The Greatest Scam Ever Written

5.0 (1)
TRUE CRIME
COMPLETE SERIES

New Season Out Now - Binge All Eps. Ad-Free Today

£4.99/month or £39.99/year

The Greatest Scam Ever Written is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Greatest Scam Ever Written show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

See All Season 10 (8)

TRAILER

Introducing: The Greatest Scam Ever Written

What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever? All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week. Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly simple conception to the revelation and imprisonment of the fraudster themselves. Speaking through letters from behind bars, the con artist maintains their innocence, saying:  ‘Maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit, but it doesn’t mean it's fraud.’ And that is the question at the heart of The Greatest Scam Ever Written: What happens if you want to believe that sending $50 to a psychic will change the course of your destiny? Are you a victim, or a willing participant? The Greatest Scam Ever Written is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Greatest Scam Ever Written show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment & ITN Productions production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30/09/2024

•

4 min

Imagine if you were about to become a parent and someone ripped away your dream. Tara Lee ran an adoption company called Always Hope and matched families with babies in record time. But what these adoptive parents didn’t know was how she was manipulating their lives for her gain. This is a shocking tale about a criminal with a cold heart who pulled off an unimaginable scheme, and the parents who banded together to take her down. Baby Broker is the latest series from The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers — The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of The Binge Crimes show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge — feed your true crime obsession.

4.2 (141)

TRUE CRIME
Noreen Boyle goes missing, and her 11-year-old son is determined to find her. He teams up with a homicide cop to investigate his mother’s murder. In a shocking turn of events, together, they uncover evidence that brings the killer to justice. A killer who the son knows all too well. Finding Mom's Killer is the latest series from The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of The Binge Crimes show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

3.9 (121)

TRUE CRIME
In 2003, two half-starved brothers emerged from the wilderness, telling an incredible story of survival. A small Canadian community took them in. The only problem? The boys weren't who they said they were. Hosted by Sam Mullins. Wild Boys is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Wild Boys show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

4.4 (49)

TRUE CRIME
In the mid-1970s, a man burst onto the evangelical scene with a shocking tale: claiming to be a former witch involved in human sacrifices among elite circles. After converting to Christianity, he toured the nation warning of hidden Satanists and spoke about a secret organization known as the Illuminati. John Todd preached salvation to frightened congregations, urging them to prepare for a world takeover by stockpiling weapons and retreating to remote areas. But John Todd was no saint; he was not the good, honest Christian he claimed to be. He was running from his past. As his influence peaked and his teachings spread through countless tapes, his facade crumbled, and he vanished. Yet, his legacy endured, inspiring acts of extreme violence from Ruby Ridge, Waco, PizzaGate, QAnon right through to the steps of the Capitol on January 6th. The Conspiracy Tapes is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Conspiracy Tapes show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.1 (292)

TRUE CRIME
Behind every infamous news story is a journalist trying to hold power to account. Join reporters Vanessa Grigoriadis, Gabriel Sherman, and Natalie Robehmed as they take an in-depth look at the most explosive scandals of this century. From high-profile divorces to sex cults to the lies that started a war, they’ll guide you through the juiciest, most outrageous, celeb-filled stories of the last two decades, and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to shine an unflattering light on the world’s most powerful people. A Campside Media & Sony Podcast Production. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email: podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. To connect with Infamous's creative team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at Campsidemedia.com/join Learn more about your ad choices. Visitmegaphone.fm/adchoices

3.7 (39)

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
A wellness center some called Miracle Ranch, nestled in the scenic mountains of Southern California, promised a luxurious escape and a path to wellness through clean, alkaline living. Its leader, Dr. Robert O. Young, attracted wealthy clientele with his “groundbreaking” health protocols and friendly, family-man persona. But beneath the serene surface, Miracle Ranch harbored a dark secret. The people who stayed there didn’t get better; they got worse. Through legal documents and candid interviews with former patients and employees, law enforcement officials, and affected family members, this series unravels the chilling true story of one man who convinced scores of people that cancer is not a cell but an “acidic, poisonous liquid,” and how his popular “alkaline diet” turned deadly. Chameleon: Dr. Miracle is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Chameleon: Dr. Miracle show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment & Campside Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.7 (646)

