The Perfect Scam

By AARP

Society & Culture

What's The Perfect Scam about?

AARP’s weekly podcast The Perfect ScamSM tells the stories of people who find themselves the target of a scam. Host Bob Sullivan introduces listeners to those who have experienced scams firsthand, as well as professional con artists and leading experts who pull back the curtain on how scammers operate.

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LAST EPISODE

YouTube Star Kitboga Fights...

12.01.2023

YouTube star Kitboga has turned scam baiting into performance art, delighting his 3.3 million followers with his many characters and laughs at the expense of online criminals. It started out as pure curiosity, and a way to avenge his grandparents ...

The Perfect Scam episodes:

12.01.2023 YouTube Star Kitboga Fights Fraud With Humor YouTube star Kitboga has turned scam baiting into performance art, delighting his 3.3 million followers with his many characters and laughs at the expense of online criminals. It started out as pure curiosity, and a way to avenge his grandparents ...
11.24.2023 SIM Swapping: A Multimillion Dollar Scam Our smartphones contain access to just about everything that’s important to us, so when criminals figure out how to exploit vulnerabilities in security on mobile devices, the results can be disastrous. In this episode, we’ll hear about a group of ...
11.17.2023 Holiday Scams: What to Look Out For This Season While we are busy planning holiday gatherings and travel and buying gifts, scammers are working overtime coming up with ways to target us. In this special bonus episode, Bob sits down with Amy Nofziger, from the AARP Fraud Watch Network ...
11.10.2023 Phone Scams and the Human Trafficking Connection Have you ever thought about who might be on the other end of those scam calls and messages we all receive? The answer could be far more sinister than you might imagine. The “scammer” may also be a victim of ...
11.03.2023 A Veteran Rebuilds His Life After a Scam Takes Everything When David meets a woman, based in the Philippines, on a dating app he feels he’s made a real connection. While not romantic, over the course of a year they develop a deep friendship. One day she comes to David ...
10.27.2023 Criminals Deceive Search Engines With Fake Results You’ve heard the advice: When you receive an unexpected phone call from a company, hang up and call its verified phone number. But can you trust an internet search to find a valid number? Criminals have figured out how to ...
10.20.2023 AI and Scams: What You Should Know This week, we are bringing you a very special episode about a new development in the tech world that threatens to make things much easier for criminals – artificial intelligence. AI is already being used to supercharge the common grandparent ...
10.13.2023 Psychic Mail Fraud Scheme Enabled by Data Firm In 2018, The Perfect Scam brought you the story of the French psychic Maria Duval mail fraud impostor scheme. For decades, criminals, led by a man named Patrice Runner, used Duval’s name and image on letters sent all over the ...
10.06.2023 Dog Hospice Victimized by Bank Impersonation Fraud Caring for ailing senior dogs is a passion project for Helen and her husband, who run the nonprofit dog hospice Old Dogs Go to Helen. They rely on donations to pay for the dogs’ medical and comfort care until they ...
09.29.2023 Archive Episode: Honolulu’s Power Couple Caught: Mortgage Scam, Part 2 In part 2, Gerard Puana stands accused of stealing the mailbox of his niece, the deputy city prosecutor, Katherine Kealoha. Surprisingly, this strange crime will lay bare that Katherine’s luxurious lifestyle is fueled by a reverse mortgage on her grandmother’s ...
09.22.2023 Archive Episode: Honolulu’s Power Couple Caught: Mortgage Scam, Part 1 In this 2021 episode, Katherine and Louis Kealoha report that their mailbox has been stolen, a strange occurrence in the upscale Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala. Even stranger is that Katherine claims that her uncle Gerard Puana is the mailbox thief, ...
09.15.2023 Bonus: Top 5 Things to Know About Crypto Scams Thieves think that stolen cryptocurrency is the perfect crime — anonymous, secret and safe from seizure. But prosecutor Erin West and her team are proving them wrong, recovering millions of dollars in stolen cryptocurrency and returning it back to victims. ...
09.08.2023 Boat Captain Falls in Love With a Ghost Keith is retired from his cybersecurity career and spends his time as a boat captain taking people on scenic cruises of Cape Cod Bay. He isn’t really looking for love when he receives an online friend request from a divorcee ...
09.01.2023 One Woman’s Story of Survival After a Scam, Part 2 In part 2, after a scammer she meets playing Words With Friends steals most of her family’s savings, Kathy is so distraught that she attempts to take her own life. She survives thanks to the quick actions of her husband ...
08.25.2023 One Woman’s Story of Survival After a Scam, Part 1 Like many of us, Kathy struggles in the early days of the pandemic to adjust to isolation from family and friends. She enjoys the diversion of playing Words With Friends and soon strikes up a friendship with a fellow player. ...
