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From Wondry, I'm Sachi Cole and I'm Sarah Haggi and this is a special episode of scam fluncers.

And just a programming note, we're taking a two-week break after this to dive into more scams.

We'll be back with a brand new season starting August 29th on Wondry Plus and September 5th on the public feed.

As you all probably know by now, we've come to learn a thing or two about con artists, broadsters and grifters.

And the people who fall for them. We've seen how deception, susceptibility, and of course a dash of

influence can create the perfect scam storm. But no one understands this better than Evan Ratliffe,

the host of Wondry and Pineapple Street Studios latest production persona.

Over the past few years, Evans uncovered the story of a con artist who pulled off an extraordinary

scam that spans 40 countries, hundreds of targets, and dozens of suspects. It's the elaborate

and winding story of global menace Gilbert Sheikli. She gradeooped some of the world's most

powerful people into handing over their fortunes, evaded the law for years, and even became a

Robinhood-like hero to many in the process. The best scams are irresistible. I don't mean

irresistible to hear about. I mean to the person being conned. A good scam is in a single event in time,

like a robbery. No, a truly great con is a story, one that taps into the listeners greed,

or loneliness, or vanity. To run this kind of scam, you have to invent a whole imaginary world,

and then put your mark inside it. Make them a part of it, so they're playing a role,

inhabiting a new persona, just like you are. If you think about it, that's the art part of being

a con artist. If you could make a story so enticing that the listener lives inside of it and

doesn't want to leave, you don't even have to steal their money. They'll just give it to you.

I'm Evan Ratliffe, and this is the story of Gilbert Sheikli, one of the greatest con artists

of all time, a man who took tens of millions from some of the richest people on the planet.

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