Relationship Cheating Stories

Epizódok

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  The 37 Letters: How a Snowplow Unmasked a Romantic Con Artist 29.09.2026 20p

  The 37 Letters: How a Snowplow Unmasked a Romantic Con ArtistCold, precise, and almost mundane: a snowplow blade at 4:17 a.m. hit a pale blue tin lockbox and revealed thirty-seven handwritten letters that would convict a con man. The find hinged on tiny physical details - a dish towel, a brass clasp, airmail paper - but how did correspondence meant to help someone overseas become the evidence that sent a man to prison?In this episode, we tell the full sequence of events from the first October 2016 letter to the October 2019 conviction, tracing how a humanitarian pen-pal match turned into a two-year romance built on a stolen photograph and fabricated identity. How did thirty-seven letters preserved in a lockbox become the difference between justice and an unsolved pattern of fraud?Person: Jean JenkinsLocation: Millhaven, IndianaDate: First letter October 2016; conviction October 2019Case: Thirty-seven handwritten letters found in a pale blue tin lockboxEvent: Snowplow at 4:17 a.m. struck the lockbox on County Road 9- The lockbox contained thirty-seven handwritten letters wrapped in a dish towel printed with small red cardinals.- Letters were written roughly once every three weeks over two years, mostly on thin airmail stock.- Jean was matched in September 2016 with a correspondent identified as Douglas Andrews through a Lutheran social services pen-pal program.- The photograph used for the fake Douglas Andrews belonged to Kwame Asante, a 2015 professional headshot stolen and reused.- Douglas Andrews (real) was a 46-year-old freight and logistics worker from Muncie, Indiana; he was convicted of wire fraud, mail fraud, and obtaining money by false pretenses in October 2019.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  She Reads His Texts Aloud: The Kimberly Simmons Case 28.09.2026 20p

  She Reads His Texts Aloud: The Kimberly Simmons CaseA retired teacher spent months reading loving, attentive texts aloud until she wired a total of $20,000 to a man who did not exist - the photograph and name were stolen, and the real sender was running at least seven fake identities from an Atlanta apartment. How did five months of carefully remembered messages convince her to send two separate transfers, and what finally turned a reversed welcome mat into a missing-person inquiry?In this episode, we follow the timeline from a dating-profile message to the discovery at 414 Sycamore Branch Drive, tracing the evidence lines in the case and the investigative steps that linked the transfers to a single sender. What pattern of details and requests made the deception so convincing?Person: Kimberly SimmonsPerson: Vincent HaasLocation: Kellerton, OhioDate: September 2022Event: Two wire transfers totaling $20,000- Kimberly created a profile on Horizons Connect in February 2022 and left it mostly dormant for several weeks.- The first message she received was from a profile using the name Norman Reed, described as 51 years old and based in Portland, Oregon.- Over approximately five months, messages referenced prior details and built rapport, including a saved April message reading, "I spent so much of my life learning to read what people meant because I couldn't hear how they said it."- In July she sent $12,000 after a materials-invoice request presented in two installments.- In August she sent $8,000 after a separate contractor-delay request, with both payments tracked by Detective Phil Caruso and state investigator Donna Breck.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  He Wasn't Real: How Ruth Lost $4,000 to "Marcus Hale" 27.09.2026 17p

  He Wasn't Real: How Ruth Lost $4,000 to "Marcus Hale"Fear that the person you love might not exist at all - Ruth lost $4,000 to a profile whose photos traced back to nothing and whose voice messages felt real enough to be trusted. How did months of careful tailoring, voice recordings, and fake documents convince a 28-year-old billing coordinator in Crestfield to wire thousands overseas - and why did every photograph leave no digital trail?In this episode, we follow the timeline from a comment on a community post to daily voice messages, two urgent money requests, and a flagged international transfer that drew in bank fraud investigators; what they uncovered raises the question: what does it take to fabricate a life someone will believe?Person: Ruth BaileyAge: 28Location: Crestfield, OhioAmount lost: $3,200 (second transfer) and $800 (first transfer)Investigator: Dennis Smith- The scam began after a comment Ruth left on a post by Beth Okafor in late February 2019.- Within ten days of the connection request, messaging moved from the platform to a private app and became daily within eight weeks.- In April Marcus sent a message at 6:15 AM on the morning of Ruth’s mother Vivian’s surgery.- In June Marcus requested $800 for delayed rent; Ruth paid and was repaid ten days later.- In July Marcus claimed an emergency appendectomy and asked for $3,200, which Ruth wired internationally and triggered a bank fraud flag.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Casserole Stamp That Exposed a Romantic Con Artist 26.09.2026 18p

