Scam Secrets - The Podcast Scam
You've been invited onto a well-known podcast (not this one). They'll even pay you to take part. Would you know what to do?
Shari Vahl, Alex Wood and Dr Lis Carter unravel an elaborate scam that's aimed at people and organisations with a big social following. They hear from a dog groomer who was tricked into handing over her Facebook account by an extremely convincing-sounding invitation to appear on a US podcast. The same trick has been used on other charities and influencers and it's made even harder to spot because the podcast does exist. So how are you supposed to check?
And crucially, what are the criminals really after?
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
Published on Thursday, 7th May 2026.
Available Podcasts from Scam Secrets
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Scam Secrets webpage.