Scamfluencers
Wondery
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.
Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.
23 Listeners
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Top 10 Scamfluencers Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Scamfluencers episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Scamfluencers for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Scamfluencers episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Pop Star and the Power Broker | Part 1
Scamfluencers
08/14/23 • 41 min
Tom Girardi dreams of being a do-gooder lawyer like his childhood hero on the TV show “Perry Mason.” When he starts his own legal firm in the 1960s, he does just that, representing clients against the huge corporations that wronged them. One of his biggest cases even gets the Hollywood treatment in the movie “Erin Brockovich.” But behind the scenes, Tom isn’t the hero he makes himself out to be. And when his extravagant home life with wife Erika Jayne gets broadcast on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” his fraudulent schemes will finally come under the microscope.
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5 Listeners
04/11/22 • 40 min
What happens when a former ballerina and a shady businessman try to revolutionize the world of dance? Welcome to the Fyre Fest of the ballet world. In this two-episode series, power couple Doug and Ashley Benefield use their money and influence to launch what appears to be a groundbreaking ballet company. One that champions diversity and inclusivity. The only problem is, none of that is true. Because as dancers put their careers on the line for this new company, it all begins to spin out of control — just as Doug and Ashley’s marriage falls apart.
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5 Listeners
04/18/22 • 39 min
Zach Horwitz owns a sandwich and smoothie shop in Chicago, but dreams of moving to Hollywood to make it as an actor. Luckily, Zach knows a thing or two about creating high-stakes fantasy worlds, just like in the movies. So he crafts an opportunity of a lifetime out of thin air that lands him and his girlfriend, Mallory, in Los Angeles. Mallory is his biggest supporter, and for a while, it seems like Zach is finding fast success... until he bites off more than he can chew. Over the next three episodes, Scaachi and Sarah will explore the meteoric rise of a Hollywood wannabe best-known for his headline-making arrest.
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4 Listeners
George Santos: Putting The “Con” In Congress
Scamfluencers
12/04/23 • 48 min
It’s hard to know what to believe about George Santos’ wild origin story. Since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, almost every facet of his life has been called into question — from his name and religious background to his former marriage and previous employment. But when the Justice Department starts digging into his campaign fundraising reports, they discover an even bigger bombshell.
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4 Listeners
04/11/22 • 35 min
Dancers go unpaid as American National Ballet struggles to stay afloat. Behind the scenes, Ashley and Doug Benefield's marriage takes a turn for the worse. What starts as a dream will end in murder.
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4 Listeners
04/25/22 • 39 min
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 behind the scenes, he's starting to break character as a businessman. His Ponzi scheme disguised as a production company is beginning to fumble. If Zach plans to continue fooling his investors, he'll need to keep the cash flowing.
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4 Listeners
Abby Lee Miller: Scam Like Nobody's Watching
Scamfluencers
08/26/24 • 48 min
Before she became the most infamous dance teacher in America, Abby Lee Miller ran a struggling dance studio in Pittsburgh. Shortly after declaring bankruptcy, she gets the break of a lifetime: she’s cast as the lead in Dance Moms. She becomes a reality TV star overnight, and even as she leads young dancers to stardom in front of millions of viewers — fighting their moms every step of the way — she schemes to keep her newfound wealth a secret from the courts. And when curtain finally falls on her fraud, Abby insists on an encore.
Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
3 Listeners
Introducing: Scamfluencers
Scamfluencers
04/04/22 • 2 min
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.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
3 Listeners
Dr. Teen Love, MD | Master of Deception
Scamfluencers
05/09/22 • 40 min
Malachi Love-Robinson, a sickly teenager from South Florida, has dreams of becoming a doctor someday. The only problem? He doesn’t want to wait. With just a white lab coat and a stethoscope, Malachi transforms himself into “Doctor Love” and launches a medical career. Unfortunately, as with all good scammers, he gets too ambitious, raising the stakes higher and higher, until one day, the “Doctor” meets the wrong “patient.”
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3 Listeners
05/02/22 • 39 min
Zach's fake business deals and lies are starting to catch up with him. The money has stopped flowing, and entertainment bigwigs are hounding him for answers. But like everyone else in Hollywood, Zach thinks he's just one box-office smash away from solving all his problems.
Please support us by supporting our sponsors!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
3 Listeners
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FAQ
How many episodes does Scamfluencers have?
Scamfluencers currently has 187 episodes available.
What topics does Scamfluencers cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Scamfluencers?
The episode title 'Ballet's Lethal Start-Up | Black Swan, Inc. | Part One' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Scamfluencers?
The average episode length on Scamfluencers is 32 minutes.
How often are episodes of Scamfluencers released?
Episodes of Scamfluencers are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of Scamfluencers?
The first episode of Scamfluencers was released on Apr 4, 2022.
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