TRUE CRIME
The Ministry of Secrets, is the story of one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Cold War. At its heart is a missing person — a wartime hero and international celebrity. But that’s just the starting point. It involves the royal family, MI6, the CIA, and the KGB. There are conspiracies. And lies. This story is so sensitive, so secret - that the truth is being withheld for 100 years, until 2057. Presenter Giles Milton and producer Sarah Peters are on a quest to find out why… Ministry of Secrets is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.8 (12)

TRUE CRIME
What if someone close to you just … vanished one day? That happens to tens of thousands of families a year in Japan, and it happened to Jake Adelstein, too, back in 2018 — when his accountant disappeared, just before tax day. Adelstein, the author of Tokyo Vice, and co-host Shoko Plambeck go in search of that missing accountant, and take us on a journey into the fascinating and bizarre world of Japan’s johatsu, or “evaporated” people. The Evaporated: Gone With the Gods is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Evaporated: Gone With the Gods show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4.8 (25)

TRUE CRIME
Night Shift is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Night Shift show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

2.0 (1)

TRUE CRIME
The story of and hunt for the notorious scam artist known as the Hollywood Con Queen. Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.5 (28)

TRUE CRIME
For eight years, Megan Hess ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in the small town of Montrose, Colorado. She promised clients discounts on normally expensive cremations, a seeming kindness in a town where many are poor. But in the back of the funeral home, Megan’s elderly mother Shirley was actually dismembering the dead. And then Megan was selling the body parts – heads, torsos, legs – to companies that claim to do medical research. The families who trusted Megan –- they had no idea what she was really up to. When they came to pick up the ashes of their loved ones, they instead received a mixture of ashes of various people. They had no idea of their betrayal until some received a strange phonecall from the FBI. Megan and Shirley were body brokers, trading on a dark network where people buy and sell bodies. What exactly were the two women after? Who was really buying those stolen bodies, and why? Body Brokers is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Body Brokers show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.5 (4)

TRUE CRIME
Staggering success, unexpected loss, over-the-top parties, shocking betrayals, and profound intimacy are woven together into a high-profile family-therapy session. The Just Enough Family follows the meteoric rise and staggering fall of the Steinbergs, once one of America’s richest families, through the eyes of Liz Lange— successful fashion designer, captivating storyteller, and niece of the infamous corporate raider Saul Steinberg. Host Ariel Levy (The New Yorker, The Rules do Not Apply), Liz’s friend, gets an inside look at what happened to the once seemingly invincible clan. New money, old secrets, and the fine line between success and excess. The Just Enough Family is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Just Enough Family show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Executive producer Melinda Shopsin (Mystery Show). Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

4.1 (42)

RELATIONSHIPS
When LA screenwriter Gary Devore mysteriously disappears in the summer of 1997, weird coincidences lead family and friends to believe he may have been a victim of foul play -- possibly because of his mysterious ties to the CIA. Gary was on the way home from finishing his latest script, which was allegedly going to be based in part on real events that occurred during the American invasion of Panama, and that script vanished along with him and his vehicle. In Fade to Black, host Josh Dean — along with journalist Evan Wright and producer Megan Donis — investigates one of the most infamous cases in Hollywood history, revealing at the same time the incredible rise of CIA influence in the film and TV industry.  Fade to Black is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Fade to Black show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Campside Media & Sony Entertainment Production

5.0 (1)

TRUE CRIME
Just because the police can’t solve a murder doesn’t mean other people won’t find someone to blame. In Devil in the Ditch, journalist Larrison Campbell returns to her Mississippi hometown to reexamine one of its most notorious unsolved cold cases – the murder of her grandmother, Presh. What happens when a family and a community suspect one of their own? Devil in the Ditch is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Devil in the Ditch show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment & Campside Media production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

2.3 (7)

TRUE CRIME
In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper, when one day he hitched a ride back from Boston with Robert Carr III, better known as “Red.” Red seemed trustworthy enough, but he was hiding a secret: by the time he had picked up Steve, he had already killed three people—and all of his prior victims were hitchhikers themselves. This chilling car ride was the first time Steve would meet the man he came to call “Red”, but it wasn’t the last...Join Steve Fishman himself as un unravels and recounts this harrowing tale that is equally terrifying as it is fascinating, uncovering new revelations all these years later. My Friend, the Serial Killer is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the My Friend, the Serial Killer show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession.

3.0 (2)

TRUE CRIME