The Paranoia Pair

He was charming, smart and full of lies. Victor Lustig was a con artist who didn't know how to rest. From selling Rumanian boxes, scamming a bank out of thousands of dollars to selling the Eiffel Tower... TWICE. In this episode we walk through the crimes, charm, and my favorite part, the petty downfall of Victor Lustig.

Sources:

🗼https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908/

🗼https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig

🗼https://thehustle.co/originals/the-con-man-who-sold-the-eiffel-tower-twice-1

🗼https://www.academicblock.com/life-and-leisure/con-artists/victor-lustig

🗼https://www.vintag.es/2017/04/king-of-con-victor-lustig-man-who-sold.html

🗼https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/victor-lustig

🗼https://web.archive.org/web/20111128204016/https://www.biography.com/people/victor-lustig-20657385

🗼https://headstuff.org/culture/history/victor-lustig-king-of-the-con/

🗼https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9880185/The-man-conned-world-Audacious-scams-career-criminal-Victor-Lustig-told-new-book.html

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

Join us in this short but fun episode where we go back to the 1930's where a family claimed to be haunted by a talking mongoose named Gef. He sang, swore and loved to gossip. Neighbors were skeptical and newspapers had a field day. Was Gef a spirit? A hoax? Or maybe this was just a case of a family who shared the same delusion.. either way I'm on board.

Sources:

👻https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gef

👻https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/gef-talking-mongoose-isle-of-man

👻https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/03/the-strange-and-deeply-unlikely-tale-of-gef-the-talking-mongoose/

👻https://gefmongoose.co.uk/

👻https://library.umbc.edu/specialcollections/garrett/curiosities-and-oddities/gef/

👻https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/vh35kXxrrqPRYn1mMJJb17/the-curious-case-of-the-talking-mongoose

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

In this episode, we explore true crime stories that occurred on Halloween, including the poisoning of Timothy O'Bryan, the murder of Peter Fabiano, the Liske family tragedy, and the unsolved case of Martha Moxley. 

Sources:

🦇https://people.com/candy-man-killer-timothy-obryan-murder-8732896\

🦇https://abc13.com/post/1974-candyman-turned-halloween-terrifying-pasadena-texas/375883/

🦇https://www.talesfromtheunderworld.com/p/threes-a-crowd-the-cold-blooded-halloween

🦇https://derangedlacrimes.com/?p=13846

🦇https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-triple-murder-teen-thought-it-was-halloween-prank/

🦇https://www.oxygen.com/homicide-for-the-holidays/crime-news/bj-liske-kills-3-family-members-in-halloween-murders

🦇https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Martha_Moxley

🦇https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-skakel-martha-moxley-murder-conviction-overturned-lawsuit-greenwich-connecticut/

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Podcast Cover Art:

Lauren Watson

UFOs got a glow up! Now they’re UAPs and the government’s been quietly chasing them across air, sea, and space. In this episode, we dig into decades of sightings, secret programs, and one whistleblower who says we’ve had alien tech since the 1930s. We’re talking pyramid shaped objects over warships, glowing spheres diving into the ocean, and materials that might bend gravity. David Grusch drops bombshells about crash retrievals, non human intelligence, and interdimensional theories that sound straight out of sci-fi.. except he’s backed by insiders and testified before Congress. From plasma portals to nuclear site interference, this one’s packed with weird science, shady funding, and a whole lot of “wait… what?” moments.

Sources:

👽https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-are-uaps-unexplained-aerial-phenomenon-ufos-new-name/

👽https://vault.fbi.gov/UFO

👽https://ufologie.patrickgross.org/bio/saunders.htmb

👽https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condon_Committee

👽https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investigation_of_UFO_reports_by_the_United_States_government

👽https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/insider/secret-pentagon-ufo-program.html

👽https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O47sJ91gTA

👽https://time.com/6298958/ufos-congressional-hearing-what-to-know/

👽https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/Information%20Papers/ORNL-Synopsis_Analysis_of_a_Metallic_Specimen.pdf

👽http://ufoevidence.org/cases/case1017.htm?form=MG0AV3

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

The Yogurt Shop Murders went unsolved for 30 years. After several false confessions, damaged evidence we finally have an answer. Thanks to forensic advancements, the case is solved. A man named Robert Brashers. Who is he? What lead us here? Join us as we figure it out!

