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Scams & Cons

Scams & Cons

By: Jim Grinstead
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About this listen

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 group of shills working you into the gate where you'll lose everything you have.Sometimes a large sum of money is accidentally sent to you and the sender asks for the additional cash to be sent back. In the meantime, they empty your bank account.We'll tell you all about the scams, how they work and why people fall for them. Don't become a sucker. Listen in.

© 2025 Scams & Cons Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • Our fears make us perfect marks for scammers

    Our fears make us perfect marks for scammers
    Nov 27 2025

    Tell me what's on your mind.

    Fear gets your attention. It throws you off-kilter. It corrupts your judgement.

    You recover quickly when surprised by a spider. The impact is greater if you awaken in the night and see a stranger standing at the foot of your bed.

    In this episode, we tell you how scammers use fear to get us to do things that interfere with our ability to reason and recognize the scam for what it is.
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    14 mins
  • Romance scams are getting more sophisticated

    Romance scams are getting more sophisticated
    Nov 13 2025

    Tell me what's on your mind.

    The basics of romance scams haven't changed all that much. Find someone who is lonely, gain their trust and affection, then bleed them dry of all the money and assets they have.

    In this update to season one's story, we tell you how scammers are using new techniques and technology to make their efforts more effective and dangerous.
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • The cons that convicts use to escape prison

    The cons that convicts use to escape prison
    Oct 23 2025

    Tell me what's on your mind.

    Why would a good scammer give up their trade just because they are in prison where those skills could be used to escape?

    If they are bold enough, they wouldn't.

    This is the tale of the Maze Prison Break. Maze is a prison within a prison within a military base. It took a lot of planning and a lot of cons, but they got out. We'll tell you how.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
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