Scam Nation

USRavens

Scam Nation — America's wildest cons, frauds and rip-offs, told as gripping true stories. From fake heiresses and billion-dollar unicorn frauds to Ponzi kings and phishing empires: how the con worked, how it fooled everyone, and how it finally fell apart. Researched, documented, and impossible to stop listening to.

  1. 52m ago

    Orange County: Robert Citron and the $1.7 Billion Bet

    Treasurer Robert Citron turned Orange County's public cash into a twenty point five billion dollar leveraged bet on interest rates — and lost one point seven billion when the Fed raised rates in 1994. Harper and Cole tell the story of the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.

    Orange County: Robert Citron and the $1.7 Billion Bet

  2. 52m ago

    Shell: The 3.9 Billion Barrels That Never Existed

    In January 2004 Shell admitted that nearly a quarter of its proved oil reserves — three point nine billion barrels — didn't exist. Harper and Cole unpack the reserves overstatement, the one hundred twenty million dollar SEC fine, and the chairman's resignation.

    Shell: The 3.9 Billion Barrels That Never Existed

  3. 52m ago

    Global Crossing: The $12 Billion Fiber-Optic Fraud

    Global Crossing built a worldwide fiber-optic network and faked its revenue with capacity swaps — selling network capacity to rivals and buying it straight back. Harper and Cole trace the January 2002 bankruptcy, the fourth largest in US history, and the settlements that followed.

    Global Crossing: The $12 Billion Fiber-Optic Fraud

  4. 52m ago

    Fannie Mae: The $9 Billion Restatement

    Fannie Mae told the world its earnings were smooth and growing — while hiding seven point nine billion dollars in derivatives losses. Harper and Cole follow the 2004 regulator report, the nine point one billion dollar misstatement, and the fall of chief executive Franklin Raines.

    Fannie Mae: The $9 Billion Restatement

  5. 52m ago

    Freddie Mac: The $5 Billion Earnings Smoothing Scandal

    Freddie Mac hid five billion dollars of profit to make its earnings look smooth and steady. Harper and Cole explain the derivatives smoothing, the firing of the top three executives in June 2003, the one hundred twenty-five million dollar fine, and why hiding profits is still a fraud.

    Freddie Mac: The $5 Billion Earnings Smoothing Scandal

  6. 52m ago

    AIG: The $1.64 Billion Insurance Accounting Scandal

    Hank Greenberg ran AIG for forty years and never missed a target — until investigators found sham reinsurance deals and sixty-six improper transactions behind the streak. Harper and Cole trace the General Re deal, the forced resignation, and the one point six four billion dollar settlement of 2006.

    AIG: The $1.64 Billion Insurance Accounting Scandal

  7. 52m ago

    Xerox: The $3 Billion Copier Fraud

    Xerox booked years of copier lease revenue up front to close a three billion dollar gap with Wall Street. Harper and Cole unpack the SEC's 2002 case, the six point one billion dollar restatement, and the twenty-two million dollar settlement that pulled auditor KPMG into the scandal.

    Xerox: The $3 Billion Copier Fraud

  8. 53m ago

    Waste Management: The $1.7 Billion Trash Fraud

    How did America's biggest garbage company hide one point seven billion dollars in fake profits? Harper and Cole retrace Dean Buntrock's five-year accounting fraud — inflated truck values, unrecorded landfill costs, and an auditor, Arthur Andersen, that agreed to spread the lie over ten years — and the 2002 SEC case that ended it.

    Waste Management: The $1.7 Billion Trash Fraud
See All (74)

About

Scam Nation — America's wildest cons, frauds and rip-offs, told as gripping true stories. From fake heiresses and billion-dollar unicorn frauds to Ponzi kings and phishing empires: how the con worked, how it fooled everyone, and how it finally fell apart. Researched, documented, and impossible to stop listening to.

Information

  • Creator
    USRavens
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright USRavens
  • Show Website
    Scam Nation