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00:47:53

Lee Israel: Scammer She Wrote | 153

Scamfluencers ·

2025/04/07

After her latest biography flopped, Lee Israel was hard up for money to buy booze and cat food. So, she used her research skills to access celebrity letters in prominent archives, stealing them and adding juicy tidbits to hike up their value. The librarians are clueless, and the collectors she sells to are flipping her letters for big bucks. But Lee discovers that the feds are not as charmed by her con artist bon mots.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations,

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00:05:52

Listen Now: Don’t Cross Kat

Scamfluencers ·

2025/04/01

Kat Torres has the insta-perfect life. She is rich, gorgeous and not ashamed to share it. Her posts about witchcraft and “alien baths” drew in over a million followers, all chasing the dream of a lifestyle like hers. But as she gathers more followers around her, the secrets beneath her fame grow darker and more dangerous. One woman sets out to bring back her best friend who has fallen under the spell of this modern-day guru. And what begins as a search for a missing friend soon puts her on

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00:57:58

Giancarlo Parretti: The Italian Job

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/31

When Thelma and Louise was being made in the early 1990s, production was in and out of financial trouble. Behind this shortage of cash was an Italian businessman and epic scammer named Giancarlo Parretti, who managed to buy multiple movie studios on two continents through falsified loans from a corrupt bank. Still at large in Italy, Giancarlo seems to be a scammer with nine lives.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at

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00:48:15

Billy Mitchell: Truth or Kong-sequences

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/24

Billy Mitchell became the king of arcade games when he achieved a perfect Pac Man score, and held the highest score in Donkey Kong. But in the early 2000s, a documentary about an upstart trying to be the best at Donkey Kong leads fans to examine how Billy actually achieved those high scores. Nearly two decades later, the jury is still out on whether Billy was ever truly the King of Kong.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

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00:05:39

Introducing: Law & Crime’s LUIGI

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/19

When Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, the media called it a senseless crime. But online, a different story emerged—one of rage, reckoning, and a suspected killer turned folk hero. More than just a true crime podcast, LUIGI, hosted by Jesse Weber, dares to look beyond the crime and the accused to explore a cultural tipping point in America, asking you to decide - is the status quo enough, or is it time for a cultural reckoning?Listen to Law&Crime’s LUIGI

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00:44:37

ENCORE: The Quarter Horse Queen

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/17

We’ll be back next week with all-new episodes but in the meantime we’re bringing back a very timely episode. In 2024, President Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people in one day… including one of our very own Scamfluencers. Rita Crundwell had horse girl dreams, and she used her job as comptroller of a small Illinois town to pull off a colossal fraud. She poured millions into showing quarter horses and lived extravagantly… until one nosy co-worker unraveled the entire scheme. Rita

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00:36:40

ENCORE: Gossip Girls | Part II

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/10

The Matharoo sisters have gone from globe-trotting tastemakers to detained prisoners. Stuck in an airport hotel without their passports or phones, they decide to take matters into their own hands – and hatch a bold escape plan. Before long, their story goes from local gossip fodder to an international scandal. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or

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00:37:25

ENCORE: Gossip Girls | Part 1

Scamfluencers ·

2025/03/03

While we work on some brand-new episodes, we’re returning to one of our very first episodes about two jet-setting sisters from Canada, Kiran and Jyoti Matharoo. In 2016, a mysterious apology video surfaces online. In it, the sisters claim they’re the masterminds behind a vicious gossip site that’s been stirring up scandal and controversy in Nigeria. The only problem? The video is a fabrication — and the truth is even stranger. Want to hang out with us IRL? Reserve your spot today for Wondery's

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00:06:10

Listen Now: Scam Factory

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/25

You know those messages that you get all the time, the ones that pop up out of nowhere? They could be real, but something about them seems fishy. You likely dismiss these texts and emails as mere annoyances, thinking you’ve stopped some random stranger from ripping you off. But the shocking truth is, the person behind that message might be trapped inside a “scam factory” on the other side of the world and forced to scam others against their will. From Wondery, comes a new series about the brutal

