The Sweepstakes Scammers w/ Tone Bell (Fraud Friday)

We hope you like spaghetti, CONgregation, because today we're joined by Grant & Ash (A Twink and a Redhead), to dig into this week's scampilation. The squad discusses the scam of Spencer Pratt running for LA mayor, a Georgia mayor who fired the entire police force for petty reasons, the CEO of United Airlines flying American, Dua Lipa versus Samsung, and a thief who returned Lego sets filled with pasta. Plus, Laci asks: Are towing companies, TV subscriptions, and celebrity skincare a scam, a scheme, or the real thing? Stay schemin’! Keep the scams coming and snitch on your friends by emailing us at [email protected]. Follow on Instagram: Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod Laci Mosley: @divalaci Grant & Ash: @a_twink_and_a_redhead Research by Kathryn Doyle SOURCES https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/small-town-georgia-mayor-resigns-weeks-after-firing-entire-police-department/ https://newschannel9.com/news/local/cohutta-mayor-sends-resignation-letter-to-council-friday-amid-ongoing-controversy-attorney-cohutta-georgia-police-department https://newschannel9.com/news/local/moving-forward-town-of-cohutta-considers-next-steps-after-police-department-reinstated https://www.thedailybeast.com/mayor-fires-entire-police-department-over-facebook-comments-about-his-wife/ https://nypost.com/2026/05/10/us-news/united-airlines-ceo-caught-flying-first-class-on-american-airlines/ https://tech.yahoo.com/videos/dua-lipa-sues-samsung-15-132348263.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIwADEcUY9qM8gaeyUSJ-KgjbBgeOCeWkNtnjXdbFXDDf101h9-IAWhf2bYsRC1gjfEdZDknxU0fPTZhMr6AdAq1obsfW3v9NuXo_hUQINbod5SQG-94ZXB7ta-KX27UB1NnbyHDqHB3NIc26CFQvUr-wVflw9QMt83SNY4Yx10Z https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9pvp210zdo https://www.thedailybeast.com/star-maga-candidate-spencer-pratt-busted-lying-about-trailer-home/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/spencer-pratt-los-angeles-mayor-voter-fraud-maga-social-media-trend_n_6a0ce7d8e4b0ceb40d480efe https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-a-guy-used-pasta-to-steal-34000-in-lego-sets/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnWDFiMTT28

CONgregation, Laci is joined today by producer and writing genius Justin Halpern (Abbott Elementary, Harley Quinn). Together, they listen to the music and dig into the story of this week's scammer, Mike Smith, a suburban dad and aspiring musician who made $10 million by creating thousands of fake listeners to stream his (also fake) music so he could rake in the royalties. Plus, in this dad-centric episode, Laci asks: Are love, credit, and tax accountants a scam, a scheme, or the real thing? Stay schemin’! Keep the scams coming and snitch on your friends by emailing us at [email protected]. Follow on Instagram: Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod Laci Mosley: @divalaci Justin Halpern: @justinshalpern Research by Kathryn Doyle SOURCES https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/streaming-fraud-fake-streams-mike-smith-1235500686/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/north-carolina-musician-charged-music-streaming-fraud-aided-artificial-intelligence https://www.wired.com/story/ai-bots-streaming-music/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RpxiEuGuUw

In this week’s Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by hilarious actor and writer siblings Vanessa and Jonah Bayer (How Did We Get Weird Podcast) to discuss Lady Bandit Pearl Hart, one of the wildest bandits in the Wild West. Plus, an investor attempted to purchase Manhattan’s iconic Flatiron Building for $190 million. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 04/17/2023) Follow on Instagram: Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod Laci Mosley: @divalaci Vanessa Bayer: @vanessabayer Research by Kaelyn Brandt SOURCES: https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2023/03/24/meet-the-mysterious-buyer-of-the-flatiron-building/ https://time.com/4575757/pearl-hart-stagecoach-robber/ https://nypost.com/2021/10/30/the-wild-life-and-death-of-old-west-feminist-bandit-pearl-hart/ https://lithub.com/the-true-story-of-pearl-hart-straight-shooting-poetry-writing-woman-bandit/ Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West’s Most Notorious Woman Bandit by John Boessenecker

Get excited, CONgregation! Laci is joined by bestie babes Sydnee Washington and Marie Faustin (Mess Podcast) to dig into Emily Hart, a MAGA influencer who turned out to be an AI generated baddie created by a 22-year-old med student in India. The gals chat about sea otters, scamming hippos, lease agreements, Duolingo, and Waymos. Listen to Mess wherever you get your podcasts. Stay schemin’! Keep the scams coming and snitch on your friends by emailing us at [email protected]. Follow on Instagram: Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod Laci Mosley: @divalaci Sydnee Washington: @justsydbw Marie Faustin: @reeezy Research by Kathryn Doyle SOURCES https://www.wired.com/story/ai-generated-maga-girls/ https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/story/who-is-emily-hart-how-an-indian-medical-student-fooled-dumb-maga-fans-with-ai-526820-2026-04-22?utm_source=rssfeed https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-shares-fake-swifties-for-trump-images/

In this week’s Fraud Friday, Laci is joined by the legendary Paula Poundstone (Science Court, Inside Out) to discuss Susan Meachen, an independent romance novelist who faked her death in 2020 and miraculously resurrected in 2022. Plus, a Florida woman has been arrested after a 4-year-long romance scam that resulted in the defrauding of an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. Stay Schemin’! (Originally Released 02/13/2023) Follow on Instagram: Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod Laci Mosley: @divalaci Paula Poundstone: @paulapoundstone Research by Kaelyn Brandt SOURCES: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/health/fake-death-romance-novelist-meachen.html https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/book-author-exposed-fake-suicide-facebook-group-1234655830/?fbclid=IwAR0T1Z8YBSGjkOmKkE2bqww-XVhj2142WqdD97YlxSd0QWLr_eCm8LSaJKc https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/susan-meachen-author-fake-death-b2265223.html?r=21062 https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kelseyweekman/susan-meachen-author-alleged-death-hoax Twitter user @Draggerofliars thread: https://twitter.com/Draggerofliars/status/1610491152091717632 https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-allegedly-steals-28-million-holocaust-survivor-romance/story?id=96673243 https://www.news4jax.com/consumer/2019/04/30/how-to-avoid-falling-for-fake-online-product-reviews/