logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
37m 10s

The Scientist and the Swindler

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

Cautionary Conversation: Celebrated physicist Professor Paul Frampton was on his way to Brussels to meet the love of his life, swimwear model Denise Milani. Or so he thought. When he found himself in jail, he realized he’d fallen prey to a confidence trickster.

Tim Harford is joined by Maria Konnikova - journalist, psychologist and best-selling author - to talk about swindlers: what motivates them; what they look for in their victims; and how to avoid being conned altogether.


Listener questions

Tim is taking your questions. Do you have any queries about one of the stories we've covered? Are you curious about how we make the show?  Send in your questions, however big or small, and Tim will do his best to answer them in a special Q&A episode.

You can email your question to tales@pushkin.fm or leave a voice note at 914-984-7650. That's a US number, so please be aware that if you're calling from outside the US international rates will apply.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Sep 11
Talent, Time and Money: The Curse of General Magic
It's 1990. A new company called General Magic is going to build its vision of the future: the smart phone. They have talent, almost unlimited cash, and a 15 year head start on the iPhone. What could go wrong? This episode was based, with permission, on David Epstein's book Inside ... Show More
38m 36s
Sep 4
Evel Knievel Faces the Abyss
Evel Knievel, the world-famous daredevil, is planning his greatest ever stunt. In 1974, he wants to leap over Snake River Canyon in Idaho. The chasm is almost a third of a mile wide, much bigger than any jump he's done before. To make it work, he'll need a custom-made rocket-powe ... Show More
40m 22s
Aug 28
Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida
In 1942, eight men are sent from Nazi Germany to infiltrate America. Their mission: to sabotage critical infrastructure. Their problem: they're idiots. Operation Pastorius soon devolves into one of the most baffling failures of World War II. For a list of sources, see the show no ... Show More
39m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2017
How Do Con Artists Keep Fooling Us?
<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
46m 12s
Sep 2023
Frampton Comes Alive... With Crime!
A world-famous physics professor fell in love with a world-famous bikini model. The professor obeyed the Laws of Newton, but not the laws of the land. His strange criminal escapade escaped the bounds of all logic when he was caught at an airport smuggling kilos of cocaine and he ... Show More
54m 23s
Jan 2025
Encore - Why we get conned and how to avoid it, with Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD
From Ponzi schemes to email phishing identity thieves, the world can seem full of people who want to deceive us. Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD, co-authors of Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It, talk about the cognitive habits that pu ... Show More
34m 35s
Jun 2016
Maria Konnikova on psychology, work, and why we all get conned
Maria Konnikova, a writer and author of “The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It… Every Time” talks to host Cardiff Garcia about her work and the challenge of judging the quality of social-science research. The two also discuss big data, open-plan offices, sleep and the psycholog ... Show More
1h 12m
Jul 2023
Why we get conned and how to avoid it, with Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD
From Ponzi schemes to e-mail phishing identity thieves, the world can seem full of people who want to deceive us. Daniel Simons, PhD, and Christopher Chabris, PhD, co-authors of the “Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It,” talk about the cognitive habits ... Show More
32m 50s
Jun 2022
Captured Coin Con Consults Convicts Craving Corrections Cover
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
46m 55s
Jun 2023
Feeling A Bit Attacked with Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova, Revisionist History’s ombudsman—who's also an author, psychologist and professional poker player—is back for another round. This time she reads letters from the audience on the power of debate, and whether or not certain four letter words belong in Pushkin’s podc ... Show More
42m 51s
Sep 2019
Lab 014: Art of Con
Whether it’s robocalls, catfishing, Tekashi 6ix9ine, or Aunt Becky - it seems like everyone is out here scamming!! But why do WE keep falling for them? We turned to Dr. Lasana Harris to help us understand human motivations and interpersonal behaviors making us susceptible to thes ... Show More
31m 26s
Apr 2024
379: Jordan Harbinger—Psst… Wanna Buy a Stadium Buddy?
The former Wall Street lawyer and current OG podcaster drops by to discuss the latest in Podcastladia, how patternicity and our desire for certainty can lead us to create wild theories, the death of skepticism, honesty in advertising, and what he learned from being kidnapped the ... Show More
1h 20m