How does a Brazilian immigrant become an American Uber Mafia Queen? Buckle up, 'cause Niles Abston (FXX's Dave) stops by to help tell the story of Priscila Barbosa who finessed the gig economy to make more than $780,000 before it all came crashing down. And remember Con-gregation, if your Uber driver is lit you don't have to sit! Stay schemin'!
This story was primarily reported by Wired Magazine's Lauren Smiley in her article, "Priscila, Queen of the Rideshare Mafia"
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Niles Abston: @thenilesabstonshow
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
SOURCES:
https://www.wired.com/story/priscila-queen-of-the-rideshare-mafia/
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Haven't snagged Laci's Scam Goddess book yet?? Enjoy this exclusive sneak peek of the audiobook's first chapter. A message from Laci: "I’m truly humbled and grateful for the years of support and love you all have shown me, and seeing that this show has also given you joy and security has lifted me up. We went from a little podcast to a book and soon a TV show. There are no words for my gratitude. Life is a scam, everything is made up, so make sure to CONjure up your dreams. Grab your copy and join me in laughing at the madness of my scams and scams around the world!”
Order the Scam Goddess book here:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
In Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes, Laci recounts how her scammer instincts have guided her throughout her life—from a religious childhood in rural Texas, to a stint as a city bartender at what might have been a drug front, to swindling her way past the gatekeepers of Hollywood—recounting the greatest true-crime scam stories that inspired her along the way. Whether it’s by the beauty industry, capitalism, or the people we date, we’re all getting scammed. In this book, Laci identifies the secrets to flipping the script and coming out ahead.
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Legendary comedian Kathy Griffin (!!!) joins the Con-gregation! Kathy first helps us break down Donald Trump sharing fake AI-generated photos of Taylor Swift fans endorsing him for president. Then, we dive into the story of Patrick Giblin, the most prolific romance scammer in America who conned 155 women out of more than $500,000. Stay schemin'!
Tickets for Kathy's stand-up tour, My Life on the PTSD List, are on sale at: kathygriffin.com
Laci’s book is out now! Order “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Kathy Griffin: @kathygriffin
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
SOURCES:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/us/patrick-giblin-swindle-love-money.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-heartbreaking-cons-of-americas-most-prolific-romance-scammer
https://variety.com/2024/music/news/donald-trump-falsely-claims-taylor-swift-endorsed-ai-images-1236110583/
https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/donald-trump-taylor-swift-sue-over-fake-ai-images-endorsement-1236115104/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/24/trump-taylor-swift-deepfakes-ai
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
We threw a couple extra fries in the bag for our supersized guest Paul Scheer (Twisters, How Did This Get Made?) as we revisit our episode on the man who scammed the McDonald’s Monopoly game for over a decade! Stay schemin’! (Originally Released 02/11/2020)
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Paul Scheer: @paulscheer
Research by Sharilyn Vera
SOURCES:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an-ex-cop-rigged-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-and-stole-millions?ref=scroll
https://nypost.com/2020/02/01/mcmillions-how-ex-cop-orchestrated-24-million-mcdonalds-monopoly-scam/
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/23/trump-campaign-compete-against-groups-money-089454
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Best-selling author & cultural critic Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Hunger) joins the Con-gregation to help break down the fraud-filled downfall of MoviePass, the subscription service that offered users unlimited movies for the wildly unsustainable price of $10 a month. You might know how MoviePass eventually collapsed, but its problems actually first began when a rich white guy stole the company from its two black founders. Oh and in case you're wondering, we also learn that, yes, you can in fact throw ass to the Succession theme song. Stay schemin'!
Read Roxane's latest long-form piece, "Stand Your Ground: A Black Feminist Reckoning with America's Gun Problem": https://www.everand.com/book/755164376/Roxane-Gay-Everand-Originals-Stand-Your-Ground-A-Black-Feminist-Reckoning-with-America-s-Gun-Problem
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Roxane Gay: @roxanegay74
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam
SOURCES:
MoviePass, MovieCrash dir. by Muta’Ali Muhammad
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/moviepass-moviecrash-documentary
https://www.thestreet.com/entertainment/what-happened-to-moviepass-rise-fall-and-resurrection
https://www.businessinsider.com/moviepass-co-founder-stacy-spikes-interview-on-rise-troubles-firing-2019-4
https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/moviepass-executive-guilty-embezzling-coachella-1235895696/
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/everyone-loves-moviepass-just-not-the-customer-service
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/moviepass-confusion-isnt-new-here-are-all-the-times-it-altered-the-deal/
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Iconic singer/songwriter Dawn Richard of Danity Kane joins the Con-gregation to help spill the controversial tea surrounding who really invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto. Plus, a former FBI agent cons a Texas woman out of $800,000. Stay schemin’! (Originally Released 06/14/2021)
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Dawn Richard: @dawnrichard
Research by Kaelyn Brandt
Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam
SOURCES:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez
https://www.newsweek.com/flamin-hot-cheeto-movie-true-story-creator-richard-montanez-1456377
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/20/origin-flamin-hot-cheetos-might-be-hot-lie-millions-will-still-gobble-it-up-anyway/
https://jezebel.com/turns-out-lying-about-inventing-flamin-hot-cheetos-is-a-1846922951
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/31/us/fbi-drug-scheme-charge.html?searchResultPosition=1
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
It's the Scam Goddess Olympic Games Grifting special! Kimia Behpoornia (Abbott Elementary) & Patrick McDonald (Radio Margaritaville) join the Con-gregation to discuss over a century of Olympics fraud—from cheating runners in the first modern marathon to Australian viral breakdancer RayGun at the 2024 Paris Games. Did RayGun cheat her way to the Olympics? Or was she actually a victim of a scam smear campaign? Tune in to find out! Oh yeah, and stay schemin' fam!
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Kimia Behpoornia: @childclown
Patrick McDonald: @patrickpatrickpatrickpatrick
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam
SOURCES:
https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics-2021-scandals-spain-paralympics-2000-sydney-games-051520629.html
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-ives-abbott
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-american-woman-to-win-an-olympic-championship-didnt-even-know-it
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/30/sports/plus-paralympics-paralympic-group-orders-suspensions.html
https://www.eonline.com/news/1406009/2024-olympics-australian-breakdancer-raygun-reacts-to-criticism-after-controversial-debut
The Greatest Paralympic Scandal of All Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5F_ha7d-PI
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
The hilarious Vinny Thomas (Platonic) joins the Con-gregation to discuss Gerry Cotten, the infamous Crypto King. Gerry created the QuadrigaCX crypto currency exchange which left users with no access to their funds after Gerry's mysterious and controversial death. Plus, we look at the rise of deep-fake technology. Stay schemin'! (Originally Released 04/25/2022)
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Vinny Thomas: @vinn_ayy
Research by Kaelyn Brandt
Want a free 3-month trial of the SiriusXM app? Go to: siriusxm.com/scam
SOURCES:
Netflix’s Crypto King
https://www.newsweek.com/gerald-cotten-wife-where-jennifer-robertson-now-crypto-king-quadriga-1693705
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/the-strange-tale-of-quadriga-gerald-cotten
https://www.coindesk.com/video/the-story-behind-quadrigacx-and-netflixs-crypto-king/
https://cryptonews.com/news/impostors-make-deep-fake-videos-of-ordinary-more-believable-people-promote-crypto-scams.htm
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
How does a Brazilian immigrant become an American Uber Mafia Queen? Buckle up, 'cause Niles Abston (FXX's Dave) stops by to help tell the story of Priscila Barbosa who finessed the gig economy to make more than $780,000 before it all came crashing down. And remember Con-gregation, if your Uber driver is lit you don't have to sit! Stay schemin'!
This story was primarily reported by Wired Magazine's Lauren Smiley in her article, "Priscila, Queen of the Rideshare Mafia"
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Niles Abston: @thenilesabstonshow
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
SOURCES:
https://www.wired.com/story/priscila-queen-of-the-rideshare-mafia/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/victim-and-witness-assistance-program/us-v-wemerson-dutra-aguiar-and-us-v-priscila-barbosa-et-al
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Before Netflix's "Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam" Teresa Lee (Girls5eva) joined the Con-gregation to break down the scams and abuse of Lou Pearlman—the man who launched the careers of *NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears but conned the musicians out of their hard-earned money and ran one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history. Don't worry y'all, we drag his ass! (Originally Released 01/07/2020)
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess Live: 5 Year Anniversary @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Research by Sharilyn Vera
SOURCES:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nsync-lou-pearlman-nightline-927166/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/13/lou-pearlman-was-disgraced-mogul-who-defrauded-s-boy-bands-then-came-million-ponzi-scheme/
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/films/2008836?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&vl=en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/04/05/lou-pearlman-film-reveals-how-backstreet-boys-n-sync-lost-millions/3373395002/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/members-nsync-town-learning-truth-lou-pearlman-heart/story?id=67630216
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Adam Pally, who stars alongside Steph Curry in the new Peacock series Mr. Throwback, joins the con-gregation to help break down the story of Cliff Panezich—an ex-baseball player whose throwing arm turned out to be more useful for forging sports memorabilia autographs. Stay schemin'!
Pre-Order Laci’s book “Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts and Schemes": https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laci-mosley/scam-goddess/9780762484652/?lens=running-press
On Sunday, Sept. 22nd Laci will be hosting the Scam Goddess 5 Year Anniversary Live Show @ the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. Buy tickets at https://regentdtla.com/tm-event/scam-goddess-live-five-year-anniversary/
Follow on Instagram:
Scam Goddess Pod: @scamgoddesspod
Laci Mosley: @divalaci
Adam Pally: @adam.pally
Research by Kaelyn Brandt.
SOURCES:
https://vault.si.com/vault/2017/11/13/operation-stolen-base
https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-fcb0b1b0
https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/autograph-fraud-nets-6-year-prison-sentence/
Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link https://siriusxm.com/scam and code SCAM.
Laci Mosley is a Black American actor, comedian, and podcaster. She performs improv comedy at UCB Los Angeles and is a series regular in Season 2 of HBO's "A Black Lady Sketch Show," and in the ShowMax comedy series "Florida Girls." She is also a cast member in Paramount+'s "iCarly" reboot and a contributor on ABC's "The Con."
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