Scams & Cons: Recent Episodes
Jim Grinstead
Why would anyone give thousands of dollars to a Nigerian prince? Or play a well-known scam like Three Card Monte? Scammers and con artists convince people to do it every day. We will tell you why people become suckers and how it is done.
Winter storms have swept the country recently and we've previously experienced other forms of severe weather or dangerous phenomena.
In this postscript edition, we tell you about the scammers who swoop in during disasters.
Don't make a crisis even worse. Listen in and find out how to protect yourself from those who want you to pay for services or say your charity money will go to help those in need.
Listen to our new podcast: Unseen Influences. Available everywhere.
Learn about our new podcast -- Unseen Influences. It takes you behind the scenes of the techniques others use to guide our behavior.
It officially launches in February, but Scams & Cons listeners can listen to early episodes right now. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts or by going to our website, unseeninfluences.com.
In this four-minute episode, I'll also bring you up-to-date on what's happening with Scams & Cons and give you details about what shows to expect on Unseen Influences.
Listen in -- you're the first to know.
The only ways I know to get easy money is to either to be born rich, marry a rich partner or have someone bequeath you a fortune.
If someone stepped up to us and said they have a way for us to make a lot of money fast, odds are we’d listen – listening doesn’t cost anything. Unless the person doing the talking is a scammer and they have now set the hook and may very well reel us in.
Today we'll talk about Easy Money scams and you'll learn just how easy it is for you to lose your cash.
It's not easy to escape from prison, but when you have a lot of time on your hands and experienced con artists available ... well, it's going to be inevitable.
A few weeks ago, we looked at how con artists used their skills to escape a highly secure prison. This time we're looking at the case of the Texas 7 who managed to escape, but not without costing a police officer his life.
The Seven were on the lam for 41 days, but then police used cons of their own to bring them back to jail. We'll tell you how.
Fear gets your attention. It throws you off-kilter. It corrupts your judgement.
You recover quickly when surprised by a spider. The impact is greater if you awaken in the night and see a stranger standing at the foot of your bed.
In this episode, we tell you how scammers use fear to get us to do things that interfere with our ability to reason and recognize the scam for what it is.
The basics of romance scams haven't changed all that much. Find someone who is lonely, gain their trust and affection, then bleed them dry of all the money and assets they have.
In this update to season one's story, we tell you how scammers are using new techniques and technology to make their efforts more effective and dangerous.
Why would a good scammer give up their trade just because they are in prison where those skills could be used to escape?
If they are bold enough, they wouldn't.
This is the tale of the Maze Prison Break. Maze is a prison within a prison within a military base. It took a lot of planning and a lot of cons, but they got out. We'll tell you how.
Tell me what's on your mind.
Nearly all scams are impersonation scams. They need you to believe they are someone else in order to get you to hand over your money.
In this episode, we tell you about some of the new ways scammers are using impersonation techniques to rob you and why it's only going to get worse in the future.
Tell me what's on your mind.
In our last episode, I told you about social engineering -- how a con artist's patter can convince you to do anything. But sometimes props are needed to make that tale seem more real.
In this episode we talk about the devices and distractions tricksters use to keep you from noticing your money is slipping from your fingers.
Tell me what's on your mind.
Nearly all scams are built around the technique of social engineering. Con artists know how to manipulate you, what buttons to push and allow you to believe you made a choice you never had.
In this episode, we explore the techniques of social engineering and why we're all vulnerable to them.
And you'll hear a scammer confess to her crime and said she took advantage of an elderly couple because they were "good people."
Tell me what's on your mind.
We're ready to go back to school with Scams & Cons classes that begin Sept. 11.
Enjoy the long weekend, then it's back to the fun!
Tell me what's on your mind.
It's time for our summer break so I can prepare new episodes for season 9. Listen in as I give you the details and respond to some listener notes.
Have a great summer and make some time away from the news to have some fun. You deserve it!
Tell me what's on your mind.
If you bought tickets to a pop-up taco museum restaurant in San Antonio, you got scammed. If someone wants to hook you up with a priest who does exorcisms, beware. But we begin with the story of a brand new scam called call merging. It involves merging your phone call with a scammer and a bank’s two-factor authentication system, stealing your secret code.
Tell me what's on your mind.
More than 60 hotels are conned by a man who dirtied rooms with roaches and condoms, and scammers are showing up at people’s doors to collect money they say they are owed. And I want to tell you the tale of a gambit that I can't call a con, but it's a great way to lose your money.
Tell me what's on your mind.
We're all vulnerable to scams, but we don't have to be willing victims. Today I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago -- tell you just what to do to thwart scammers.
Tell me what's on your mind.
A new scam is moving across the country that can capture the information on your credit card's chips, plus Minnesota legislators are considering a law that would reimburse victims of scams.
Tell me what's on your mind.
What some of you may remember as the Scopes Monkey Trial is a scam. If you don’t know about the trial, you may know about the movie, “Inherit the Wind,” which – and I’m being charitable here – took poetic license with the truth. Today, as we near the 100th anniversary of the trial, I tell you why.
Scopes 100 Celebration
Tell me what's on your mind.
Alabama leads the nation in losses from online scams and a Massachusetts butcher shop owner says he was scammed out of $60,000 of meat. Plus, we'll update you on the Frye Festival scheduled for Mexico, but who knows where in that country it will be?
