Podcast · True Crime

The Perfect Scam

AARP's weekly podcast The Perfect ScamSM tells the stories of people who find themselves the target of a scam. Host Bob Sullivan introduces listeners to those who have experienced scams firsthand, as well as professional con artists and leading experts who pull back the curtain on how scammers opera

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 46 min
Latest: 9 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026 · 30 min

Bad Neighbor: The Man Who Defrauded a Small Town, Part 1

In the charming small town of Hamilton, New York, home of Colgate University, Burt Marshall is a well-known figure. He prepares taxes and sells insurance to many residents, sponsors local youth sports teams, and is frequently seen riding his bicycle on Main Street. When clients visit Burt's office, a sign on the wall offers an enticing deal: Invest with him and earn 8% return. Nearly 1,000 people take him up on the offer. But the neighbor that everyone knows and loves is hiding a dark secret.

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

2 Oct 2026 · 45 min
Archive Episode: How Scammers Could Sell Your Land (Without You Knowing)
In this 2024 episode, Daniel no longer lives in his hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut, but he still owns a plot of land that was essentially his childhood backyard. When he returns to visit a sick friend, he is shocked to find that a developer has cleared the trees and is halfway through building a luxury home on his property. But how could something like this happen when the land was never up for sale? Daniel learns how a criminal with forged documents impersonated him and completed the sale without his knowledge.
E268 · 25 Sep 2026 · 36 min
70th Birthday Ruined by a Jury Duty Scam
On Gale's 70 th birthday, she is just finishing her shift at work and looking forward to a special dinner with her husband, when the celebration is suddenly cut short. Among the birthday messages she has received is a frightening voicemail from the "Maricopa County Sheriff's Office." When she returns the call, an "officer" informs her that she has failed to appear for a grand jury and must now pay a $9,260 bond. She spends hours trying to fulfill his demands, but a well-trained bank employee and new legislation that holds crypto firms accountable for fraud might just save the day.
E267 · 18 Sep 2026 · 43 min
Realtor's Identity Stolen to Defraud Renters
Daniel is a New Orleans firefighter starting a second career as a realtor. Before he even gets his first listing, he discovers that someone has stolen his identity and is setting up dozens of property showings. Meanwhile, hopeful renters are paying the impostor thousands of dollars in application fees and first-month deposits. Daniel is in a race against time to regain control of his identity and save others from becoming victims.
E266 · 11 Sep 2026 · 55 min
$1.3 Million Fake Investigation Scam
Larry and Barbara have issues with their Amazon account, so they welcome a call from "Amazon" customer service. They learn that their personal information has been compromised and used in a money-laundering scheme. To help the government with a supposed investigation, they transfer their savings via crypto kiosks, cash handoffs and gold purchases, believing the money will be returned once arrests are made. Over several months, the couple develops trust in an agent who calls himself Ryan, who assures them that the case is progressing and they will soon be repaid. When Larry, a retired pastor,…
4 Sep 2026 · 45 min
Archive Episode: A Reality TV Star's Telemarketing Scheme
In this 2023 episode, Penny takes an online training course in social media marketing, hoping to build her hobby into a business. After this initial small investment, she is flooded with calls from companies selling different website services. They promise big returns, but her investment of more than $30,000 with multiple companies doesn't lead to a single sale. Penny reports the scam, but it's not until she gets a call from a news producer that she learns that the person behind the scheme is none other than The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah.
E265 · 28 Aug 2026 · 46 min
Frequent Flier Lands in a $12,000 Scam
David is a seasoned traveler who has visited over 30 countries. He and his wife are looking forward to a trip to Budapest when he receives an email from Lufthansa about a scheduling change. Hoping to rebook their connecting flight and having no luck with the email link, David searches for a customer service number and calls it. This "Lufthansa" helps him rebook the trip on a more complicated route and promises to reimburse him for the substantial charges. Later, when he discovers additional charges on his credit card, he is alerted to the scam costing him over $12,000.
E264 · 21 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Phony Publisher Promises Bestsellers
