The Perfect Scam

AARP

  • 45 minutes 9 seconds
    Ohio Woman Comes Face-to-Face With Her Scammers

    Lori is enjoying her early retirement, pursuing her hobbies and caring for her animals in rural Ohio. One day, a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration leaves her rattled. He says her information has been compromised and she must work quickly to convert her money into gold bars. What happens next is part of the dangerous trend of online crime leading to in-person, real-life meetings with money mules.

    26 July 2024, 4:01 am
  • 43 minutes 35 seconds
    Family Left Homeless After Rental Scam

    Phillip and his family are planning a move from Las Vegas to Denver and need a new place to live quickly. He finds the perfect rental house on Craigslist but he doesn’t want to take any chances and flies to Denver to tour the home with the real estate agent. A few days after he moves in, a woman knocks on the door claiming she has also rented the house. They realize this is more than just a crazy mix-up when a second person arrives expecting to move in.  

    19 July 2024, 4:01 am
  • 44 minutes 4 seconds
    Puppy Scam Robs Couple of Their Life Savings

    Michael and Kelli are empty nesters after their three adult children move out, and they aren’t prepared for how quiet and lonely the house becomes when their two dogs suddenly die. The couple turn to the internet, looking for a puppy to help fill the void left in their home and their hearts. Instead of finding a companion, the couple are targeted by criminals who steal almost every penny of their life savings.

    12 July 2024, 4:01 am
  • 45 minutes 15 seconds
    Golfer Steals Thousands From Charitable Causes

    Lindsay, an Army veteran and single mother of a young daughter with cystic fibrosis, is taking a much-needed day to reconnect with an old friend over a game of golf. A friendly older man named Rob asks to join them. As they spend the afternoon on the golf course, he tells them that he spends his time raising money for various charities. He even knows of some great opportunities for fundraising for two causes close to Lindsay’s heart: wounded veterans and cystic fibrosis. But as soon as she hands over the money, Rob stops returning her phone calls.

    28 June 2024, 4:01 am
  • 31 minutes 51 seconds
    Archive Episode: Rookie FBI Agent Turns Tables on International Scammers, Part 2

    In part 2 of this 2021 episode, Rookie FBI agent Mike meets 80-year-old Alan, who has sent $600,000 to “friends” he met online. Typically, international scammers are notoriously hard to prosecute. After hearing that Alan visited the scammers in the Middle East and Africa, though, Mike senses a unique opportunity to lure the con artists to the United States. The pair devise a scheme so that the swindlers can be arrested and convicted of their crimes.

    21 June 2024, 4:01 am
  • 21 minutes 46 seconds
    Archive Episode: Rookie FBI Agent Turns Tables on International Scammers, Part 1

    In this 2021 episode, after 80-year-old Alan returns from a trip to the Middle East and Africa, where he visited new “friends” he made online, his wife grows suspicious that he’s involved in a scam and contacts the FBI. That’s when rookie FBI agent Mike gets involved. Over the next nine months, Alan becomes Mike’s informant as they work to prosecute scammers who aren’t even on American soil.

    14 June 2024, 4:01 am
  • 46 minutes
    A Mexican Drug Cartel Runs Time-Share Scam, Part 2

    In part 2, James is becoming suspicious of the people who are “helping” him sell his Lake Tahoe time-share. After several months of paying fees, he learns that he’s in the middle of a common, and dangerous, time-share resale scam. The people he thinks are real estate agents are actually members of a notorious Mexican cartel who have shifted their business from drug trafficking to the even more lucrative business of scams.

    7 June 2024, 4:01 am
  • 38 minutes 6 seconds
    A Mexican Drug Cartel Runs Time-Share Scam, Part 1

    When James receives a call from a company offering to sell his Lake Tahoe time-share, he jumps at the chance to off-load it. They find a buyer in Mexico and draw up a contract through an escrow company in New York City. James is told he only has to pay a fee to transfer the property, which will be reimbursed by the buyer. Unexpected fees and expenses continue to pile up, but James does not get any closer to completing the sale. Little does he know that his time-share sale is connected to a dangerous Mexican drug cartel.

    31 May 2024, 4:01 am
  • 45 minutes 3 seconds
    Criminals Cash In on Couple’s Credit Card Points

    Jody and her husband love to travel, and they love to save up credit card reward points to make their family vacations more affordable. When they start getting notifications that some of their points have been redeemed without their permission, they are led on a monthslong ordeal to secure their accounts from criminals who are turning those hard-earned points into cash.

    24 May 2024, 4:01 am
  • 45 minutes 48 seconds
    Scammers Defraud Small-Biz Owner in Arrest Warrant Scam

    The pandemic is tough for Victor’s small business, but the loan he receives from the Paycheck Protection Program is a lifeline. Years later, he receives a call from someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office. The caller says Victor's loan application has been flagged as fraudulent and he must pay the money back right away or face arrest. Victor doesn’t realize that his loan information is public and easily accessible to scammers, who use it to their advantage.

    17 May 2024, 4:01 am
  • 40 minutes 6 seconds
    Utility Bill Scam Targets Grieving Family

    Lorraine is grieving her father when she receives a letter claiming to be from Florida Power & Light notifying her to contact them. A kind "operator" named Anna walks her through the process of switching the account from her father to setting up a new one in her name and paying a deposit. A few weeks later, a notice from the real Florida Power & Light arrives in Lorraine’s mailbox and she realizes Anna wasn’t who she said she was. The criminals have gotten away with the $300 deposit, and the information they have stolen is much more valuable.

    10 May 2024, 4:01 am
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