08.18.2023 Scam Victim Turns Movie Star Jerry Hsu, a retired engineer living in Florida, receives a phone call from someone claiming to be his cellphone provider. They are threatening to cut off his service because the Shanghai Police Department says Jerry is speaking out against the ...
08.11.2023 Taylor Swift Fans Targeted in Concert Ticket Scams Lisa is an avid concertgoer with extensive experience buying and selling tickets online. So when pop megastar Taylor Swift announces she’s coming to town, Lisa is determined to find the highly sought-after tickets for her teenage daughter and her three ...
08.04.2023 ‘Garbage Into Gold’ Ponzi Scheme Wayde McKelvy and Troy Wragg stir up enthusiasm for their company, Mantria, and a green energy revolution they promise in the form of a product called “biochar.” Their “garbage to gold” scheme attracts scores of investors and even the attention ...
07.28.2023 Archive Episode: The Hidden World of Psychic Scams, Part 2 In Part 2 of this 2019 episode, after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend in the same day, a distraught Debra pays a visit to a psychic. Little does Debra know that the shop is part of ...
07.21.2023 Archive Episode: The Hidden World of Psychic Scams, Part 1 In this 2019 episode, Debra is a divorced mother and ballroom dancer who travels between her home in Florida and her boyfriend’s home in New York City, where she trains with her dance partner. When Debra loses her part-time job ...
07.14.2023 A Reality TV Star’s Telemarketing Scheme Hoping to build her hobby into a business, Penny takes an online training course in social media marketing. After this initial small investment, she is flooded with calls from companies selling different website services. They promise big returns, but her ...
06.30.2023 An Old Scam Is Making a Comeback: Check Washing Consumers write far fewer checks than they did in the past, so it may seem surprising that the once-common crime of check washing is making a dramatic comeback. Criminals steal a check out of the mail, wash off the payee’s ...
06.23.2023 DEA Impostor Steals Montana Woman’s Life Savings Retiree Susan moves from California to a beautiful Victorian home in Montana to be closer to her son and his growing family. One day, Susan notices some unusual charges from her Amazon account. She takes all the necessary steps to ...
06.16.2023 Team of Women Takes Down Serial Romance Scammer, Part 2 Derek Alldred has spent decades using fake identities to date and steal money from hundreds of women around the country. He’s been arrested numerous times on fraud charges, but Derek skips town as soon as he is released on bail, ...
06.09.2023 Team of Women Takes Down Serial Romance Scammer, Part 1 After her divorce, Linda decides to take a chance on online dating. She’s pleasantly surprised to make an instant connection with a man named Rich. He’s handsome, charismatic and has an impressive résumé — a Navy reservist working on his ...
05.26.2023 Bonus: ‘Catphishing the Catphisher’ with David Etue In this bonus episode, Bob sits down with David Etue, CEO of Nisos, The Managed Intelligence Company®, to discuss a fascinating study his team recently conducted to learn more about criminal online activity to better protect online users. For the ...
05.19.2023 Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Scheme, Part 2 In part 2, a call from Reuters journalist Brian Grow confirms Diana’s worst fears about what really happened to her stepfather’s remains. As Brian digs deeper into the story, the truth he uncovers about Sunset Mesa Funeral Home and the ...
05.12.2023 Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Scheme, Part 1 Planning a loved one’s burial or cremation is a difficult experience under the best of circumstances. When Diana’s stepfather, Cactus, gets sick during the early stages of Alzheimer’s and sees a billboard advertising simple cremations for $695 at Sunset Mesa ...
05.05.2023 Real Estate Company Accused of Preying on Philadelphia Homeowners, Part 2 In part 2, Philadelphia homeowners fight to be released from their 40-year contracts with MV Realty. Complaints from all over the city and the state reach the Pennsylvania attorney general, who files a lawsuit against the company for allegedly misleading ...
04.28.2023 Real Estate Company Accused of Preying on Philadelphia Homeowners, Part 1 Homeowners all over Philadelphia are being inundated with ads for MV Realty’s Homeowner Benefit Program on social media, through robocalls, and some people even receive a knock on their door. The pitch is simple: Get a quick cash payment in ...
04.21.2023 Puppy Scammers Steal Thousands After the loss of the family dog, Tana is determined to find a new canine companion for her husband who suffers from dementia. Hoping to surprise him for Christmas, Tana finds a breeder online and sends payment, but the puppy ...
04.14.2023 International Crime Ring Sets Up in West Virginia College Town Huntington, West Virginia, is an idyllic college town on the Ohio River, but it’s also the epicenter of a massive international internet crime ring. Federal prosecutor Katie Robeson hasn’t been on the job long when she learns that a woman ...
04.07.2023 Words Matter: Blame Fraud on Criminals, Not Victims In this special episode of The Perfect Scam, Bob hosts a roundtable discussion on changing the conversation around victim blaming. Far too often, the blame for financial fraud is directed at the victims rather than the criminals. This keeps victims ...