Writing is Barbara's retirement hobby and her passion. She has several self-published books, but she dreams of her stories reaching a wider audience. So when a company called PageTurner contacts her with exciting plans for her books, she is thrilled. The company is eager to develop artwork and promotional strategies, although each new step comes with another fee for Barbara to pay. The costs are consuming most of her retirement savings, and when PageTurner claims that Hollywood is interested in the movie rights to one of Barbara's books, she suspects the company might be a fraud.
E263 · 14 Aug 2026 · 52 min
How One Family Stopped a Crypto Romance Scam
A late-night call from their son Brian has Barry and Joan concerned. Brian sounds panicked and says he urgently needs $280,000. They do not have that kind of money available, and Barry, a trained counselor, immediately senses that something is wrong. Brian then reveals how an online romance evolved into a crypto investment opportunity, and how he now believes he must pay taxes to access his supposed earnings. Fortunately, Barry and Joan's quick thinking and compassion stopped the scam from going any further.
7 Aug 2026 · 43 min
Archive Episode: FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 2
In Part 2 of this 2023 episode, criminals are running the grandparent scam all over the San Diego area. Often crimes like this go unsolved, but FBI agent Brady Finta and his law enforcement partners believe this situation is unique. There is a video and an eyewitness. Arresting the messenger who took Susan's $9,000 might just bring down an entire criminal operation. But investigators must proceed carefully.
31 Jul 2026 · 26 min
Archive Episode: FBI and Grandmother Bring Down Crime Ring, Part 1
In this 2023 episode, when Susan gets a frantic call from her "grandson" saying he's been in a terrible accident, she doesn't waste any time. She rushes to get him the $9,000 he requested for legal fees, but as soon as she hands the money to the courier, the phone line goes dead. She knows instantly that it was a scam. Similar crimes are popping up all over her area, and the stack of case files is pretty big by the time it lands on FBI agent Brady Finta's desk.
E262 · 24 Jul 2026 · 46 min
Friend Group Falls Victim to Large Job Scam
Eunice, a busy mom of four, discovers what appears to be the perfect work-from-home job opportunity with flexible hours and the chance to make some extra income for her family. She must make a small initial investment, but soon the job is paying off. Her husband, Daniel, researches the company and is convinced enough to join as well. Excited by their success and believing they're getting in on the ground floor of a growing venture, the couple encourages dozens of friends and family members to sign up. When the company website suddenly disappears along with the group's investment of nearly…
E261 · 17 Jul 2026 · 55 min
A Hawaii News Icon and a Sweepstakes Scam
Linda Coble is retired from a storied career as Hawaii's first female news anchor, but she stays active in her community through charity work. So when she receives a phone call informing her that she has won a $5 million prize from Publishers Clearing House, she immediately starts dreaming of the good she can do with the money. Coble is told she must make tax payments in order to release the prize, but as the fees add up, she begins to worry that it is all a scam. An employee at her bank confirms her suspicions. With $60,000 of her savings gone and her whole life changed in a matter of…
E260 · 10 Jul 2026 · 48 min
Scam Targets AT&T Customers to Steal Cellphones
After a long day as a school bus driver, Nate checks his voicemail and finds a message from "AT&T" offering a discounted rate and a new phone. He has been a loyal customer and is looking for ways to lower his expenses, so he calls them back. The agent already knows all of Nate's information and walks him through the process of picking out his new phone on the AT&T app. When the phone arrives, Nate calls back to set it up, but there is a problem: The phone's serial number doesn't match, and he'll have to send it back. They send him a prepaid shipping label and tell him to pick out a new iPad…
E259 · 26 Jun 2026 · 47 min
A Pilot's Stolen Identity Leaves a Trail of Broken Hearts, Part 2
In part 2, nearly a decade after Pat received the first phone call from a woman believing to be in a relationship with him, he continues to receive regular cards, gifts, calls and visits from scam victims. Criminals have hijacked the pilot's identity to facilitate hundreds of romance scams, turning Pat's life upside down in the process. Around this time, a police detective in South Carolina begins investigating a crime in his town. A woman sends $600,000 to a man she thinks she is dating. The police detective uncovers dozens of victims of scams using Pat's identity. Detective Gillespie and…
