Swindled

In the 1950s the United States launched a witch hunt, and it's not at all what you think.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

What would you do when faced with a life-or-death situation? Alferd Packer had to answer this question for himself, and do something that is -- for many -- unthinkable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The story of a man who loved his mother. Too much.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

There’s a great origin story behind snake oil salesmen, and it has to do with just one guy who singlehandedly gave it a bad name.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Michael Sabo was a classic con man. He posed as a respectable doctor, he wrote phony checks, he stole coins, and he misled trusting people. And what does a classic con man do after getting caught? Turn that grifter knowledge into another con: consulting.See omnystudio.com/listene ... Show More

On this episode of Our American Stories, Charles Ponzi didn’t invent the Ponzi scheme, but he made it famous and gave it his name. Jonathan Small, host of the Write About Now podcast, shares the fascinating true story of one of history’s most notorious con artists. Support the sh ... Show More

Only the greatest con man could take Mussolini for $2M, run a totally fake casino, fix horse races, pose as a well-known mining engineer, and then write a book about it all. Oh, and look super dapper along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Whether they are online scams or in person card tricks, confidence games - better known now as cons - have been around for as long as we have. But while humans remain fundamentally gullible, the tricks of the trade have changed.Today, Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with writer and su ... Show More

<p>Basquiat started as a graffiti artist but soon through talent and ambition he became one of the greatest painters in American history, an artist whose works regularly set records for their auction prices. And you know what that means… crime! Meet the art fraudsters pushing fak ... Show More

Kevin Trudeau was a born salesman...and an excellent con man. He knew exactly how to rope people in with promises of wealth, health, and all around better lives. But as we all know, if something sounds too good to be true, it is. And it's probably a brainchild of ol' Kev.See omny ... Show More

<p>America has a soft spot for scoundrels. From the (evil) genius who kept selling the Brooklyn Bridge to foreigners to the original snake oil salesman, we race through history's most legendary cons and discover why Denver was the Florence of the Con-Man Renaissance. Featuring Ma ... Show More

Bertha Heyman was a notorious con artist with a robust rap sheet and a penchant for bilking well-to-do, otherwise shrewd men. Listen in to learn how Bertha's life of crime led her, oddly enough, into showbiz. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.co ... Show More