Dirty Scams

About Dirty Scams

Ever wonder how the most audacious con artists pull off their schemes? Dirty Scams pulls back the curtain on the world's most shocking frauds, exposing the masterminds and their victims. From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we dissect every detail of the deception. This is where you uncover the psychology behind the trickery and learn how seemingly ordinary people fall prey to extraordinary lies. We don't just tell stories; we analyze the tactics, the red flags, and the devastating impact of these criminal enterprises. Join us daily, seven days a week, for a fresh dose of deception. New episodes drop every Monday through Sunday at 7:00 PM, offering a deep dive into a new case of fraud, scam, or con. Each episode is meticulously researched, bringing you the facts and the fascinating human element behind every scheme. Dirty Scams is for anyone fascinated by true crime, investigative journalism, and the darker side of human ingenuity. If you're keen to understand the mechanics of deception and protect yourself from becoming a target, you've found your essential listening. Subscribe now and become an expert in spotting the signs.

Publisher

Creator at Obomedia

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jul 2026

Latest episode

26 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

139 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2026

   The Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits

   The Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits A soaked cardboard box wedged in a drainage culvert revealed handwritten ledgers that tied $94,000 in missing security deposits to one trusted landlord - and eighty-three families were left counting losses. How did a billing specialist’s routine walk and a box in a river unravel a six-year pattern of “TEMP TRANSFER” withdrawals that emptied the RMHP Security Deposit Trust? In this episode, we follow the documents, dates, and people connected to the missing escrow money and the audit that followed, asking whether the patterns in the ledgers were deliberate and why Romano tried to dispose of them. Person: Wade Romano Person: Rachel Sullivan Location: Rolling Meadows Mobile Home Park, County Road Seven, Triton County Date: July 11, 2019 Amount: $94,000 - 83 families were affected by the missing security deposits. - Romano purchased Rolling Meadows in 2009 for $112,000. - Security deposit required by state statute since 1987 to be held in escrow. - The RMHP Security Deposit Trust balance spiked to about $62,000 on inspection days and fell again nine times between 2013 and 2019. - Romano borrowed $31,000 from maintenance contractor Pete Scholl over two years via informal checks. 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: business@obomedia.com.

2. 

   25 Oct 2026

   How One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt

   How One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt A hidden $33-per-ton gap in municipal road salt bills quietly funneled $938,000 of public money over seven years into one administrator's accounts - and it all hinged on a single packing slip and an unnoticed folder. How did a routine pallet of salt and a memo about "administrative consistency" keep a scheme alive until one county surveyor photographed the price? In this episode, we trace the cooperative's formation, the role of its sole administrator, and the sequence of invoices, memos and missed checks that allowed the discrepancy to grow. We follow the moment Hartwell Supply began sharing prices directly and the photograph that began to unravel the numbers - what happened next? Person: Alan Moore Role: Administrator of the Dellard-Kellner Regional Road Salt Cooperative Date (discrepancy discovered): June 4, 2019 Amount diverted: $938,000 Supplier: Hartwell Supply - Cooperative founding year: 2009 - Number of member municipalities by 2014: 12 - Invoice price on packing slip: $61 per ton - Price Moore billed municipalities: $89-$94 per ton - Years scheme ran: 2012-2019 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: business@obomedia.com.

3. 

   24 Oct 2026

   The Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched

   The Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched Fear of losing what you can't bear to part with: a small-town storage facility quietly erased possessions while auctions and lot cards created the illusion of a legal sale. Ridgeway Self-Storage ran for nearly four years, touched 61 documented auctions, and left 71 people with receipts for units already emptied-so how did the scheme stay hidden in plain sight? In this episode, we tell the story of the scheme at Ridgeway Self-Storage and the people who noticed, ignored, or were enrolled in it, following the timeline from a Tuesday morning lock to a wire fraud investigation. How did routine maintenance logs, text messages calling an auction "the show," and private cash payments make public auctions a performance? Person: Howard Casey Location: Ridgeway Self-Storage, four miles east of Dunmore, Dellard County Date: May 9, 2019 (pump truck operator observed two padlocks on unit 47) Case: Wire fraud investigation connected to emptying units before auctions Event: 61 documented auctions affected; 71 victims left with receipts - Ridgeway Self-Storage had 62 rentable units and was purchased by Howard Casey in 2013. - The scam ran for nearly four years and touched 61 documented auctions. - Trace paid Casey cash fees ranging from $800 to $4,000 per unit depending on contents. - A recovered text from November 2017 reads: "Trace, forty-one is good, cedar stuff and a tool chest. I'll have it open Wednesday. Show is Saturday." - Tenant Lisa Barnes paid $55 per month for unit 44 for three years and found her mother's cedar chest unlatched and interior contents shifted in May 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: business@obomedia.com.

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