111 episodes
Scamfluencers Wondery
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- Society & Culture
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4.1 • 5.8K Ratings
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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.
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Stephen Glass: Bad News
This episode comes out for free on 05/06, and is available early and ad-free for Wondery+ subscribers.
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Stephen Glass is a rising star in the ’90s magazine journalism world, breaking provocative stories that his editors love. But some find the stories too fantastical to believe. When he finally gets a close edit, the scope and scale of his scam will be stranger than fiction. -
Game. Set. Scam.
Grigor Sargysan turned the tennis world on its head by masterminding a global match-fixing scheme. He rallies underpaid players in fast cash, and spins authorities out with a scheme so carefully crafted, he becomes known as The Maestro. But international law enforcement agencies are watching and waiting to serve their ace.
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Listen Now: How I Built…Liquid Death
Have you ever wondered how some of the biggest companies were built? On the podcastHow I Built This, host Guy Raz talks to the founders behind the world’s biggest companies and brands to learn the real stories of how they built them. How I Built This with Guy Raz is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.
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Leona Helmsley: The Art of the Steal Part 2
Leona Helmsley’s perch atop the world of Manhattan real estate is threatened by federal tax evasion charges. Her trial gives all the people she bullied a chance to hit back. With her dirty laundry aired out for all to see, the Queen of Mean is served her just desserts. But as she soldiers on without her beloved Harry, Leona will have terrible trouble defending her riches, and her heart.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. -
Leona Helmsley: The Art of the Steal Part 1
Leona Helmsley escapes Depression-era poverty by marrying billionaire real estate magnate Harry Helmsley. She takes over his Manhattan hotels and declares herself Queen of the Palace, then earns a royal reputation for berating, bullying, and firing employees at the drop of a hat. But when her tax bills come into question, everyone who’s worked under Leona gets their pitchforks ready to take down the Queen of Mean.
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Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too
Sandy Jenkins moves to the gossipy, small town of Corsicana, Texas to work in the town’s world-famous fruitcake factory. Desperate to keep up with his cliquey neighbors, Sandy starts cutting fruitcake factory checks to pay for jewelry, cars, a second home and private jet trips. But this half-baked scheme starts to crumble when a new employee takes a closer look at how Sandy cooks the books.
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Customer Reviews
Love the podcast BUT…
Love the podcast. Get a lot of humor but you guys describe white people as all the same and it just felt kind of racist. Isn’t that what we are trying to absolve?
Can’t get enough!!!
Brilliant! Love the banter- keeping doing what you are doing. Done change a thing. I look forward to you both every week!!!
Disappointing
I don’t mind listening to people who hold opinions and worldviews that differ from mine, but I do mind when those people have a platform where they confidently and patronizingly state inaccurate and blatantly false information. I initially listened to the episode on Katie Griggs/Guru Jagat and was interested to learn more about the scam behind her organization, but, having already read the articles they cited, I quickly realized they obviously didn’t uncover anything of note that hasn’t previously been explored. It’s unfortunate, because instead of truly laying out a coherent case against Griggs and the RA MA institute, they essentially read a script that sounded more like a Buzzfeed article. If I didn’t already know how problematic and harmful the movement has been, I might have walked away from this podcast empathizing with Griggs.
If you like feeling as though you’re on a bus listening to women - who seem like they hate white women (and most men) - talk about things they’ve read on Vice as if that’s their only source of information, then this is the podcast for you!