The Perfect Scam

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 TV reporter Lisa Fletcher attempt to warn victims and stop ongoing scams.

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 from investors. Over the years, Lou has received more than $4 million in payments from Mac. Realizing the scope of the case, Vermont investigators call in the FBI. As federal agents unravel this enormous Ponzi scheme, it becomes clear that the relationship between Mac and Lou is a complicated one. The investigators are left wondering, who really is the mastermind behind this crime?

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 photo of Archer on the operating table, but Bill and Allison quickly suspect the photo might be AI-generated.

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 of gift cards in the hope of keeping his electricity flowing. This sophisticated scam is one of a number of scams involving utility companies threatening to cut off basic services. Monica Martinez, the executive director for Utilities United Against Scams, shares tips on how to spot utilities-related scams. To learn more about utility scams, visit: aarp.org/utilityscams

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.

David is a retiree who remains active in his Florida community, but he would like to have someone to share his life with. When an Indiana woman named Bonnie strikes up a friendship with David on Facebook, he is delighted but cautious. A video call is reassuring, and their relationship deepens over several months. They make plans to move in together after Bonnie completes a large interior design job in Australia. Bonnie will be paid millions for the job, so when she needs to borrow $25,000 to pay the upfront cost for workers, David is confident she will pay him back. But when the bank notifies him of another transfer from his home equity line of credit, David knows that Bonnie is a fraud and possibly an AI creation. Ricardo Amper, founder and CEO of Incode Technologies, explains the surprising ways AI may be used in scams and why the best tool to combat AI scams may just be … AI.

Have you ever thought about who might be on the other end of those scam calls and messages we all receive? The answer could be far more sinister than you might imagine. The "scammer" may also be a victim of human trafficking. These people are lured by the promise of well-paid jobs to travel to countries in Southeast Asia and are then forced to work in prison-like scam compounds. A BBC journalist and brave volunteers work to expose this brutal practice.

Amy Nofziger, Sr. Director of Victim Support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network™, stops by The Perfect Scam to discuss some new variations on old scams and the tactics criminals are using to exploit our vulnerabilities during this busy time of year. Learn what you should never do if you receive a mysterious package and why you should always hang on to those little receipts that come with your gift card purchases. Amy also shares the latest AARP research on holiday scams.