Episode notes
You've just been scammed. The red flags didn't work this time and criminals have stolen your money. Your mind's all over the place. Will you ever see that cash again? In this special episode of Scam Secrets, Shari Vahl and a cast of experts walk you through the process so you know your rights. She'll point out the factors that improve your chances of a refund - as well as the dreaded circumstances that could mean your money is lost forever. And they'll walk you through the crucial steps you should take as soon as you realise what has happened, because the actions you take in the aftermath…
Podcast
Scam Secrets
BBC Radio 4 · True Crime · English
It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money. But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too la
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16 Apr 2026 · 28 min
Following the Trail
A message pops up. It's a scam, you can spot that. But who sent it? Where in the world did it come from? And how has it ended up in your inbox? For this special episode of Scam Secrets, the team visit the United Nations Global Fraud Summit in Vienna. Pretty much everyone engaged in the world fight against scams is there too, from politicians and police to the biggest tech companies on the planet. Challenged by listener Catherine to find out more about the criminals who stole £200,000 from her dad in the previous episode, Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood ask Interpol why it isn't…
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9 Apr 2026 · 28 min
Please Call Me
Scam Secrets is back with a close look at a disturbing and emerging scam technique that can totally clean out its victims. In a hybrid scam - or pig butchering, as the criminals describe it - the manipulation reaches new levels as investment and romance scams are combined. Shari Vahl, criminal language expert Dr Lis Carter and former fraudster Alex Wood hear from Catherine, whose father was targeted in this way. A chilling voicenote reveals the romantic element to the scam, while a criminal pretending to be an investment adviser was busy stealing more than £200,000 from the 84-year-old. One…
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25 Dec 2025 · 28 min
Could You Grab Me Some Gift Cards?
It's coming up to Christmas, and you might have gift cards on your mind. The perfect present choice for many scenarios - but also the perfect weapon for criminals. In 2023, Action Fraud got more than 6,000 crime reports about gift cards. More than £13 million was stolen. So what turns these versatile gifts into gold dust for criminals? That's what Shari Vahl, Elisabeth Carter and Alex Wood will be finding out, along with the shocking story of Sarah, who thought she was helping out her boss while on work experience but ended up buying £1,300 in gift cards for criminals. As always, the team…
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18 Dec 2025 · 28 min
The WhatsApp Takeover
WhatsApp is part of our daily lives – and criminals know how to weaponise that trust. In this episode, Shari Vahl and the team hear how a devastatingly simple trick handed the keys for a Scam Secrets listener's WhatsApp account to a scammer. Along with expert linguist Dr Elisabeth Carter and former criminal Alex Wood, Shari finds out what the hacker did next - and how an old friend was tricked into handing over money. As ever, there will be red flags waving to show you what to watch out for - and essential tips from our guest expert to keep your account secure. PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL…
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11 Dec 2025 · 28 min
We've Noticed Your CV
You might be on the lookout for work - so when a message arrives with a job offer, the timing is perfect. This is what happens to the people who are drawn in by the fake recruitment text scam that has been bombarding people's phones. Shari Vahl, Dr Elisabeth Carter and Alex Wood hear how one man was lured in with promises of payment for simple tasks - then trapped in a cycle of payments and false earnings, even unwittingly becoming a money mule for the criminal pretending to be his boss. Just to ramp up the psychological pressure, his 'co-workers' were also in on the act. The Scam Secrets…
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27 Nov 2025 · 28 min
The Winter Fuel Text
You've probably got the scam Winter Fuel Payment text at least once. You might well have ignored it. But what happens when the criminals hit the jackpot, the circumstances fit, and you try to take up the offer? That's what happened to Peggy - and in this episode her experience is analysed by Scam Secrets regulars Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood. With the help of a convincing but very fake website, a one time passcode trick and the mind games that scammers deploy, the criminals wanted to go on a shopping spree on Peggy. But just as they were getting ready to splash her cash, an…
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20 Nov 2025 · 29 min
The Police Are On The Phone
A phone call from the police out of the blue. You want to help. Who wouldn't? Scam Secrets returns with the chilling story of an audacious scam that reached all the way to the doorstep of its victims. Jane and Neville were so convinced they were part of a police operation that they handed over their life savings - more than £670,000 - to criminals behind a scam known as courier fraud. Fraud investigator Shari Vahl, criminal language expert Dr Lis Carter and former criminal Alex Wood analyse the tactics used - the fake emergency call, the mind games and the relentless contact - to lift the…
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18 Sep 2025 · 28 min
We're Coming For Your Furniture
Getting an unexpected phonecall can be unnerving. If it's from a bailiff saying he's coming to take your possessions and is 40 minutes away, it can be terrifying. In this episode, Shari Vahl and the Scam Secrets team hear from two people who were subjected to this scarily plausible scam. Linguistics expert Dr Lis Carter and former fraudster Alex Wood pick apart the language used, and explain how the tactics are all designed to manufacture a 'fight or flight' response that plays into the hands of the criminals. As ever, red flags will be waved - so you'll end up better informed about this…
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11 Sep 2025 · 28 min
Hello Mum? I Can't Hear You
Your phone pings - it's a loved one who needs your help. Would you know what to do? Lots of us have received the 'Hello Mum' text - sometimes it's dead easy to spot. But what if the circumstances fit, and they catch you completely unawares? In this episode, Shari Vahl, Alex Wood, and Dr Elisabeth Carter discuss how the scam, which preys on parental instinct and urgency, is getting increasingly cunning - and they examine the tools the fraudsters use to manipulate us. Listener Anne, who was almost conned out of £2,000, tells her story. Guest expert Nick Sharp from the National Crime Agency…
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4 Sep 2025 · 28 min
Would You Like This Piano?
Who could resist the offer of a free grand piano? Or a remarkably cheap campervan? Just as long as you pay for delivery - but that's a small price to pay, right? This episode of Scam Secrets is about those times when you're offered something - perhaps something you've always fancied - on amazingly good terms. It's a scam - otherwise Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood wouldn't be talking about it. Luckily they've got their red flags ready to tell you what to watch out for. In this episode, Lis delves into the language used by the criminals - explaining how they trigger our desire for a…
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