The hilarious Vinny Thomas (Platonic) joins the Con-gregation to discuss Gerry Cotten, the infamous Crypto King. Gerry created the QuadrigaCX crypto currency exchange which left users with no access to their funds after Gerry's mysterious and controversial death. Plus, we look at the rise of deep-fake technology. Stay schemin'! (Originally Released 04/25/2022)

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Vinny Thomas: @vinn_ayy

Research by Kaelyn Brandt

Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam

SOURCES:

Netflix’s Crypto King

https://www.newsweek.com/gerald-cotten-wife-where-jennifer-robertson-now-crypto-king-quadriga-1693705

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten

https://www.coindesk.com/video/the-story-behind-quadrigacx-and-netflixs-crypto-king/

https://cryptonews.com/news/impostors-make-deep-fake-videos-of-ordinary-more-believable-people-promote-crypto-scams.htm

How does a Brazilian immigrant become an American Uber Mafia Queen? Buckle up, 'cause Niles Abston (FXX's Dave) stops by to help tell the story of Priscila Barbosa who finessed the gig economy to make more than $780,000 before it all came crashing down. And remember Con-gregation, if your Uber driver is lit you don't have to sit! Stay schemin'!

This story was primarily reported by Wired Magazine's Lauren Smiley in her article, "Priscila, Queen of the Rideshare Mafia"

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Niles Abston: @thenilesabstonshow

Research by Kaelyn Brandt.

SOURCES:

https://www.wired.com/story/priscila-queen-of-the-rideshare-mafia/

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/us-v-wemerson-dutra-aguiar-and-us-v-priscila-barbosa-et-al

Before Netflix's "Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam" Teresa Lee (Girls5eva) joined the Con-gregation to break down the scams and abuse of Lou Pearlman—the man who launched the careers of *NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears but conned the musicians out of their hard-earned money and ran one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. Don't worry y'all, we drag his ass! (Originally Released 01/07/2020)

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Research by Sharilyn Vera

SOURCES:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nsync-lou-pearlman-nightline-927166/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/13/lou-pearlman-was-disgraced-mogul-who-defrauded-s-boy-bands-then-came-million-ponzi-scheme/

https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/films/2008836?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&vl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/04/05/lou-pearlman-film-reveals-how-backstreet-boys-n-sync-lost-millions/3373395002/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/members-nsync-town-learning-truth-lou-pearlman-heart/story?id=67630216

Adam Pally, who stars alongside Steph Curry in the new Peacock series Mr. Throwback, joins the con-gregation to help break down the story of Cliff Panezich—an ex-baseball player whose throwing arm turned out to be more useful for forging sports memorabilia autographs. Stay schemin'!

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Adam Pally: @adam.pally

Research by Kaelyn Brandt.

SOURCES:

https://vault.si.com/vault/2017/11/13/operation-stolen-base

https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-fcb0b1b0

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/autograph-fraud-nets-6-year-prison-sentence/

What’s poppin’ congregation? This week, content creator La’Ron Hines joins us to discuss how a New York man is scammed by his therapist Dr. Ike Herschkopf, getting caught in a web of entanglement and paying him $3 million in monetary compensation. Plus, the city of Fresno, California lost $600,000 and told no one about it. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 05/09/2022)

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

La'Ron Hines: @laronhinesofficial

Research by Kaelyn Brandt

SOURCES:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-16/fresno-swindled-out-of-600000-in-wire-fraud-case

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-06/new-york-levels-allegations-against-shrink-next-door-doctor

https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/where-is-isaac-herschkopf-dr-ike-now-shrink-next-door

Wondery’s The Shrink Next Door podcast by Joe Nocera

Scam Goddess' founding father and Jett Jackson impersonator Miles Gray (The Daily Zeitgeist, Mad Boosties) returns to the con-gregation to talk all about Medi Abalimba—the football fraudster who stole the identity of a Premier League soccer player in order to live a life of luxury. Stay schemin'!

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Miles Gray: @milesofgray

Research by Kaelyn Brandt.

SOURCES:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5032306/2023/11/07/medi-abalimba-the-astonishing-story-of-a-football-fraudster/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13018221/Celebrity-football-catfisher-cons-victim-prison-release-Romance-fraudster-targeted-Love-Islands-Georgia-Steel-Thierry-Henrys-ex-wife-tried-steal-cash-new-lover-met-posing-Chelsea-player.html

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/football-fraudster-medi-abalimba-now/

Con-gregation, it's Fraud Friday! And today comedian Fortune Feimster joins us to discuss Laura Albert, an author who published a book under the pseudonym JT LeRoy, only years later it was discovered that JT never really existed. Plus, a 63-year-old Mississippi man is accused of being involved in a footbath scheme resulting in over $10 million in fake claims. Stay Schemin’! CW: There is mention of sexual assault, abuse and suicide in this episode. (Originally Released 01/10/2022)

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Fortune Feimster: @fortunefeimster

Research by Kaelyn Brandt

SOURCES:

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2006/04/jtleroy200604

https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/04/230831/jt-le-roy-true-story-movie-literary-scam-hoax

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2001/7/strange-innocence

https://www.savannahknoop.net/

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/crime/north-mississippi-podiatrist-indicted-foot-bath-scheme-water-valley-medicare-fraud/522-d92da935-ce2f-47e8-9ffa-33a44a182eba\

Lisa Gilroy (Jury Duty) joins the con-gregation to discuss how Beanie Baby Mania took the 90’s by storm, with people collecting and selling Ty Inc. stuffed toys for thousands of dollars. Plus, influencer scammer Caroline Calloway is accused of owing her landlord $40,000. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 05/02/2022)

Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press

On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/

Follow on Instagram:

Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod

Laci Mosley: @divalaci

Lisa Gilroy: @thelisagilroy

Research by Kaelyn Brandt.

SOURCES:

https://www.insider.com/influencer-caroline-calloway-accused-of-not-paying-40000-in-rent-2022-3

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22870250/nft-beanie-baby-price-guide-bubble-princess-value

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/great-beanie-baby-bubble-went-110000959.html

https://thehustle.co/the-great-beanie-baby-bubble-of-99/

https://theweek.com/articles/461977/great-beanie-baby-bubble

https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/May-2014/Ty-Warner/

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble by Zac Bissonnette