  The Casserole Stamp That Exposed a Romantic Con ArtistA washed casserole dish stamped "Fort Drum, New York" on a Pelham porch cracked open seven months of deception and a stolen identity - a military inventory mark became the single clue that didn't belong. How did a teacher's online grief friendship with "Donald Bailey" hinge on a casserole, a cockatiel named Pepper, and a photo lifted from a landscaper's Instagram?In this episode, we follow the timeline from a meter reader's routine discovery to the online messages that became daily lifelines, and the video calls that inexplicably froze before a proposed meeting - could one misplaced mark unravel an entire con?Person: Roy CallahanPerson: Tracy GrayPerson: Pet: Pepper the cockatiel, 12 years oldLocation: Pelham, Pelham CountyEvent: Seven-month online relationship with "Donald Bailey"- Meter reading recorded 341 kilowatt-hours above the previous month on a Tuesday morning in July.- The casserole dish bore a Fort Drum, New York stamp and contained dried rice and chicken left on a porch railing.- Tracy Gray taught third grade at Warwick Elementary for 19 years and retired early to care for her mother.- Evelyn, Tracy's mother, died of congestive heart failure in November; Tracy was 54 at the time.- "Donald Bailey" messaged daily for four weeks then continued daily for seven months; his profile photo was actually of a 61-year-old landscaper from Bozeman, Montana.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  She Sent $4,200 On Valentine's Day - He Was a Lie 25.09.2026 17p

  She Sent $4,200 On Valentine's Day - He Was a LieFear that the person you love is a fabrication lives in the small, precise details - like a folded wire receipt tucked into a drugstore Valentine. Marcia Meyer wired $4,200 on February 14 to a freight broker in Accra, Ghana, kept the creased receipt as a love memento, and only later did those records unravel the man she thought she knew; how did her own handwriting become the proof that he never existed?In this episode, we follow the timeline laid out in Marcia's records, messages, and the receipts she kept to show how a relationship built over Wednesday night calls and careful language turned into a multi-country money trail, and we ask whether meticulous habits can both protect and betray someone.Person: Marcia MeyerLocation: Callister, Indiana; Muncie, IndianaDate: February 14, 2019Amount: $4,200 (single transfer); $11,600 (total sent by May 2019)Platform: Covenant Circle- Marcia graduated from Callister Regional High School in 2015 and was working as a billing clerk by 2019.- The first contact came in October 2018 from a profile named Curtis Keller claiming to be a 40-year-old civil engineer in Scotland.- On February 14, 2019, Marcia wired $4,200 to a freight broker account in Accra, Ghana and placed the folded receipt inside a Valentine's card reading, "For when you need to remember why."- Between February and May 2019, Marcia made additional transfers to accounts in Ghana, Malaysia, and a UK payment processor, leaving her savings at roughly $400 by end of May.- The total amount Marcia sent by May 2019 was $11,600.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Cake in the Ditch: How a Birthday Bait Unmasked a Killer 24.09.2026 20p

  The Cake in the Ditch: How a Birthday Bait Unmasked a KillerA sealed birthday cake left in a drainage ditch with a card reading "He never made it to his birthday. Ask Wayne." pulled at Dunbar's quiet streets and revealed a year-long pattern of deception that targeted a grieving widower. Who was "Wayne," why did he bring a fake family photo and a commercial casserole dish, and how did a cake become the clue that started the unraveling?In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the cake was found through the visits, logs, and objects that altered Harold Finch's life, asking whether those small gestures were kindness or calculated moves. What connection did the man calling himself Wayne have to Harold, and what forced the truth into the open?Person: Harold FinchDate: May 14, 2022Location: Sycamore Ridge Nature Path; Clover Hill Drive, DunbarPerson: Nicole DixonEvent: Cake left five days before Harold's 75th birthday- The cake was found intact in a drainage ditch on May 14, 2022, five days before Harold Finch's 75th birthday.- The handwritten card inside the cake read: "He never made it to his birthday. Ask Wayne."- Harold Finch was 74 when his wife Barbara died in January 2021 after 41 years of marriage.- Nicole Dixon, the home health aide, logged improved affect in Harold beginning late September 2021 after visits by a man identifying himself as Wayne.- The casserole dish Wayne brought had a stamped seal "a crown above the letters HBA," indicating commercial catering supply use.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Man Who Threw His Lies Into a Creek: Emily's $214K Betrayal 23.09.2026 18p

