The Perfect Scam

A late-night call from their son Brian has Barry and Joan concerned. Brian sounds panicked and says he urgently needs $280,000. They do not have that kind of money available, and Barry, a trained counselor, immediately senses that something is wrong. Brian then reveals how an online romance evolved into a crypto investment opportunity, and how he now believes he must pay taxes to access his supposed earnings. Fortunately, Barry and Joan's quick thinking and compassion stopped the scam from going any further.

In Part 2 of this 2023 episode, criminals are running the grandparent scam all over the San Diego area. Often crimes like this go unsolved, but FBI agent Brady Finta and his law enforcement partners believe this situation is unique. There is a video and an eyewitness. Arresting the messenger who took Susan's $9,000 might just bring down an entire criminal operation. But investigators must proceed carefully.

In this 2023 episode, when Susan gets a frantic call from her "grandson" saying he's been in a terrible accident, she doesn't waste any time. She rushes to get him the $9,000 he requested for legal fees, but as soon as she hands the money to the courier, the phone line goes dead. She knows instantly that it was a scam. Similar crimes are popping up all over her area, and the stack of case files is pretty big by the time it lands on FBI agent Brady Finta's desk.

Eunice, a busy mom of four, discovers what appears to be the perfect work-from-home job opportunity with flexible hours and the chance to make some extra income for her family. She must make a small initial investment, but soon the job is paying off. Her husband, Daniel, researches the company and is convinced enough to join as well. Excited by their success and believing they're getting in on the ground floor of a growing venture, the couple encourages dozens of friends and family members to sign up. When the company website suddenly disappears along with the group's investment of nearly half a million dollars, they realize they are caught up in an elaborate fraud scheme.

Linda Coble is retired from a storied career as Hawaii's first female news anchor, but she stays active in her community through charity work. So when she receives a phone call informing her that she has won a $5 million prize from Publishers Clearing House, she immediately starts dreaming of the good she can do with the money. Coble is told she must make tax payments in order to release the prize, but as the fees add up, she begins to worry that it is all a scam. An employee at her bank confirms her suspicions. With $60,000 of her savings gone and her whole life changed in a matter of weeks, Coble returns to the airwaves to tell her story.