03.31.2023 ‘The Perfect Scam’ Celebrates 5 Years! This April marks five years of “The Perfect Scam” podcast! Since launching in 2018, we’ve brought you stories of fraud told by the people who lived them, stories of trauma but also of bravery and triumph. With the FTC reporting ...
03.24.2023 FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 2 In Part 2, criminals are running the grandparent scam all over the San Diego area. Often crimes like this go unsolved, but FBI agent Brady Finta and his law enforcement partners believe this situation is unique. There is a video ...
03.17.2023 FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 1 When Susan gets a frantic call from her “grandson” saying he’s been in a terrible accident, she doesn’t waste any time. She rushes to get him the $9,000 he requested for legal fees, but as soon as she hands the ...
03.10.2023 A Texas Hospice Provider’s Deadly Scheme, Part 2 As FBI Special Agent Cook and partners at the Department of Health and Human Services dig deeper into the records of Novus Healthcare, they are shocked to find fraud every step of the way. From falsifying required doctor visits to ...
03.03.2023 A Texas Hospice Provider’s Deadly Scheme, Part 1 Hospice is an essential service that many families depend on during a difficult time, but the combination of loved ones under emotional stress plus hospice benefits provided by Medicare can attract unscrupulous operators. When Judy’s mother enters care with Novus ...
02.03.2023 Bonus: Trending Scams to Look Out for in 2023 In this bonus episode, Bob Sullivan invites anti-fraud activists Frank McKenna and Ayelet Biger-Levin to take stock of where we are in the fight against fraud and look ahead to the trends listeners should watch for in 2023. Learn how ...
01.27.2023 Fake Doctor Runs Phony Medical Spa Scheme, Part 2 In part 2, Jill Alper has already made a $10,000 investment in Dr. Dan’s medical spa business when her friend Holly Saunders learns that he is a con man with a lengthy criminal record. Determined to stop him from targeting ...
01.20.2023 Fake Doctor Runs Phony Medical Spa Scheme, Part 1 Longtime friends Jill Alper and Holly Saunders are dazzled when they meet Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Dan, a man of many talents and interests. When Dr. Dan invites them to invest in his medical spa business, Jill dives in ...
12.23.2022 A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Conviction, Part 4 Five months after a hung jury, Chemirmir is again brought to trial. This time a conviction brings a much-needed feeling of justice. But family members brought together by this tragedy won’t stop until they’ve made a difference by helping protect ...
12.16.2022 A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Investigation, Part 3 The arrest of Billy Chemirmir and the identification of more victims confirm the suspicions of many family members. Chemirmir has even been working as a home health care worker under an assumed name in the home of one of his ...
12.09.2022 A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Jewelry Box, Part 2 Reports of a suspicious person, posing as a maintenance worker, entering Dallas-area independent living communities are followed by an attack on a resident. The survivor’s description leads police to a man who has a history of trespassing. Could a victim’s ...
12.02.2022 A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: A Killing Spree, Part 1 Four women move to independent living communities in the Dallas area, hoping to continue enjoying their active lives in the security of their new homes. They are each found dead in their apartments in 2016, and their deaths are ruled ...
11.25.2022 Trailer: The Perfect Scam Presents: A Special Report on The Texas Elder Murders The Perfect Scam returns on December 2nd with a special 4-part series in connection with AARP – The Magazine. Host Bob Sullivan takes a deep dive into this tragic tale of deceit, stolen identity, murder, and ultimately, the fatal ageism ...
11.04.2022 Woman’s Inheritance Wiped Out in Crypto-Dating Scam After 25-year-old Niki Hutchinson loses her mother, she uses some of her inheritance to start fresh in California. Not knowing anyone, she does what many people do today and joins a dating app to make connections. She develops a friendship ...
10.28.2022 The Virtual Kidnapping of a Gymnast When Sheratan Johnson receives a call from an unknown number, she’s startled to hear the man on the other end of the line claim he’s kidnapped her daughter from gymnastics class. Hearing her daughter’s screams, Sheraton follows all the kidnapper’s ...
10.21.2022 Why Gift Cards Are Gold Mines for Scammers, Part 2 In Part 2 of this special report, we look further into the dark side of the gift card market, where criminals turn gift cards into a tool to steal money from unsuspecting consumers in a way that’s completely untraceable and ...
10.14.2022 Why Gift Cards Are Gold Mines for Scammers, Part 1 Many people see the colorful racks of plastic gift cards in checkout lines as convenient last-minute gifts. But criminals see a tool to steal money from unsuspecting consumers in a way that’s completely untraceable and irreversible. The crime is so ...