  The Man Who Threw His Lies Into a Creek: Emily's $214K BetrayalFear that the person on the phone is a perfect stranger who knows your routines - Emily lost $214,000 to a romance scheme that used forty-one printed emails, a prepaid phone, and a waterlogged olive-green bag tossed into Sallow Creek. Who built the script that convinced a careful, retired records coordinator to hand over life savings, and why did someone try to erase the evidence in the dark?In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Emily Donnelly creating a dating profile in January 2019 to Carol Boyd finding the bag at 6:40 a.m. on her trotline, and we follow how a fabricated persona, VoIP calls, and persistent late-night messages culminated in a federal financial crimes case. What do the emails and the ledger in that bag reveal about the operation that targeted her?Person: Emily DonnellyDate: January-mid-April 2019Location: Sallow Creek / Birchmont Avenue, Calusa, TennesseeAmount: $214,000Exhibit: Olive-green bag containing 41 printed emails, a handwritten ledger, and a prepaid phone- At 6:40 a.m., Carol Boyd pulled a waterlogged olive-green bag from Sallow Creek trailing corroded wire once anchored to a concrete block.- The bag contained forty-one emails printed on copy paper, a handwritten ledger, and a prepaid phone still holding a charge.- Emily created a dating profile in January 2019 and matched with a man using the name Wayne H. within a week.- By mid-April 2019, two hundred and fourteen thousand dollars was gone from Emily’s accounts; some money was later recovered but most was not.- Throughout the relationship timeline, Wayne always initiated calls via a VoIP number; Emily never placed a single call.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  He Touched the Railing - The Man Who Forged Nine Months of Love 22.09.2026 17p

  He Touched the Railing - The Man Who Forged Nine Months of LoveCold evidence and calculated tenderness: an envelope left beneath frost at 1:50 a.m. pointed to a stranger standing in the dark outside Michelle Whitley's house, while she waited for a marriage proposal from a man she had never touched-how did nine months of crafted trust culminate in that late-night proof?In this episode, we follow the timeline of contact that began in a church pew and moved through potlucks, Facebook messages, nightly calls, and a private tradition of leaving a token at a meaningful place-raising the question: was the proposal ritual real devotion or a rehearsed setup to exploit quiet rituals?Person: Michelle WhitleyLocation: Sutter Road, Calloway CountyEvent: Envelope placed under frost at 1:50 a.m.Claimed Identity: Marvin Christensen, 51, civil engineer, recently widowedDate of first church contact: late June 2018- Michelle walked two miles out and two miles back on Sutter Road every morning for seven years, touching the south railing of the iron bridge with her right hand.- The envelope was placed on a concrete slab capping an old well and frosted underneath, indicating it was set after the temperature dropped at 1:50 a.m.- The man introduced himself at Calvary Ridge Church in late June 2018 and volunteered for the maintenance committee, earning a key to the rear maintenance door.- Contact progressed from a church potluck to a private Facebook group to direct messages to nightly phone calls over summer and fall 2018, with a birthday card postmarked from Oregon arriving in January.- In October 2018 he told Michelle he believed God had placed her in his path; by February he told her he loved her and by early March he moved toward a proposal involving the well slab she had described.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Dress Uniform in the Tank: How a Widow Was Set Up to Lose Everything 21.09.2026 18p

