<p>Season 7: World of Secrets presents: The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. Also: Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. Women accuse Mohamed Al Fayed of rape. And: The Abercrombie Guys. Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Delve into a World of Secrets: the global investigations podcast from the BBC. Uncovering stories around the world and telling them, episode by episode, with gripping storytelling. Latest season: World of Secrets presents, The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam. It was the biggest gold discovery in history…until it wasn’t. In 1995, Canadian mining company Bre-X announced to the world it had found a significant amount of gold deep in the jungles of Indonesia. Stock prices soared as investors worldwide fought to stake their claim. But when Bre-X’s chief geologist mysteriously fell from a helicopter over the jungle, the story of the billion dollar discovery began to unravel. Nearly three decades later, no one has ever been held accountable. Now, host Suzanne Wilton takes listeners from the jungles of Indonesia to small town Alberta, Canada, to investigate what really happened and find out more about the man behind the biggest goldmine fraud of all time. Produced for the BBC World Service and CBC by BBC Scotland Productions. The Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam was first published in May 2024. Previous seasons of World of Secrets: Season 6: The Bad Guru. A yoga school in London. A guru running from the police. How did Miranda get sucked in? Journalist Cat McShane investigates the international yoga movement headed by Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual guide arrested by French police in November 2023 and charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape and organised abuse of weakness by members of a sect. Season 5: Finding Mr Fox. Investigating a plot to smuggle around a hundred millions of dollars’ worth of drugs from Brazil to Europe and the miscarriage of justice that followed. But where is </p>
The time has come to arrest Alisa’s brother, Staton Grubert. Thirty armed agents commando crawl up a dirt track to his trailer in Texas. Staton has no idea that his time is up. Will Alisa finally get closure?
And in a state in the South West, Greg is reunited with Lucy, the girl who had been abused for six years.
This podcast includes some upsetting scenes and discussions of child sexual abuse.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
The Darkest Web is a BBC Eye production for the BBC World Service.
Pete and Greg have learnt about a paedophile calling himself “Twinkle”, who runs a website dedicated to sharing images of very young children. At first, they have no idea who he is or where he could be, but slowly Twinkle gives himself away. Working with investigators in Brazil and Portugal the agents discover that Twinkle is a young man living in rural Portugal. Greg flies out to assist with the arrest and discovers some very disturbing scenes. This episode talks about child sexual abuse from the very start, and includes some upsetting scenes.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
The Darkest Web is a BBC Eye production for the BBC World Service.
After they rescue Lucy, Greg and Pete discover the dark web community is even bigger than they thought. There are hundreds of websites each sharing different images of different kinds of child sexual abuse. Overwhelmed by what they have found online and the sheer scale of the problem, Greg makes a decision to go undercover. He will go online on the dark web and talk to the paedophiles directly. They have to do everything they can to try to stop the abusers.
This podcast includes some upsetting scenes and discussions of child sexual abuse.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
US Special Agents Greg and Pete are desperate. Somewhere in America a twelve year old girl, who they have called Lucy, is being sexually abused. Her abuser has been sharing images of his abuse for six years on the dark web. They have to find her - and save her.
They were convinced that Facebook would be able to help them using its facial recognition technology, but the tech giant is unable to help. So they go back to the start, examining every single thing they can see in the room she is being abused in: the sofa, the bed and then finally they wonder what they might discover if they look at the room itself, specifically the exposed brick wall. Is there any way someone could identify these bricks? And could that person help them to find Lucy?
Season 11 of World of Secrets, The Darkest Web, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
This podcast includes some upsetting scenes, discussions of child sexual abuse, and there’s some strong language.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
US Special Agents Greg and Pete are desperate. Somewhere in America a twelve year old girl, who they have called Lucy, is being sexually abused. Her abuser has been sharing images of his abuse for six years on the dark web. They have to find her - and save her.
They were convinced that Facebook would be able to help them using its facial recognition technology, but the tech giant is unable to help. So they go back to the start , examining every single thing they can see in the room she is being abused in: the sofa, the bed and then finally they wonder what they might discover if they look at the room itself, specifically the exposed brick wall. Is there any way someone could identify these bricks? And could that person help them to find Lucy?
Season 11 of World of Secrets, The Darkest Web, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
This podcast includes some upsetting scenes, discussions of child sexual abuse, and there’s some strong language.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
US Special Agents Greg Squire and Pete Manning work together to track down people who sexually abuse children and share images of their abuse online. They thought they knew what they were dealing with but they’ve just discovered they have no idea. In a prison in Amsterdam they meet a prolific paedophile, Robert Micklesons, who reveals to them the vast online world created by paedophiles to share images and video of child sexual abuse. When they get back to the US they get an urgent call. A police officer in Denmark has found images of a girl in America who appears to have been sexually abused for six years. But no one has any idea where she is. Their job is to find her. But how will they do it?
Season 11 of World of Secrets, The Darkest Web, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
This podcast includes some upsetting scenes, discussions of child sexual abuse, and there’s some strong language.
For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
Somewhere in America, a twelve year old girl is being abused in her own home. Her abuser is sharing photographs of her with a vast community of child abusers on the ‘dark web’ — an encrypted corner of the internet where users are untraceable. But, hidden amongst the paedophiles, are two men whose job it is to try and find her: US Special Agents Greg Squire and Pete Manning. For more than seven years, BBC Eye journalist Sam Piranty was granted rare access to follow their work, observing the extraordinary lengths they will go to hunt down offenders and rescue children. Every detail matters, and every decision has consequences. They will not look away. The race is on.
Season 11 of World of Secrets, The Darkest Web, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
After never receiving the money raised in their children’s name, mothers are finally confronting the scammers and demanding answers.
Now is the time to ask why. Where is the money?
Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
World of Secrets will be back with gripping new investigations in 2026.
Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
The investigation into why millions of dollars promised to families with sick children never reaches them moves to Israel. There we find misleading addresses and more questions than answers. Who is making these online campaigns which claim to help desperate parents? New ones keep appearing, but the story’s the same.
Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
A mother from Ukraine signs a contract, hoping that it will help her young daughter. Viktoriia has a brain tumour: her story is plastered all over social media despite her family’s request that the video they made isn’t shared.
Olena says she wasn’t given time to read the contract properly. When we look more closely, it makes for shocking reading. Now she knows the truth, she wants to stop the scammers, agreeing to help us go undercover.
Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel
A woman called Isabel pushes a little girl to send videos from her hospital bed. It’s part of a recruitment drive for sick children in Colombia to take part in campaigns. What does she know about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that appear to have been raised? It’s money the family never saw. Who was she working for, and what can she tell us about this scam?
Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.
Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel