The Perfect Scam

Kentucky Fights Back Against Scammers


Listen Later

Pat, an 81-year-old woman from Kentucky, receives a call that she has won a $7.5 million lottery prize. Pat can't believe her luck. Unaware that the call is a scam, she begins speaking with the scammers multiple times a day. Over the next seven months, they befriend Pat in an effort to convince her that she'll receive the prize money as soon as she pays taxes on her winnings. Slowly they gain Pat's trust, and she starts sending money to the scammers. Every time she thinks she has made a final payment and will receive her prize, the scammers come up with a new issue requiring her to send more money. Eventually the scammers take over $100,000 from Pat. Unfortunately, Pat's story is common among lottery-scam victims. Often by the time these scams are uncovered, victims have lost thousands of dollars, and because of the difficulties in tracking down and prosecuting scammers, most never receive restitution. However, determined to get a better outcome for citizens, the state of Kentucky has dedicated resources to fight back against scammers. Investigators in the Kentucky Attorney General's office have been working to track down and prosecute scammers, and their efforts are paying off. In the last four years the Kentucky Attorney General's office has returned $2.1 million to victims of fraud. When they hear about Pat's case they dive in, following the money, hoping to apprehend the scammers and get justice for Pat.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Perfect ScamBy AARP

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

1,008 ratings


More shows like The Perfect Scam

View all
20/20 by ABC News

20/20

11,959 Listeners

48 Hours by CBS News

48 Hours

10,928 Listeners

PRETEND by True Story Media

PRETEND

2,480 Listeners

Swindled by A Concerned Citizen

Swindled

9,835 Listeners

American Greed Podcast by CNBC

American Greed Podcast

2,152 Listeners

American Scandal by Wondery

American Scandal

19,004 Listeners

Dateline NBC by NBC News

Dateline NBC

47,934 Listeners

The Binge Cases: Where is Daniel Morcombe? by Sony Music Entertainment

The Binge Cases: Where is Daniel Morcombe?

4,194 Listeners

The Opportunist by PodcastOne

The Opportunist

10,346 Listeners

Queen of the Con by iHeartPodcasts and AYR Media

Queen of the Con

3,646 Listeners

Scamfluencers by Wondery

Scamfluencers

7,277 Listeners

Betrayal: Weekly by iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts

Betrayal: Weekly

7,839 Listeners

Infamous by Campside Media / Sony Music Entertainment

Infamous

1,129 Listeners

Scams, Money, & Murder by Crime House

Scams, Money, & Murder

352 Listeners

Scam Factory by Wondery

Scam Factory

440 Listeners