  The Dress Uniform in the Tank: How a Widow Was Set Up to Lose EverythingHope can be a weapon - a folded dress uniform sealed in a gallon bag was found pressed against a septic tank deflector eight years after its owner died in Afghanistan. Why would Staff Sergeant Dennis Colby’s uniform be left in a rural Indiana tank, and what was that act meant to accomplish?In this episode, we follow Wade Brown, a forty-eight-year-old widower whose slow return to hope after his wife’s death was interrupted by a stranger’s calculated attention and escalating money requests. How did online messages, prepaid phones, and silent bank accounts combine to turn his grief into $11,200 in losses?Person: Wade BrownAge: 48Person: Staff Sergeant Dennis ColbyDate: 2011 (death), 2019 (uniform found), 2018-2019 (contact period)Location: Keller Road, rural IndianaAmount: $11,200- Wade Brown transferred $400 in December after three months of nightly calls from someone who called herself Angela Mercer.- By early February the total sent had reached $11,200 across three separate accounts.- Angela’s messages used a prepaid phone bought in cash in Indianapolis and accounts opened with false IDs.- Wade missed his volunteer shift at the Dunmore Area Food Shelf once in January-the only unplanned absence Peggy Hollis had observed.- Staff Sergeant Dennis Colby died in Afghanistan in 2011; his dress uniform was found in February 2019 sealed inside a one-gallon zip-lock bag in a septic tank.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  He Took Her Innocence - I Gave Him $112,000 20.09.2026 18p

  He Took Her Innocence - I Gave Him $112,000Trust can be bought and tallied: a laminated wire transfer showed $112,000 paid in six installments and a hand note that read "I THOUGHT HE WAS REAL." Who constructed the friendship that cost George Andrews his money and left someone else to leave a witness statement on a limestone shelf?In this episode, we follow the timeline of messages, small favors and a single convincing photo that led George Andrews from routine office life into months of online trust-building. You will hear how an apparently steady engineer became entangled in requests that escalated to $112,000 and what one repayment revealed about the scam.Person: George AndrewsLocation: Tallahassee, FloridaDate: March 26, 2021Amount: $112,000Case: Friendship-based wire fraud- George Andrews transferred $8,000 on March 26, 2021 as a bond payment to an online contact.- The total wired amount shown in the laminated confirmation was $112,000 paid in six installments.- The fraudulent profile used a 2018 photo taken by civil engineer Marcus Webb from Edmonton.- A handwritten note left with the document read exactly: I THOUGHT HE WAS REAL.- The repayment three weeks after the first transfer included the message: Told you I was good for it.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  She Loved a Voice: How "Carl White" Emptied Her Retirement 19.09.2026 16p

  She Loved a Voice: How "Carl White" Emptied Her RetirementFear that the person you trust is a machine can feel like betrayal and terror at once: Ruth Hunt lost $20,000 and nearly her autonomy after falling for a voice engineered to feel like love. How did daily calls and linguistic intimacy conceal a synthesized voice that drained her retirement savings?In this episode, we follow the timeline from a VoiceBridge contact request to the moment a neighbor called 9-1-1, detailing the calls, transfers, and the digital evidence that revealed the deception. What does it mean when a voice is indistinguishable enough to make you give away your life savings?Person: Ruth HuntDate: December 19, 2023Platform: VoiceBridgeTotal money sent: $20,000Analysis hours reviewed: 14- Ruth Hunt was 52 years old and had been an ESL instructor for 22 years.- First wire transfer occurred in March 2023 for $4,200 to cover a supposed shipping delay.- Second transfer in May 2023 for $6,500 described as a medical expense.- Third transfer in August 2023 for $9,000 to cover a regulatory fine.- Audio analysis showed call response latency under 300 milliseconds and 14 hours of recordings processed through real-time voice synthesis.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  Red Velvet Box on Redbud Mill Road: The Bronze Star and the Lie 18.09.2026 19p

