Scams & Cons

23/01/2024

Our new season begins Thursday with an interview with NYT best-selling author Lee Goldberg. Tells us how he works scams into books and TV shows. It's a great listen.

19/01/2024

This is the last of our holiday replays. Next week we'll have bonus episode with Lee Goldberg, the NYT best-selling author talking about how he writes scams into his books and TV shows.

What time is it? 4:23? Thanks.You could have gotten the answer from your phone, a sign in front of a bank or dozens of other sources. So, why spend $150,000 for a Rolex to give you the same information.Luxuries are perceptions and scammers use tho...

14/01/2024

If you live in India and someone wants you to type *401 # into your phone followed by a different telephone number -- DON'T. What this will do is give a scammer to all your phone calls because they will be redirected to the scammer.

In the U.S. and other countries, the numbers you punch in will be different, but this is a hallmark of the computer repair scam. They either want to connect your phone or your computer to them so they can rob you blind.

The best advice: don't give personal information to anyone you don't know and trust.

11/01/2024

Our most popular show -- Three Card Monte has been remastered and re-released today!

Listen to Scams & Cons on Spotify. Scammers don't steal your money, they create a world where it makes perfect sense to hand your cash over to them. Three-card-monte, the longest running show on Broadway, seems easy. You're watching the tosser and you always see the queen. What you don't see is a gr...

14/12/2023

Ponce de Leon is said to have sought the Fountain of Youth. That claim is debatable as there is no record that he ever looked for one.

The same is true of miracle cures which promise everything, but deliver nothing but a placebo and a thinner wallet.

Listen in as we tell you about the reality of so-called miracle cures.

10/12/2023

Would you prefer a root canal or one year of scam messaging? A survey says most people would take the root canal.

The survey was by McAfee and reported in Psychology Today.

A new report shows that AI scams are increasingly hard to identify.

04/12/2023

Let's get together

I've created a private group for Scams & Cons fans. I've done this to create a central place for everyone to gather, discuss and give feedback. It should also eliminate the bots.

You'll need approval to join and it's an easy bar to reach. Just search FB for Scams & Cons and be sure to pick the group rather than the page. Push the button to ask to join the group and I'll get the message and you'll be welcomed in.

In addition to your comments, I'll be posting about scams that are currently happening, but don't make Scams & Cons News or a regular program. Believe me, there is a LOT of craziness out there.

So, please sign up. I want to hear what you have to say and you'll meet your fellow fans.

Thanks!

Jim

24/11/2023

You can make money complaining about robo calls. We'll tell you how and how those damned machines work.

16/11/2023

12/10/2023

Who should pay for all those broken walls -- Clark Kent or Superman? Listen in as we learn about the world of imposters.

18/09/2023

This week I'm a guest on the True Crime Binge podcast and hear what I'm like behind a different mic.

This week, Bob and Erica are joined by the host of Scams & Cons, Jim Grinstead.

07/09/2023

Season 5 begins!

06/10/2022

Frank Abagnale Jr., life is much different than the one depicted in the movie "Catch Me If You Can."

Most of what he says he did, never happened. Public records show he was in jail most of those times.

In this episode, we confront Abagnale and challenge him to come clean about those cons and the cons he is still running today.

01/07/2022

If you thought music scams went away with the end of payola, you haven't been paying attention.

Both industry execs and musicians scam each other and we'll tell you how they do it.

16/06/2022

You open a letter that tells you that you've won a huge about of money in a sweepstakes you don't remember entering. Just send some money to cover taxes and fees and those riches will be yours.

You're a winner, but only if you toss that piece of mail in the trash. Sweepstakes scams come in many shapes and forms and we all want to believe that fortune has smiled upon us, but it likely hasn't. Particularly if that letter is postmarked standard presort -- a class used primarily for bulk delivery.

But whether it's a letter, a phone call or an email, check things out carefully and don't give in to wishful thinking. It could cost you everything you own.

02/06/2022

With the right credentials, you can be anyone you want to be.

Find out how they work so you can fake it while you make it.

19/05/2022

Think you're getting a BOGO? The manager would like to have a word with you.

05/05/2022

Long cons can earn you a lot of money, but to be successful, you'll need a lot of money, people who can keep secrets and patience.

In this episode, we'll tell you how long cons are run, including one guy who believed in it so much, he came back to become a sucker again.

01/04/2022

It's April Fools Day and, as promised, it's time to reveal which of the three scams I told you about in the Unbelievable Cons episode are true or false. Drum roll please ... they are all false.

But each of the stories isn't all false. The date stated in selling ice to Innuits was correct in that there was a heat wave and there were injuries. Around that same time, fire extinguishers were invented. They were a hit with the railroads because fires could be put out without stopping the train and separating the burning cars so other parts of the train could be saved.

General McArthur's jeep was sold in the U.S., but there never was an over- eager rock candy heir who bought a fake version.

Lastly, there have been cases of men becoming pregnant, but this isn't one of them. The described drugs would have the effect described, but it would take a really stupid sucker to buy that it happened to him off a door k**b or toilet seat.

So, however you picked, you weren't totally wrong, you simply forgot the name of the podcast and an upcoming holiday.

I hope you enjoyed it!

24/03/2022

Great news! We're 56 on FeedSpot's top 70 true crime podcast listings!

List of Best True Crime Podcasts. Keep up with favorite tales of murder and hear hometown crime stories, cold criminal cases, well-known murders and serial crimes, true crime genre, unsolved murders and much more

16/03/2022

No doubt there is a lot of pirated content on Instagram. If you have posted some of it, it will be difficult to determine whether the threat is real or a scam!

If you get an email from "Instagram" about copyright violations, it's probably a scam. These steps can help protect you from thieves.

14/03/2022

It's fraud prevention month!

Unfortunately, seniors often make good targets for scammers, the BBB writes.

12/03/2022

How would you like me to put you in a new car with a loan you know nothing about?

I gotta give him props for coming up with this scam.

He was fired last July from Dick Scott in Plymouth. But, he kept the title and his contact list – to blindside dozens of victims. Investigators say he posed as a salesman, preying on victims across the metro area.

10/03/2022

Recently -- and I kid you not -- I found a $100 bill as I got into my car after buying groceries. It was on the ground beside my door, folded in thirds. I immediately thought someone was setting me up for a Pigeon Drop, but no one approached and no other people were around, so I put the bill in my pocket.

It took weeks before I used that money. Finding $100 is just too rare a thing. I wondered if was counterfeit. I eventually went to a bank, they looked the bill and marked it. It was real.

This is the essence of the Pigeon Drop. Money is found, two strangers approach, suggest dividing it, then set up a series of moves designed to send you to the bank where you'll withdraw thousands of dollars and willingly hand it over to the scammers.

Listen in as we tell you how scammers magically turn pigeons into suckers.

Recently -- and I kid you not -- I found a $100 bill as I got into my car after buying groceries. It was on the ground beside my door, folded in thirds. I immediately thought someone was setting me up for a Pigeon Drop, but no one approached and n...

05/03/2022

Well, what do you know? Yesterday I caught a scammer running a scam in a Target parking lot. It was just by chance, but armed with my trusty cell phone, I confronted the guy string-syncing a violin to music playing through a speaker.

I recorded the conversation, but you'll have to wait a few weeks for the episode about the encounter. It was fun!

I was grateful he wasn't miming the 1812 Overture finale. I try to distance myself from cannons.

Stay tuned.

01/03/2022

When the boss says to send money ...

There are countless "exclusive reward," "free coupon," and "free product" scams on social media. Here's how to recognize them and avoid trouble.