Sources:

🔮https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Austin_yogurt_shop_murders

🔮https://time.com/7311144/yogurt-shop-murders-documentary-ending/

🔮https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-yogurt-shop-murders-austin-texas-families-investigators-haunted-by-unsolved-case/

🔮https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/yogurt-shop-murder-docuseries-series-austin-texas-unsolved-hbo/

🔮https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2025/08/04/the-horrific-true-story-behind-hbos-the-yogurt-shop-murders/

🔮https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/timeline-of-the-yogurt-shop-murders-investigation/

🔮https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/new-suspect-identified-texas-infamous-yogurt-shop-killings-126002530🔮https://open.spotify.com/episode/76xbEi2WdkaauiKQS13BqG?si=272072b085894f5e

🔮https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/hector-polanco-andre-causey-false-confessions/

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

Join us as we explore the motives, the investigation, and the haunting aftermath of the Pike County Murders. Uncover the tangled web of family ties, custody battles, and a meticulously planned crime that left a community in shock.

Sources:

🦇Peacock Series: Pike County Murders

🦇https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_County_shootings

🦇https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pike-county-massacre-8-killed-rhoden-family-wagner-family-months-planning-ohio-prosecutor/

🦇https://www.wosu.org/news/2025-01-03/mother-and-son-get-lengthy-sentences-for-roles-in-killings-of-8-family-members-in-pike-county

🦇https://www.wcpo.com/news/pike-county-massacre/timeline-a-full-history-of-the-pike-county-murders

🦇https://www.wlwt.com/article/pike-county-massacre-rhoden-wagner-trial/60571664

🦇https://www.wlwt.com/article/ex-wife-tabitha-claytor-testifies-her-marriage-to-george-wagner-iv-ended-in-fear-chaos/41521778

🦇https://sciotovalleyguardian.com/2022/09/12/day-1-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-first-day-of-the-rhoden-homicide-trial/

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Podcast Cover Art:

Lauren Watson

This week we uncover the murder of Pamela Pitts, a young woman from Prescott, Arizona. Her brutal murder went cold for decades until a shocking twist involving her roommate and a second murder revealed the truth. From burned evidence to suspicious alibi's and a plea deal that left her family without answers.

Sources:

🐦‍⬛https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2021/05/10/shelly-harmon-confesses-1988-killing-pamela-pitts-near-prescott/5021318001/

🐦‍⬛https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/shelly-harmon-pleads-guilty-to-killing-roommate-boyfriend?amp

🐦‍⬛https://youtu.be/p8oOZVbUaoY

🐦‍⬛https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/arizona-cold-case-murder-sentence-suspect-prison

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

In this episode we tell the horrifying fate of the Sultana and its passengers. What began as a steamboat mainly used for the cotton trade ended in a night of disaster due to carelessness. Join us as we uncover a forgotten chapter in American history and explore one of the most deadly maritime disasters that took more lives than the Titanic.

Sources:

🐦‍⬛https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/civil-war-boat-explosion-killed-more-people-titanic-180963008/

🐦‍⬛https://www.thesultanaassociation.com/the-disaster

🐦‍⬛https://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com/

🐦‍⬛https://allthatsinteresting.com/sultana

🐦‍⬛https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/sultana-disaster

🐦‍⬛Remember the Sultana documentary on Amazon Prime

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Podcast Cover Art:

Lauren Watson

Join us as we dive into the twisted tale of Peter Kürten, the infamous "Vampire of Düsseldorf." From his chaotic upbringing in a cramped one bedroom apartment to his long history of crimes. Get ready for a rollercoaster of shocking stories.

1:00 - Peter Kürten's Childhood

5:00 - Early Crimes

10:00 - Düsseldorf Murders

20:00 - Capture and Confession

25:00 - Trial and Execution

30:00 - Forensic Analysis

Sources:

⚰️https://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kurten-peter.htm

⚰️https://allthatsinteresting.com/peter-kurten

⚰️https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/peter-kurten-the-vampire-of-dusseldorf

⚰️The Serial Killer You Walked By: Peter Kürten

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⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

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Lauren Watson

This month's Paranoia Files takes you down eerie backroads, through haunted mansions and face to face with unsettling humanoid figures and even disc golf.

2:01 - I don't know what just happened

7:12 - Something is stalking my house

13:56 - I worked at a haunted mansion

16:50 - Disco Golf

20:30 - Someone keeps entering my apartment

27:08 - Humanoid figure

Sources:

🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueScaryStories/s/xLvQDY5K8O

🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueScaryStories/s/06JO67yVsq
🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/s/QAEnYXfk9W
🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/AqH97BqLyj
🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/CyOIdgfLE9
🐦‍⬛https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/s/MfYqrBY3fB

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Intro and Outro Music:

⁠MusicInMedia - Pixabay⁠

https://pixabay.com/music/mystery-investigative-mystery-219051/

Podcast Cover Art:

Lauren Watson