Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen

What would you do if one handwritten letter from a psychic promised to change your life forever?

This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.

Investigative journalist Rachel Browne exposes the shocking details of this massive scam on this season of Smoke Screen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written - available now wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes right...

Unravel the twisted truth behind one doctor's 'miracle' methods.

A wellness center known as Miracle Ranch, nestled in the scenic mountains of Southern California, promised a luxurious escape and a path to wellness through clean, alkaline living. Its leader, Dr. Robert O. Young, attracted wealthy clientele with his “groundbreaking” health protocols and friendly, family-man persona. But beneath the serene surface, Miracle Ranch harbored a dark secret…

Join host Larrison Campbell as she unravels the mysterious methods of Dr. Young, his diet and the horrors of his “miracle ranch.” Listen to Chamele...

In the 1970s, John Todd exploded onto the evangelical scene with a shocking claim: a secret group of devil-worshiping elites called the Illuminati were planning a violent world takeover, and Christians needed to arm themselves against them to protect their families and way of life. But none of it was true—so why did the idea spread so quickly?

Dive into John Todd’s dark and distorted world with journalist Paul Murphy on Cover Up: The Conspiracy Tapes. Featuring sensational tales of witchcraft and human sacrifice from recorded tape of John Todd’s original testim...

In 2001, a series of letters laced with a deadly powder called anthrax appeared on the desks of prominent journalists and politicians in New York City and Washington D.C causing a national panic. But what started as an unprecedented case soon turned into an unsettling mystery. Who had sent these letters? And why? Join us as we trace the FBI’s costly investigation into the attacks, all with an eye toward the question that remains today: Did the FBI identify the true killer, or is this case still unresolved? Unravel the story the played out behind closed doors on Co...

In the Fall of 2020, 14 men were arrested for allegedly conspiring to kidnap the governor of Michigan. Americans were shocked to hear the news of the foiled plot but were left to wonder - what really what happened here?

Find out on this season of the award-winning podcast, Chameleon: The Michigan Plot. You’ll eavesdrop in on this group of alleged kidnappers through the actual wire recordings (that have never been heard by the public) from the FBI informant that infiltrated it. Unravel the story behind the headlines on Chameleon: The Michigan Plot, listen now wh...

When LA screenwriter Gary Devore mysteriously disappears in the summer of 1997, weird coincidences lead family and friends to believe he may have been a victim of foul play -- possibly because of his mysterious ties to the CIA. Gary was on the way home from finishing his latest script, which was allegedly going to be based in part on real events that occurred during the American invasion of Panama, and that script vanished along with him and his vehicle. In Season 5 of Witnessed: Fade to Black, host Josh Dean — along with journalist Evan Wright and producer Megan Donis — investigates one...

For years, Helge Achenbach has been among the world’s most successful art dealers. But with one treacherous move, he lands in prison. In Season 6 of Chameleon: Gallery of Lies, host Bijan Stephen sets out on the international trail of the most famous criminal you’ve never heard of. With unprecedented access to an ex-con, Bijan attempts to solve the riddle of who Helge really is—and who he might become.

Subscribe now to unlock all shows on The Binge and you’ll be the first to access Chameleon: Gallery of Lies as soon as it dr...

When a small team of government investigators learns that ordinary  citizens all around the U.S. are losing their life savings to scam  callers, they go on the hunt for the shadowy multinational mob behind  the con, unraveling their plot from suburban Texas to the outskirts of  Singapore to a drab office complex in one of the largest cities in  India. In the latest season of Chameleon, host Yudhijit Bhattacharjee  retraces the steps of the cops and the crooks, and goes deep into the  Indian underworld looking for the masterminds who got away.

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Looking for more Chameleon? Check out Chameleon: Wild Boys - In 2003, two half-starved brothers emerged from the wilderness, telling  an incredible story of survival. A small Canadian community took them  in. The only problem? The boys weren't who they said they were. Hosted  by Sam Mullins.

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Want more Chameleon? Check out Chameleon: High Rollers - the stranger-than-fiction tale of a two-year FBI undercover sting in Las Vegas that went bust, with no one convicted of crimes. Hosted by Trevor  Aaronson. A production of Campside Media. 

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An update on the arrest, plus two voices from Gobind's distant past speak up to help us understand this mysterious man.

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Friends, classmates, even prison officials help us assemble a story of the Con Queen suspect that goes all the way back to his childhood.

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What makes con artists tick. In this special episode, we speak with author/journalist Maria Konnikova and psychoanalyst Alexander Stein.

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At long last, the team penetrates the scammer's inner circle — and zeroes in on the Con Queen's identity.

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The hunt for the scammer continues, and frustration is at an all-time-high — until our team gets the big break it's been looking for.

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With no sign of the case being resolved, and the Con Queen very much still racking up victims, the team decides to go hunting for this elusive scammer.

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Just when you thought the Con Queen scam couldn't get any more mind-boggling, a new twist emerges — one that makes the depravity of this scammer abundantly clear.

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The scam has a whole other set of victims — the female producers and studio execs who had their names and reputations damaged by the Con Queen. Josh goes to visit Deb Snyder, one of the biggest film producers in Hollywood, and finds that she has some very interesting things to share about our scammer.

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Nicole, the private investigator, joins us inside the rabbit hole, and begins to chip away at some of the scammer's defenses. That work also uncovers one incredible secret.

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The Hollywood Con Queen scam is far bigger and more complicated than anyone recognized. Each victim seems to lead to five more victims, and the more Josh and Vanessa unpack this baffling con, the weirder things get.

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Eddie wasn't the first person to fall into this fake movie trap. Not even close. Two years before Eddie got that call, Heather, a make-up artist in London, heard from a different producer, about a different movie, also in Indonesia. But Heather's trip was far more harrowing. She feared for her life. And her story pulls us deeper into the tangled web of the Hollywood Con Queen scam.

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Eddie, an aspiring film industry trainer, gets a call from a powerful producer offering him the opportunity of a lifetime — a major film project, in Indonesia. But when Eddie gets to Jakarta, there is no movie. And after some friends back home do a little sleuthing, Eddie realizes that he's been pulled into something far bigger than just a little scam.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of ev...

The incredible true story of the Hollywood Con Queen scam, and the hunt for the sick mastermind behind it. With Josh Dean and Vanessa Grigoriadis. A production of Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment.

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