E258 · 19 Jun 2026 · 35 min
A Pilot's Stolen Identity Leaves a Trail of Broken Hearts, Part 1
When Pam decides it's time to find love again, she signs up for a dating site and soon meets "Pat." He's charming and very kind; they hit it off right away. "Pat" works overseas and can't tell Pam much about his high-security job, but when he needs help getting back into the country, she lends him $20,000. This all sounds very suspicious to Pam's son-in-law, who does some digging and tracks down a man with the same name and face as the man Pam's been talking to nearly every day for several months. The legitimate Pat explains to Pam how a scammer is impersonating him in order to steal money…
12 Jun 2026 · 23 min
Archive Episode: Million Dollar Movie Ponzi Scheme, Part 2
Beloved Vermont children's entertainer-turned-filmmaker Mac Parker has been raising funds for his film Birth of Innocence for nearly a decade. The film has yet to be completed, and what investors were promised — a three-year, $1 million project — has ballooned in both time and cost. When the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation steps in to investigate irregularities in Mac's fundraising practices, they discover he's operating a $28 million Ponzi scheme. They dig deeper and find Mac has a silent partner named Lou Soteriou, a chiropractor in Connecticut who is being purposefully hidden…
5 Jun 2026 · 19 min
Archive Episode: Million Dollar Movie Ponzi Scheme, Part 1
Malcom "Mac" Parker aspires to be a filmmaker. In Vermont, Mac is known as a beloved children's entertainer, appearing on public television and performing around the state. Mac is so well respected in his community that when he begins to raise funds for his film Birth of Innocence , investors are quick to jump on board. His promises of high returns and a chance to be a part of the film industry sweeten the deal. Mac claims that he will need approximately $1 million and three years to complete his film. But after nearly a decade passes, the film is still unfinished, and Mac raises well above…
E257 · 29 May 2026 · 45 min
Scammers Use AI to Make Lost Pet Scams More Believable
Bill and Allison are devoted to their dogs, so when they discover their 11-year-old beagle mix Archer missing one evening, they are distraught. They spend hours searching the neighborhood and start putting out alerts online, including their contact information and photos of Archer. Then a late-night call comes in from someone claiming to be from a veterinarian's office. Archer has been hit by a car and needs emergency surgery to prevent him from becoming permanently paralyzed. The surgery will cost $2,746 and needs to be paid before the doctor can start. The scammers even send a convincing…
22 May 2026 · 55 min
LA Fire Survivor Faces PayPal Impostor Scam
After escaping the Palisades fire in January of 2025, Ellen doesn't know if she and her husband Steve will have a home to return to. Miraculously, their house is still standing, but it needs extensive cleaning and repairs. They move into an apartment and begin working with insurance and contractors. In March, Steve is diagnosed with cancer and passes away just a few months later. Displaced, stressed out and now grieving her beloved husband, Ellen is caught off guard by a PayPal alert for a charge she doesn't recognize. Soon, the insurance money meant to fix her home is gone.
E255 · 15 May 2026 · 51 min
Crossed Wires: Utility Scams Target Consumers
Fed up with the rising cost of electricity, Steve shops around and switches to a new provider in his Boston neighborhood. The process is simple, and Steve thinks the matter is settled until a week later, when he receives a call from his previous provider claiming he is in danger of having his electricity cut off. Steve initially dismisses it as a scam, but the caller seems to know all about his recent switch. What follows is an hours-long back-and-forth, with Steve passed between agents posing as representatives from two power companies. Frustrated and angry, Steve ultimately buys $900 worth…
E254 · 8 May 2026 · 55 min
Vermont Woman Recoups $1.3M 4.5 Years After a Scam
Jeanette moves back to Vermont, expecting a peaceful retirement in a beloved community, but a tech support scam upends her life. She reaches out to her local police, who advise her to report the incident to the FBI. Now faced with an empty bank account, Jeanette starts making drastic changes to her lifestyle. She unplugs appliances to save on electricity and sets her thermostat to 58 degrees throughout the winter. After more than four years of living frugally and juggling tax bills, on Christmas Eve in 2025, Jeanette's life takes another unexpected turn.
1 May 2026 · 47 min
Bonus: Meet the Fraud Fighters Taking on Crypto Kiosk Scams
