So Many Strings Attached | Part II

Scamfluencers

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.1 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After N*Sync and Backstreet Boys cut ties with Lou, he gets to work assembling a new boy band: O-Town. But behind the scenes, he’s taking out big loans and funding all kinds of questionable ventures, from restaurants to retail stores. Meanwhile, he’s convinced investors to fund his biggest project yet: a massive Ponzi scheme. When an intrepid reporter and a team of investigators start looking into Lou’s finances, he’ll become the subject of an international manhunt.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to scam flancers ad-free on Amazon music. Download the app today.
0:06.5	Hey, scam flancers listeners.
0:08.5	Sarah and I are so excited that we're gonna be in Toronto for a live show at the Hot Docs Festival.
0:13.6	We'll be headlining the podcast festival showcase on Saturday night May 6th.
0:17.8	Get your tickets now at wundry.fm slash hot docs. That's wundry.fm slash hotdocs.
0:26.0	A heads up to our listeners. This episode includes references to sexual harassment, abuse, and grooming. Please listen with care.
0:42.3	Hi Sarah.
0:43.8	Hey, Saji.
0:45.2	Okay, I have a question for you today. Okay.
0:48.0	Have you ever taken advantage of a friend like you didn't pay them back or you didn't tell them the truth?
0:54.5	Like whatever that looks like for you.
0:56.5	No, I don't think I'm capable of that. And I don't mean that in a good person type of way.
1:01.2	I mean, like, it just sounds like a lot of work and I'm scared of something bad happening to me if I do that.
1:06.2	Yeah, fear is a preventative measure on this stuff for sure.
1:10.8	Well, I ask because today's conclusion of our scam is all about how you can't run your friend's ragged
1:17.4	and still expect them to stand by your side.
1:20.4	You know what, Sarah? It's a good lesson for us all.
1:25.2	It's towards the end of 1999.
1:28.1	Lou Pearlman sits in a dark nightclub just outside of Orlando.
1:32.2	He's auditioning guys for a new band called O-town.
1:36.0	Things look very different from when Lou held auditions for the Backstreet Boys seven years earlier.
1:41.8	Inside a blimp warehouse.
	...

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