Hiya - not been on for a while. A happy holiday season and all that.

Was just watching the Gertrude Pruett case and it serves to illustrate how people can be roped in by the veneer of kindness and, yes, fruitcake. Moral of story - just because someone makes a good fruitcake doesn't necessarily mean you should trust them with your money.

Anyway this made me wonder about some of the 'ran off with investor's money' type scammers, there was Woody and his yacht trips, using investors money to convince those investors he was raking it. Imagine going on one of those boat trips and then realising YOUR money paid for it!!

Who was that Steven guy from one of the early series, I think he was some sort of teenage genius and wasn't he involved in jewelery or something like that? That sounds more like a sort of 'cut and run' situation where a legitimate business failed and so he got out with what he still could.

Are there any scammers you had a degree of begrudging affection for (the sheer cheek etc) and a bit of cognitive dissonance about?

Sweetheart swindlers are a different ballgame and probably deserve a separate conversation. Over and out.

I always found the New York Coin Scam to be interesting as the scammers obviously invested a lot of planning into it. Imagine what they could accomplish with a real job. I always felt UM could have done more scam stories to help people learn to identify and avoid them.

Oh, for sure Bonnie Wilder.

I don't admire her scamming per se, but one has to admit it takes a certain degree of cunning to leverage what the rest of society would typically view as a disadvantage (being an obese woman) and use it to take her victims completely off-guard.

Hiya - not been on for a while. A happy holiday season and all that.

Was just watching the Gertrude Pruett case and it serves to illustrate how people can be roped in by the veneer of kindness and, yes, fruitcake. Moral of story - just because someone makes a good fruitcake doesn't necessarily mean you should trust them with your money.

Anyway this made me wonder about some of the 'ran off with investor's money' type scammers, there was Woody and his yacht trips, using investors money to convince those investors he was raking it. Imagine going on one of those boat trips and then realising YOUR money paid for it!!

Who was that Steven guy from one of the early series, I think he was some sort of teenage genius and wasn't he involved in jewelery or something like that? That sounds more like a sort of 'cut and run' situation where a legitimate business failed and so he got out with what he still could.

Are there any scammers you had a degree of begrudging affection for (the sheer cheek etc) and a bit of cognitive dissonance about?

Sweetheart swindlers are a different ballgame and probably deserve a separate conversation. Over and out.
That's a good idea for a thread topic. I can't say that I have any begrudging affection for UM scammers. but I do think that UM toed the line with fraud in general. There are some psychics that were portrayed as mysterious. There was a seer from Mexico that claimed to know the location of a treasure at the Alamo. I don't know if it is one of the artifacts that Phil Collins went after...(sarcasm). Also, the gold sweating marijuana sniffer from North Carolina. Surely, they were not taking money from people...?

One of the more memorable scam segments for me was the ADTECH segment. During the reenactment a gentleman approaches the scammer at his office and confronts the scammer (for being a scammer). and the scammer just kind of nonchalantly looks at him and agrees. The details are sketchy at best, but I always thought it was funny. and I can't find that segment anymore which is unfortunate.

another segment that always makes me smile is the Dr. Anderson gold coin fraud segment when RS says "a man noteable for his girth" I think a poster here "TheCars" pointed that out once in another thread and now it resides in my brain rent free.

"You don't need that money! Wrap it in this hanky, tie it to a brick and throw it off a bridge!"

People this stupid deserve to be scammed.

I dont like ppl who try to scam others...............

Hiya - not been on for a while. A happy holiday season and all that.

Was just watching the Gertrude Pruett case and it serves to illustrate how people can be roped in by the veneer of kindness and, yes, fruitcake. Moral of story - just because someone makes a good fruitcake doesn't necessarily mean you should trust them with your money.

Anyway this made me wonder about some of the 'ran off with investor's money' type scammers, there was Woody and his yacht trips, using investors money to convince those investors he was raking it. Imagine going on one of those boat trips and then realising YOUR money paid for it!!

Who was that Steven guy from one of the early series, I think he was some sort of teenage genius and wasn't he involved in jewelery or something like that? That sounds more like a sort of 'cut and run' situation where a legitimate business failed and so he got out with what he still could.

Are there any scammers you had a degree of begrudging affection for (the sheer cheek etc) and a bit of cognitive dissonance about?

Sweetheart swindlers are a different ballgame and probably deserve a separate conversation. Over and out.

I think you may be thinking of Steve Cox in Oregon. Not a teenage genius, but a popular athlete as described in the segment. Then ran off with investments when his "business" (which was in the end really a pyramid scheme) began to crumble.

Elaine Antoinette Parent and her numerology

I think you may be thinking of Steve Cox in Oregon. Not a teenage genius, but a popular athlete as described in the segment. Then ran off with investments when his "business" (which was in the end really a pyramid scheme) began to crumble.

Ah yes Steven Cox, I don't think that was meant to be a scam from the off but ended up being one for whatever reason...

"You don't need that money! Wrap it in this hanky, tie it to a brick and throw it off a bridge!"

People this stupid deserve to be scammed.

I can think of literally no reason to disagree with you. Someone would have to be 'a bit wooden' to fall for that, surely?

"You don't need that money! Wrap it in this hanky, tie it to a brick and throw it off a bridge!"

People this stupid deserve to be scammed.

I said this about someone on another forum about a different victim. Man, I got piled upon for my opinion, but really, how can someone be that stupid?

