cover of episode The Greatest Scam Ever Written | 6. DNA of a Scammer

The Greatest Scam Ever Written | 6. DNA of a Scammer

2024/9/5
logo of podcast Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written

Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written

Chapters

Journalist Rachel Browne attempts to contact Patrice Runner, the mastermind behind the Maria Duval scam, through a handwritten letter. She explores Runner's background in mail-order scams during the 90s, a period when catalogs and direct mail were primary forms of communication and commerce.
  • Rachel Browne writes a letter to Patrice Runner to persuade him to speak about his involvement in the Maria Duval scam.
  • Runner's history in mail-order scams dates back to the 90s.
  • The 90s provided a fertile ground for mail-order scams due to the prevalence of catalogs and direct mail.

Shownotes Transcript

The mastermind behind the Maria Duval scam is revealed. Who is he and how did he operate one of the biggest scams in U.S. history? Investigative reporter Rachel Browne discovers this wasn’t his first mail-order operation and that Terry Polevoy, an amateur scam-buster, had helped expose that scheme. Rachel discovers the mastermind’s M.O.  

Unlock all episodes of The Greatest Scam Ever Written, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month thats all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click Subscribe on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.

An ITN Productions & Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices)