“Kota Youngblood told his neighbors there were hits out on their lives — and only he could save them.”
scammers
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Student Behind a Phishing Empire
“£100m stolen across Europe . . . How did Ollie Holman do it?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Joan Lowell and the Birth of the Modern Literary Fraud
“A century ago, an aspiring actress published a remarkable autobiography. She made up most of it.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Scammer Next Door
“In India, an era of glaring inequality is also a golden age of fraud.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Scammer
“I responded to one of those spam texts from a “recruiter”—then took the job. It got weirder than I could have imagined.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Diabolical World of Phone Scams
“How the RCMP busted the biggest fraud ever to target Canadians—and why they can’t keep up anymore.”
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring notable stories by Bridget Read, Oscar Schwartz, Mosab Abu Toha, Sierra Bellows, and Stuart Heritage.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Meet the Con Artist Who Deceived the Front Range Tech Community
“It’s true that many of Clark’s actions defy logic. In key ways, he never fit the mold of a classic con man.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Great Zelle Pool Scam
“All I wanted was a status symbol. What I got was a $31,000 lesson in the downside of payment apps.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
16 Hours With George Santos: Dunkin’ Donuts, 27,000 Steps and a Scolding
“Our intrepid reporter camped outside the office of Congress’ most scandal-plagued freshman, so you don’t have to.”