Tell me what's on your mind.
There are con artists who have pulled off major cons. What they do is so ballsy, it’s hard to believe anyone would fall for them. Yet, in the annals of history, they live on.
Today on Scams And Cons, we'll tell you their stories.
Tell me what's on your mind.
We'll tell you the story of con artists who preyed on the elderly with home remodeling scams. One was brazen enough to outright tell the homeowner what needed to be done and begin work.
Tell me what's on your mind.
Is this written by me or an AI? Will you hear my voice or an AI voice in this podcast? (Spoiler, you'll hear both)
AI voices and images are so easy to create these days that it's easy to throw someone into a money-gushing panic if they get a phone call from a friend claiming to be in trouble.
The key is not to try and recognize the voice, but to recognize the scam. We'll tell you how and it's not that difficult to learn.
Tell me what's on your mind.
In this week's news, Thailand takes the unusual step of cutting off electricity to 500,000 people to stop scammers and con artists are staging car crashes to collect insurance money.
Plus, Georgia exempts banks from protecting customers from scammers even though they say they want a law requiring them to do so.
Listen at ScamsAndCons.com or wherever you get podcasts.
Tell me what's on your mind.
Is this written by me or an AI? Will you hear my voice or an AI voice in this podcast? (Spoiler, you'll hear both)
AI voices and images are so easy to create these days that it's easy to throw someone into a money-gushing panic if they get a phone call from a friend claiming to be in trouble.
The key is not to try and recognize the voice, but to recognize the scam. We'll tell you how and it's not that difficult to learn.
Tell me what's on your mind.
A man got taken by a scammer and called a local TV station for help. The scammers weren't caught, but they later called the man back, pretending to be the anchor and tried to shake him down again.
It didn't go well for the scammers.
Hear this story and more on Scams & Cons News
Tell me what's on your mind.
Groups of con artists roam the country, sweeping into a community and taking it for all they can until the police get wise.
They're called Travellers and we'll tell you how they work and why they are different from other scammers.
Tell me what's on your mind.
The pigeon drop -- and oldie, but a goodie -- is misdirecting people so their new expensive purchases can stolen and fake Amazon customer service agents targeted a woman and tried to clean out her bank accounts.
Support the podcast
Tell me what's on your mind.
If you've been scammed, will you get your money back? Will you get justice? The answer, unfortunately, is no.
While it may be your life savings, the amounts are generally too small and police have such limited resources that they can't help. Your best hope is that your scam was part of a much larger operation that police can get resources to chase.
This week we tell you while justice is so elusive and that the best defense is a good offense. Protect yourself.
Tell me what's on your mind.
Your child is safe at home, but scammers are calling to get info about them to put into a state "registry." It's a scam ... don't fall for it.
Hear this story and more on Scams & Cons News.
Tell me what's on your mind.
It's easy to think of a scammer as a slick, sophisticated character, ready to outsmart your every move.
Not so fast.
Scammers do stupid stuff too, and we're here to tell you about them. Listen in for a good laugh and relief that they aren't as clever as we think they are.
Tell me what's on your mind.
In the early days of computing, we were afraid that if we pushed one wrong button, we'd lose all our work -- and that frequently happened.
Nowadays, the risk isn't so high and total losses are rare, but scammers have figured out how to convince you to push just one button that allows them to steal your money and anything else personal on your computer.
We'll tell you about that and about a former TV anchor who was arrested for taking money intended for the poor.
Listen at ScamsAndCons.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Support the podcast
Tell me what's on your mind.
We're kicking off season 8 with a look at some really stupid scammers, then come back by asking if victims can ever really get justice.
The news is back with some changes and we'll be taking several dives into how AI is being used by scammers and con artists.
Plus, beginning this season, you'll be able to text me with your comments, questions or anything that's on your mind. I look forward to hearing from you!
Thanks for listening!
Tell me what's on your mind.
People are coming back from the future. Some want computers to help solve problems for which the need ancient software, while others need some cold, hard cash to survive in this primitive world of ours.
People are handing money over to these con artists without asking a simple question: Why are future IT people too stupid to keep their technology up-to-date and they need to travel back in time so we can fix it for them?
Support the podcast
Tell me what's on your mind.
Think of all the music jingles you've heard over the years, promising that this pill or that one will help prevent cancer, ease your aching bones or guarantee you a longer, healthier life.
It's snake oil and in this episode we tell you the difference between Western medicine, alternative medicine and outright frauds.
Pay close attention, because some people will swallow anything.
Support the podcast
Tell me what's on your mind.