Conversely, I think that victims of the coin scam wouldn't have to be as dimwitted to fall for it. It was actually a very well crafted scam IMO. I bet you they even devised an "out" for the scammer posing as a mentally challenged person should the mark express knowledge of rare coins. On the surface, the scam may seem simple, but I really have to tip my hat for how cleverly it was constructed. They were also not exceptionally greedy like practically all the other scams. If you stop to consider all the facets of this scam, it's ingenious. Not that I condone scammers in any way!

Even the one victim was completely fine with showing his face and using his real name in the segment. He wasn't thoroughly ashamed at falling victim to the scam, nor should he have been.

Conversely, I think that victims of the coin scam wouldn't have to be as dimwitted to fall for it. It was actually a very well crafted scam IMO.

Thing with most scams is they appeal to a sort of 'idle greed' and a sense that there's 'easy money' to be made somewhere. 95 per cent of scams shouldn't be that difficult to spot if the target engages their brain.

Sweetheart scams are slightly different as the intangible of romance is brought into the mix, but what are some of these people doing letting someone move in after five minutes, marrying within weeks in some cases and trusting them with whatever savings they have?

It's a bit harsh to say someone 'had it coming' but many of the marks in these cases didn't help themselves, we can call it that...

I said this about someone on another forum about a different victim. Man, I got piled upon for my opinion, but really, how can someone be that stupid?

I don’t think these victims were stupid so much as vulnerable. And I think people get upset sometimes because the victims are getting picked on while the scammers, who took advantage of that vulnerability, go unmentioned.

Oh, for sure Bonnie Wilder.

I don't admire her scamming per se, but one has to admit it takes a certain degree of cunning to leverage what the rest of society would typically view as a disadvantage (being an obese woman) and use it to take her victims completely off-guard.

The time period (this being 1986) also kind of helped. We didn't have information at our fingertips like today in regard to crimes and arrests. This was about a decade removed from the public reacting to Ted Bundy's arrest with complete shock. They couldn't believe a man who was educated and well-groomed could murder one woman, much less 30 of them. And Bonnie's coworker even said in her interview she basically saw her as more of lunch-lady type.

I feel like the majority of the public today knows that scammers can come in all sizes, ages, sex, etc.

That's a good idea for a thread topic. I can't say that I have any begrudging affection for UM scammers. but I do think that UM toed the line with fraud in general. There are some psychics that were portrayed as mysterious. There was a seer from Mexico that claimed to know the location of a treasure at the Alamo. I don't know if it is one of the artifacts that Phil Collins went after...(sarcasm). Also, the gold sweating marijuana sniffer from North Carolina. Surely, they were not taking money from people...?

One of the more memorable scam segments for me was the ADTECH segment. During the reenactment a gentleman approaches the scammer at his office and confronts the scammer (for being a scammer). and the scammer just kind of nonchalantly looks at him and agrees. The details are sketchy at best, but I always thought it was funny. and I can't find that segment anymore which is unfortunate.

another segment that always makes me smile is the Dr. Anderson gold coin fraud segment when RS says "a man noteable for his girth" I think a poster here "TheCars" pointed that out once in another thread and now it resides in my brain rent free.


The Richard Relf ADTECH segment is on YT. You just need to search Unsolved Mysteries Richard Relf". The reenactment is funny on that one. When his boss confronts him, he just shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. lol

The sweetheart swindlers, male and female. I know there are a lot of lonely people out there looking for love, but to toy with someone's heart is about the worst you can do.

The Richard Relf ADTECH segment is on YT. You just need to search Unsolved Mysteries Richard Relf". The reenactment is funny on that one. When his boss confronts him, he just shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. lol

Thank you, and I agree. It's one of my favorite segments that I've only seen a few times.

The Richard Relf ADTECH segment is on YT. You just need to search Unsolved Mysteries Richard Relf". The reenactment is funny on that one. When his boss confronts him, he just shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. lol

I’m pretty sure I worked with a “Richard.” He seemed to dislike me intensely, even though everyone else at the company (and his wife) got along well with me. He was always quick, almost eager, to point out the smallest mistakes I made (despite being very careful and honest), while overlooking the fact that he made far more errors himself.

I later found out that the person I replaced had essentially been pushed out over some missing product. The same thing happened during the week I was told I was being laid off (it was not related to the layoff). My guess is they suspected me as well, but decided it wasn’t worth pursuing since I was leaving anyway.

What’s ironic is that the coworker likely would have reacted exactly like the reenactment. I could never quite understand how he was so successful despite what I’d politely call mediocre judgment. Some of his purchasing decisions made little rational sense, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if personal relationships were influencing those choices.

Having worked for a few very large organizations, I’ve seen this kind of behavior happen a lot, especially at the top. If not for the fact he was in prison during my employment there I would say it was him hiding out here in Canada as it was very closely related to his field. Strange how the update was so vague and it was never featured in any of the re-releases.

The Richard Relf ADTECH segment is on YT. You just need to search Unsolved Mysteries Richard Relf". The reenactment is funny on that one. When his boss confronts him, he just shrugs his shoulders and nods his head. lol

I was able to watch and a couple of things stood out. Back in 2005 timeframe I lived in Glendale AZ and would drive through Cave Creek to get to Bartlett Lake. I remember thinking that someone would need to make a decent living to live there. I also forgot that Richard Relf took his daughter with him when he fled.

2 of the worst that come to mind - Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter aka Clark Rockefeller aka whatever he wanted gto call himself that particular day,
and race car driver / scammer Jonathan Kern. 2 pillars of society indeed. :lol:

2 of the worst that come to mind - Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter aka Clark Rockefeller aka whatever he wanted gto call himself that particular day,
and race car driver / scammer Jonathan Kern. 2 pillars of society indeed. :lol:

Jonathan Kern. Another winner, indeed.