Dirty Scams

Creator at Obomedia

Ever wonder how the most audacious con artists pull off their schemes? Dirty Scams pulls back the curtain on the world's most shocking frauds, exposing the masterminds and their victims. From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we dissect every detail of the deception. This is where you uncover the psychology behind the trickery and learn how seemingly ordinary people fall prey to extraordinary lies. We don't just tell stories; we analyze the tactics, the red flags, and the devastating impact of these criminal enterprises. Join us daily, seven days a week, for a fresh dose of deception. New episodes drop every Monday through Sunday at 7:00 PM, offering a deep dive into a new case of fraud, scam, or con. Each episode is meticulously researched, bringing you the facts and the fascinating human element behind every scheme. Dirty Scams is for anyone fascinated by true crime, investigative journalism, and the darker side of human ingenuity. If you're keen to understand the mechanics of deception and protect yourself from becoming a target, you've found your essential listening. Subscribe now and become an expert in spotting the signs.

  1. 17m ago

    hands - superintendent later said only a feasibility discussion occurred

    hands - superintendent later said only a feasibility discussion occurred A dog found $4,300 in rubber-banded cash and a water-stained ledger that unraveled $312,000 in donations, a thirty-year reputation, and a scoreboard that was never built - so how did $289,000 leave the project account and vanish into personal accounts and cash withdrawals? What single missing check would have stopped a $60 stock photo from selling a whole community on a fake athletic legacy? In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a trail-bin discovery to an auditor's desk and trace how a community fundraiser became a personal bank for one man - and ask whether local trust was exploited or simply unguarded. Person: Ralph Porter Organization: Porter Community Ventures Amount collected: $312,000 Amount withdrawn: $289,000 Date found: August 7, 2019 - A dog discovered $4,300 in cash in a trail bin at 9:41 AM on August 7, 2019. - Between January 2018 and March 2019, nineteen businesses donated to the Ridgeline Athletic Legacy Initiative. - Porter was sole signatory on the project account that received $312,000 in donations. - There were 41 withdrawals from February 2018 to July 2019 totaling $289,000 labeled as project administration and vendor payments. - The architectural renderings shown to donors were stock photographs purchased for $60. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    hands - superintendent later said only a feasibility discussion occurred

  2. 1d ago

    The Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits

    The Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits A soaked cardboard box wedged in a drainage culvert revealed handwritten ledgers that tied $94,000 in missing security deposits to one trusted landlord - and eighty-three families were left counting losses. How did a billing specialist’s routine walk and a box in a river unravel a six-year pattern of “TEMP TRANSFER” withdrawals that emptied the RMHP Security Deposit Trust? In this episode, we follow the documents, dates, and people connected to the missing escrow money and the audit that followed, asking whether the patterns in the ledgers were deliberate and why Romano tried to dispose of them. Person: Wade Romano Person: Rachel Sullivan Location: Rolling Meadows Mobile Home Park, County Road Seven, Triton County Date: July 11, 2019 Amount: $94,000 - 83 families were affected by the missing security deposits. - Romano purchased Rolling Meadows in 2009 for $112,000. - Security deposit required by state statute since 1987 to be held in escrow. - The RMHP Security Deposit Trust balance spiked to about $62,000 on inspection days and fell again nine times between 2013 and 2019. - Romano borrowed $31,000 from maintenance contractor Pete Scholl over two years via informal checks. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits

  3. 2d ago

    How One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt

    How One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt A hidden $33-per-ton gap in municipal road salt bills quietly funneled $938,000 of public money over seven years into one administrator's accounts - and it all hinged on a single packing slip and an unnoticed folder. How did a routine pallet of salt and a memo about "administrative consistency" keep a scheme alive until one county surveyor photographed the price? In this episode, we trace the cooperative's formation, the role of its sole administrator, and the sequence of invoices, memos and missed checks that allowed the discrepancy to grow. We follow the moment Hartwell Supply began sharing prices directly and the photograph that began to unravel the numbers - what happened next? Person: Alan Moore Role: Administrator of the Dellard-Kellner Regional Road Salt Cooperative Date (discrepancy discovered): June 4, 2019 Amount diverted: $938,000 Supplier: Hartwell Supply - Cooperative founding year: 2009 - Number of member municipalities by 2014: 12 - Invoice price on packing slip: $61 per ton - Price Moore billed municipalities: $89-$94 per ton - Years scheme ran: 2012-2019 To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    How One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt

  4. 3d ago

    The Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched

    The Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched Fear of losing what you can't bear to part with: a small-town storage facility quietly erased possessions while auctions and lot cards created the illusion of a legal sale. Ridgeway Self-Storage ran for nearly four years, touched 61 documented auctions, and left 71 people with receipts for units already emptied-so how did the scheme stay hidden in plain sight? In this episode, we tell the story of the scheme at Ridgeway Self-Storage and the people who noticed, ignored, or were enrolled in it, following the timeline from a Tuesday morning lock to a wire fraud investigation. How did routine maintenance logs, text messages calling an auction "the show," and private cash payments make public auctions a performance? Person: Howard Casey Location: Ridgeway Self-Storage, four miles east of Dunmore, Dellard County Date: May 9, 2019 (pump truck operator observed two padlocks on unit 47) Case: Wire fraud investigation connected to emptying units before auctions Event: 61 documented auctions affected; 71 victims left with receipts - Ridgeway Self-Storage had 62 rentable units and was purchased by Howard Casey in 2013. - The scam ran for nearly four years and touched 61 documented auctions. - Trace paid Casey cash fees ranging from $800 to $4,000 per unit depending on contents. - A recovered text from November 2017 reads: "Trace, forty-one is good, cedar stuff and a tool chest. I'll have it open Wednesday. Show is Saturday." - Tenant Lisa Barnes paid $55 per month for unit 44 for three years and found her mother's cedar chest unlatched and interior contents shifted in May 2019. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched

  5. 4d ago

    He Stole the Memorial Fund - Victims Got Eleven Dollars Back

    He Stole the Memorial Fund - Victims Got Eleven Dollars Back The memorial account meant to honor three fallen firefighters held exactly eleven dollars on the day bronze plaques were unveiled - not eleven thousand, not eleven hundred - after a decade of quiet, in-person cash withdrawals that totaled $61,200. How did a trusted local volunteer turn memorial donations into personal payments and keep two separate frauds running until a retired librarian's bank statement unraveled everything? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from neighborhood fundraisers and typed annual summaries to bank records and an Attorney General audit, following the people and transactions that revealed the gap between what was shown and what actually existed. What did the records prove about the memorial account and the parallel investment scheme? Person: Dean Padgett Age: 47 Location: Harwick Account: Teller's First Bank of Mercer County, ending 4471 Total cash withdrawals: $61,200 - The memorial fund account balance was $11 on the day four bronze plaques were installed. - Padgett circulated a January 2018 summary showing $42,300 while the actual account held $912. - From 2016 onward Padgett made 47 separate in-person cash transactions at the Birch Avenue branch. - Harwick Community Investment Partners solicited 31 individuals with false promises of commercial real estate returns. - Marie Farrell, age 62, had saved $4,000 for a trip to Portugal and later filed the complaint that prompted the audit. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    He Stole the Memorial Fund - Victims Got Eleven Dollars Back

  6. 5d ago

    How One Tractor's Serial Number Exposed a $2M Small-Town Fraud

    How One Tractor's Serial Number Exposed a $2M Small-Town Fraud The discovery that one John Deere serial number appeared on loan files across three counties turned a teenager’s morning errand into the undoing of an eight-year scheme. Nearly $2,000,000 vanished from cautious local investors and lenders after one tractor, one serial number, and a forgotten paper on a steering column revealed overlapping loans - but how did a respected community leader keep it hidden for so long? In this episode, you will hear the documented account of the fraud: who trusted whom, what paperwork matched and what did not, and the small clues that unraveled a system built on reputation and simple duplications. How did a memo, a state auditor, and four oil-change records collapse a scheme that banks and regulators had missed? Person: Gordon Cook Person: Russell Reynolds Person: Ruth Weber Event: Discovery date - March 24, 2009 Item: Tractor serial number 1LV5075EBAA123847 - A 17-year-old newspaper carrier found a piece of paper on the steering column listing four lenders for the same tractor. - Tri-County Ag Solutions promised 4.2% net returns on member statements. - Tri-County’s operating account never held more than $12,000 at any point in 2008. - Dorothy Aldrich invested $60,000 after two visits; Harold Prentiss invested $43,000 for a roof replacement. - Kettner’s Diesel records confirmed four oil changes in three years, while nine maintenance invoices appeared in loan files. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    How One Tractor's Serial Number Exposed a $2M Small-Town Fraud

  7. 6d ago

    Ditch Cash, Thirty-Two Missing Booths: The Strongbox That Exposed Him

    Ditch Cash, Thirty-Two Missing Booths: The Strongbox That Exposed Him A rural ditch in February yielded a padlocked hardware-store strongbox containing $8,700 in banded cash, a spiral-bound ledger of names and amounts, and an index card reading "holds collected, do not deposit." How did a man entrusted to manage thirty-one fair vendor spaces end up with sixty-three confirmations and thousands of dollars in a personal bank account? In this episode, we present the sequence of events that led from misplaced confirmations to a formal complaint and a forensic audit, following the vendors, the fair coordinator, and the money trail. Can a single quilter's persistence unravel a three-year scheme built on trusted paperwork? Person: Russell Fisher Organization: Calloway Fair Management LLC Amount: $8,700 Spaces assigned: 31 fixed vendor spaces Confirmations sent: 63 application confirmations - The strongbox was found upright in a ditch in the third week of February and contained $8,700 in banded cash. - The Calloway County Agricultural Fair has thirty-one fixed vendor spaces numbered and mapped each year. - Russell Fisher ran the fair for six consecutive years and was paid $11,000 a year by the county. - Fisher sent sixty-three confirmation letters in one season despite there being only thirty-one spaces, a discrepancy of thirty-two. - Holding fees ranged from $200 to $600 and were deposited into Fisher's personal account at Garrett Community Bank in Howell, not the official Portman Savings county account. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    Ditch Cash, Thirty-Two Missing Booths: The Strongbox That Exposed Him

  8. Oct 20

    The Quilter Who Stole Christmas Club Savings: Ledger, Lies, Lockup

    The Quilter Who Stole Christmas Club Savings: Ledger, Lies, Lockup The locker held a ledger that listed $214,400 and 24 names, plus a warning written in a different hand: DO NOT OPEN YET - a single unlocked padlock on January 14, 2019, would unravel four years of trusted bookkeeping in a Millhaven quilting club. How did yearly payouts continue through 2017 when deposits and withdrawals were already mismatched, and who controlled the missing funds? In this episode, we tell how a community Christmas Club run through an LLC fell silent when payouts stopped, what a utilities check revealed in a west-side storage unit, and how household records and a later audit exposed discrepancies that affected livelihoods. Could one person’s access and accounting expertise have masked growing shortfalls? Person: Marie Lawson Date: January 14, 2019 Location: west-side storage unit, Millhaven Amount: $214,400 Members: 24 - The ledger showed a column totaling $214,400 alongside 24 names. - Millhaven has roughly 12,000 residents in Calder County. - Marie Lawson was 51 years old and had 15 years as a Farm Bureau office manager. - The Christmas Club paid out $198,000 in December 2017 after depositing $163,000 earlier that year, leaving a $35,000 gap. - Patricia Odom had $4,800 in the pool and Barbara Finch lost $6,200, forcing a loan restructuring. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Quilter Who Stole Christmas Club Savings: Ledger, Lies, Lockup
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About

Ever wonder how the most audacious con artists pull off their schemes? Dirty Scams pulls back the curtain on the world's most shocking frauds, exposing the masterminds and their victims. From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we dissect every detail of the deception. This is where you uncover the psychology behind the trickery and learn how seemingly ordinary people fall prey to extraordinary lies. We don't just tell stories; we analyze the tactics, the red flags, and the devastating impact of these criminal enterprises. Join us daily, seven days a week, for a fresh dose of deception. New episodes drop every Monday through Sunday at 7:00 PM, offering a deep dive into a new case of fraud, scam, or con. Each episode is meticulously researched, bringing you the facts and the fascinating human element behind every scheme. Dirty Scams is for anyone fascinated by true crime, investigative journalism, and the darker side of human ingenuity. If you're keen to understand the mechanics of deception and protect yourself from becoming a target, you've found your essential listening. Subscribe now and become an expert in spotting the signs.

Information

  • Creator
    Creator at Obomedia
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 OBOMEDIA Creators
  • Show Website
    Dirty Scams

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