5 Podcasts on White-Collar Crimes That Will Shock You to Your Core
When people think of true crime, they often associate it with home invasion stories, kidnappings, serial killers, and stalking. But another sinister force that can severely damage someone’s life is the white-collar crime that occurs on a daily basis before our eyes. Luckily, there is a decent number of true crime podcasts out there that cover some of the most notorious white-collar crimes in history.
Here are five of the most riveting and informative podcasts that cover shocking white-collar crimes that reveal how far people are willing to go to become extremely wealthy.
Ponzi Supernova
Produced by reporter Steve Fishman and Ellen Horne, Ponzi Supernova explores the story of Bernie Madoff from the perspective of the scam artist himself. Until now, we never heard his side of the story in how he managed to pull off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. After fooling the whole world, he managed to leave a black hole of $65 million in his investors’ pockets.
In his own words, listeners can learn why he initiated the scam, how he successfully pulled it off, and whether he is the puppet master or merely a puppet himself in a larger conspiracy. Along with his interview, the podcast also includes interviews with numerous FBI and SEC agents, investors, traders, and attorneys.
Swindled
If you’re more interested in learning about a mixture of cases involving corporate greed, con artists, and white-collar criminals, check out Swindled. This popular podcast covers a variety of cases, from embezzlement to corporate cover-ups to cost-cutting measures that resulted in the deterioration of hundreds of citizens.
For instance, Episode 11 of Season 3 covers Australia’s “most notorious con-woman” Samantha Azzopardi and the multiple aliases she went under to commit crimes around the world. In the episode preceding this one, Swindled covers the case of the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, which shed light on the mine owner’s questionable safety practices.
This is Real
In 2014, one of the biggest health care fraud takedowns in history occurred. Over 30 people were arrested in Washington D.C. on charges related to health care fraud. Many of those arrested were personal care assistants, patient recruiters, and office workers. In the podcast series, This is Real, investigators interview HHS OIG special agents and their journey toward uncovering this complex scheme and bringing the criminals to justice.
Popping the White Collar
Hosted by two people with military backgrounds as well as civilian experience in finance, cryptocurrency, and cybersecurity, Popping the Collar offers listeners a detailed look into a different white-collar crime case throughout each episode. In addition to covering these white-collar crimes, Popping the Collar offers listeners tips on how they can avoid similar crimes and scams themselves.
American Greed
Some people will do anything for money, even if it means scamming and exploiting others. Narrated by Stacy Keech, American Greed dives into some of the most notorious white-collar crimes in history. Including stories such as Los Angeles’s “Doctor Feelgood,” who wrote over 27,000 prescriptions of opioids in the span of three years, to Internet celebrities who conned millions of people out of $1.7 billion from their work-from-home pyramid schemes, American Greed reveals just how far people will go for money.
Corporate greed and white-collar crime have financially damaged millions of people around the world. As the exploitive practices of corrupt government officials and shady businessmen are brought to light, listeners are empowered with the knowledge of how these scams happened and how they can make sure they don’t become a victim of one themselves.