Introducing Persona: The French Deception

One Strange Thing: Paranormal & True-Weird Mysteries

One Strange Thing

True Crime, History

4.4 • 697 Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2022

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Introducing the true crime podcast Persona: The French Deception— the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time. What does it feel like to pick up the phone and scam someone out of $50 million? Host and award-winning journalist, Evan Ratliff, investigates how Chikli successfully duped some of the world’s most powerful people into handing over their fortunes. He explores how Chikli evaded the law for years and became a Robin Hood-like hero. More than just a tale of criminal genius, this is a show about the moment we’re living in right now — the golden age of scammers — and the power of seduction. But what happens when the fantasy we’ve been lured into finally crumbles away?

For all that and more, follow “Persona: The French Deception” wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen early on Amazon Music or early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app: http://wondery.fm/OST_Persona

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, strangers, Laura here. You know, it feels like scams and scam stories are really having a moment.
0:09.7	There are just so many shows in movies lately about those conniving con artists. And honestly, we at one
0:17.6	strange thing can't get enough of them.
0:28.2	Speaking of, there's a new podcast we want to tell you about called Persona, the French Deception.
0:35.1	This is the true story of Jabair Sheikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time.
0:44.3	Have you ever wondered what it would be like to pick up the phone, call someone, and in the phone call, $50 million richer? Us too.
0:46.3	This series investigates how Sheikley successfully duped some of the world's most powerful people into simply handing over their fortunes. It explores how
0:56.2	we evaded the law for years and evolved into a Robin Hood-like figure to many. More than
1:02.3	just a tale of criminal genius, this is a show about the moment we're living in right now,
1:08.1	the golden age of scammers, and the power of seduction.
1:13.2	But what happens when the fantasy we've been lured into finally crumbles away?
1:19.1	You'll have to listen to find out.
1:21.8	In fact, we're about to play you a preview of Persona, the French Deception. While you're listening, follow Persona, the French Deception, wherever you get your podcast.
1:36.3	Hello.
1:41.3	Hello.
1:48.0	There's this word in French that means scam, arnaq. A scammer or a con artist is sometimes called an arnaker.
1:52.0	An original definition translates roughly as one who amuses in order to defraud.
1:58.0	Yes, it's a good way to think about scams, I find,
2:02.1	or at least the most inspired ones.
2:04.6	The problem, the bank saying me.
2:08.1	I'm not talking about street-level swindles.
2:10.1	I'm talking about the most elaborate confidence schemes.
	...

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