Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written

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.

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Despite promises made by the police, the killer faces the death penalty for his crimes. Donna confesses that she is terrified her father will find a way to avoid the death penalty, get out of prison, and come after her. As time goes on, Donna and Steve reckon with the aftershocks of her father’s crimes, the mistakes Steve made as a young journalist, and the damage the killer inflicted on his victims… both living and dead.  

This episode will be released for free on July 8th.  

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of 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 wherever you get your podcasts.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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In the present day, Steve tracks down Donna, the killer’s daughter, who he first met when she was 12. Nearly fifty years later, Donna describes the harsh reality of growing up the daughter of a serial killer who she loved.  

This episode will be released for free on July 1st.  

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of 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 wherever you get your podcasts.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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Steve secures his exclusive interview with the killer, who reveals what he considers the “real reasons” his victims died. While digging into this investigative lead, Steve tracks down a former social worker, who has a stunning revelation for Steve that will completely change his understanding of the case.  

This episode will be released for free on June 24th.  

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of 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 wherever you get your podcasts.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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On the strangest road trip ever, the confessed killer leads detectives, a prosecutor, and a medical examiner on a grim quest to unearth the bodies he claims to have buried in remote parts Louisiana and Mississippi.  

This episode will be released for free on June 17th.  

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of 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 wherever you get your podcasts.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  F

ind out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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Steve dives deeper into the details of the killer’s life, reaching out to his wife and daughter in an attempt to secure an exclusive interview with the killer in prison. Meanwhile, the Florida police dig into the grisly details of the killer’s crimes… but if they want to hold the killer accountable, they are going to need evidence.  

This episode will be released for free on June 10th.   

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of 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 wherever you get your podcasts.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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Steve Fishman is an intern at his local Connecticut newspaper and a regular hitchhiker. When one of his hitched rides comes to an unnerving conclusion, Steve shrugs it off—until weeks later, when the news breaks that the driver he rode with has confessed to being a serial killer who preys on hitchhikers. Steve sees the chance to get the scoop of a lifetime: a killer’s story, Who better to tell it than someone who almost became one of his victims?

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What would you do if someone you knew turned out to be a serial killer?  

In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper, when one day he hitched a ride back from Boston with Robert Carr III, better known as “Red.” Red seemed trustworthy enough, but he was hiding a secret: by the time he had picked up Steve, he had already killed three people—and all of his prior victims were hitchhikers themselves.  

This narrow brush with death is only the beginning of Steve’s relationship with Red. When Red is eventually arrested by the police and confesses to a slew of gruesome murders, Steve sees the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime. It’s exactly the career break that Steve has been looking for—but is it too good to be true?  

Featuring exclusive interviews and never-before-heard tape, Steve goes inside a serial killer’s mind. He examines not only the details of Red’s crimes, but turns the scrutiny on his own coverage to ask: did he get the story right? And if not, what can he do now to set the record straight?  

Subscribe now to unlock all shows on The Binge and you'll be the first to access Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer as soon as it drops on June 1st.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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In the 1970s, John Todd exploded onto the evangelical scene with a shocking claim: a secret group of devil-worshiping elites called the Illuminati were planning a violent world takeover, and Christians needed to arm themselves against them to protect their families and way of life. But none of it was true—so why did the idea spread so quickly?

Dive into John Todd’s dark and distorted world with journalist Paul Murphy on Cover Up: The Conspiracy Tapes. Featuring sensational tales of witchcraft and human sacrifice from recorded tape of John Todd’s original testimony, this story unravels the threads of Todd’s deceptions, and traces his legacy as an originator of modern day conspiracy theories.

Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes of Cover Up: The Conspiracy Tapes right now, completely ad-free.

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