Scamfluencers
You never really know someone…especially online. In today’s world, the power of influence can be the quickest path to money and fame, and it often ends in ruin. These are the stories of the world’s most insidious Scamfluencers. And we are their prey. On Wondery’s new weekly series, join co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi as they unpack epic stories of deception from the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness. These influencers claim to be everything from charismatic healers to trusted financial insiders to experts in dating. They cast spells over millions. Why do we believe them, and how does our culture allow them to thrive? From Black Swan Murder to a fake social media influencer to an audacious Hollywood Ponzi schemer, each season will take the listener along the twists and turns, the impact on victims, and what’s left when the facade falls away.
Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.
Our Editor's Take
Being an influencer can be a legitimate gig. Plenty of social media marketing influencers are genuine experts in their field. Plenty more focus on fun and entertainment, expertise optional. And the best legitimate influencers are both entertainers and experts. Then there are the scam-artist influencers or “scamfluencers.” That is the subject of the Scamfluencers podcast.
Scamfluencers, from Wondery, is a true-crime show launched in April 2022. The cohosts are Canadian writers Scaachi Koul (BuzzFeed, Netflix's Follow This) and Sarah Hagi (Gawker, VICE). In the show's trailer, Sagi asks Koul, “Are we really qualified to host this podcast?” Koul's sly answer: “Maybe this is the biggest scam of all!”
It is clear the two have chemistry and compatible senses of humor. Having those basics alone was likely enough for the two to qualify as the show's hosts. But they also hold a genuine, passionate fascination for their sneaky subjects. Their enthusiasm makes it easy to become absorbed in all the wackiness right along with them.
Koul's and Hagi's scamfluencers are all good and twisted characters. A Detroit man claims to be a Saudi prince. A Florida teenager pretends to be a doctor. A French horror fan creates a fake life story to connect with real serial killers. A corrupt couple starts a dance company that becomes “the Fyre Fest of the ballet world.”
Then there are the grifts that graduated to cold-blooded murder. Like the evangelical singer/politician who might not be so God-fearing. So why is listening to the stories of these master manipulators so addictive? As Koul told Dazed magazine when the show debuted, “These stories are just fun.”
Episodes