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.
173 episodes transcribedRita Crundwell dreams of raising championship horses, but her day job is much less glamorous: She works in finance for her small city in Illi...
Larry Rudolph is an enormously successful dentist and big game hunter in the Pittsburgh area. From the outside, he seems to have it all: A de...
After N*Sync and Backstreet Boys cut ties with Lou, he gets to work assembling a new boy band: O-Town. But behind the scenes, he’s taking out...
In the early 1980s, Lou Pearlman is riding high… literally. He rakes in millions of dollars from his blimp company — thanks to an insurance s...
In the finale to this two-part saga, which originally aired in May 2022, suspicion builds around Flordelis and her mega-sized family as the i...
In honor of Scamfluencers’ one-year anniversary, we’re revisiting one of the most unforgettable stories from our first season. In the first o...
Sarah and Scaachi celebrate the one-year anniversary of Scamfluencers by hosting an award show to honor the best, brightest, and most outrage...
Jason Kurland starts out as a real estate lawyer on Long Island, but everything changes when he gets the opportunity to represent a major lot...
In the early 2000s, Raffaello Follieri makes a name for himself among the New York City elite. Fashioning himself as a savvy Italian business...
Rudy Kurniawan is what’s known as a super-taster: He’s able to identify any wine simply by tasting it. He uses this extraordinary talent to g...
Teal Swan’s self-help empire is on the rise, and so is the backlash to some of her most controversial techniques. Teal fights back against he...
After surviving a difficult childhood, Teal Swan starts a family and reinvents herself as a spiritual leader for the Internet age. She gains...
Carlos 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...