In this bonus episode, Bob meets some Fraud Fighters working to make their Nebraska community a little bit safer from scammers. When Omaha passes a city ordinance requiring all crypto kiosks to display a scam warning, local law enforcement teams up with AARP volunteers to ensure that every kiosk in the county has the necessary sticker. Along the way, they hear fraud stories and learn how looking out for our neighbors in one small way can make a big impact in the fight against fraud.
E253 · 24 Apr 2026 · 51 min
Deepfake Doctors: AI-Generated Medical Ad Scams
Dr. Maurice Sholas, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist based in New Orleans, discovers that his likeness is being used in an ad when a friend sends him a TikTok clip that looks convincingly like him. It's an AI-generated version of him selling vitamin supplements, something he has never done. Feeling violated, Sholas must now defend his reputation, and attempt to protect potential victims from losing money on and possibly being harmed by a fraudulent product. In addition to causing monetary losses, AI‑generated impersonation of doctors and celebrities can undermine trust and speed up the…
E252 · 17 Apr 2026 · 54 min
California Woman Warns of Facebook Job Scam
After taking a break from her tech career to care for her aging mother, Dawn is reentering the workforce in her mid-50s, and she isn't having much luck. She takes a chance on an offer for a new kind of job at "Facebook." Guided by a "mentor" through an onboarding process, she learns that her new role involves placing Facebook ads as part of an AI testing initiative. Dawn will have a digital wallet into which she must add her own money to pay for ad placements, but she will receive a percentage of the ad revenue. Dawn is reassured when she signs on to the platform and can see all the posts…
10 Apr 2026 · 37 min
Bonus: Avoiding Tax Scams With Michelle Singletary
It's tax time, and that means it's also tax scam season. The Federal Trade Commission warns about a recent surge in fake IRS calls to taxpayers. Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary joins host Bob Sullivan to discuss how AI might be supercharging these age-old scams, how recent changes in the way the federal government issues refunds could create new opportunities for scammers, and some practical tips for protecting yourself against these and other scams.
E251 · 3 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
The Science of Romance Scams
When Anola returns home from a picture-perfect trip to France, she finds an unexpected flirtation with a man who reaches out to her on LinkedIn. He showers her with love and attention, and over time, he steals thousands from her. When she discovers the deception, Anola reaches out to the real man behind the photo the scammer used, drawing her into a second betrayal. Criminals have figured out how to hack our brains, bypassing the rational and going directly for the emotional response. Austin Cusak, an expert in behavioral science at the FDIC, joins host Bob Sullivan to discuss the phenomenon…
E250 · 20 Mar 2026 · 52 min
Check Washing Scam Steals Thousands From Rhode Island Couple
Richy and Terri send a check to their son and daughter-in-law for their anniversary, but it never arrives. After a tough year of medical issues and the death of a close friend, they open a bank statement to see that their account is $10,000 short. They learn that a criminal has stolen their check from the mail, "washed" it, and fraudulently cashed it for big bucks. This sends the couple on a monthslong quest to try to get their money back.
E249 · 13 Mar 2026 · 48 min
Inside a Gold Coin Scam Sting
When Brian receives an email from "PayPal," he thinks it must be the refund he's been waiting for, but he is instead drawn into a scam that has him running all over town feeding money into crypto kiosks and exchanging cash for gold coins to hand off to a courier. Brian soon grows suspicious, but he resists the urge to confront the criminals and goes directly to the police. Brian helps detectives set up a sting operation to ensnare the courier and expose a crime ring.
E248 · 6 Mar 2026 · 43 min
SIM Swap Scam Leads to $125,000 Theft
Patricia is enjoying a quiet night babysitting when she discovers that her phone has no service. When she switches to Wi-Fi, a sudden barrage of notifications shows that someone is moving money out of her accounts. This sets Patricia off on a race against time to save her assets from criminals who are even cashing out her stocks. Bob talks with Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, about practical steps we can all take to protect ourselves from SIM swapping scams.

About The Perfect Scam

The Perfect Scam is a English true crime podcast from AARP. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: AARP
Language: English
Category: True Crime
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 46 min
Latest episode: 9 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1362050907
Rights: AARP

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