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Frank Abagnale was a runaway turned global conman. Listen here to learn about how Frank, between the ages of 16 and 22 was able to convince people he was not only an airline pilot but a doctor and a lawyer as well. His story is widely told through the Steven Speilberg movie, "Catch Me If You Can," the Broadway musical also titled "Catch Me If You Can" and the TV show "White Collar."  This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information.  The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific. Resources The Swindle: Talks at Google The Psych: Social Status and Person Perception BBB Resources: BBB.org, Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific, Scam Tracker

Two German men with a fascination for WW2 history and memorabilia found themselves on the chopping block in the 1980s. Listen now to hear how Gerd Heidemann and Konrad Kujau forged 62 volumes of Hitler’s personal diaries and almost made millions off of them.  This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information.  The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific. For more information, follow us on Instagram! @SwindledandPsyched Resources The Swindle: Heidmann arrested over Hitler fakes- The Guardian, 30 Years Later, Forged Hitler Diaries Enter German Archives- NYT, History's Most Famous Literary Hoaxes  The Psych: Greed: The Ultimate Addiction BBB Resources: BBB.org, Trust-BBB.org, Scam Tracker

A farmer's son turned con man and self-proclaimed doctor. Charles Lewis Blood used laughing gas and lies as a ticket to his swindles' success. Listen in to hear how Dr. C. L. Blood conned countless patients and practitioners into believing he could cure their ailments. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information. Want visuals for this episode? Head to @swindledandpsyched on Instagram! Research for this episode The swindle: Lewiston Evening Journal, Newspapers.com, David Rumsey Map Collection The psych: The power of the placebo effect, A Multi-Level Defense Against Social Engineering BBB resources: BBB.org, BBB Great West + Pacific, Scam Tracker 

Traumatized child to millionaire medical tech mogul. Elizabeth Holmes had big dreams and an unmatched passion for a medical revolution. Listen to hear how the inventor allegedly conned her investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars without ever showing them proof of concept. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information. The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific. For more information on this episode, visit us on Instagram! @SwindledandPsyched Resources:  Story: HBO Documentary: The Inventor, The Rise and Fall of Theranos,  Theranos founder seen in court after 15 months  Research: Associative processes in intuitive judgment, Kahneman Fast and Slow thinking BBB Resources: BBB.org, Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific, BBB Scam Tracker

Eleven women were the masterminds behind a UK pyramid scheme that conned over 10,000 women out of a total of 21M £. Stay tuned to hear how some participants ended up walking away with 23,000 £. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information. The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific.  Follow us on Instagram for more information on our episodes. @SwindledandPsyched Resources:  Story: Get Rich Quick Scam - The Guardian Psychology: Almost certain loss: the psychology of pyramid schemes, Pyramid Schemes and the American Dream BBB Resources: BBB.org, BBB.org/scamtracker, Better Business Bureau Great West + Pacific

From Minister to scam mastermind Reed Slatkin quickly made a name for himself with Santa Barbara investors. Stay tuned to learn how one of the earliest Earthlink investors ended up conning hundreds of people out of millions of dollars. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great Westand Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information.  The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great Westand Pacific.  For more information, follow us @SwindledandPsyched on Instagram. Episode Resources Story: CNBC Story, SEC Release, Reed Slatkin Media Resource Psychology: The Psychology of Fraudsters (lssu.edu), JFIA-2012-1_1.pdf (nacva.com) BBB Resources: BBB.org, BBB Scam Tracker, BBB Great West + Pacific 

An adventurous soul turned global conman. Gregor MacGregor spent most of his life swindling and ultimately killing hundreds of people. Listen now to hear how Gregor MacGregor spent his entire life scamming militaries, financial institutions, and even royalty. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West & Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information.  The opinions expressed on this podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of Better Business Bureau Great West & Pacific. For even more information on these hustlers, follow us on Instagram. @SwindledandPsyched Resources for this episode:  Story: https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/gregor-macgregor-prince-poyais, https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/mac/gregormacgregor.html Psych: The Psychological Power of Storytelling | Psychology Today BBB Resources: BBB.org and BBB.org/ScamTracker/US

From tarot cards to energy readings, Dorie and Samantha Stevenson promised their clients good fortune and happiness. Sadly, that’s not what they received. Listen now to learn how these two self-proclaimed psychics convinced their clients to give up their possessions for potential prosperity. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business BureauGreat Westand Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information For more information on these stories, follow us on Instagram. @SwindledandPsyched Resources for this episode can be found here: Story research: Canada's last witch trials: Women accused of fake witchcraft - BBC News, In Canada, pretending to be a witch is a punishable offense - The Boston Globe, The Halloween Special – Witchcraft in Canada | Unwritten Histories Psych: (PDF) Principles of Persuasion in Social Engineering and Their Use in Phishing (researchgate.net) BBB Resources: Impostor Scams: Who’s Really Contacting You? (bbb.org), BBB.org/scamtracker

The reality tv show that claimed to give 30 participants an adventure of a lifetime quickly turned into a nightmare. Listen here to learn how Nik Russian had everyone, including his cohost fooled into thinking he was going to direct and host the next hottest reality tv series. This podcast is brought to you by Better Business Bureau Great West and Pacific. The BBB has helped consumers find trustworthy businesses for over 100 years. With resources like Scam Tracker and online business records, finding trust in the marketplace is easier than ever. Visit BBB.org for more information. Follow us on Instagram! @SwindledandPsyched Resources for this podcast can be found here:  Youtube 3 part documentary: THE GREAT REALITY TV SWINDLE - PART 1 - YouTube Article from The Guardian- The price of fame | Culture | The Guardian Psychology research: Reality Television: Behind the Obsession | Psychology Today and Why America Loves Reality TV | Psychology Today BBB Money Mule Investigation: fall-in-love-go-to-jail-bbb-report-on-how-some-romance-fraud-victims-become-money-mules-final-02-09-2019.pdf BBB Tips on Employment Scams:Scam Job Offers (bbb.org) Scam Tracker: BBB.org/scamtracker