Mind Boggling Shows About Real-Life Scams on Netflix

It’s all about deceit, drama, and jaw-dropping ‘how?’ moments in these true stories.

 

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Nothing beats watching something involving some kind of elaborate ruse. It is strangely fascinating and wildly addictive. After all, the humanity of its central characters is usually what makes a truly gripping deception tale successful - be it the famous faces who were tied to the ill-fated Fyre festival or the brilliantly charming Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes.

 

Most recently, we’ve been entirely hooked by the tale of Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin), the infamous “fake billionaire Russian-German heiress” who scammed her way into New York’s upper crust—a story that’s been captured in a new Netflix mini-series treatment called Inventing Anna, produced by Shonda Rhimes. Apart from that, the streaming service has also released the internet’s latest obsession, The Tinder Swindler, which tells the tale of Shimon Heyada Hayut aka Simon Leviev, the “son of a Russian diamond trader” who allegedly used the Tinder dating app to live a life of luxury while defrauding millions of dollars from women across Europe.

 

From the ruthlessly shocking, to the plain bizarre, and every so often heartbreakingly tragic - there’s plenty of fraudsters to learn about. Whether you're searching for a razor-sharp individual character study or a thorough dive into large-scale corporate malfeasance, we have you covered.

 

So if you want to whet your appetite for everything to come, here’s a round-up of the best-twisted documentaries and dramas that delve into the white-collar world of fraud, scams and cons.

 

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7. The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman

What makes this fascinating is that this is an ongoing case that’s thus far unresolved. Over three episodes we follow the unforgettable and unbelievable story of Derbyshire-born Robert Freegard. This serial conman has manipulated his victims and extorted close to a million pounds from them for over two decades. The kicker? He made them believe he was an M15 agent the entire time! With compelling storytelling and crucial details to follow, this documentary will keep you on your toes.

Watch here.

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