Older episodes

The Perfect Scam

What's The Perfect Scam about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Perfect Scam episodes:

YouTube Star Kitboga Fights Fraud With Humor

SIM Swapping: A Multimillion Dollar Scam

Holiday Scams: What to Look Out For This Season

Phone Scams and the Human Trafficking Connection

A Veteran Rebuilds His Life After a Scam Takes Everything

Criminals Deceive Search Engines With Fake Results

AI and Scams: What You Should Know

Psychic Mail Fraud Scheme Enabled by Data Firm

Dog Hospice Victimized by Bank Impersonation Fraud

Archive Episode: Honolulu’s Power Couple Caught: Mortgage Scam, Part 2

Archive Episode: Honolulu’s Power Couple Caught: Mortgage Scam, Part 1

Bonus: Top 5 Things to Know About Crypto Scams

Boat Captain Falls in Love With a Ghost

One Woman’s Story of Survival After a Scam, Part 2

One Woman’s Story of Survival After a Scam, Part 1

Scam Victim Turns Movie Star

Taylor Swift Fans Targeted in Concert Ticket Scams

‘Garbage Into Gold’ Ponzi Scheme

Archive Episode: The Hidden World of Psychic Scams, Part 2

Archive Episode: The Hidden World of Psychic Scams, Part 1

A Reality TV Star’s Telemarketing Scheme

An Old Scam Is Making a Comeback: Check Washing

DEA Impostor Steals Montana Woman’s Life Savings

Team of Women Takes Down Serial Romance Scammer, Part 2

Team of Women Takes Down Serial Romance Scammer, Part 1

Bonus: ‘Catphishing the Catphisher’ with David Etue

Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Scheme, Part 2

Colorado Funeral Home Body Brokering Scheme, Part 1

Real Estate Company Accused of Preying on Philadelphia Homeowners, Part 2

Real Estate Company Accused of Preying on Philadelphia Homeowners, Part 1

Puppy Scammers Steal Thousands

International Crime Ring Sets Up in West Virginia College Town

Words Matter: Blame Fraud on Criminals, Not Victims

‘The Perfect Scam’ Celebrates 5 Years!

FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 2

FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 1

A Texas Hospice Provider’s Deadly Scheme, Part 2

A Texas Hospice Provider’s Deadly Scheme, Part 1

Bonus: Trending Scams to Look Out for in 2023

Fake Doctor Runs Phony Medical Spa Scheme, Part 2

Fake Doctor Runs Phony Medical Spa Scheme, Part 1

A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Conviction, Part 4

A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Investigation, Part 3

A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: The Jewelry Box, Part 2

A Special Report on the Texas Elder Murders: A Killing Spree, Part 1

Trailer: The Perfect Scam Presents: A Special Report on The Texas Elder Murders

Woman’s Inheritance Wiped Out in Crypto-Dating Scam

The Virtual Kidnapping of a Gymnast

Why Gift Cards Are Gold Mines for Scammers, Part 2

Why Gift Cards Are Gold Mines for Scammers, Part 1