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PODCAST

The Perfect Scam

AARP"s weekly podcast The Perfect ScamSM tells the stories of people who find themselves the target of a scam. Host Bob Sullivan introduces listeners to those who have experienced scams firsthand, as well as professional con artists and leading experts who pull back the curtain on how scammers operate.

true crime

All Episodes

48:50

Minnesota Man Caught in Blind Mule Drug Trafficking Scam

The Perfect Scam ·

2025/01/24

Rodney Baldus, a retired truck driver from Minnesota, believes he is the recipient of a large inheritance belonging to his late wife. The inheritance is in Italy, but he is told he must first fly to Africa to sign papers before going on to Italy. Since his travel expenses are all paid for, Rodney is not suspicious of criminal activity. Unfortunately, Rodney is now sitting in a crowded jail cell in Mozambique with little hope of ever getting out, and his daughter, Nicole, fears for her diabetic

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54:18

Whiskey Investment Scheme Goes Barrel-Up

The Perfect Scam ·

2025/01/17

Ray is retired but always looking for interesting opportunities. So, when he gets a cold call from a whiskey brokerage firm asking if he wants to invest in some of the world's rarest whiskeys, he's intrigued. He meets with a wealth manager, Casey Alexander, who is well-mannered and professional. Ray feels confident investing over $300,000 in whiskey, although around this time, the investment scheme catches the attention of a U.S. attorney and the FBI.

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57:10

Archive Episode: YouTube Star Kitboga Fights Fraud...

The Perfect Scam ·

2025/01/10

In this 2023 episode, YouTube star Kitboga has turned scam baiting into performance art, delighting his 3.6 million followers with his many characters and laughs at the expense of online criminals. It started out as pure curiosity, and a way to avenge his grandparents who'd been victims of scams, but along the way, he's helped return money and hijacked accounts to victims, and he's taught a lot of viewers how online scams work. Bob sits down with Kitboga for a humorous and enlightening

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29:55

Archive Episode: Scams, Magic and the Art of...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/12/20

In this 2022 episode, host Bob Sullivan welcomes special guest Alexis Conran. Conran’s insight into the mind of a con man comes from acting as one on the popular BBC show The Real Hustle. On the series, Conran, an actual trained magician, and his team perpetrate scams on unsuspecting consumers and then reveal the crimes to the victims (now in the hundreds), all in the name of educating the public. Conran discusses what he’s learned about the criminal mindset and what he has identified as the

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30:53

SIM Swapping: Scammers Hijack Smartphones and Steal...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/12/13

We use our smartphones for just about everything these days, and that makes them a prime target for scammers. Online banking often relies on a code sent in a text message to verify the account holder's identity, but criminals have figured out a way to impersonate the phone and intercept these messages. This is exactly what happens when Jeff receives an SOS message on his phone, and before the day is over, thieves steal tens of thousands of dollars from him. The good news is, there's a simple thing

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38:02

Scam Victims Taxed on Stolen Money

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/12/06

Imagine you've just had everything stolen from you by a ruthless scammer. You are wondering how you will pay your bills, maybe even have enough money to buy food. And then a bill arrives from the IRS – you owe taxes on the stolen money. Unfortunately, scam victims across the country are getting hit with huge tax bills thanks to a change in the tax code a few years ago. In this episode, you'll meet Chester, a retiree from California who is living this very nightmare right now, as well as the

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43:17

A Family’s Thanksgiving Dinner Ruined by a SNAP Scam

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/11/22

Thanksgiving is a time for sharing food with family and feeling grateful. It means a lot to Georgete, a struggling mom who just wants to make the holiday special for her kids. She relies on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to get by, and when her Thanksgiving dinner is essentially stolen from her, she is devastated. The theft is part of a highly organized crime and Georgete is one of hundreds of thousands of victims, resulting in $150 million of taxpayer money stolen by

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39:47

Trusted Caregiver Steals Oklahoma Woman's Savings

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/11/15

Alice hires a local handyman, Joey, as a live-in caregiver after her shoulder surgery. She recovers, but soon COVID-19 hits, and Joey, who is down on his luck, stays on to help around the house. Alice has known Joey for years and trusts him completely. But one morning when she opens her monthly bank statement, everything about her relationship with Joey changes.