We're talking about squatters again, primarily because they are improving their tactics and because they can rob you of your single largest investment. And it's a scam you don't see coming until it has already happened.Squatters are also organizing. They are forming unions of sorts to change or create laws that protect what they see are their rights.Scammers are always one step ahead of us. Listen in because we can't afford to be left behind.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Adoption agencies can be difficult to work with. They have many requirements that must be met, and justifiably so. They want to make sure an adopted child finds a good and safe home.But some potential parents are patient. They want a faster process and are willing to pay to move to the top of the line. Desperation and fear is where scammers like to operate and today we'll tell you how they do it.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
The old scam called the swoop and squat is back! It involves two cars with one swooping in front of a another, then coming to a halt. The scammers hope the rear driver will pay up without involving an insurance company. If no crash occurs, the scammers just put their car in reverse and slam into the car behind.Cars and trucks that have been flooded as part of recent storms, are being patched together and shipped to other states for sale. Don't be a sucker, check your prospective new car out before you buy.Support the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Fake websites are the hot thing this holiday season and they'll be popping up everywhere.You'll be amazed at how easy it is to set up a fake website. We'll tell you how it happens -- not how to do it.Listen to Scams and Cons wherever you get podcastsSupport the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
When someone knocks on your door, you're not expecting them to ask for sex. That's what some scammers are doing. They are offering sexual partners online, then send the mark to an address to receive the service. The homeowners aren't expecting the dozens of people who show up at their house.And black marketers sell a name for $10 allowing the scammer to rob $4,500 from a mark's account.Hear these stories and more on Scams & Cons, wherever you get your podcasts.Support the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Our last episode told the story of Brittani Ard who had her heart stolen by a romance scammer. Well, technically not a romance scammer, he didn't ask for money, but he did want to be part of her life. He also wanted to be a part of the lives of many other women at the same time.In this episode, we ask Dr. Cortney Warren about whether this is a love con, a sex con or something else. She helps us understand why some people want to steal hearts, not money.Why would a guy described as good looking, go online and troll for women to whom he would profess and demonstrate love? Let's explore.Dr. Warren has also written a book, Letting Go Of Your Ex, that helps people leave relationships with people they care desperately about.Dr. Cortney WarrenBrittani ArdOur previous episode with Britani ArdLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
We''ll tell you about a pastor who said he may have misunderstood God by selling cryptocurrency and an 82-year-old woman you don't want to mess with. She set up a successful sting to catch a scammer.Then there is a Cricket Wireless store in Athens, Georgia that was hit by a scam, resulting in a loss of approximately $12,000. The incident involved a fraudster posing as a company vice-president and sent an employee out to buy the tools needed to break into a safe.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Scammers are getting personal by sending email to you, by name, and including pictures of your home. If you don't pay up, they promise to release your confidential information.Police arrest a scammer, release him on bail and the process repeats itself 13 times. Why?Hear these stories and more on Scams & Cons.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
This is not an episode about romance scams. The techniques involved are the same, but it seems to me that it involves love, sex and attraction to many women at a time. Never does the scammer ask for money or favors, but the scammer does receive trust and love.This is the strangest story I've told so far. Listen in and tell me what your think. contact@scamsandcons.comYou Probably Think This Story Is About YouSupport the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Is Brad Pitt a romance scammer? How did CoinStar get caught up in a scam? Did half the people in a survey acknowledge they had been caught up in a scam or con?We have the answers on Scams & Cons News.Support the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
A scammer convinced a man to turn over $8,000 to collect winnings from a bogus Publishers' Clearing House prize. The man hoped to help his family and when he realized he'd been duped, he took his own life.And a record company comes the the aid of a dying girl who was scammed out of Taylor Swift tickets and sent her to the Eras tour, all expenses paid.Support the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. Scammers are anything but civilized.In this episode, we'll tell you about how scammers get into public money and how they drain millions away. Public officials should know better and train employees in how to avoid scammers' traps. It's a bugaboo of mine, so you'll hear more stories in our News segments. It's a big issue. This is a great place to understand how vulnerable your money is.Support us on Patreon!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tell me what's on your mind.
Someone walking beside you can steal your credit card information without touching your wallet. We'll tell you how it's done and just because you died, doesn't mean landlords stop charging your rent, despite what the law says.Hear these stories and more on Scams & Cons, wherever you get your podcasts.Support the podcastLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season 5 launches September 7 and here's a full episode on how con artists use misdirection to sucker people in.
We believe Season 5 is our best yet with stories about pick-up artists, time travel scammers, how con artists justify what they do, fake medical cures and much, much more.
Plus we're going weekly with our new feature called Scams & Cons News that will bring you up-to-date with real scams happening in the field right now.
We look forward to being back with you again and that's no misdirection!
Support the show
Scams & Cons News begins officially this September, but we thought we'd give you and update on some of the things happening this summer.
See you in September!
Support the show
I'm headed off on summer hiatus and to produce shows for Season Five. I'm really excited about Season Five because we're producing shows on Pick-Up Artists, Time Travelers and Imposters -- plus a lot more. It will be fun!
We'll also be adding a new feature called Scams & Cons News about recent scams from around the world. This episode provides a preview and I'd love to hear what you have to say, so drop me email at news@scamsandcons.com.
Scams & Cons News will be released on opposite weeks from our regular episodes, so are now a weekly podcast!
Enjoy your summer!
Support the show
Every now and then we come across stories that are so unique or rare that they don't merit their own episode, but that doesn't mean they should be forgotten.
In this final episode of Season 4, we bring you stories of jetpacks, sucker lists and counterfeit whiskey. They have nothing in common except that they're interesting and they fool thousands.
Unfortunately, the world has endless examples of people in need. The ones that real deserve our consideration, but the ones that are false ... those are the ones that deprive others of help they may desperately need.
Whether it's a person seeking help for a relative who has cancer, a homeless man who gave up his lasts $20 to help a stranger or those jars you see in convenience stores seeking aid for someone in your community, you can bet there are scammers ready to count on your kindness to keep their wallets full.
We'll tell you how it works, but don't let that stop you from being a good person. Just be sure the help you want to give goes to those with the need.
The "War of the Worlds" broadcast. The "Fountain of Youth." The "Cardiff Giant."
Odds are you have heard of at least two of these three scams, but it's also likely you don't know the whole story. Even textbooks get it wrong. Don't worry, we're here to help.
We'll set you straight, despite what's in your fourth-grader's history book.
The Cardiff Giant
The Farmer's Museum
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
If you want to fool thousands, you have to be able to reach thousands and mass media is built just for that purpose.
Companies and pranksters have longed used these tools to peddle their tales, but don't be deceived. They still want your money -- they just want to distract you while they talk you out of it.
How would you feel if a person who had the power to destroy the world had a debilitating medical condition. Would you vote for them, unsure how they would perform in a crisis? Politicians don't want to find out, so they keep secret vital information the public needs to make informed choices.
And what about a senator, who had legally been deemed incompetent by a judge because of her dementia, continued to vote on public issues for four months?
And there is the president who chose to have a risky surgery at sea to keep the press from finding out.
Individually, we're entitled to medical privacy, but when a medical condition impacts our safety, we deserve a vote.
Listen in and hear the excuses public officials share about why they believed deception was in the public interest.
Two brothers turned their bar into a political machine that ruled Kansas City. From 1925 to 1939, the Pendergast brothers lined many pockets -- mostly their own -- by controlling public projects and contracts.
They ran the city, the county, the state and, eventually, helped Harry Truman into the White House.
We'll tell you how it was done, how taxpayers were aware of it and why they went along.
New stadiums can cost several billion dollars to build and who wants to spend that kind of money when the public could foot most of the bill?
True, there are some owners who have shouldered the entire cost, but those are rare.
In this episode, we tell you how teams prepare years in advance to use fan money as no-interest loans, to avoid taxes on their share of the stadium revenues and gin up excitement among fans to drive up the cost -- and profits -- of a new venue.
And it doesn't stop there. Listen in as we lay out the playbook on how to build new stadiums using your money.
Suppose you wanted to build a new building for your business. You'd check the zoning laws, apply for the proper permits and hire a licensed contractor to do the work. These laws are intended to protect you and others from shoddy work that can lower the value of your new facility.
It works pretty much the same in Mexico, but Walmart understood that putting some money in the right people's pockets could bypass local and U.S. laws to get the job done exclusively and cheaper.
ATT tried the same thing in Illinois and drug companies do the same to doctors.
Money makes the world go 'round, but it takes scams to move that cash from your pocket into those who wield more power.
In 1939, Alabama gave local sheriffs control over prisoner food budgets. They could decide how the money was spent and what food was served.
If they spent less than what was budgeted, the rest of the money would not go back to the county, it would go legally into the sheriffs' pockets. Hey, what could go wrong?
It wasn't until 2019 when the Alabama legislature changed the law so any excess funds would go back into public coffers.
Before then, sheriffs abused prisoners so they could build expensive private homes, but that's not the only way prisoners and their families were extorted and we'll tell you about those, too.
When you have a captive market, the pickin's are easy.
We're making a pivot in Season 4. Having run you though all of the scams run on individuals, we're taking a look at con jobs run on thousands or millions of people.
Our teaser tells you what you need to know. The new season begins in just two weeks.
It's my second favorite scam podcast. Visit Scamapalooza's website for more episodes.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
The holidays are upon us and with them, the end of Season 3. We'll be back in January with Season 4.
Expect some changes for Season 4. We'll be focusing on scams run against the public. Things like the bribery of public officials, the political machine of Tom Pendergast in Kansas City and an Alabama law that allowed sheriffs to steal funds intended for feeding inmates to fund vacation homes and more. In one case, two sheriffs split the $1,000 cost for a trailer of corn dogs and fed them to prisoners twice a day.
We're hard at work, but we hope you have a great holiday season. See you in January!
Support the show
It's a mystery writing trope: Twins commit a crime, but can't be punished because they look alike. You should expect better than that from Scams & Cons and we're here to deliver.
In this episode, we have stories of twins who ran their own scams, usually in different areas of the country and the fact that they were a twin had nothing to do with the scams they ran. In most cases, they ended up running different scams entirely.
Is it nature or nurture? We'll tell the stories, you figure that one out for yourself.
Support the show
What time is it? 4:23? Thanks.
You could have gotten the answer from your phone, a sign in front of a bank or dozens of other sources. So, why spend $150,000 for a Rolex to give you the same information.
Luxuries are perceptions and scammers use those perceptions to make you think you're getting a very good deal on something that can perform the same function for far fewer dollars. Scammers have exploited those dreams for centuries, but now marketers have refined those techniques to scam us in legal ways.
Listen in because, as always, we'll tell you how it's done and why we fall for it.
Support the show
Golly, I'm sorry I spilled that mustard on your jacket, please let me help you clean it off.
Mistakes happen, but this was no mistake. You've just been distracted long enough for someone to lift your wallet or steal your briefcase or luggage. Unfortunately, by the time you realize that, that helpful lady has vanished.
This really old scam is called The Mustard this form of it is fading into history. The Mustard is now played differently in a form that safer for the scammers and far more dangerous for you.
The Mustard remains a squeeze play, but its methods are electronic. Instead of lifting your wallet, they just steal your PIN number.
This scam is run a number of ways, so don't be a sucker. Listen in and find out who has just taken your ATM PIN.
Support the show
Remember the movie "Catch Me If You Can?" It was based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr.
Abagnale is still conning us -- and making good money doing it. Like any good con artist, the trick is in misdirection. He doesn't want us to see prison files that show he was in jail during much of the time he outlined his escapades. He doesn't talk about stealing expensive camera equipment from a summer camp. He doesn't talk about pretending to be a doctor at Arizona State University performing examinations on potential stewardesses.
When asked about these and other contradictions in his life, he cloaks himself in a quilt of love of country and family dedication. He says he doesn't talk about his past life (although he did to Google in 2017) and disavows writing (or reading) a book which bears his name as an author.
In this episode, we'll focus on one part of Abagnale's story: the movie, "Catch Me If You Can" in which you'll hear Abagnale tell the same story many different ways. Listen in as we caught him because we could.
"The Greatest Hoax On Earth: Catching Truth While We Can" by Alan Logan.
This is the definitive guide to Abagnale's lies
Pretend podcast by Javier Leiva
Javier takes you on an audio journey through Abagnale's life, uncovering new information about the con artist and his family.
The Carson Podcast with Mark Malkoff
Mark listens as Abagnale discusses bunking with Leonardo DiCaprio and other tales.
Support the show
In Greek mythology, The Sirens were beautiful women with the upper bodies of humans and the lower bodies of birds whose bewitching songs lured sailors to their doom. Their singing lured sailors would try bringing their ships close to shore where they would either crash their ships or sailors would jump overboard and drown.
Today's sirens are cult leaders, their methods draw you in, convince you they can ease your pain and making you part of their family, all along siphoning off your money and all connections to the outside world.
Cults can be dangerous things. In this episode we introduce you to a cult member and a cult leader who tell you how it's done and how she managed to break away.
It's a compelling story, but we won't send you away believing that Scams & Cons will provide you unending love and harmony ... unless you're into that kind of thing.
Dr. Janja Lialich
Support the show
Scammers and con artists generally trick suckers into handing their money over willingly. Blackmail is intended to have you believe you have no choice but to pay up, even though you know they'll be back for more.
Experts nearly universally believe that blackmailers should not be paid and they rarely come through on their threats. But at the time, you're scared and afraid to turn to anyone for help because you must confess what it is that the blackmailer is threatening you with.
In this episode, Scams & Cons, tells you how to recognize blackmail, how it works and that help is available without making you vulnerable.
Listen to this one. You've got a nice little headset there. It would be a shame if something happened to it.
Support the show
Scams & Cons will be back in two weeks, but before we return, it seemed timely to talk about voter registration fraud.
Registration fraud is different from voter fraud in that it seeks to change documentation. Voter fraud is when someone who is ineligible attempts to cast a ballot.
We're apolitical here, but we do want to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote, gets to vote. Listen in a find out how to protect your rights.
Our regular Scams & Cons episodes return September 9 for our third season with a program on blackmail. Be sure to listen. We know where you live.
The new season of Scams & Cons begins Sept. 8 with an episode about Blackmail, but in the meantime, we thought we'd share one of our most popular episodes -- Parking Lot Scams.
Parking Lot Scams
Some would say parking lots themselves are scams: $20 for two hours. Really?!!!
They are also places where, for at least a short time, you’re trapped. When backing out of your parking space, someone could rap on your window, and ask for money to buy food or for a bus ticket to get home. There is no escape and you must deal with the situation somehow.
There are many more scams that depend upon confronting you in vulnerable moment. In this episode, you’ll learn what they are and how con artists manipulate you into giving them money, even when you know you’re being scammed.
Summer is for kicking back on the porch with some cheap wine and hot wings -- that is unless you live here in the Southeast where temps of 90+ have been common for about three weeks now.
Instead, we'll be kickin' back here at the ranch reflecting on the ending of Scams & Cons' second season and the upcoming Season 3 coming this fall. We're already well at work with stories about blackmail, cults and the Mustard Con.
We'll be in touch when we get ready start Season 3, so, choose a temperature-appropriate spot, dangle your feet in the water and stay safe.
The hills are alive with the sound of scammers
Singing lies and deceits that are decades old.
Their songs fill my heart with hopes of stardom,
But they just steal my songs and leave me broke.
Musicians that travel to Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, Austin and other music centers are looking for a break and scammers step right up to boost their egos and brag about the now-famous who became stars only after meeting them.
It’s quite a temptation and hopefuls rarely do the due diligence to find out whether what they’re being told is true.
Fans get duped, too, by musicians who seem to overflow with talent, but are only good at syncing the silent instrument they hold to a recording playing through a nearby speaker.
We’ll tell you the tales of how the sound of music ends up being the sound of cash being taken from your pocket. It results in a tragic ending, set in a minor key.
Col. Tom Parker profile from Smithsonian Magazine
David Hooper: Music Business Radio
David Hooper books
You open a letter that tells you that you've won a huge about of money in a sweepstakes you don't remember entering. Just send some money to cover taxes and fees and those riches will be yours.
You're a winner, but only if you toss that piece of mail in the trash. Sweepstakes scams come in many shapes and forms and we all want to believe that fortune has smiled upon us, but it likely hasn't. Particularly if that letter is postmarked standard presort -- a class used primarily for bulk delivery.
But whether it's a letter, a phone call or an email, check things out carefully and don't give in to wishful thinking. It could cost you everything you own.
If an FBI agent appeared at your door, flashed a badge and said she had a few questions for you, would you comply? Would you ask to see the badge again. Would you know what an actual badge should look like?
Those badges, diplomas on the wall and other credentials can be easily faked. We'll tell you how and what you can do to protect yourself. I'm qualified to do it. I have a PhD in Philosophy from Springfield University. It says so on the diploma that hangs on my wall.
Those little slips of paper -- coupons -- are real money and someone has to pay for the discount you just received. It could be the store, the manufacturer or someone else. You may have paid for it before you left the house.
The world of coupons is complicated and there are lots of ways scammers can creep in. The average person is the most common way. It happens when we buy coupons online or try to print our own.
Then there is the coupon processing system that provides another entry point.
We'll explain it all to you so that you're not standing at a cash register, getting the hairy eyeball from a manager who believes you're trying to use fake coupons.
Three-card-monte can take all your money in fewer than eight minutes. Long cons can take days, weeks, months or years -- just ask Bernie Madoff.
The con artists generally have to put up significant amounts of money to pull it off. They usually enlist others and must gain use of offices and facilities.
On top of that, they have to think on their feet because many things can happen over time.
You've got to be good to run a long con and in one case we'll tell you about, the sucker took the bait, then came back so the same con could be run on him again.
For the scammers, that's a great ROI!
Don't you just hate it when the new $5,000 sex doll you ordered turns out to be a cheap knock-off? Or that super-fun-pack of condoms you bought is counterfeit?
Men thinking with the wrong head are mostly the victims of these crimes, but their variety may surprise you. Like that help-wanted ad you saw for a sex toy tester. I don't want to spoil this one -- you just have to listen.
Vice article about online adult games
Art scams are like no other. They are like a theatrical play with scammers and art forgers producing, writing and directing the show. Even the suckers are part of the script, anxious to play their roles, even when they suspect there may be an unhappy ending for them.
The majority of the rules that apply to most scams, don't apply here. Some people get involved for fame, some for ego and others for fortune. Those that are in it for fame or ego, usually don't get a cut of the fortune, and they are just fine with that.
As the curtain goes up, listen closely. Things are going to get freaky.
The Art Thief and other books by Noah Charney
Most cons are well planned. After all, the con artists don't want to go to jail.
But sometimes, things come together in such a way that the scams have to be pulled off quickly while the con artists make things up on the spot.
Today we'll tell you the story of three scams that were run only once. OK, there's a fourth one, but you'll know it when you hear it. Listen closely.
The Kitchen Table Historian
Recently -- and I kid you not -- I found a $100 bill as I got into my car after buying groceries. It was on the ground beside my door, folded in thirds. I immediately thought someone was setting me up for a Pigeon Drop, but no one approached and no other people were around, so I put the bill in my pocket.
It took weeks before I used that money. Finding $100 is just too rare a thing. I wondered if was counterfeit. I eventually went to a bank, they looked the bill and marked it. It was real.
This is the essence of the Pigeon Drop. Money is found, two strangers approach, suggest dividing it, then set up a series of moves designed to send you to the bank where you'll withdraw thousands of dollars and willingly hand it over to the scammers.
Listen in as we tell you how scammers magically turn pigeons into suckers.
The idea of unconditional love is unknown to scammers, unless you're talking about a sucker's money. There's never a trick they aren't willing to perform for a treat -- except being told to "stay."
Doggone it, we should have seen it coming, but there's more involved than companionship. Our emotions get wrapped up and that makes us perfect suckers.
Listen in and we'll tell you how to protect yourself.
Colin Butcher - Pet Detective
Falling in love is a risk, but on Valentine's Day, we're all suckers. We're sharing our love by telling what to look out for.
A scammer's poem
Words of love from my keyboard make your heart take flight,
So don’t mistake my plea for money as a reason for fright.
My needs are genuine and my motives are clear,
So please wire your money so I can disappear.
Season Two of Scams & Cons begins Feb. 10 with an episode on Valentine's Scams. It will be good to see you again, but don't feel as if you need to send flowers.
While we were putting that episode together, something caught our eye -- QR code scams. It requires no human interaction and there are only a few ways you can see it coming, so we decided to do this mini-episode telling you all about it.
XOXO
Scams & Cons will be back with new episodes in February, but until then, we thought we’d share some information about the man pictured in the corner of our logo – Victor Lustig.
Lustig conned Al Capone and sold the Eiffel Tower twice. That's how he earned his corner seat.
Other con artists have sold public monuments, so to tide you over until the new season, we’re sharing their stories.
Buy Me A Coffee
I have sand between my toes, a perfectly positioned chaise lounge and plenty of suntan lotion. It's a welcome break to mark the end of Season 1.
Fear not! I've already begun work on Season 2 with stories about ... well, listen in to this 3-minute episode where you can join me on the beach and I'll tell you all about it.
Until next year, be happy, healthy and watch out for scammers and con artists.
And stay safe.
P.S. I need to ask a favor and it has nothing to do with your credit card. I don't make money from the podcast and unless someone waves a ridiculous stack of money at me (highly unlikely), it's going to stay that way.
What I really want is more listeners. If you enjoy Scams & Cons, please put a post on your social media accounts recommending us (scamsandcons.com). And, like all other podcasters, if you could give us a high rating where ever you listen, that helps as well.
