Five Great TV Shows About Fraud

The ingenuity of fraudsters in all its glory to watch on a TV screen on the long weekend

A curated list of five riveting shows centered around fraud and scams that are perfect for Thanksgiving weekend binge-watch sessions. Thrilling crime dramas and insightful documentaries offer a unique perspective on the world of deception and investigative success.

The Dropout

The drama miniseries is based on the story of Theranos, a start-up that promised to revolutionize blood testing but ended up defrauding doctors and patients. Theranos was valued at $9 billion at the peak. Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani, the leaders of the company, were both charged with fraud and got prison terms.

Hulu

Inventing Anna

A story of a fraudster, Anna Delvey, who pretended to be a wealthy heiress and defrauded companies and people for $300,000. She had access to the upper-class lifestyle and art scene in New York and Europe. Delvey ended up in prison but her story inspired books, TV shows, and movies.

Netflix

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

Fyre Festival was a luxury music event that was supposed to take place in the Bahamas and was promoted by music stars and influencers. The festival gathered 5,000 people but was an utter failure and was canceled. The organizer of the festival, Billy McFarland, went to prison for fraud. McFarland is promoting a new Fyre Festival II now.

Netflix

The Tinder Swindler

A documentary film about Simon Leviev, who used Tinder to search for victims, pretended to be a wealthy man, and stole $10 million from women across the world. After showering his victims with gifts and attention, private jets, and expensive hotels, he would tell them stories of powerful enemies and would ask for help pretending that his life was in danger. He went to prison in Finland but was released 15 months later due to the pandemic.

Netflix

Dirty Money

Six stories of corporate and government financial crimes, fraud, and corruption. The episodes uncover scandals in Wells Fargo, illegal activities of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Jared Kushner’s story, gold mining crimes, elderly abuse, and plastics plant corruption.

Netflix

Interesting Reads This Week:

• What is Binance, why is it in so much trouble, and what does it mean for crypto?
• Why 'Following the Money' Isn't Enough to Stop Organized Crime Anymore
• AMC's CEO thought he was texting naughty photos to a former ballerina fling. Then everything went haywire.

Find more about fraud and investigations in the Investigator Blog