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What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever?
All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.
Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly simple conception to the revelation and imprisonment of the fraudster themselves. Speaking through letters from behind bars, the con artist maintains their innocence, saying: ‘Maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit, but it doesn’t mean it's fraud.’
And that is the question at the heart of The Greatest Scam Ever Written: What happens if you want to believe that sending $50 to a psychic will change the course of your destiny? Are you a victim, or a willing participant?
Unlock all episodes of The Greatest Scam Ever Written, ad-free as soon as they drop on August 1st by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, you'll get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month, every month - thats all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.
Just click subscribe on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access.
An ITN Productions & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By Sony Music Entertainment4
39863,986 ratings
What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever?
All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.
Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly simple conception to the revelation and imprisonment of the fraudster themselves. Speaking through letters from behind bars, the con artist maintains their innocence, saying: ‘Maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit, but it doesn’t mean it's fraud.’
And that is the question at the heart of The Greatest Scam Ever Written: What happens if you want to believe that sending $50 to a psychic will change the course of your destiny? Are you a victim, or a willing participant?
Unlock all episodes of The Greatest Scam Ever Written, ad-free as soon as they drop on August 1st by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, you'll get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month, every month - thats all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.
Just click subscribe on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access.
An ITN Productions & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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