Scam Secrets – Details, episodes & analysis
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Scam Secrets
BBC Radio 4
Frequency: 1 episode/6d. Total Eps: 2
It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money.
But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too late.
Shari Vahl, who has investigated fraud for the BBC for 20 years, is joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who now tries to stop scams - to dissect the shadiest techniques criminals use to steal your cash.
In each episode, they dig deep into a different scam, with first-hand accounts from the people targeted, forensic analysis of the techniques and mind games being used - and even secret recordings of the scammers themselves. Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode. You can also email the Scam Secrets team - tell them which scams you want them to unpick: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
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Apple Podcasts
🇬🇧 Great Britain - trueCrime
03/08/2025#35🇬🇧 Great Britain - trueCrime
02/08/2025#32🇬🇧 Great Britain - trueCrime
01/08/2025#24🇬🇧 Great Britain - trueCrime
31/07/2025#29🇬🇧 Great Britain - trueCrime
28/07/2025#95
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See allScore global : 49%
Publication history
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Introducing… Scam Secrets
vendredi 25 juillet 2025 • Duration 03:00
Criminals will try anything to steal your money - but if you know their techniques, you can see the scams coming. In this series, BBC fraud reporter Shari Vahl analyses some of the most shocking scams she's covered, dissecting how they work piece-by-piece.
To do this, she's joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who stole millions then dedicated his life to trying to prevent scams from harming others. Together they will arm you with the inside knowledge you need to beat the fraudsters.
In this special introduction episode, they reveal what is coming up in the series – everything from a devastating dating scam to fake celebrities and a bizarre cardigan - with terrifying phone calls, victim testimonies and secret recordings of the criminals themselves.
Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode.
'I'm Calling from Your Bank'
jeudi 31 juillet 2025 • Duration 28:31
Your bank is on the phone. The man knows all your details. He says there's a problem on your account. Would you know what to do?
Scam Secrets is the new series lifting the lid on the techniques criminals use to steal your money.
BBC reporter Shari Vahl is joined by criminologist and forensic linguist Dr Elisabeth Carter and former scammer Alex Wood to get inside the mind of the criminals and highlight the red flags that should set alarm bells ringing.
In this first episode, they hear how a seemingly innocuous TV licensing email paved the way for a scarily sophisticated scam that drained a businesswoman's bank account.
If you've got a scam you want the team to dissect, email scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY