A crypto mogul's fall from grace, a hypnotist con-artist and one woman's revenge on dating app scammers
Sam Bankman-Fried became the trusted face of crypto with his trading platform, FTX. The 30-year-old billionaire seemed different from other tech moguls. He drove a Toyota Corolla and advocated for government regulation and that down to Earth persona won over celebrities, politicians and Silicon Valley.
So, it was a shock to many when, nearly overnight, Bankman-Fried's empire came crashing down.
Dig into the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried with The Naked Emperor, a new four-part series from CBC News' Front Burner and CBC Podcasts.
We're featuring more stories about scammers and cons. Like the hypnotist who rose to fame in the '80s and '90s and lulled women out of their money. And can scamming be done for good? We'll learn more about the scambaiting community – the people who give con-artists a taste of their own medicine.
Trust us, you won't want to miss these stories.
Podcasts featured this week:
Chameleon: Dr. Dante: "When a mysterious man approaches one of the most famous actresses in the world and asks her to dance, she falls for him almost immediately. He's a stage hypnotist, he tells her. But after they tie the knot, she learns that his illustrious career on the stage pales in comparison to his other career: con man."
The Naked Emperor: Sam Bankman-Fried was at the top of the game. At 30-year-olds he became a billionaire and the trusted face of crypto with his trading platform FTX. But it November 2022, his empire collapsed. Today Sam faces charges that could send him to jail for the rest of his life. From CBC Podcasts, "The Naked Emperor is a 4-part series about the stratospheric rise and spectacular fall of Sam Bankman-Fried. Tech/crypto journalist and host Jacob Silverman takes listeners on a wild ride in search of an answer to the question ... 'How did Sam Bankman-Fried happen?' (Familiarity with crypto very much not required)."
Deep Cover Season 3: Never Seen Again: "A woman named Esther Reed has been living in New York, but attending college under a different identity: Brooke Henson. When the NYPD tries to learn more, she flees. In this episode, Esther starts to tell her side of the story – and why she is on the run."
Vigilante: "What happens when you scam a scammer? In this clip, we meet a woman who goes by 'Kitty.' She moderates the website 419Eater.com, the largest online scambaiting community."
How To Be Fine: "On the very first episode of How to Be Fine, the ladies dive into the unregulated world of the life coaching industry. Plus, they offer up advice on feeling behind in life and reconnecting with friends."
Twin Flames: "A meeting at a naked sushi party at Burning Man leads to romance. But when the romance ends, Jeff and Shaleia become involved and the situation takes a disturbing turn."
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