I also pledge to do better on social media. Our Facebook handle is "areyouthemark" or just search for "Scams & Cons." Stop in and say hello.
Thanks.
Carpenters need hammers and saws. Cooks need pots and pans. Con artists need a good story to tell and a mark to believe it.
In this episode, you’ll learn about the basic skills a con artist needs to succeed. Strap your tool holster on for this apprentice class on how to set up and execute a successful con.
Don’t you just hate it when you come home from vacation to find that some scammer now owns your home? Or when con artists move in, and the law allows them to stay while you go through a long court battle to have them evicted?
House stealing is a real thing and it is frighteningly easy to do and once you learn how the scam is run, you’ll never want to leave home again.
Science explains life's mysteries using procedures intended to weed out false results and outright lies. That process doesn't always work.
Don't worry, Scams & Cons is here to help. We'll tell you how fake science happens, the people who flush it out, why DNA evidence isn't that reliable and how Charlie Hatfield (maybe) made it rain.
When tragedy strikes, you’re vulnerable and that makes you a prime target for con artists. Death is a time when we’re most vulnerable.
Scammers sweep in to sell family history books, offers to bring your loved one back to life through cryogenics, and unneeded and expensive caskets that are destined for incineration. Even before death, scammers may sell you a pre-need policy, then disappear with your money, leaving your insurance worthless.
In this episode about death scams, you’ll learn about all of this, plus the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory will give you advice about how to deal with the return of the dead in a zombie apocalypse. They say Nevada may be your best bet. Lay in a supply of quarters for the slot machines. You may need them.
Some would say parking lots themselves are scams: $20 for two hours. Really?!!!
They are also places where, for at least a short time, you’re trapped. When backing out of your parking space, someone could rap on your window, and ask for money to buy food or for a bus ticket to get home. There is no escape and you must deal with the situation somehow.
There are many more scams that depend upon confronting you in vulnerable moment. In this episode, you’ll learn what they are and how con artists manipulate you into giving them money, even when you know you’re being scammed.
When the Trojans rolled the horse into their city, they thought they were claiming the spoils of war. Instead, it was a hoax that eventually allowed the Greeks to sneak in and destroy their city.
So, is a hoax a scam, or is it the other way around? Fortunately, Ian Keable stops by to sort it for us as we talk about the differences. His new book, The Century of Deception: The Birth of the Hoax in Eighteenth Century England, includes tales about Ben Franklin and a woman who gave birth to rabbits. It’s a hare-raising story, to be sure.
Admit it, you’ve played the game that asks “What would you do if you won a lottery?” The first step is to make sure you actually won a lottery.
Lottery scams abound. Some trick people into sending cash to cover a few fees and taxes before the winnings can be sent to them. Others approach actual winners as experienced, trusted advisors only to pad service fees. Then there are those who try to cheat the lottery itself by rigging the game to offer up predetermined numbers.
It’s said that it’s better to be lucky than smart. When it comes to these cons, smart is the winning ticket.
What’s the first thing you do when you trip on the sidewalk – you look around to see if anyone noticed and, if so, did they laugh.
But what if you were recorded comparing bits and pieces with someone on the internet? Maybe someone caught you with an illegal substance in your pocket or, as we describe in this episode, ride escalators in hopes that someone will take an upskirt photo of you.
This is the badger game. You can call it extortion or blackmail, but this scam sets a trap and if you are caught, your tighty-whities will bunch up.
Impersonators hide in plain sight. They tell you who they are and back up their claims. Trusting soul that you are, you think, “why would they lie?”
They lie because they want your money and they use other people’s credibility to gain your trust.
Some of these scams are relatively harmless. The con gets a free meal, maybe a hotel room or some other relatively low-value prize.
Other impersonators go for big treasure. They pretend to be movie stars (you’ll hear Tyler Perry tell you about that), rich entrepreneurs or other people you want to be associated with. After all, we all have our little cons to run.
Things aren’t always what they seem to be, but you can be sure that a con artist, knows exactly who they are, what they want and you’ll be the one to give it to them.
IRL Rosie
Fame comes at a price. Scammers want your money and don’t care if it also costs you your self confidence.
Those trying to get noticed are vulnerable and the path to success is different for everyone. It often depends upon getting to the right person at the right time. To increase your odds, you’ve got to put yourself out there and hustle. You’ll fail a lot, but that’s how the game is played.
This makes you a perfect mark -- you must depend upon the kindness of strangers and put yourself in unfamiliar situations. But be careful, your fame may come with the word “sucker” attached to your bio.
Don’t think it can happen to you? Elton John lost $29 million to his financial advisors, plus $10 million more in legal fees. Robert Di Niro lost $88 million in an art scam. Billy Joel got taken for $90 million by his former manager and brother-in-law. A Ponzi scheme took $15 million from John Elway. Kevin Bacon and his wife lost millions, courtesy of Bernie Madoff.
Be happy you’re six degrees away from that action.
Even at a distance, you’ll know the carnival is in town. You can see the lights of the Ferris Wheel. Maybe you can hear the screams of people on one of the rides to scare the hell out of you. When you arrive, you’ll smell fresh popcorn … the carnies smell a sucker.
Except for the prices, the rides are straight. No con there. No short pours on the drinks because you can see how high the liquid is, although the cup may be smaller than those you are accustomed to or the bottom is inset a little too far to shave an ounce or two off the pour.
