This week is about actions we can take to help others. Caitlin has gathered a ton of resources for supporting and donating to people in or fleeing Ukraine. She has combed through organizations and charities to find the ones that will directly benefit those in need. Has the fear of scammy charities or misused funds prevented you from giving? Now you can rest assured that your help will make a difference.

Sit down and grab a cozy beverage and cuddle close with Caity and her special guest, her sister, McKenzie Brodnick! Join two sisters having the best time ever so you might need to slow down to 1/2x because the JOY is coming at ya FAST! And thanks to our incredible listeners we have more scams to pack in one episode then ever before. Caity reads your emails that run the gamut of scams with everything from fruitcake to tax prep. And hot tip: if you are bad at flipping houses don’t sign yourself up for a tv show.

Do you know what isn’t resolved yet? Caitlin’s credit card debt!! But Producer Cait comes to the rescue this week to share all the tips, tricks, and phone numbers you need to help you get out of credit card chaos. Which organizations can you turn to for help, and what scams are keeping you in debt? And how does someone go from being 35K in debt to becoming a homeowner? All of this and more as Producer Cait shares her receipts, and shows us how it’s possible! Plus find out how Producer Cait’s mom is crushing the credit score game?

Trigger Warning: This episode covers sexual assault, consent, and sexually explicit situations. This week Caitlin and comedian Molly Thomas continue the conversation about con artist Frank Abagnale. Their conversation in part one focused on the scams and lies told by the Catch Me If You Can author, and quickly to the effect his scams and stories must have had on the women in his life. Caitlin and Molly shine a bright honest light on what the women of that era must have felt and struggled with during these experiences. It was unexpected and unavoidable, and possibly the most honest conversation yet.

This week comedian Molly Thomas joins Caitlin to discuss liar extraordinaire Frank Abagnale. Remember the book and hit movie Catch Me if You Can? Turns out most of it is fake and we can’t trust anything this scammer has proudly reported. He conned people into thinking he conned people. It’s a nesting doll of cons! Molly brings copious notes about fake stewardesses and summer camps.

Welcome to all of our new listeners! On today’s very special episode, the incredible Kate Spencer, from the award-winning podcast Forever35, is our guest. We briefly discuss the Netflix hit, The Tinder Swindler but then the conversation takes a turn to run the gamut from Kristen Stewart’s Oscar nomination, Olestra chips, and the weaponization of romance novels. Join us on this wild ride where we unpack toxic friendships, Instagram influencers, and pampering ourselves. Also, Kate’s debut novel, In A New York Minute, is available for preorder wherever books are sold.

New York State probably won’t email you a holiday card or ask you to share a stimulus opportunity with 10 of your family members to get paid. Journalist Rommel Ojeda from Documented digs into a story (co-reported with Telemundo) about how scammers target immigrants with fake government benefits in WhatsApp chat groups and chains. Caity’s husband and journalist Allen Arthur (a Documented alum) joins into find out just how these spread so easily and how they exploit genuine confusion around resources available to immigrants with an official looking message. Hint: If the government uses emojis in the message, delete it ASAP. Hopefully this can help you or your loved ones avoid getting scammed!

Investigative journalist and VICE contributor Sarah Berman joins Caitlin this week to talk about Keith Raniere and NXIVM. Sarah has been at the forefront of this story since the beginning, but she’s here to discuss another surprising side to the saga for the first time. It’s creepy, it’s convoluted, it's acapella. It’s also the subject of an episode of the HBO show How To with John Wilson, titled How to Appreciate Wine. Caitlin and Sarah unpack the messy story involving a cult leader, Allison Mack, and a choir.

Why not go to a fake boarding school that costs real money??! What could go wrong? This week investigative journalist, and Caity’s husband, Allen Arthur brings a scam hot off the ESPN broadcast! That’s right, even Disney can get in the scam game. Allen is covering the fraudulent boarding school and sports program, Bishop Sycamore. The Ohio High school, Bishop Sycamore is the perfect boarding school for parents with imaginary children that they want to pay to board and educate exactly nowhere at all.

