About this season
A dissection of the dark side of the American Dream, a survey of how far some people go to become rich, no matter the cost to themselves and those around them. Real-life cases are reviewed and involve such criminal activity as credit card scams, identity theft, counterfeiting and Ponzi schemes.
Episodes (20)
1. The Most Hated Man in America?
Aired 26 February 2018 • 43 min
Businessman Martin Shkreli raises the price of a life-saving drug 5,000 percent, but it's his shady accounting and Internet trolling that lands the "Pharma Bro" in hot water.
2. Deadly Opioids, Dirty Doctors
Aired 5 March 2018 • 43 min
Two doctors illegally prescribe opioids while destroying lives and pocketing millions.
3. Murderous Plot Meets Reality TV
Aired 12 March 2018 • 43 min
When a sexy Florida former escort plots to take her husband's money and his life, her lover tips off the police and her deadly plan gets caught on tape.
4. The Polka King Con
Aired 19 March 2018 • 43 min
Polka band leader Jan Lewan rips off his adoring fans with false promises of sizable investment returns.
5. Stolen Valor Scam
Aired 26 March 2018 • 43 min
Idaho Guardsman Darryl Wright claims he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in Iraq, but his story is an elaborate scam that allows him to live large without working and to steal resources from veterans who truly need help.
6. Conn's Job
Aired 2 April 2018 • 43 min
Superstar disability lawyer Eric C. Conn offers guaranteed client wins by cheating, scoring a massive Social Security fraud, then vanishes.
7. Blood Relatives; End of Life Scam
Aired 9 April 2018 • 43 min
A thieving shopaholic son murders his family to cash in on the family's wealth; a Chicago health facility owner uses an inflated billing scheme in a $20 million rip off.
8. Dangerous Luxury
Aired 16 April 2018 • 43 min
Vitaly Borker scores $18 million selling designer knock-off eyewear as genuine from his website in Brooklyn, N.Y.; when customers complain, they are threatened with violence, even murder.
9. Billion Dollar Fraud Goes Viral
Aired 25 June 2018 • 43 min
Carlos Wanzeler and James Merrill promise enormous returns on a "work from home" plot selling phone service, and entice nearly one million people in a $1.7 billion Internet scam.
10. Florida Rehab Gone Wild
Aired 2 July 2018 • 43 min
Kenny Chatman runs a string of corrupt drug rehab facilities, stealing millions by keeping insured addicts hooked on drugs.
11. Operation Crook, Line and Stinker
Aired 13 August 2018 • 43 min
A crooked New York police officer cashes in as a high-tech burglary crew terrorizes homeowners and business owners.
12. Artistic License to Steal
Aired 20 August 2018 • 43 min
A wannabe art dealer sells fake works by American masters of Abstract Expressionism in an $80 million scam, fooling rich collectors and pocketing millions
13. The Fake Housewife of Orange County
Aired 27 August 2018 • 43 min
In sunny Laguna Beach, social climber Elizabeth Mulder finances her plastic surgery, Arabian horses, and ocean view real estate worth millions by swindling her best friends.
14. Online Dating Trap
Aired 3 September 2018 • 43 min
Daylon Pierce is a ladies' man who claims to be a licensed stockbroker, wooing unsuspecting women through Internet dating sites. But when they hand over millions of dollars to this "investment expert," he robs them blind, parties his way through their money and breaks their hearts.
15. An Ungodly Scammer
Aired 10 September 2018 • 43 min
Self-proclaimed teen millionaire Ephren Taylor preaches his "safe" investments at church seminars and on the internet, fleecing victims out of millions and pumping cash into flashy living and his wife's hip-hop career.
16. Just a Dollar and a Scheme; Lousy Landlord
Aired 17 September 2018 • 43 min
An Iowa man rigs a $16.5 million lottery jackpot, triggering the biggest lottery scam in American history; notorious New York City landlord Steven Croman finds a new home in jail.
17. Something's Fishy: The Codfather
Aired 24 September 2018 • 43 min
Carlos Rafael makes millions as the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses on the East Coast but his big mouth gets him hooked in an undercover IRS sting with agents posing as Russian mobsters.
18. Scams on Film; God and Gold
Aired 1 October 2018 • 43 min
Fraudster John Rogers builds one of the most impressive photo archives in the world until his partner rats him out; while Larry Bates preaches about salvation through precious metals, his clients wind up investing in "fool's gold."
19. Baby-Faced Drug Lords
Aired 8 October 2018 • 43 min
Florida teenagers cash in on the opioid crisis, then they expand their operation, jeopardizing their lives of sex, drugs and money.
20. From Bouncer to Millionaire Fraudster
Aired 15 October 2018 • 43 min
Bars, strip clubs and nightlife venues shell out millions to an insurance company founded by a former bouncer; however, federal agents say the company isn't what it appears to be, and they make stunning discoveries, including a $25,000 sniper rifle.