The Scam Files | Con Artists, Cults, Frauds and Corporate Deception
The Scam Files investigates the con artists, cult leaders, financial frauds, corporate scandals, impostors, and elaborate deceptions that fooled millions. Each episode reveals how the scheme began, why people believed it, who benefited, what warning signs were missed, and how the deception eventually collapsed. From billion-dollar Ponzi schemes and cryptocurrency frauds to fake heirs, corrupt companies, rigged contests, dangerous cults, and historic confidence tricks, the show follows the money, the manipulation, and the people behind the lie. The Scam Files combines clear storytelling, verified reporting, and investigative detail to explain how some of the world’s most notorious scams actually worked. New episodes examine famous frauds, corporate cover-ups, financial crimes, cult operations, media hoaxes, romance scams, and historical cons. Follow The Scam Files and discover how easily trust can be manufactured—and how quickly a convincing story can become a weapon. This podcast uses artificial intelligence in its research, writing, production, and narration. Episodes are editorially reviewed before publication.
Episodes
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Amanda Christine Riley built a public story around a cancer diagnosis she did not have. Beginning in 2012, the California blogger used “Lymphoma Can Suck It,” social-media...
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LuLaRoe turned brightly patterned leggings, dresses, and skirts into a social-media retail phenomenon. Through Facebook groups, live video sales, and home boutiques, thousands of inde...
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A federal agent monitoring cash shipments linked to an India-based fraudulent call center identified an American woman in her seventies who was believed to be losing tens of thousand...
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A rural Kansas bank collapsed after approximately $47 million was handed over in a cryptocurrency investment ruse. Former bank executive Shane Haynes was sentenced in A...
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FTX was promoted as a safe, sophisticated cryptocurrency exchange, backed by celebrity attention, major investors, and the public image of Sam Bankman-Fried as a respon...
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The 1MDB scandal began as a Malaysian government development project and became one of the largest cross-border corruption and money-laundering cases pursued by investigators...
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The Vastaamo psychotherapy data breach became one of Finland’s most damaging cyber extortion cases. A private mental health provider held records that could include hig...
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An investigation into pig-butchering cryptocurrency investment scams and the Southeast Asian scam compounds behind many of them. The story follows the fraud from the first fr...
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NXIVM, pronounced Nex-ee-um, began in Albany, New York, as a personal development company selling courses that promised professional growth and emotional improvement. Founded...
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Fyre Festival was sold as an elite music event on Great Exuma in the Bahamas, promoted through celebrities, supermodels, and social media influencers as a luxury escape with ...
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This episode examines the Enron scandal, one of the most consequential corporate fraud cases in United States business history. Founded in nineteen eighty-five through the me...
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In December 2008, Bernard Madoff was arrested after his sons told authorities he had confessed that the asset management side of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities was a...
The Scam Files investigates the con artists, cults, corporate frauds, financial schemes, impostors, and elaborate deceptions that fooled millions.
Hosted by Ben Carter, each episode breaks down how the scam worked, why people believed it, who profited, and how the truth was exposed. From billion-dollar corporate collapses and cryptocurrency frauds to fake identities, rigged systems, and hi...
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Theranos was founded in two thousand three by Elizabeth Holmes, who claimed the company could run many blood tests quickly and accurately from a few drops of blood. The promi...
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