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59:14

Love Online Leads to $60,000 Theft

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/11/08

Debbie, a Colorado native and mother of three adult children, leads a fulfilling life of travel, salsa dancing and volunteer work. While her life is full, she would like to have someone to share it with. So, Debbie looks for love online and meets a seemingly great guy named Russell who claims to be a successful businessman. After weeks of daily texts and phone calls, they plan to meet. That’s when things get complicated – Russell, who is dealing with a work crisis overseas, needs her help to make

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48:20

AI is Making Virtual Kidnappings More Real Than Ever

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/11/01

It’s a typical busy day for Amanda as she sees her teenaged daughter off to work. But five minutes later, everything changes when she receives a call from a local number and hears her daughter’s voice crying. A man comes on the line with a chilling threat for Amanda if she doesn’t do exactly what he says. Technologies like AI are making virtual kidnappings and similar scams easier than ever for criminals. Bob talks with Vijay Balasubramaniyan about this ever-evolving technology and how listeners

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53:28

Suicide After a Scam: One Family’s Story

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/10/25

Dennis, an 82-year-old proud father and grandfather, makes a connection with a woman he meets on Facebook named Jessie. Jessie claims to have made a lot of money through crypto investments and offers to teach Dennis how she did it. Having developed a trusting relationship with Jessie and hoping to build an inheritance for his family, Dennis decides to invest his savings. When it is revealed that the investments are a scam and Jessie is a fraud, a devastated Dennis takes his own life. Now his son

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24:51

Archive Episode: Beware the Boardwalk Psychic

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/10/18

In this 2019 episode, 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. Having gained Marlene’s trust, Savannah offers her various items for sale in

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44:50

Archive Episode: GoFundMe Scam Targets Dart...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/10/11

In Part 2 of this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher, as the head of her local dart league, has been leading the charge to help Jeremiah Jon Smith, who they believe is dying from cancer. But when Jeremiah’s wife leaves him, she shares her doubts with Darlene about his illness. A police investigation reveals the devastating truth: Jeremiah has been faking his cancer and exploiting his friends' generosity in order to line his pockets.

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28:07

Archive Episode: GoFundMe Scam Targets Dart...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/10/04

In this 2022 episode, Darlene Asher is the head of her local Minnesota dart league, a close-knit group of dart enthusiasts who rally around champion dart player Jeremiah Jon Smith when they learn he is dying from cancer. They raise thousands through fundraisers and a GoFundMe page, going as far as paying for Jeremiah’s wedding. It seems like they’re doing the right thing, so why does Darlene have doubts?

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43:35

U.S. Army Financial Advisor Defrauds Soldier’s...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/09/27

Kim is grieving the tragic death of her son, who was serving in the Army, when she learns that she is the sole beneficiary of his military death benefit. To help with financial decisions at such a vulnerable time, an adviser named Caz Craffy is offered by the military. Kim plans to use the money to buy a home, but Craffy insists that she make investments in stocks of specific interest to him. One day Kim is contacted by the FBI and learns that Craffy is under investigation for redirecting military

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51:42

Dentist Runs Affinity Fraud Scheme in Austin

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/09/20

Neill is a successful ER physician and business owner who has regrets after a recent missed investment opportunity that proved to be lucrative. So he jumps on board after meeting Clinton Herzog who is offering buy-ins for his dental clinic chain in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, this new investment opportunity turns out to be a classic Ponzi scheme and Clinton disappears with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the doctor and his friends.

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38:01

You May Not Be a Winner: Sweepstakes Scam Empties...

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/09/13

The Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes is famous for showing up at winners’ homes with a giant check and transforming lives. So when Kathy receives a call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, saying that she’s the next lucky winner, she begins dreaming of all the good she can do for her friends and family. However, after several months of empty promises and tens of thousands of dollars in “taxes” that she must pay upfront, a concerned neighbor convinces Kathy to go to the

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49:06

Sisters Help Bring Down a Magazine Telemarketing Scam

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/09/06

When Penny signs up for a few magazine subscriptions, she thinks she is helping some kids with a school fundraiser. Little does she know that it will lead to years of harassment from telemarketers and the theft of much of her savings. But it will also lead Penny and her sister Nancy to help bring down a 20-year conspiracy that robbed more than 150,000 victims nationwide of millions of dollars.

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38:15

Archive Episode: Undercover Hacker

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/08/30

In this 2021 episode, an IT professional in the UK who goes by the alias Jim Browning is battling cyber scams. Fed up with robocalls disrupting his day, Jim decides to fight back. As con artists try to scam him, Jim uses his professional training to reverse engineer his way into their computers. With the ability to see everything on these computers, Jim works to thwart their operations and save potential victims.

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22:07

Archive Episode: The Credit Card Con Queen

The Perfect Scam ·

2024/08/23

In this 2021 episode, credit card scammer Lisa Reid’s methods are sophisticated, creative and callous. After gaining credit card information from the wealthy seniors she targets, Lisa goes on lavish shopping sprees at high-end retailers, leaving her victims with bills of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when one of her victims teams up with the FBI, this credit card con queen is finally brought to justice.

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