This week is the 2nd half of our Crypto, shmipto, bipto episode. This episode is about NFTs and how to make them, sell them, and become obsessed. Are NFTs the new answer to financial stability as an artist? Do you trust yourself with a digital wallet? And can your automatic password be actually a foreboding sign to: STOP AND WALK AWAY! Sabra and Stephen Boyd share their own digital creation, video game worlds, and how they are navigating the arbitrary value of an NFT. And if you’re already an expert at this, call us on the Hot Tip Hotline (347-509-9414) and share your wisdom, feelings, or encouraging words while we struggle to decode this new world. Let’s all collectively agree this is confusing.

Did you know that you can buy a 600k dollar invisible yacht? The incredibly kind, brilliant, and generous Sabra and Stephen Boyd join Caitlin Brodnick today to explain cryptocurrency and NFTs! Bitcoin. Ethereum. Crypto ATMs? Hear this explanation for the lay-woman and Caitlin finally understanding the world of scamming fake money. What is a crypto? How to not be scammed by a crypto-bro? Where is my password?! Keep up with the crypto-NFT-moneylaundering breakdown of the confusing and vast world of a digital wallet. If not this is the episode for you! And if you’re already an expert at this, call us on the Hot Tip Hotline and share your wisdom, or feelings, or encouraging words while we struggle to decode this new world. Let’s all collectively believe this is confusing. Check out Sabra’s previous episode: S01E124: When Cults Become Comforting w/ Sabra Boyd ‎ScamWow: 124: When Cults Become Comforting w/ Sabra Boyd on Apple Podcasts

Happy New Year from Caitlin Brodnick and Ellen Haun. Ellen joins Caitlin to discuss the trial of Real Housewife of Salt Lake City, Jen Shah. They discuss the Hulu documentary, The Housewife and the Shah Shocker, and all of the court transcripts they can get their hands on. Find out about how many companies Jen Shah is tied to, how she screams at her employees, and the influence of mormon perfectionism. Also is Whitney a secret detective/ true-crime junky we should all be listening to? Spoiler: Her case did not get dismissed and Jen Shah headed to court!

Caity is off living her best holiday life, celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, and time with family. Producer Cait is stepping in to reminiscence about the last year of scams and great scam episodes. Producer Cait reads bad reviews AND supportive messages from our scam family. Then she plays some of her favorite clips from the most popular episodes and best scams of the year. Have a quick listen for some holiday cheer and check out our long and incredible catalog of great episodes. Thank you for listening and Happy Holidays! If you want to hear more episodes we have two special Patreon episodes out this month if you are interested in becoming a ScamWow Patreon! @caitybrodnick @scamwowpodcast Scamwowpodcast.com DISCLAIMER: We are comedians and this is satire. C’mon Send us your scams! scamwowpodcast@gmail.com Or call: 347-509-9414

This week Caitlin is joined by Scamspondant , resident Magician, and friend of the pod, Kevin Smith! Kevin shares his experience as a salesperson at a noted cell phone provider store, and all the cons involved. They discuss how a sales team is trained to lead the shopper into certain purchases and the emotional connection that gives each sales pitch an “X-Factor!” YUCK. It’s interesting, it’s creepy, and it is probably going to save you a lot of money next time you need an upgrade. Plus Kevin explains the easiest way to create a password that might be the most un-hackable option. And guys here’s a Hot Tip: If you start talking to a salesperson for over 45 minutes you might end up marrying them!

Happy holiday shopping season! Have no fear with all the ways you can be bamboozled in gift giving this year, we are here to guide you down the right path. Author and comedian Carrie McCrossen is here to discuss book scams. Covering everything from publishing to promotion, Caitlin and Carrie go over the hottest romance novel scams to ever hit your tablets and the drama behind #CockGate. Why are romance novel readers so angry about a court case involving cocky doctors and cocky firefighters? Find out this and why you should be reviewing books on Barns&Noble over Amazon.

Josh Gondelman joins Caity to discuss the ever popular sextortion scams that are probably sitting in your junk folder as you read this. Josh is a comedian, writer, kind human, and quite possibly the perfect guest. His other credits include being a writer and producer for Desus & Mero on Showtime, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, as a staff writer. He’s earned four Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and three WGA Awards, and has performed on Conan (TBS), Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC) and The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS). Also get yourself an early gift and grab his hysterical book, an essay collection Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results !

