The Missing Cryptoqueen

BBC Radio 5 Live

<p>Dr Ruja Ignatova persuaded millions to join her financial revolution. Then she disappeared. Why? Jamie Bartlett presents a story of greed, deceit and herd madness.</p>

  • 31 minutes 43 seconds
    16. Off the Record

    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.

    22 January 2026, 6:15 am
  • 31 minutes 50 seconds
    15. Pac-Man

    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.

    22 January 2026, 6:10 am
  • 32 minutes
    14. The Cablecar

    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.

    22 January 2026, 6:05 am
  • 26 minutes 56 seconds
    13. The South Africa Connection

    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.

    22 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • 4 minutes 14 seconds
    Coming Soon: Four New Episodes of The Missing Cryptoqueen

    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.

    15 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • 33 minutes 25 seconds
    12. Wanted: Dead or Alive?

    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 Producer: Rob Byrne Executive Producer: Georgia Catt Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Series Editor: Philip Sellars Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir Featuring material from: LiveNow from Fox, Radio 100,7. The Missing Cryptoqueen is a BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Sounds and BBC 5Live

    3 June 2024, 4:00 am
  • 47 minutes 34 seconds
    11. Operation Satellite

    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 Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Producers: Rob Byrne and Georgia Catt Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir Studio Engineer: Giles Aspen Series Editor: Philip Sellars Commissioner: Dylan Haskins The Missing Cryptoqueen is a BBC Documentaries production for BBC Sounds and BBC 5Live

    19 October 2022, 1:32 pm
  • 45 minutes 27 seconds
    10. The Dubai Files

    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 Producers: Rob Byrne and Georgia Catt Series Producer: Georgia Catt Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Series Editor: Philip Sellars Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir Featuring footage from: LiveNow from Fox, 5en News, Prag News, Welt Netzreporter The Missing Cryptoqueen is a BBC Documentaries production for BBC Sounds and BBC 5Live

    28 September 2022, 5:00 am
  • 45 minutes 47 seconds
    9. Follow the Money

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

    Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original Music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir

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

    6 August 2020, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 19 seconds
    8. The Technology and the Dream

    The final episode takes an unexpected twist.

    Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Producer: Georgia Catt Additional Research: Ignatius Bahizi Editor: Philip Sellars Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original Music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir

    4 November 2019, 7:50 pm
  • 43 minutes 36 seconds
    7. In Plain Sight

    Could Dr Ruja and the missing billions be hidden in plain sight? A number of small leads seem to be pointing to one place.

    Presenter: Jamie Bartlett Producer: Georgia Catt Editor: Philip Sellars Original music and sound design: Phil Channell Original Music and vocals: Dessislava Stefanova and the London Bulgarian Choir

    Episode 7 of 8. Released weekly

    28 October 2019, 4:00 am
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