The Missing Cryptoqueen

We’re excited to share a taster of Jamie’s new podcast series, Everything Is Fake (And Nobody Cares).

Have you noticed that more and more of the world feels, well, fake? Online there's a daily avalanche of dubious advice and information - about health, money, success, happiness - much of it delivered with total confidence and little regard for evidence. There's the fabricated reviews, inflated metrics and synthetic content. Influencers present themselves as authorities.

Meanwhile, institutions once trusted to tell us what is true now compete for attention like everyone else - just as new technologies emerge that can generate convincing false information at scale. How did we get here? What can we do about it? And, well, do we really care?

In the new six-part series Jamie sets out to understand how, in so many parts of modern life, fakery is no longer punished - it's rewarded. And if that’s the case, why do we seem so unbothered by it? This taster comes from episode one of the series - if you like what you hear, you can listen to every episode of Everything Is Fake right now on BBC Sounds.

OneCoin victims’ advocate Jen McAdam has helped convince hundreds of Dr Ruja’s scam victims to join her lawsuit. With Dr Ruja missing - possibly dead - it feels like this compensation lawsuit is their best shot at justice. But things take an unexpected turn.

Featuring footage from: Good Morning Britain/ITV, The Islam brothers, Daniel Leinhardt/Youtube, TikTok/maseratimassage.

OneCoin victim Jen McAdam lost thousands in the OneCoin scam, and nearly a decade on, it still dominates her life. Jen blames Dr Ruja, but with her still missing - possibly dead - justice looks unlikely. But Jen has a plan, and hundreds of other OneCoin victims join the fightback.

With the FBI offering a $5m reward for Dr Ruja, her fame reaches new heights. And so does our search for her, with new clues pointing us to Cape Town, South Africa.

Featuring footage from: Aron Hyman/The Cape of Cocaine podcast, Heart FM, TikTok/Coolstorybru, The Hunt, documentary series: Die Kryptoqueen - ARD/arte/WDR, Novinite Nova.

New clues about Dr Ruja emerge in an unlikely - and dangerous - place. We pick up the trail with Scottish OneCoin investor Jen McAdam. Since we released the podcast, Jen’s become consumed by the search for Dr Ruja. Despite the evidence pointing to her murder, Jen’s not convinced - should we be?

Featuring footage from: Aron Hyman/The Cape of Cocaine podcast by TimesLive, BTV, Novinite Nova, News24, Newzroom Afrika, Heart FM, TikTok/Coolstorybru, The Hunt, documentary series: Die Kryptoqueen - ARD/arte/WDR.

It’s been eight years since Dr Ruja Ignatova persuaded millions to join her financial revolution, before disappearing. Jamie Bartlett picks up the story of the now FBI-wanted fugitive; following a trail of greed, deceit, and herd madness.

The search for Dr Ruja Ignatova takes an unexpected turn when a story emerges alleging she's been murdered. But with with sightings of Dr Ruja still coming in long after her apparent demise, can it be true? We speak to the Bulgarian journalists behind the story and team up with BBC colleagues to investigate the murder theory. It takes us on a trail to a Bulgarian man widely suspected of heading an organised crime organisation. Meanwhile, a trusted former adviser to Dr Ruja disappears, just like his old boss.

Presenter: Jamie Bartlett

How mysterious friends in influential places may have helped Ruja stay one step ahead. A massive revelation we only now know, but which Ruja knew years earlier.

Who are they? And could they be helping her now?

CREDITS

The search for Dr Ruja Ignatova gathers pace, five years after she disappeared. Files leaked from Dubai reveal how Dr Ruja stashed millions in the emirate and struck up a relationship with a mysterious sheikh. Then, a careless selfie leads the podcast to a mansion in an exclusive gated community. As the FBI steps up its search, new information surfaces about Dr Ruja’s disappearance from an unlikely source.

Presenter: Jamie Bartlett

The search for Dr Ruja is back on. A lot has happened since Episode 8.

Original music and sound design: Phil Channell

This audio was updated on 12/08/2020 to reflect additional correspondence with Chelgate.