Fraudacious
When London boutique owner Bridget Hutchcroft befriends a glamorous client at her Knightsbridge dress agency, she believes she has met a Russian socialite with vast wealth and powerful connections. Ekaterina Barrett glides through luxury apartments, London’s finest hotels and European high society dinners with unwavering confidence. Chauffeurs wait outside. Extravagant goods pile up. Money, it seems, is no object. Until it vanishes. Bridget generously lends her wealthy new friend more than a million pounds, but it proves to be a disastrous mistake. When Ekaterina refuses to pay the money back, Bridget’s loyal circle of friends step in. Journalist Vicky Baker joins them in a frantic search for answers. It turns out Bridget is not the only one claiming to be severely out of pocket thanks to the broken promises of her mysterious former friend. What follows is an international investigation stretching from London to Vienna, the Netherlands and Monaco. Courtrooms, casinos and opera houses all reveal fragments of an increasingly bizarre story. Witnesses describe charm turning into control. Court appearances descend into farce. Documents emerge that challenge everything Ekaterina has claimed under oath. At the centre of it all is a burning question. If Ekaterina now insists she owns nothing, who is funding the lavish life she continues to live? Fraudacious follows Bridget’s fight for justice as the legal battle intensifies and Ekaterina’s world begins to fracture while she continues to maintain her innocence. Each episode peels back another layer of performance, power, and deception, revealing how easily wealth can be manipulated and how devastating the cost can be for those who are lured in. This is a story about trust and illusion. About how the promise of wealth can be as potent as the real thing. And about whether the truth can finally catch up with someone who has spent a lifetime trying to stay one step ahead of everyone on her trail.
Episodes
A mysterious socialite accused of stealing millions sparks a wild international investigation stretching from London to Vienna, the Netherlands and Monaco. Journalist Vicky Baker searches for the truth about Ekaterina Barrett - a high flyer with a lavish lifestyle who, despite maintaining her innocence, is being pursued by a crowd of angry former friends and acquaintances who claim she’s defrauded them out of a staggering sum...
Bridget strikes up an unusual relationship with a wealthy client at her dress shop.
As Bridget is pulled more and more into Ekaterina’s world, her friends stage an urgent intervention. Journalist Vicky Baker explores the fallout which sparks an international hunt for answers.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bridget discovers her new acquaintance is notorious across London’s Mayfair, especially in its exclusive private casinos.But is Ekaterina’s fortune real, or make-believe? Bridget enlists a lawyer and private investigator as she fights to get her money back.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vicky heads to Austria to investigate a hidden chapter in Ekaterina’s past and her connections to Viennese high society. A 95-year-old opera singer reveals that Ekaterina’s influence over her husband threatened to destroy their marriage.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bridget’s case reaches London’s High Court, but Ekaterina’s bizarre witness box antics land her in deeper trouble. Meanwhile, Bridget’s best friend uncovers a bombshell document that could unravel the truth behind Ekaterina’s wealth.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
The Dan Bongino Show delivers no-nonsense analysis of the day’s most important political and cultural stories. Hosted by the former Deputy Director of the FBI, former Secret Service agent, NYPD officer, and bestselling author Dan Bongino, the show cuts through media spin with facts, accountability, and unapologetic conviction. Whether it’s exposing government overreach, defending constitutional freedoms, or connecting the dots the mainstream media ignores, The Dan Bongino Show provides in-depth analysis of the issues shaping America today. Each episode features sharp commentary, deep dives into breaking news, and behind-the-scenes insight you won’t hear anywhere else. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dan-bongino-show/id965293227?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sftHO603JaFqpuQBEZReL?si=PBlx46DyS5KxCuCXMOrQvw Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/bongino?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v4_sa_o