  Red Velvet Box on Redbud Mill Road: The Bronze Star and the LieFear and recognition collide: a red velvet box with a Bronze Star and a typed note - "I'm sorry I believed you." - appears on a snowy rural roadside with no footprints, and the stranger who found it will uncover a seven-month online romance that sent over $31,200 to a man who wasn't who he claimed to be. Who really left the medal, and what did the lie cost the woman who trusted it?In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the moment Kimberly Patterson discovered the box at 5:15 a.m. to Teresa Myers's months-long online relationship with "Ronald Wright," showing how a single photograph and small acts of empathy led to escalating financial transfers and a staged confession on Redbud Mill Road. How did an encrypted chat, a kitchen photo, and a Bronze Star become the evidence of a romance scam?Person: Teresa MyersDate: November 9, 2019Location: Redbud Mill RoadAmount: $31,200Platform: Bridging Home- Kimberly Patterson found the red velvet box at 5:15 a.m, with no footprints and no snow on top.- The box contained a Bronze Star engraved with an unfamiliar name and a notecard reading "I'm sorry I believed you."- Teresa Myers joined the Bridging Home forum in March 2019 and was contacted by "Ronald Wright" on April 14, 2019.- "Ronald Wright" claimed to be a 51-year-old retired Army sergeant living in Tucson with three combat tours and PTSD.- Between July and November 2019, Teresa transferred $31,200 into accounts designated as "beneficiary relay account."To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  He Trusted Me - The Velvet Note That Stole His Inheritance 17.09.2026 20p

  He Trusted Me - The Velvet Note That Stole His InheritanceHe found a velvet bag tied with nylon twine wedged inside a transformer bracket; inside, a twelve-word handwritten note: "He trusted me. Now he has nothing." That small object set in motion a fourteen-month romance and a fraud that drained $61,400 from a man who believed in provenance more than people - so how did a curator's devotion become the perfect lure?In this episode, we tell the story of Jeffrey Simmons, what happened after he created a social profile, and how a relationship built on shared values turned into a con that cost him his inheritance. Can a stranger who speaks your language of truth and objects be using that language to steal everything you trust?Person: Jeffrey SimmonsAge: 28Inheritance amount: $63,000Fraud total: $61,400Duration of interaction: 14 months- The velvet bag contained a twelve-word handwritten note with no sender or recipient.- Jeffrey had worked at the Varnell County Historical Museum and cataloged objects for years.- He inherited $63,000 from his grandmother Evelyn the winter before and disclosed it to almost no one.- A profile called Russell Owens contacted him within ten days after Jeffrey created a social profile.- The fraud spanned fourteen months and used photographs taken by photographer Kevin Prater without his knowledge.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Bracelet on the Marigold Pot: How Love Became a Wire Fraud 16.09.2026 17p

  The Bracelet on the Marigold Pot: How Love Became a Wire FraudFear that someone you trust could be building a lie inside your daily routine begins with a small, ordinary object: a stainless steel bracelet engraved with a blood type and a pediatric patient number, left on a marigold pot at 6:22 AM. That bracelet was meant to be found, by a woman whose life had quiet gaps and precise habits-so who built the system to exploit her, and where did it finally unravel?In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Ruth Wagner found the bracelet to the pattern of transfers that followed, laying out how a dating profile, repeated repayments, and careful details were used to earn trust and move money across state lines; how did a single early repayment lock the scheme into place?Person: Karen RaffertyDate: September 2022 (bracelet found at 6:22 AM on a Friday morning)Location: Orchard Terrace, Dunbar, AlabamaPerson: Kevin StoddardEvent: First transfer and full reimbursement in April 2022- Ruth Wagner found a stainless steel bracelet engraved with a blood type and a pediatric patient number at 6:22 AM on a Friday in September 2022.- Karen Rafferty matched with a profile named Bruce Wells on Heartland Connector in February 2022 and was 54 years old at the time.- The profile used a photo posted by Dennis Albright in 2019 and claimed a nine-year-old daughter named Lily with aplastic anemia.- The first money transfer occurred seven weeks after the match, in April 2022: $400 sent via Western Union and returned the following Tuesday in full.- Kevin Stoddard, 38 and living in Gadsden, Alabama (57 miles from Dunbar), had a prior 2017 wire fraud conviction and created multiple profiles, including Bruce Wells, by February 2022.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  He Never Went to Rome - The Secret Photo That Bought Her Love 15.09.2026 17p

  He Never Went to Rome - The Secret Photo That Bought Her LoveIn this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the first online comment on Crystal's food blog to the moment a meter reader knocked on her door with the impossible photo, and follow the unanswered question that started it all: why was her face laminated for use as a lure?Person: Crystal MooreTopic: Secondhand Spoon food blogDate: August 14, 2019 (photo placed)Location: Columbus apartment buildingAmount: $31,000- The laminated photograph was found behind a gas meter in the building on August 17, 2019, after being placed there on August 14, 2019.- Crystal Moore had never owned a passport and had never left the United States as stated by neighbors and records.- Crystal launched the Secondhand Spoon food blog in spring of her sophomore year and had 14,000 followers by summer 2019.- The man posing as a food critic began commenting on her posts in October 2016 and by January 2017 had exchanged annotated versions of Lorraine Voss’s sour cream pound cake recipe.- The deception led to two and a half years of fraud that resulted in $31,000 taken from Crystal by someone using a stolen identity.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Envelope That Exposed a Fake Coast Guard Lover and $11,000 Loss 14.09.2026 20p

  The Envelope That Exposed a Fake Coast Guard Lover and $11,000 LossFear that the person you trusted was a lie: a padded envelope left at a church contained 43 photos, a cracked burner phone, and a note that said, "He is not who he told you he was." How did one unsigned warning unravel a four-state fraud and $68,000, and who sent the envelope?In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a niche internet friendship to repeated wire transfers and a face-to-face realization that triggered digital detective work. What did a single maritime-forum conversation lead Michael Griffin to believe, and how did a stranger's curiosity expose the deception?Person: Michael GriffinAge: 38Location: Kellerton, North CarolinaAmount lost by Michael: $11,000Total fraud across states: $68,000- The envelope contained forty-three printed photographs, a cracked burner phone, and an unsigned handwritten note.- Michael Griffin and "Dale Barnes" messaged daily from late February 2022 and moved to a private messaging app in April 2022.- One video call between Michael and "Dale" lasted eleven minutes with the camera angled low.- Michael wired four transfers totaling $11,000 after requests in late May and the following weeks.- Reverse image searches traced the profile photos to Patrick Sorrell, a 39-year-old Coast Guard petty officer whose images were used without his knowledge.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  She Gave Him Her Heart - He Gave Her a Stolen Identity and $48K 13.09.2026 18p

  She Gave Him Her Heart - He Gave Her a Stolen Identity and $48KGrief became the door Leon Berry walked through: a man who stayed patient for months online before Ruth Vickers sent him $48,000 into an account he named Crestline Yield - and a single greeting card found in a zip-lock bag would later tie his lies to a stolen identity. How did a steady, cautious 62-year-old medical billing supervisor come to transfer that amount after months of careful contact, and what did the misplaced card really reveal?In this episode, we tell the story of Ruth Vickers from Harwick, North Carolina, and the sequence of events that followed her introduction to Forward Step through a therapist referral. We follow the timeline from her first late arrivals at the food pantry to the private messages and voice notes that led to the $48,000 transfer - and the question of how one small object became evidence.Person: Ruth VickersLocation: Persimmon Street, Harwick, North CarolinaAge: 62Platform: Forward StepAmount: $48,000- Ruth Vickers lived in the same four-bedroom colonial for nineteen years.- She volunteered every Tuesday at the Harwick Food Pantry for nine years without missing a single shift until mid-March.- Ruth joined Forward Step in late February after a referral from her therapist, Margot Solis.- Leon Berry’s screenshot showed a Crestline Yield balance of $240,000 and he said he had started with $18,000.- In early May, Ruth transferred $48,000 into Crestline after weeks of daily messages and voice notes.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Love Letters They Tried to Sink: How Cheryl Was Conned 12.09.2026 18p

  The Love Letters They Tried to Sink: How Cheryl Was ConnedThe first thing a fisherman found was a gallon zip-lock bag weighted and sealed, containing forty-two pages of printed emails - love letters someone had tried to sink in the Cassidy River. How did a small-town book lover end up sending $41,000 to a man who quoted Chekhov and used photographs stolen from an Edinburgh librarian, and who tried to erase the trail by throwing those letters into the water?In this episode, we tell the story of Cheryl Myers and the sequence of messages, payments, and stolen identities that connected a Portland antiquarian persona to a man living in Grainer County. You will hear how daily emails turned into eight transfers totaling $41,000 and why the discovery of the zip-lock bag forced local investigators to ask what really happened.Person: Cheryl MyersLocation: KellertonDate: May (morning discovery at 6:15)Case: Love-letter fraud uncovered after zip-lock bag found in Cassidy RiverAmount: $41,000 total over eight transfers- A fisherman named Jason Norris found the gallon zip-lock bag in the Cassidy River at 6:15 on a Tuesday morning in May.- The bag contained forty-two pages of printed emails with corners slightly stained but every word legible.- A new forum account appeared fourteen months earlier claiming to be a fifty-one-year-old antiquarian from Portland using the name Steven Vaughn.- Cheryl sent eight transfers over approximately four months totaling $41,000 after daily emails began and requests for fees were made.- The photographs used by the fake Steven Vaughn were taken from Andrew Petrie, a university librarian in Edinburgh, whose public Instagram photos were repurposed.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Mailbox in the Empty Lot: How Ross Lost $61,420 to a Fake Missionary 11.09.2026 17p

  The Mailbox in the Empty Lot: How Ross Lost $61,420 to a Fake MissionaryFear that someone you trusted could invent an entire life and quietly take everything - a red mailbox in an empty lot, 47 pieces of mail, and a padded envelope with 14 photographs stamped "For Ross - they remember you" set off a chain that cost one man $61,420. How did transfers labeled for Nairobi end up in a personal account in Accra, and who was the man named Larry Schmidt really?In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from a land surveyor's discovery to the fraud investigator's leads, following the paperwork, photographs, and bank records that reveal the deception and the unanswered questions about the fake missionary's network and methods.Person: Ross PattersonDate: early April 2023 (discovery); summer 2021 (beginning of relationship)Location: Fenwick Road, Kettler Township; Millhaven; Accra, GhanaAmount: $61,420.00Case: Shepherd's Table Outreach / Larry Schmidt- A land surveyor found a red mailbox planted in a vacant lot that had been empty for eleven years containing 47 pieces of mail.- Inside a resealed padded envelope were 14 photographs, 11 of which were run through reverse image search with 7 matches.- Ross Patterson sent 41 documented transfers over 18 months, totaling $61,420, with individual transfers ranging from $200 to $3,800.- Transfers marked for an organization in Nairobi were routed instead to a personal account in Accra, Ghana, with no charity registration.- Fraud investigator Diane Boyd had six years' experience and traced the discrepancy between the receipts' destination codes and the actual account recipient.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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  The Watch on the Septic Lid: How "Duane" Stole a Life and Almost the Heart 10.09.2026 16p

  The Watch on the Septic Lid: How "Duane" Stole a Life and Almost the HeartFear of being carefully loved - then betrayed - hits like a chill: a moving dress watch left on a sealed septic lid at 8:20 AM in the second week of March 2011, its hands frozen at 11:47, would unravel a romance built by email and phone calls and reveal how a seemingly perfect stranger entered a woman's life. Who was the man behind the name "Duane," and what did the watch finally tell them?In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first email in early January to the first date at Harlan's Grill and the small, precise details that built trust: nightly calls about a sick guinea pig, hand-delivered notes, and changing handwriting and scars that unsettled Alice. How did those ordinary moments lead to the object on the septic lid that explained everything?Person: Alice HuntDate: second week of March 2011Location: Harlan's Grill; east side of Kellerton; a rental propertyEvent: first email from Duane around January 8-10, 2011Item: silver-toned dress watch, hands stopped at 11:47, placed on a sealed septic lid at 8:20 AM- Alice was 32 years old and worked six years as a claims processor at Kellerton's largest insurance firm.- Pip, one of Alice's four guinea pigs, required nebulizer treatments at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM without fail.- The first email from Duane arrived around January 8-10, 2011 and included a photograph of a man claiming to be a civil engineer.- Alice and Duane had talked for about five weeks before meeting in person; their first date at Harlan's Grill was the first Saturday of March, meeting at 6:30 PM.- A septic worker, Roy Schultz, found the silver-toned dress watch at 8:20 AM on the sealed septic lid; the band looked unworn and the hands showed 11:47.To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].