A Pilot's Stolen Identity Leaves a Trail of Broken Hearts, Part 1
When Pam decides it's time to find love again, she signs up for a dating site and soon meets "Pat." He's charming and very kind; they hit it...
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The Perfect Scam
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 firs...
The Perfect Scam Podcast Guide
Listen to The Perfect Scam, a Society & Culture podcast by AARP. Stream 324 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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Episodes
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Archive Episode: Million Dollar Movie Ponzi Scheme, Part 2
Beloved Vermont children's entertainer-turned-filmmaker Mac Parker has been raising funds for his film Birth of Innocence for nearly a decad...
Archive Episode: Million Dollar Movie Ponzi Scheme, Part 1
Malcom "Mac" Parker aspires to be a filmmaker. In Vermont, Mac is known as a beloved children's entertainer, appearing on public television...
Scammers Use AI to Make Lost Pet Scams More Believable
Bill and Allison are devoted to their dogs, so when they discover their 11-year-old beagle mix Archer missing one evening, they are distraug...
LA Fire Survivor Faces PayPal Impostor Scam
After escaping the Palisades fire in January of 2025, Ellen doesn't know if she and her husband Steve will have a home to return to. Miracul...
Crossed Wires: Utility Scams Target Consumers
Fed up with the rising cost of electricity, Steve shops around and switches to a new provider in his Boston neighborhood. The process is sim...
Vermont Woman Recoups $1.3M 4.5 Years After a Scam
Jeanette moves back to Vermont, expecting a peaceful retirement in a beloved community, but a tech support scam upends her life. She reaches...
Bonus: Meet the Fraud Fighters Taking on Crypto Kiosk Scams
In this bonus episode, Bob meets some Fraud Fighters working to make their Nebraska community a little bit safer from scammers. When Omaha p...
Deepfake Doctors: AI-Generated Medical Ad Scams
Dr. Maurice Sholas, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist based in New Orleans, discovers that his likeness is being used in an ad when a fr...
California Woman Warns of Facebook Job Scam
After taking a break from her tech career to care for her aging mother, Dawn is reentering the workforce in her mid-50s, and she isn't havin...
Bonus: Avoiding Tax Scams With Michelle Singletary
It's tax time, and that means it's also tax scam season. The Federal Trade Commission warns about a recent surge in fake IRS calls to taxpay...
The Science of Romance Scams
When Anola returns home from a picture-perfect trip to France, she finds an unexpected flirtation with a man who reaches out to her on Linke...
Check Washing Scam Steals Thousands From Rhode Island Couple
Richy and Terri send a check to their son and daughter-in-law for their anniversary, but it never arrives. After a tough year of medical iss...
Inside a Gold Coin Scam Sting
When Brian receives an email from "PayPal," he thinks it must be the refund he's been waiting for, but he is instead drawn into a scam that...
SIM Swap Scam Leads to $125,000 Theft
Patricia is enjoying a quiet night babysitting when she discovers that her phone has no service. When she switches to Wi-Fi, a sudden barrag...
Gas Station Employee Stops a Crypto Kiosk Scam
Eric's day-to-day interactions at the gas station where he works have taught him to recognize when something isn't quite right with one of h...
$1 Million Theft: Tech Scam Leaves Teacher Shaken
Joyce is a retired teacher who works part-time with special needs kids. She's recently divorced after a long marriage, facing a cancer scare...
Double Scam: Author Caught in Recovery Scheme After Crypto Dating Fraud
Josh loves his job as a full-time novelist, but writing and working from home don't give him many opportunities to meet people. So he decide...
A $7.5 Million Lie: PCH Sweepstakes Scam Targets Veteran
When Manny, an Air Force veteran living in Las Vegas, loses his wife of 62 years, he turns to playing Publishers Clearing House online games...
Don't Believe Your Eyes: An AI-Powered Romance Scam
David is a retiree who remains active in his Florida community, but he would like to have someone to share his life with. When an Indiana wo...