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00:53:26

Priscila Barbosa: The Rideshare Robinhood

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/24

When Priscila Barbosa moves to Boston from Brazil in 2018, she sets out to pay off her debts and send money back home by driving for rideshare platforms like Uber and Lyft. Eventually, she decides her cut isn’t enough, and she rallies other undocumented immigrants to create one of the most lucrative illicit rideshare rings in Beantown. But this millennial #girlboss learns that suspicious groupchats and Instagrams flaunting her cozy new lifestyle will hurt her chances of staying one step ahead of

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00:46:05

Brian Wansink: Guess Who’s Conning to Dinner

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/17

During the early 2000s Brian Wansink made his mark as a “food psychologist” with quirky studies backed by the USDA and Cornell. His research led to the 100-calorie snack pack, the side plate for dinner, and the idea that Elmo stickers led kids to eat healthier. But one tone-deaf blog post led a pack of scientists to dig into Brian’s data. What they found was a hunt for bite-size takeaways, a lack of ethical rigor… and a whole lotta junk science.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts,

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00:08:27

Introducing: Blood Vines

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/14

Get ready for a whole new vintage of true crime podcast with Blood Vines, available exclusively on Wondery+.Hosted by Chris Walker, this full-bodied series uncorks the never-before-told story of the Licciardi family - one of the most powerful wine dynasties in California history - who almost brought down the entire industry over a family battle for succession …that ended in murder. www.wondery.com/links/blood-vinesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at

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00:54:52

The Hitler Hoax

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/10

In the early 80s, a German magazine thought it had the scoop of the century: access to Adolf Hitler’s secret diaries. But as soon as excerpts of the diaries were released, critics pounced. Soon, the magazine that published them, the expert who verified them, and the journalist-slash-Nazi-enthusiast who sourced them are found to be victims of an artful forger… and of the allure of a story so incredible, it really was too good to be true. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated

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00:51:42

Eike Batista: Brazillionaire Boys Club

Scamfluencers ·

2025/02/03

In the early 2000s, Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista was seen as the ultimate mining mogul: he was a speedboat-racing showman and a playboy who liked to show off his wealth. To expand his empire, Eike spun a web of bribes and fraud with high-ranking government officials. So when he was finally brought down, it created one of the biggest corruption scandals Brazil has ever seen.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at

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00:06:18

Listen Now: We Came to the Forest

Scamfluencers ·

2025/01/28

Vienna is working a delivery job when she hears about Cop City, a massive police training facility planned for Atlanta. She decides to join the activists trying to stop construction. When Vienna arrives in the South River Forest, she quickly finds a community, a cause and a love unlike any other. But the events of one morning shatters everything. Vienna and everyone connected to the forest begin to question what are you willing to die for? Wondery, Campside and Tenderfoot TV present: We Came to the

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00:44:04

Take the Monopoly Money and Run

Scamfluencers ·

2025/01/27

In the midst of the Great Depression, out-of-work salesman Charles Darrow sold the board game he created, Monopoly, to Parker Brothers. The game was an overnight success, and Charles became a hopeful example of the American dream. But soon, fellow game obsessives questioned Charles’s inventor status. Decades later, another game creator’s tireless pursuit of the truth reveals Monopoly’s subversive origin story and the twisted journey it took before landing in Charles Darrow’s hands.Be the first to

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00:54:06

Frédéric Bourdin: No Country For Old Men

Scamfluencers ·

2025/01/20

In 1997 Beverly Dollarhide hears miraculous news: her missing son, Nicholas, has been found in Spain. But the person she thinks is her teenage son is actually a grown man, a well known French identity scammer named Frederic Bourdin. And, after Frederic is brought back to the United States to be with his pretend family, the mystery of the real Nicholas Barclay’s disappearance grows deeper. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at

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