You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. On Wondery’s new weekly series, join co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These influencers claim to be everything from charismatic healers to trusted financial insiders to experts in dating. They cast spells over millions. Why do we believe them, and how does our culture allow them to thrive? From Black Swan Murder to a fake social media influencer to an audacious Hollywood Ponzi schemer, each season will take the listener along the twists and turns, the impact on victims, and what’s left when the facade falls away.New episodes come out every Monday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Listen ad-free on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
141 episodes transcribedCarlos Ghosn gets an early start in the auto industry and works his way up the corporate ladder at companies like Michelin and Renault. By th...
By the late 1980s, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter is now known as New York City bond trader Christopher Crowe. But even the Wall Street lifest...
In the late 1970s, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter leaves his small Bavarian village in pursuit of the American dream. He enrolls in high schoo...
Zach's fake business deals and lies are starting to catch up with him. The money has stopped flowing, and entertainment bigwigs are hounding...
Zach Horwitz is finally living out his movie star dream. He even has a new stage name. The call sheet has him listed as Zach Avery. But behin...
To kick off the new year, we’re revisiting one of our most ambitious scammers to date: Zach Horwitz, the juice bar owner turned high-rolling...
When a major cryptocurrency exchange gets hacked in the summer of 2016, billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin go missing. The stolen crypto si...
When Inigo Philbrick opens his own art gallery in London, he’s immediately seen as someone to watch. He’s well connected and has a knack for...
The Chrisleys are riding high on their hit reality show and several spin offs, but the cracks are starting to show in their all-American fami...
Todd and Julie Chrisley paint the picture of a lavish Southern lifestyle on their over-the-top reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best. They show...
After breaking a big story about Martin Shkreli for Bloomberg, journalist Christie Smith wants to dig deeper into the man who’s become the fa...
With his uncanny gift for shorting stocks and predicting the market, Martin Shkreli becomes a finance wunderkind almost right out of college....
After years of struggling with an eating disorder and poor self esteem, Brittany Dawn decides to reinvent herself: as a body-positive influen...
When a Colombian teenager survives an hours-long trip inside the wheel well of a plane, he becomes an instant celebrity. A local family...
In the early 2000s, hopeful reality show contestants in the U.K. sign up for what they think will be the opportunity of a lifetime. In exchan...
After being humiliated and exploited at her elite New York City prep school, Danielle Miller sets out to reinvent herself. She ends up befrie...
As Alex Guerrero comes under scrutiny for fraud allegations and FTC fines, Tom Brady doubles down on his good friend and business partner. To...
When superstar NFL quarterback Tom Brady gets badly injured on the field, he turns to his secret weapon, an unlicensed “body coach” named Ale...
By the 2000s, Stéphane Bourgoin isn’t just writing books and making documentaries about serial killers – he’s also influencing cops, prosecut...
In the late 1970s, a French horror fan named Stéphane Bourgoin becomes obsessed with serial killers. He manages a used bookstore specia...
