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The Perfect Scam

The Perfect Scam

By: AARP
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About this listen

AARP’s weekly podcast The Perfect ScamSM tells the stories of people who find themselves the target of a scam. Host Bob Sullivan introduces listeners to those who have experienced scams firsthand, as well as professional con artists and leading experts who pull back the curtain on how scammers operate.AARP Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • This Job Scam is Suddenly Everywhere
    Oct 17 2025

    Dorothy is looking for a part-time job that will enable her to work from home and accommodate her medical disability. After applying for numerous jobs and posting her résumé online, she receives a message about an app testing job. It seems like a great fit, since she has done similar work in the past, but the complicated system has Dororhy adding her own money to an account in order to unlock elements. It’s a scam that has exploded in recent months - task scams are now the single biggest scam facing job seekers.

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    56 mins
  • North Korean “Laptop Farm” Scams Target American Companies
    Oct 10 2025

    Wall Street Journal reporter Robert McMillan and FBI agent Joe Hooper recount the story of Christina Chapman, a Minnesota woman who is drawn into the world of laptop farming. She is struggling to make ends meet, living in a trailer without running water, and a job offer to be the US representative for an international company is a godsend. Laptop farms gained popularity in 2020 with the rise in remote work, allowing North Korean workers to evade sanctions, infiltrate American companies, and funnel money directly into North Korea’s weapons programs. They hire people, like Christina, to run dozens of computers from their homes using software that allows remote access. The hiring companies, many of which are high-profile, are unknowingly giving North Korea money and access to sensitive data.

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    58 mins
  • Job Seekers Targeted in Water Filtration Job Scam, Part 2
    Oct 3 2025

    In part 2, victims of a nationwide fraud scheme join forces on a Facebook group and share their stories with investigative journalist Lou Raguse of KARE in Minneapolis. Someone is selling water purification devices to entrepreneurs, who think they are getting in on the ground floor of a great opportunity, but then fails to deliver the promised gadgets. Lou discovers the criminal’s identity is Charles Fields, a suburban Minneapolis father who uses a host of aliases to pull off the scheme. Lou and the victims’ dedication, along with the discovery of key evidence in an unusual place, help law enforcement successfully bring Fields to justice.

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    40 mins
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