Katherine and Louis Kealoha live a lavish lifestyle in an upscale neighborhood in Honolulu. But the strange case of a stolen mailbox exposes their secrets and a terrible case of family financial fraud.
In this bonus episode, Bob chats with prosecutor Erin West, of the REACT task force, about the top five things everyone should know about cryptocurrency scams. The answers may surprise you.
Keith, a Cape Cod boat captain, is surprised to find romance online with Anna. But her offer of an investment opportunity in foreign currencies pulls him into an elaborate cryptocurrency scam.
In part 2, after a devastating scam wipes out her family’s savings, Kathy attempts to take her own life. The support of family and health professionals and sharing her story help Kathy heal.
During the pandemic, an online friendship gives Kathy a needed diversion but leads to the devastating loss of her retirement funds. This is the story of one woman’s survival from the darkest of days.
After a threatening call from Chinese government impostors, Jerry Hsu wires his life savings to protect himself. With the help of his filmmaker son, Jerry stars in a film about the experience.
Lisa is determined to find highly sought-after Taylor Swift tickets for her daughter. After a lengthy search, she buys four tickets from a local man, only to find out at the box office that they are fake.
Mantria Corp. draws in investors hoping to get in on the ground floor of a green energy revolution that promises huge returns. Is the “garbage to gold” scheme too good to be true?
When a psychic steals her $28,000, Debra enlists the help of Bob Nygaard, a private investigator who specializes in psychic scams. Together, they bring psychic scammer Sylvia Mitchell to justice.
After an especially bad day, ballroom dancer Debra decides to visit a psychic. Instead of finding answers, she finds herself on a five-year quest to get back $28,000 that is stolen from her.
Penny’s hopes of building her hobby into a business are dashed when she is targeted by a telemarketing scam run by Real Housewives star Jen Shah.
Learn why the old-fashioned crime of check washing is making a dramatic comeback.
After retiree Susan moves to a new home in Montana to be closer to family, a call from “Amazon” and an investigation by a man claiming to be a DEA agent put all she has, including her home, in jeopardy.
Linda and Missi discover that the man they both dated is a serial romance scammer
Linda meets her dream man on a dating site and their romance progresses quickly, but a troubling message from another woman reveals he is a serial romance scammer.
This April marks five years of “The Perfect Scam” podcast! Since launching in 2018, we’ve brought you stories of fraud told by the people who lived them, stories of trauma but also of bravery and triumph. With the FTC reporting a staggering $8.8 billion in losses to scammers in 2022, we remain committed to continue bringing you the very latest information and resources to give you power over scams.
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Whether you have been personally affected by scams or fraud or are interested in learning more, the AARP Fraud Watch Network advocates on your behalf and equips you with the knowledge you need to feel more informed and confidently spot and avoid scams.