But if you head over to the game row, ready to knock some milk bottles down, shoot holes in a target or sink a basketball, they will soon know how much money you had in your pockets, because they will be counting it.
The claw machines hide the most insidious con. They are preprogrammed to generate whatever profit the game owner wants. If you win something, it’s only because the machine wants you to.
In this episode, we’ll tell you all about these cons and although you know the games are rigged, you may be surprised to learn how it’s done.
Just be sure to stash some cash in your socks before you leave home – you’ll need it to get home after the carnies empty your pockets.
Claw machine operations manual - PDF
Have you tried this new air freshener? A herd of stallions could spend the night in your house and with one puff of this spray, you’d never know they were there!
And this kitchen gadget is fantastic! It slices and dices, makes ice cream and turns rancid meat fresh again. It’s just amazing!
No, it’s not. It’s false advertising and it’s a scam. There are laws that are supposed to protect us from that, but they are not difficult to skirt. You’ve heard of miracle supplements than can cure anything from a bad cold to every cancer you can imagine. Since it’s not a medicine and just a supplement, all kinds of claims can be made and all you need is a line that says the claims have not been verified by the Food and Drug Administration and it is not intended as a cure for anything.
This week we'll talk about false advertising, Confident Bob who pushed Enzyte to why the best values in town are under the ground -- somewhere.
Take us up on this risk-free offer. Listen as we tell you about advertising scams and if you aren’t completely satisfied, you may delete the episode from your computer, no questions asked.
What does pass the truth test is the claim that in two weeks we’ll be back with a new episode that will change your life.
You may be psychic!
In fact, there is a good chance you are – or could be. The Census Bureau says one of the fastest growing job descriptions in this decades will be psychics. As of this writing, PsychicPro Job Center has one client with 25 immediate job openings.
If you don’t feel qualified, psychic training is readily available.
Don’t expect us to answer the question of whether psychics are bona fide – OK, they are fradulent – but you will learn how the business works and the tools it employs.
Ian Rowland explains how to do a cold reading, sessions he calls personal readings because he doesn’t charge for what he does unless you are a business that has hired him to boost its communication skills.
It’s a fun show and if you knew that already, it may be time to go job hunting.
Regardless, it pays to remember the words of author Mike Klepper: “Predictions are but guesses - when they come true, they are prophecies; when they don't, we salvage the situation by calling them allegories.”
IanRowland.com
Books by Ian Rowland https://www.ianrowland.com/paperback-books
Arthur Findlay College https://www.arthurfindlaycollege.org/
If you are a six and a 10 shows interest in you, at the very least you’d feel flattered. You might even spend a little time with them just to feed your ego.
And if that contact happens online, it seems even better. No dinners to buy. No gifts to exchange.
And you can walk away at any time.
But if the person on the other end of the line is a scammer, it might not be as easy as you think. You’ll be showered with attention, endless flattery and the person will seem to have a genuine interest in you. It might even include some “interesting” photos. Why stop? It’s an online thing and you can stop any time.
Then one day your future spouse needs help. Their situation is serious, they confess to you. They may even have to sell their home to survive. The scammer doesn’t ask for more and rebuffs any offers you make to help, but, eventually, they agree and you send the money and feel good about it. What you don’t know is that you have just become prey for the Russian Bride Scam.
In this episode, I’ll tell you how it works, you’ll hear from scam victims and customer service reps from companies that enable the scammers.
Your love may have been sincere, but it blinded you to their torrid affair with your wallet.
Unless you work for the U.S. Mint, odds are you can’t print legal currency. But if you could print money, it’s unlikely you’d get much sleep for a while. Once you were rested, you would crank up the printer again and begin shopping for an elegant place to lay your head. Your personal chef will bring milk and warm cookies to your bedside so you can easily fall asleep.
We all want easy money, but unless an unknown rich relative dies and leaves you a fortune, it’s not likely to happen. What’s more likely to happen is for a con artist to convince you easy money can be had and they can show you how.
We’re going to tell you stories about the scams that lead people to fantasize about free money and the cash they “invested” to make those dreams come true. If you’d like to hear more, just send the fee to our post office box and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Like never.
Steven Gomez
It’s a simple game. It’s just a guy flipping three cards on top of a worn cardboard box.
If you’re the sucker, the game is easy. It’s meant to be that way. A lot of effort by a lot of people has gone into creating that scene. No wonder Three Card Monte is called the longest running show on Broadway.
The sucker sees it as a game of skill. They believe they can outwit the tosser. What the sucker doesn’t realize is that the game is not about the cards, it’s about getting the sucker to put all the money they have on the box and walk away with nothing. And it can be done in about eight minutes.
In this episode, Chef Anton will walk you through how it’s done. And he should know, he is a veteran of the streets. These days, he uses his skills to entertain at trade shows and events and to get free drinks in bars.
And he is likely to continue doing just that. As his title, Chef, declares: “Cons Hustle Everyone Forever.”
Chef Anton
School for Scoundrels
Why would anyone give thousands of dollars to a Nigerian prince? Or play Three Card Monte – it’s a well-known scam? Or be lulled into a marriage with someone you’ve never met face-to-face.
Scammers and con artists do it all the time and the Scams and Cons podcast pulls the curtain back and tells you how it is done.
Trust us. You should subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.