Usually it’s easy to tell a con artist’s motivations. Some do it for money, power or access. Some, however, do it for reasons hard to understand. The Boston Globe recently exposed an incomprehensible con: a 33-year old-woman who posed as a destitute teenage high school student. Her name is Shelby Hewitt. She enrolled in public high school under different names and created the identities of two social workers to legitimize a fake harrowing backstory. But last year it all came crashing down, leaving more questions than answers. Boston Globe reporter Patricia Wen talked to dozens of people who knew Shelby and were affected by her crimes. In this episode, Say More guest host Jazmin Aguilera sits down with Patricia to talk about what this story reveals about Boston institutions and systemic failure. Email us at [email protected]. 

To read Patricia Wen’s original reporting, follow these links: 

The secret lives of Shelby Hewitt, 32-year-old high school imposter

‘I lied to you about something big’: Confessions of Shelby Hewitt, high school imposter

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