Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written
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Smoke Screen is an investigative documentary series on people with complex motives and morals. Follow characters on the fringes of society — con artists, cult leaders, corrupt politicians — as they seduce their marks and bend communities to their will. Join us as we unravel their stories and bring justice to the people they’ve deceived. SEASON 10: The Greatest Scam Ever Written - Coming August 1st What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever? All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly simple conception to the revelation and imprisonment of the fraudster themselves. Speaking through letters from behind bars, the con artist maintains their innocence, saying: ‘Maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit, but it doesn’t mean it's fraud.’ And that is the question at the heart of The Greatest Scam Ever Written: What happens if you want to believe that sending $50 to a psychic will change the course of your destiny? Are you a victim, or a willing participant? SEASON 9: My Friend, the Serial Killer In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper, when one day he hitched a ride back from Boston with Robert Carr III, better known as “Red.” Red seemed trustworthy enough, but he was hiding a secret: by the time he had picked up Steve, he had already killed three people—and all of his prior victims were hitchhikers themselves. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month. Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen. SEASON 8: My Fugitive Dad Ashley’s Dad was her favorite person in the world. He drove fast cars and sold them for a living. He was a scratch golfer and the love of her Mum’s life. Ashley thought she knew him better than anyone. But at 38, she found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Inspired by his favorite movie the Thomas Crown Affair, he had pulled off a robbery in Cleveland then disappeared. It turns out he evaded the authorities for half a century, living in their sleepy Massachusetts town. His secret upended his family’s life, but another family’s too. Because from the moment this 20-year-old vault teller escaped with $215,000 in 1969, Deputy U.S. Marshal John Elliott made it his life’s mission to bring him to justice. After he retired, his son even took up his mantle. For this six episode podcast, host Jonathan Hirsch teams up with Ashley Randele to unravel the mystery of how her Dad got away with it, and ultimately, why he left behind everyone and everything to start over. SEASON 7: Betrayal on the Bayou For almost two decades, DEA Special Agent Chad Scott ruled the streets just North of New Orleans. He controlled a network of snitches by convincing people he arrested to work for him as informants. Chad would stop at nothing to put drug dealers behind bars. His successes won awards at the DEA, but his willingness to bend the rules earned him a terrifying reputation on the streets. Some called him the Golden Boy. Others called him the White Devil. But when one of guys on Chad's team is caught dealing drugs, Chad’s life is overturned. His right-hand men betray him and confess everything to the FBI. Investigators go over his career with a fine-toothed comb, asking the question: is Chad Scott the greatest DEA Agent in the South, or is he a criminal? SEASON 6: Just Say You're Sorry SEASON 5: Deadly Cure SEASON 4: Puppy Kingpin SEASON 3: The Sellout S
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Just like a church
Sep 3
I don’t usually side with criminals/scammers justification for what they do BUT, I totally agree this scam is exactly like organized religion. Wouldn’t it be great if churches were described as they truly are? Shame they aren’t prosecuted for doing the same thing.
Psychic Season
1 day ago
Interesting story but way too much speculation and judgement of the interviewees by the host, listen to a lot of similar podcasts and this one just doesn’t hit the mark
Season 10 victims
3 days ago
Why is everyone a victim these days? Other than the person with Alzheimer’s this is a story of how stupid Americans are these days. These are not victims they are mostly dumb people who fall for the dumbest things. It’s disappointing how many people are dumb enough to fall for this kind of thing regardless of how desperate they are. You’re broke and desperate? Maybe don’t spend your only money on a “psychic”. Stop calling it victim blaming… the “victims” are just as culpable.
Lacking substance
5 days ago
For the serial killer season: The host is self righteous, and the storytelling lacks nuance. I don’t feel as if there is any insight gained by listening to this. For the greatest scam ever written season: I gotta say, I’m three episodes in, and I fail to see the scam. To me, a scam is when you are led to believe that you are buying into something that the scammer has no intention of delivering. Someone marketing psychic services through the mail is offering a particular service. If the individual receiving the letter takes them up on that service, they will be offered more of it. Whether or not you believe psychics are legitimate is really not the issue. Whether or not the predictions are correct is not the issue. The point is, when you buy psychic services, you know what you’re getting. These type of services are about the relationship itself, and it certainly sounds as if that relationship is being delivered. As someone who worked in the psychic business for several years, I can tell you it takes a particular type of person to get hooked on communicating with psychics. It is someone who makes the choice to believe, and continues paying because they are receiving value, generally because the confidante relationship is worth it for them. And the woman who is so outraged that her mother with Alzheimer’s keeps paying the money and won’t take her lectures seriously: well, obviously, your lectures are no fun, and corresponding with Maria Duvall is. It’s bringing Mom joy in $59 increments. That doesn’t really seem like a high price to pay considering what else she’s struggling through.
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- Channel
- CreatorSony Music Entertainment
- Episodes105
- Seasons10
- RatingExplicit
- Copyright© Sony Music Entertainment
- Show Website
- ProviderPod Sub LLC