Oh geeezzzz this episode is maybe too up close and personal? But Caitlin gets incredibly honest about her current state of financial affairs. Something has to change quickly before she becomes so desperate she creates a new MLM. Talking about money is so hard, but scammers it’s important to talk about it so you don’t end up like Caity! So after listening to how you can scam yourself into credit card debt (so easy btw) then send us your stories and advice about your own money woes. RESOURCES: I wish I had any. @caitybrodnick @scamwowpodcast Scamwowpodcast.com DISCLAIMER: We are comedians and this is satire. C’mon Send us your scams! scamwowpodcast@gmail.com Or call: 347-509-9414

Caitlin is welcomed by Comedian and writer Jess Keefe and they’re talking about scams inside addiction treatment centers. Treatment centers vary wildly between services and prices, but when the bill is 60k a month for “brushing a donkey” could it also be a scam, or the very thing that cures ya?

That’s right, Sue’s back! And she’s brought an absolute scam classic, the documentary LulaRIch on Amazon Prime. True scammers will know that this was literally the very first episode of ScamWow covered by Sue and Caity ages ago, but now it’s back and fresh with new details. Caity and Sue discuss the best characters from the documentary, analyze the depositions, and talk about the crappy scam tactics by the founders. They also catch up about mommy outfits and that Caity has started putting on makeup to scam herself into feeling hawt!

Little bit of blood but a lotta bit of trouble! Rebakah Sebastian guest on this week’s episode to update us on the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos trial. Caity and Rebekah go over the new evidence, the basis of the case, and the absolutely unbelievable gall of starting a medical company without any background in medicine. Caity shares her own experience with blood testing and genetics counseling and why it’s SO important for accurate, informed work in this industry for the sake of patients. Rebekah and Caity speculate how Elizabeth Holmes used cult-like tactics to scam and misrepresent her company and her investors.

Comedian, writer, Harvard graduate and college prep tutor (YES SHE DOES IT ALL) Taylor Kay Phillips, joins Caitlin to break down the nitty gritty details behind college admissions scams. Taylor and Caitlin revisit the infamous Operation Varsity Blues college admission scam, ane look at in from an entirely new perspective. Move over Aunt Becky, this story isn’t focused on influencer Olivia Jade, but on the details behind college admissions. They discuss unfair rules and NCAA restrictions inflicted on student athletes, new Supreme Court rulings and what makes a great essay. (Hint it might be your bathroom.)

Producer Cait is back for the second half of our special mailbag episode. We learn about fraudulent archaeology, creepy kinks, and the power of pig GIFs. Learn how to protect yourself with cash lending apps like Paypal and the best ways to scam a small pizza shop. These tips and tricks from our listeners and so much more!

Producer Cait is our special guest this week, and gives all the tips and tricks to avoid your homework! We are having a big catch up, but don’t get too close- one of them unfortunately smells like a hotdog. Did you have a crazy emotional experience during Covid? If so you better share because that is the only way to build a relationship. Sit back, relax, share all your feelings and emote like crazy so Cait and Caity can become your new best friends. Just think of it as a mental health day, much like the many many days Caity stayed home from school growing up

Comedian, writer, and pictionary enthusiast Rekha Shankar, joins Caitlin to discuss the savant who destroyed the Press Your Luck game in 1984. Michael Larson single handedly brought down an entire network by simply being very focused, very obsessed, and very weird. His obsession over Press Your Luck won him $110,237 ($283,000 in today’s dollars) plus trips to the Bahamas, Kauai and a sailboat. Was it a scam, was it great work, or was it just too many TV’s?

We’re on the line with Stasia, a former professional catfish! Caitlin asks Stasia about what is was like working for a dating website. The dig into what exactly is the almost mathematical process to capture a heart. There’s vague rules and juicy topics, where you can learn how people were just freely giving away their secrets for a little love (and sexting, let’s be honest). Get up close and personal with an incredibly honest, sweet woman who also happens to be a professional liar.